KIGALI - A Member of Parliament has come out strongly to criticize the leader of the yet-to-be registered political party, FDU-Inkingi, Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza, saying that she is not fit to be a politician in Rwanda.

In an Interview with The New Times, Françoise Mukayisenga described Ingabire as an ‘ignorant and arrogant’ politician who ‘doesn’t value current achievements.’

"She knows nothing about Rwanda and its history. She doesn’t know Rwanda because she has never lived here to witness how the country has evolved. She only relies on hearsay and rumors; she doesn’t have real facts of what has been happening on the ground,” said Mukayisenga.

Ingabire returned to the country last just over a week ago after 16 years of self-imposed exile and has made public her intentions to stand in the presidential elections slated for August this year.

She recently sparked off anger among several sections of the population when she made controversial statements that observers deem to be ‘divisive and revisionist’ that were meant to undermine the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

"To me, I believe she should actually first learn about the country before stepping up to make such baseless statements,” Mukayisenga advised.  

The lawmaker added; "She (Ingabire) doesn’t give value to the progress simply because she doesn’t know anything, but this is also total ignorance…she should compare the Rwanda she left 16 years ago and the Rwanda she found”.

She said that Ingabire should have first talked to Rwandans in the country and sought their views before coming up with controversial statements.

Mukayisenga who seats on the parliamentary Standing Committee on Human Rights and Fight Against Genocide said; "We as Rwandans know the values of our achievements, we now have hope to live alongside each other and embrace development”.

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