"With a PhD, you should be serving in a higher position” or "in 18 years, you should have changed positions.” These are some of the comments that are made about Dr Umuhoza Rwabukumba, but they do not affect her.

The 47-year-old currently serving as the Executive Secretary of Rusororo Sector, Gasabo District, believes that if your heart is set on something, you do not lose momentum for anything.

Rwabukumba is one of the longest-serving executive secretaries, having joined local government in 2006. She joined when the Rwandan government was implementing decentralisation reforms, replacing old entities with 30 new districts and 416 local administrative sectors.

At the time, the government was looking for competent graduates to become executive secretaries of the sectors, which are considered the most vital component of local government, with most services now at the sector level. The purpose of the decentralisation phase was to bring leadership and services closer to the people.

At the age of 28, Rwabukumba, who had just graduated from what was then the National University of Rwanda (NUR), now the University of Rwanda, with a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science, was lucky to be selected among those to take up the new role.

Since then, she has been an executive secretary, beginning her career in Mugunga Sector, Gakenke District, in the Northern Province, and was then transferred to Gasabo District, to become the Executive Secretary of Kinyinya Sector.

"In 2020, during Covid-19, I left Kinyinya and became the Executive Secretary of Kimironko Sector, up to 2023, when I was transferred to Rusororo as the Executive Secretary,” Rwabukumba said during the interview.

Growing up, Rwabukumba aspired to be a leader, taking up leadership roles in school and later in student bodies at university.

"When we completed university, there were ongoing reforms and a need for people to go to the sectors that were newly established at that time. A lot of people who were graduating were deployed in the sectors.

"That’s when I was assigned to my first role as a sector executive secretary and that’s the job I’ve been doing since 2006,” Rwabukumba said, adding that studying Political Science at NUR in a way prepared her for the job.

As a child, she aspired to be a leader, and here she was being given an opportunity by her country, hence, grabbing it with both hands.

"What is even more impressive, the system of governance shapes you according to what is expected of you and I was lucky, I started with others and we have continued until today,” she said.

ALSO READ: Service delivery at centre of decentralisation reforms

Dealing with challenges

The past 18 years have not been without challenges. When you are in a leadership position, people come to you with different problems.

For Rwabukumba, the most important thing is to listen to them and understand the challenges before finding ways to resolve them, because a good leader listens.

If it is a challenge she cannot address at her level, there are various institutions and agencies she consults to find a solution.

"We don’t work in isolation when it comes to solving problems. There are different institutions we work with, but most importantly we also have the people who play a crucial role in dealing with the different problems they face in their communities,” Rwabukumba noted.

At the administrative level, there is the advisory committee and community meetings, where different issues are tackled, but as a leader, when one is not satisfied, she refers them to the next level.

She said most of the challenges they deal with are resolved at their level with the involvement and cooperation of the people, together with other institutions, and thus they do not end up in court.

However, some cases end up in court or other higher institutions if a solution is not found, notable among them land wrangles and domestic conflicts.

Regarding domestic conflicts, Rwabukumba said that as a leader, the first step is to resolve the issues between the parties but if you sense danger, take necessary action.

"Often when a solution is rejected, you don’t impose it on people to a point where they can kill each other,” she said, adding that depending on the issue, the court offers the best solution since it relies on the law.

"If it is a problem that can be solved in court, we send them to court. If it is property, the court makes a decision and they all know it is a court order.

"Our job is then to come in and help them to ensure that the court decision is implemented, so that justice is not only served but also, we are able to save lives,” Rwabukumba pointed out.

As a leader, part of her job is to read situations. For example, when a couple comes with irreconcilable differences, her job is not to try and reconcile them, in so doing making it risky.

Where it is necessary, she advises them to separate or divorce and let the law determine the process.

"For domestic disputes, you can also tell them that they have the right to separate or divorce, even though as leaders we have the responsibility of conserving the family.

"I say this as a civil registrar, it is my duty to consummate marriages in a civil way, I know what the constitution says about the importance of the family, but we also have a responsibility to preserve life,” she said.

Rwabukumba mentioned that certain domestic conflicts may be irreparable, and trying to reconcile the individuals involved could potentially result in loss of life.

ALSO READ: Property disputes see rise in domestic violence

Regarding most land disputes, the National Land Authority as well as district and city authorities, step in to address the wrangles using existing laws and guidelines.

