*Kalibata to prioritise food security

*Education policies top on Murigande’s agenda

KIGALI - Following a mini-cabinet reshuffle on Sunday, several ministers who assumed new duties have spoken out, outlining their ambitions and targets for their new portfolios.

Dr. Charles Murigande who has been in-charge of cabinet affairs was appointed the Education Minister.

Muringande, not a new face in the education sector, pledged to work tirelessly to implement the existing education policies during his term in office but reckoned that the ‘challenge is monumental’.

"I have served this country in different positions in the past years and I am thankful to the President for the confidence he has shown in me. As I have done before, I will not disappoint and I will diligently serve Rwandans,” said Murigande.

He added he will follow up on the implementation of key government policies on education such as promoting girl child education, the nine-year basic education among other things.

"I haven’t had enough time to study what is awaiting me but what I can say is that the challenge is monumental, every aspect is top priority. We need to develop all levels including Primary, Secondary and Tertiary because they are all inter-linked.”

Murigande was at one time the Rector of the National University of Rwanda (NUR).

"I can’t say I will focus on a particular area because we have weaknesses in all levels and we need to tackle them concomitantly,” Murigande said when asked what would be his top priorities.

The last two Education Ministers, Gahakwa and Theoneste Mutsindashyaka lasted barely two years having replaced Dr. Jean de Arc Mujawamariya and Joseph Murekeraho as full minister and state minister respectively.

On her part, Dr. Agnes Kalibata who has formerly served as the Permanent Secretary in the same Ministry before becoming a state minister, said that things could only get better, because she is not a stranger in the ministry.

"This also shows that for the last years I have served in the Ministry, the President has confidence in me and I am ready to take on the challenge. The only new thing here is the part of livestock which is now under my docket but I have also known about it since my days as SG” Kalibata said.

She takes over the ministry after agriculture contributed significantly to the country’s economic growth which grew by 11.2 percent despite the global economic downturn.

She said that during her time in office, improving food security of the country and sustainable food production will be her major priorities.

"Food security and sustainable production are key drivers in agriculture and we need to make this happen. My preoccupation will be ensuring those and livestock production. The priorities are clearly outlined,” Kalibata said.

She also intends to reach out to all families in the country to embrace livestock farming as a source of household income and family nutrition.

Protais Musoni was appointed Cabinet Affairs Minister after a long stint as Local Government Minister.

His transfer comes at a time the local government is undergoing massive reforms as the President has vowed to crack a whip on incompetent local government leaders.

Musoni has however vowed to continue serving the country in his new capacity and equally thanked the President for the confidence but said that he will first have to meet the appointing authority (The President) and the supervising authority (The Prime Minister) before he could set priorities and targets.

In a separate interview, Musoni clarified on recent turnover reports which indicated that over 50 percent local government leaders have since resigned, adding that the resignations are not a sign of administrative failure but would rather be taken in a positive way.

"To put the story correct, the actual figures show that 61% of local government leaders have either resigned or forced to resign, but what should be made clear are the reasons behind this. Most of these were incompetent or they were caught in malpractices such as embezzlement and to me this is a positive move. Most of these are in jail or in courts of law” said Musoni.

He further added that some officials were elevated to higher positions while in some cases others resigned citing personal reasons.

Others affected in the reshuffle could not be reached for comment by press time.

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