A delegation of fourteen senior military officers from Kenya, Burundi, Zambia, Namibia and Tanzania are in Rwanda for a week-long study tour aimed at examining, the management of security, foreign and public policy while drawing lessons learnt from the region.

The delegation, led by Lt. General JN Waweru, from Kenya, is currently attending a security course at the National Defence College (NDC) of Kenya.

Speaking to journalists shortly after a closed-door meeting with General Patrick Nyamvumba, the Chief of Defence Staff for Rwanda Defence Forces (RDF), Lt. Gen Waweru said Rwanda was identified as a case study for the participants so that they are able to vividly experience Rwanda’s tale from a Genocide-torn nation to what it is today.

"Our visit here was actually to confirm some of the things we have learned about Rwanda, and get them firsthand rather than reading about them in the books,” said Waweru.

"There is no specific policies we are targeting from Rwanda but rather the whole spectrum of policies and we want to look at them from the political and academic perspective and make sure that we learn from them.”

LT. Gen Waweru said that the delegation comprised of political and academic practitioners of military and public policies, and hence Rwanda offered a befitting case study for the course.

He added that the visit was inspired by the good cooperation between Rwanda and Kenya.

"We have a very good cooperation not only from the East African community perspective but also from the military cooperation. We have got a good military cooperation, where we exchange military training courses between Rwanda and Kenya.

The National Defence College (NDC) Kenya, is a national military learning institution, which deals with policies and strategies of various countries, according to Lt. Gen Waweru, who doubles as the commandant of the institute.

Lt. Gen Waweru said the team expects to go back to Kenya with a clear understanding of the policies that have seen Rwanda bounce back from the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi—which saw over one million people being killed—to becoming a united and reconciled nation.

"Rwanda is recovering from the Genocide that happened in the recent past, we want to know which policies that were put in place so that people can become one again. In any African society there will be those conflicts originating from ethnicity, and etcetera…so what lessons do we learn from Rwanda? Which policies have been put in place so that people can live harmoniously?” Waweru noted.

Rwanda’s Defence and Military Spokesperson Brig. Gen. Joseph Nzabamwita said the Rwanda Defence Force was pleased to contribute to the academic programmes of NDC-Kenya, through hosting the study tour.

"This gives us confidence that what Rwanda Defence Force has been doing since 1994, when we stopped the Genocide against the Tutsi, has been successful,”

Nzabamwita noted that the professionalisation of the RDF and initiation of homegrown solutions, in defence,such as Zigama Credit and Saving Society have been key to the transformation of military personnel in Rwanda.

The delegation, which has been in Kigali since December 5, is expected to visit various institutions across the country. They will conclude their tour on December 13.

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