All mayors for districts and the City of Kigali on Friday stepped down to pave way for local government elections, leaving behind stories of how they have worked to change lives in communities they led and taking with them the rich leadership experience they have gained over the years.

The New Times spoke to some of the outgoing mayors who will not be running for the mayoral office in the forthcoming elections because they have served two consecutive terms in office and are therefore barred by the law from running for the office again.

How did they manage to stay in office longer while some mayors elected at the same time were stepping down?

What have they achieved for their districts and what have been the challenges in their work? What issues are they leaving behind that deserve attention from incoming mayors and what advice do they have for them?

For the fomer mayor of Kicukiro District in the City of Kigali, Paul Jules Ndamage, constantly thinking about how to best do his work of helping people to improve their lives, working with other influential people and institutions in the district, and investing in big projects like building roads and provision of water and electricity have paid off.

After leading Kicukiro for eight years, Ndamage says he is leaving behind a more developed district with more asphalt roads, every village (umudugudu) having access to electricity, all villages having access to clean water except one village, and the district owning a modern complex for its headquarters.

"Leading an urban district for eight years was an extra-ordinary experience. Being able to bring people together so they can work to develop their area was an important thing,” he said.

The biggest challenge during his tenure was a limited budget because he would always want to do more but budgetary constraints couldn’t allow it.

According to him, if the next mayor of Kicukiro is to solve any pending issues, then creating more jobs for the youth and ensuring that developers respect the city’s master plan deserve special attention.

In the Northern Province, outgoing mayors also emphasised that working together with others and listening attentively to their people was the secret for their success.

Justus Kangwagye of Rulindo District said that it was good seeing the people he was serving for ten years working hard to improve their lives.

"It is satisfying to see people you lead working hard to develop themselves,” he said.

Kangwage who has been serving as the chairperson of the Rwanda Association of Local Government Authorities (RALGA) said that challenges for managing the district included budget constraints, calling the district’s overdependence on funds from the central government unsustainable.

He also pointed at the low capacity of district staff to respond to the needs of people and lack of a strong middle class in the district among the key challenges.

His advice for the incoming district mayors: "This is the best job any Rwandan can ever have; to serve the people. It gives the utmost chance to serve and any mayor needs simplicity of the character in office and constructive listening to those you serve”.

Samuel Sembagare, the former mayor of Burera District, agrees that listening to the people is the key but he also adds accountability as very crucial.

"I have realised that the secret to success in leadership is to respect people and know that the district is like a company owned by the people. You should also be transparent and be accountable to the people on whatever you are doing,” he said.

Like other mayors, Sembagare, said that Burera has been affected by budgetary constraints when implementing development projects, leaving infrastructure to remain undeveloped in the area.

But he is happy that water supply in the district is at 94 per cent while access to electricity is at 24 per cent.

"If I were to run again for mayor, I would ensure that access to water is 100 per cent and access to electricity goes up because it would help foster development,” he said.

He also says that there is need to build Burera District offices because its current office building is too small and old.

In the Southern Province, the outgoing mayor of Nyanza District, Abdallah Murenzi, said that working hard to monitor all the major activities in his district helped him to maintain his job.

"As a mayor, you have to follow up on people and ensure their development. You also have to know how the government’s policies and district’s various development projects are being implemented in the district,” said the 35-year-old father of two.

He said, he is happy that under his leadership the district’s development gained momentum, citing access to electricity among Nyanza households that grew from 6 to 20 per cent in the last five years while access to clean water which was at 52 per cent five years ago now stands at 70 per cent.

Three water dams were also built for irrigation purposes, and at least 1,000 hectares are constantly watered allowing farmers to cultivate maize, rice and other crops at least two seasons per year.

He however, said there are goals that are still pending.

"Nine out of 10 sectors making up Nyanza District have electricity, but we wanted all the 10 sectors to have access to electricity,” he said.

He added: "We wanted to have a 20 kilometre tarmac road network in Nyanza City, but we have only 15 kilometre tarmac roads in the city”.

The construction of the Rwf15 billion Nyanza Stadium with capacity to accommodate 20,000 people is at a feasibility study level, while the construction of the Nyanza-Ngoma Road is also not yet implemented.

The Mayor of Gisagara District, Leandre Karekezi, said that though it’s a local government, the district is like any other government, encompassing all domains.

"As the mayor, you are in charge and accountable foreverything. One therefore, has to follow up because they are accountable,” he said.

Karekezi, who is married with two children, said the challenge he faced during his tenure was lack of enough finances to meet the targeted goals.

He said, Gisagara District used to be a rural area with about 1 per cent access to electricity among its households, but now the rate went up to 14 per cent.

The district had very low access to clean water but now access to water stands at 76 per cent, he added.

If he were to be re-elected as mayor of the district, he would focus on constructing more roads, increasing access to water and electricity, and introducing better farming methods to boost agriculture, he said.

In the Western Province, the outgoing mayor of Ngororero District, Gédéon Ruboneza, said that the experience he got from serving as the district mayor over the last 6.5 years is that leading people is about reaching out to them with good services.

"You need to approach people so they can openly tell you about their problems,” he said.

Under his leadership, electricity access in the district went up from 4 per cent to 17.2 per cent while access to water increased from 43 per cent to 63 per cent.

He is also happy that Musanze-Nyabihu tarmac Road was built during his tenure.

Unfinished business include; the construction of Ngororero Stadium whose works worth Rwf500 million are at the final stage but the synthetic carpet to cover its ground is yet to be procured.

Another incomplete project is the construction of the Rwf480 million Nyange Genocide Memorial Site whose construction work is at about 63 per cent.

In the Eastern Province, the outgoing mayor of Nyagatare District, Fred Atuhe Sabiiti, cited modernising agriculture as one of his achievements but added that access to water was still lacking in the district.

"The long horned cows were replaced by modern cows, a milestone achievement in our district.

Today, Nyagatare is home to thousands of Friesian cows that supply milk and beef to the whole country,” he said.

Efforts to modernise agriculture in Nyagatare also resulted in hundreds of irrigated hectares that have drastically increased crop production in the district.

The mayor said the issue of scarcity of water that devastates the district in some seasons was beyond his reach, describing the issue as needing serious attention.

The outgoing mayor of Bugesera District, Louis Rwagaju, is happy that the area is no longer marked by hunger and that infrastructure has been improved under his tenure, citing new hotels, electricity, and tarmac roads.

Rwagaju, a father of three children, also notes that his days in office were challenged by shortage of clean water, an issue he laments still stands.

His advice to incoming mayors is to always strive to make a positive impact on the areas they lead and work with dedication to improve things.

"The work of a mayor is not easy but it can be done well if there is full dedication. One must mind about performance contracts,” he said.

New district mayors will be elected on February 27 as part of the forthcoming local government elections scheduled for this month and March.

Reporting by Eugene Kwibuka in Kigali, Emmanuel Ntirenganya in Huye, Jean d’ Amour Mbonyinshuti in Musanze & Stephen Rwembeho in Rwamagana.

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