President Paul Kagame has called upon newly appointed judges to uphold professionalism and deliver timely, equitable and fair justice in their new responsibilities, adding that this is what Rwandans expect from their leaders.

The Head of State was speaking on Thursday while presiding over the swearing in ceremony of three senior judges, a Member of Parliament and the Army Chief of Staff of the Rwanda Defence Force during a ceremony held at the Parliamentary Buildings in Kimihurura.

The new judges include Alphonse Hitiyaremye and François-Régis Rukundakuvuga, who will serve as justices of the Supreme Court, while Venantie Tugireyezu took oath as a judge at the Court of Appeal.

Lt. Gen. Jean Jacques Mupenzi was sworn in as Army Chief of Staff of Rwanda Defence Force (RDF).

L-R: Judges Venantie Tugireyezu, François-Régis Rukundakuvuga and Alphonse Hitiyaremye take the oath of office at the Parliamentary Buildings in Kimihurura on April 18, 2019. Village Urugwiro.

Mupenzi, who was promoted from Major General prior to his appointment, replaced Lt. Gen. Jacques Musemakweli, who was appointed Commander of the RDF Reserve Force.

Emmanuel Ndoriyobijya was also sworn in as a Member of Parliament.

The high school teacher replaces Janvier Kanyamashuli, who resigned from the August House last month.

Ndoriyobijya joined parliament on the RPF-Inkotanyi ticket.

During his speech, the President reminded the new leaders of the responsibilities ahead of them.

"We ask every Rwandan, especially those who are leaders, to fulfill their responsibility with hard work and dedication. We all know where we have come from and where we want to go. Our goal is to put in the time needed to do our work well and move even faster,” he said.

RDF Army Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Jean Jacques Mupenzi takes oath of office yesterday.

The President urged the judges, particularly to be more professional and strive to offer timely, fair and equitable justice to all, stressing that it would give confidence to Rwandans and foreigners working in Rwanda.

"There is an oath you have taken that you should live by. The law should treat all people equally and justice should be delivered equitably and as fast as possible,” he said.

The new judges

Hitiyaremye, 52, started his career in 1997 having worked in various positions mainly in the judicial sector.

He was until recently a judge in the Court of Appeal.

He had also previously been a judge at the Supreme Court, where he had served for five years.

Emmanuel Ndoriyobijya is sworn in as Member of Parliament.

Before that, he was the Deputy Prosecutor General.

Tugireyezu was until 2017 the Minister in the Office of the President.

Rukundakuvuga served for over ten years as Inspector General of Courts.

Rwanda introduced the Court of Appeal in the judicial system in August 2018 to help bring about faster delivery of justice by reducing the backlog at the Supreme Court, therefore cutting the time a case spends in court.

editor@newtimesrwanda.com