New minister, legislators to be sworn in today

The newly-appointed Education minister, Dr Papias Malimba Musafiri, four new parliamentarians and new judges are expected to be sworn in today.

Thursday, June 25, 2015

The newly-appointed Education minister, Dr Papias Malimba Musafiri, four new parliamentarians and new judges are expected to be sworn in today.

President Paul Kagame is expected to preside over the function at the Parliamentary Building in Kimihurura.

The lawmakers to be sworn in include Jean de Dieu Mucyo, the immediate former executive secretary of the National Commission for the Fight against Genocide, who becomes a senator.

Mucyo swaps places with Jean Damascene Bizimana, who replaced him at CNLG earlier this year.Mucyo is also a former cabinet minister and prosecutor general.

Others to take the oath of office are three members of the Lower House; Pierre Claver Rwaka, who makes a comeback to Parliament; Dr Damien Nyabyenda; and Jean Pierre Hindura.

The incoming deputies will be replacing Connie Bwiza (RPF), Giovanni Bushishi (PSD) and Sheikh Saleh Habimana (RPF).

Habimana was earlier in the year posted to Cairo, Egpyt as Rwanda’s ambassador to the north African country, while the other two resigned from the August House.

New judges

Also to be sworn in is the new vice president of the High Court, Xavier Ndahayo; and three new members of Supreme Court bench, namely Dr Alphonse Munyamfura Ngagi, Agnes Murorunkwere Nyirandabaruta, and Dr Aime Muyoboke Kalimunda.

Nyirandabaruta was until recently the vice president of the High Court, while both Ngagi and Karimunda are from the academia.

Ngagi has been a lecturer at the Facultry of Law at the University of Rwanda’s College of Arts and Social Sciences (CASS) in Huye, while Kalimunda, an expert in criminal procedure, has been a lecturer at the Institute of Legal Practice and Development as well as visiting lecturer at CASS.

Kalimunda has previously authored the book, The Death Penalty in Africa.

The judges were nominated by cabinet in May and later approved by the Senate.

The addition of three judges to the Supreme Court bench increases the number of judges in the country’s top judicial organ to 19.

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