The National Electoral Commission (NEC) has approved a list of 45 candidates to contest in the City of Kigali councilors and Executive Committee members elections set for mid August.
They include 23 candidates from Gasabo District, nine from Kicukiro District and 13 from Nyarugenge District. Election of councillors from each district and Bureau of the Council members for the City of Kigali will be held on August 16.
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The Electoral College - to elect City of Kigali council members through each district - comprises council members of the sectors composing the districts.
"Two councillors will be elected from each district while five councillors will be appointed by the President of the Republic to have 11 councillors in total for the City of Kigali. This will be followed by electing executive committee members,” Moise Bukasa, the NEC communications officer, explained.
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The Electoral College for the Bureau of the Council members for the City of Kigali comprises city council members.
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The Electoral College for City of Kigali Executive Committee members comprises all city council members and council members for all sectors in the city.
Elections of City of Kigali Executive Committee members are also planned on August 16.
Members of the city’s executive committee are elected for a five-year term of office according to the 2019 law governing the City of Kigali.
The team cannot serve for more than two consecutive terms of office, according to the law. The term of office for the current executive committee members elected in 2019 is over. The committee comprises three members elected from members of the council, including at least one woman.
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The committee comprises the Mayor of the City of Kigali, the Vice Mayor in charge of Urbanisation and Infrastructure, and the Vice Mayor in charge of Socio-economic Affairs.
In 2019, the City of Kigali elected Pudence Rubingisa as the Mayor deputized by Nadine Umutoni Gatsinzi as the Vice Mayor in charge of Socio-Economic Affairs and Ernest Nsabimana who was then in charge of Urbanisation and Infrastructure. This team was later replaced after Rubingisa was appointed Governor of Eastern Province late last year, and was replaced by Samuel Dusengiyumva.
The current deputy city mayors are; Fulgence Dusabimana (urbanization and infrastructure) and Martine Urujeni who is in charge of socio-economic affairs. The election of committee members will be preceded by council member’s elections. They will serve a term of office of five years renewable once.
Receiving candidacies for council members’ positions started on July 23. Campaign activities are planned from August 13 to 16.
Members of the executive committee cannot serve for more than two consecutive terms of office, the law says. If a member of the executive committee ceases his or her duties when the remainder of the term of office does not exceed one year, his or her replacement has the right to stand for election for two consecutive terms.
The new office bearer elected in the executive committee serves the remainder of the term of office of his or her predecessor.
There is no election for a replacement in case the remaining term of office does not exceed six months before the expiry of the term of office.
The reforms gazetted at the end of July 2019 were aimed at bringing in more efficiency to deliver better for Kigali residents and cut down on bureaucracy and improve efficiency in administration of the city according to the Ministry of Local Government.
Under the law, legal personalities of all the urban districts were scrapped, making City Hall the only office that decides what is done in all areas of the capital. Other changes include the reduction of city councillors from 33 to 11, with six of them being elected and others appointed by the President.
The City of Kigali is operating as one entity as stipulated by the new law governing the City of Kigali.
Formerly, the City of Kigali and each of its three districts – Nyarugenge, Kicukiro and Gasabo – used to have different planning and budgeting frameworks, which, according to the local government ministry, used to hinder planning and implementation of projects.