Rwabukumba gives a notable example of a recent situation during a community outreach and awareness campaign. A widow of a former employee of the former Kigali Prefecture came forward to claim a land plot that was allocated to her husband before 2006.

"From that time, today we are in 2024. Where have you been all this time? Is it now that you’ve just remembered? We also need a mind-set change. If a citizen feels that they have a right to a piece of land, then report the problem early so that those who are looking to help you can also help you early,” Rwabukumba said.

She added that land disputes tend to be the most intricate to deal with but often, the land office steps in to draw the line, but again if people are not satisfied, the courts are open.

One thing she discovered is that if a leader considers themselves a one-stop-centre, all issues citizens have can be tackled at that level, and they have the trust of the citizens.

"They will come to you with their challenges expecting an answer from you. You owe them one. If they are not satisfied, you really have many ways to solve this problem,” she said, adding that you can call the district or city hall to find a solution, rather than not doing anything at all.

Flexibility is key

As someone who has been deployed in different sectors over the past 18 years, Rwabukumba believes it is important to be flexible when you work in local government.

Anytime you can be moved to any place, depending on the urgency of what needs to be done. She considers her position more technical than political, much as one has to understand the political direction of the country.

She is always ready to take on the next assignment whenever it comes and believes those who deploy her there know why.

To be a leader involves many things to do and deal with. As the executive secretary, the life of the sector revolves around you.

As a Rwandan and parent, she also asks herself what her legacy will be in that position, and that is what keeps her going. The most important thing she learned was to continue being herself.

Rwabukumba also shuns corruption in all its forms because she believes the government pays her enough to cater to what she needs, and cannot top that up by ripping off citizens of their hard-earned resources.

Today, out of 416 executive secretaries from the reform year, about 36 remain in office.

Balancing work and family

According to Rwabukumba, neither is a substitute for the other. One has to do the job well, and also run family affairs because as a leader, one cannot fail to manage their family and then be able to run an administrative entity.

"You must take care of yourself and your family, even if you have little time,” she said, adding that work needs you as much as family does.

"You have to set aside time for taking care of your family and dedicate 100 per cent to it, and also the same when it comes to work. If you don’t manage both very well, the consequences can be dire.”

When a leader has challenges at home, it becomes easy to know, even by people from afar. Rwabukumba says it is important for leaders to lead by example.

One of the biggest challenges women face today is failing to juggle motherhood and work. Rwabukumba advises working couples to "plan their children accordingly so that both work and family do not suffer.”

"Having children is a human right. Nobody can stop you from having children but we need to remember that there is a need to space children to create enough space to focus on the job,” she said, adding that as the government looks to make work more conducive for mothers, there is a need for individual planning.

Defying stereotypes

Rwabukumba believes that the idea that certain roles can only be performed by men is merely a stereotype, as women in their field have demonstrated their ability to excel as executive secretaries—she is where she is because she earned it, not because she is a woman.

On the job, Rwabukumba says both men and women are given equal resources, the same training, and the same work tools, and over time, women have shown that they can do better.

Today, leadership requires innovation. One has to keep thinking of new ideas that can produce results, beyond what is known, and that is what makes a difference.

Her main focus is on various government programmes and strategies aimed at lifting people out of poverty.

She derives pleasure from seeing families improve their wellbeing—thanks to a cow received under the "Girinka” programme.

ALSO READ: 97% of needy families benefit from "Girinka” programme

Rwabukumba equally feels happy when she moves around the sector to see different projects coming up and people earning life skills through different programmes.

As a social worker, when she sees these changes, she feels that she has done something and it motivates her to do more.

For Rwabukumba, it is an extraordinary legacy to serve the government and the people, and doing it at the grassroots level is even more satisfying.

"It is a great job. There is no reason to be afraid,” Rwabukumba tells women and girls who think local government jobs are too demanding.

"It requires a lot of strength and we have it. It requires brains and wisdom and we have it, and we have the specialty as women, to do what we do with great honesty and zeal,” she said.

"There is no reason for young girls to be afraid of this work. We are still a growing country and young people should get ready to replace us.

"Our country is developing very fast, and we have to keep up with the pace. Therefore, young women are needed in these positions,” Rwabukumba said, encouraging young women to take up the leadership mantle.