Residents of Nyagatare had varied response after it emerged that Theoneste Mutsindashyaka, the former governor of the Eastern Province, had been appointed state minister for primary and secondary education, in the recent cabinet reshuffle. The New Times’ Godfrey Ntagungira brings you their views.

Gakuru James, a BCOM third year student of Umutara Polytechnic

Mutsindashyaka is my hero; he has a team working spirit which is a skill many leaders lack, we are waiting for a new governor, we need someone with a character similar to his.

He’s a very hard working man who has delivered eastern province from hard times economically and socially. We are going to miss him, let him go and change the Ministry of Education as he had done in our area.

The man is trusted that’s why he was sent to eastern province to develop the area, now after a few years he has been transferred to the Ministry of Education for a ‘revolution,’ people of Nyagatare still needed him because of his methods of converting theory into practical or reality.

He came and we named him Mutsindainka (cattle destroyer), -in reference to his hard stance against big herds of local cattle breeds, that’s in Umutara, and in Kigali he was nicknamed Mutsindamazu (slum destroyer), -in apparent reference to his policy on housing, while still the mayor of Kigali City, now as we were starting to fall in love with him, because of his skills in resolving conflicts, they have taken him away.

Since the man took over as governor of eastern province, it has improved in all sectors of life; my prayer is that we get someone with the character of Mutsindashyaka because it is such a person the area deserves.

Am still asking myself who will fill the void because Mutsindashyaka is the leader people especially those of Nyagatare deserved, he’s a unique man gifted with the best human managerial skills the country has ever had, we shall miss him.

Let him go and revamp the Ministry of Education, we saw him in Kigali he left a legacy, and he has done the same thing in eastern province, the ministry needs someone with independent mind, together with Daphrose Gahakwa, the country expects them to give a new face to that ministry, bravo our man.

My commercial house was closed yesterday [Monday], that I have to renovate it because of his directives to sector authorities. Let him go and leave me alone. But the man is hardworking that’s why he was assigned together with Gahakwa to go and revamp the Ministry of Education, which has been making headlines in the local media in the most recent months.

I didn’t love the man in the first place because many people miss-understood him, but he happens to be a real patriot, we are going to miss his jokes like ‘Ebifuna biriwa-any deal.

Ends