Vanessa Umuhoza Gashumba and Venuste Icyitegetse secured the two coveted youth parliamentary seats in a decisive election held on Tuesday, July 16, in Kigali.

Umuhoza, 28, led the race with 188 votes, equivalent to 73.72 per cent, while Icyitegetse, 29, received 159 votes, equivalent to 62.35 per cent, according to provisional results announced Thursday, July 18, by National Electoral Commission (NEC) Chairperson Oda Gasinzigwa.

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Out of the 31 candidates vying for the seats, the Electoral College, composed of 261 youth representatives from all of Rwanda’s districts, 255 cast their votes to determine the winners.

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Rwanda's Bicameral Parliament, which has 80 MPs in the Chamber of Deputies, the lower house, allocates 27 seats to special interest groups; women, youth, and people with disabilities.

Umuhoza and Icyitegetse’s victories are particularly notable in a field that included eight women and 23 men candidates, all committed to championing the needs and rights of young Rwandans if elected.

Their manifestos focused on youth empowerment, education, talent and innovation development, civic engagements, employment opportunities, youth development centres, and many more.

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Icyitegetse plans to, among others, empower youths in agriculture and allow them to use idle state lands for their activities. Umuhoza is looking forward to working on technological innovations, fostering patriotism, and working selflessly for the country, according to her manifesto.