President Paul Kagame, yesterday appointed Pierre Damien Habumuremyi as the new Prime Minister of Rwanda.

Habumuremyi, replaces Bernard Makuza who has been Prime Minister for more than 10 years.

Makuza was appointed to the Senate.

According to the constitution, the President appoints eight senators out of the 26 in the Upper Chamber of Parliament. In the first phase, he appointed four Senators.

Other Senators appointed by the President include, Ombudsman Tito Rutaremara, Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Jean Damascene Ntawukuriryayo and the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Internal Security, Penelope Kantarama.

Speaking to The New Times, Makuza said that he was delighted with his new appointment and thanked the President for his continued trust in him.

"I am very delightful for the new appointment. I thank President Kagame for the trust he has had in me ever since I was an ambassador. For the past eleven years I served as Prime Minister, I was leading a winning team; I will definitely share this spirit with my colleagues in the Senate,” Makuza said.

Prior to becoming Premier, Makuza was the Rwandan ambassador to Germany.

He added that; "my greatest experience is seeing people’s lives change for the better and I will strive for the wellbeing of Rwandans during my time in the senate.”  

Rutaremara said that he will execute his duties in the senate as stipulated by the law.

"The senate’s mandate is mainly about executing legislative duties, conducting the oversight of the government and ensuring that the fundamental human rights are respected; I will keep in this same line of duty,” Rutaremara said.

Before his appointment as senator, Rutaremara served as Ombudsman for close to eight years. Prior to that, he was a member of the lower chamber of parliament. 

Prior to joining the Ministry of Internal Affairs as Permanent Secretary, Kantarama served as the Governor of the Western Province.

Meanwhile, Habumuremyi, the new Premier, was a member of the East African Legislative Assembly, before being appointed Minister of Education. Before then, he served as the Executive Secretary of the National Electoral Commission.

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