RPF-Inkotanyi presidential candidate Paul Kagame has challenged people who allege that the party forcibly brings thousands of people to its campaigning sites, to try it in their own countries and see the consequences.

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He was speaking before thousands of residents from Kirehe and Ngoma districts gathered at Kirehe Gardens site, on July 2.

Kagame noted that there are people who don’t understand how huge crowds turn up at every campaign site and claim that RPF forcibly gathers crowds to attend and participate in the rallies.

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"Sometimes, people don’t understand how such big number of people attend to participate in the agenda of building our country. They even say we forcibly bring people here,” he said.

"If being authoritarian brings such a big crowd of people who are evidently happy, I tell them to try doing so in their countries and see the outcome. But all that means they haven’t yet grasped the uniqueness of Rwanda.”

He noted that it is because critics are not used to politics of uniqueness, unity, and integrity.

‘Democracy means choosing good leadership’

The incumbent President said that Rwanda experienced very bad leaders in the past that led to the destruction of the country, and the journey since then has been its rebuilding.

He noted that the upcoming election means "democracy to choose a different kind of leadership from foolish ones.”

Kagame tasked the country’s young people to be the beacon of the country’s transformation, noting that they grew up with available opportunities including access to education and health, among others.

"There is nothing Rwanda will lack from you...based on matters of economy, knowledge, strength, health, there is nothing we can lack,” he said, adding that development has to be achieved swiftly.

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"Those who want to disturb our development or security, we are able to deal with them.”

Furthermore, he noted that on July 15, people will make choices of how they want to live their lives and when they make the right choices, it will benefit the whole country.

He encouraged farmers in Kirehe to continue working and doing business to satisfy the country and supply neighbouring countries.

Emerthe Uwingabire, an RPF-Inkotanyi member in Kirehe District, shared her development journey as part of 2,000 farmers who are benefiting from the Nasho irrigation project.

Uwingabire is able to feed her family from the increased agricultural yields, she said, which was previously not the case as her family faced hunger due to drought in the area. According to her, farmers in the district are able to save money in Umurenge SACCO and buy Treasury bills from time to time, as the journey of financial independence continues.

Kirehe District was the first leg of the RPF campaign trail in Eastern Province as the party continues to canvass votes in upcoming elections.

The campaign trail will end on July 13.

The presidential and parliamentary elections are set for July 14-15.

Kagame is competing with former lawmaker Frank Habineza of the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda, and Philippe Mpayimana, an independent candidate.