Responsible leaders always have an ear to the ground and a finger on the pulse to feel the mood and needs of the people under their watch.

Not keeping track with the people entrusted upon them has been the Achilles’ heel of many failed leaders and their administrative structures.

President Kagame usually makes it a habit to crisscross the country to talk to the people and sometimes he is compelled to solve simple problems that could have been solved by the local leadership. That is a frustration we will have to live with, but there is no reason why we have to keep up with it.

Today, the annual National Umushyikirano council kicks off for the 17th time. It is where all sections of society meet to assess the country’s development, address challenges and chart the way forward.

While the main event is held in Kigali, there are live video feeds in several parts of the country as well as social media where people can participate.

Many good ideas have come from previous rounds of Umushyikirano that have played an important role in charting the country’s course. It is a peoples’ sounding board, a podium to have their voices heard. But it becomes a big challenge when local leaders in charge of video conferencing in remote areas showcase only success stories.

Those are fine, but they should also share with others their weaknesses and challenges, after all, they have the attention of the whole country and beyond. So they can never get a better stage with an inexhaustible pool of ideas and inputs than that.

There is nothing wrong in leaders having weaknesses and challenges, the important thing is trying to overcome them by whatever means necessary.