Journalists association elects new leadership

Members of Rwanda Journalists Association (ARJ), during a general assembly in Kigali, yesterday, elected new leadership.

Monday, February 20, 2012
Frank Ndamage of Imvaho Nshya newspaper(L), who led the voting exercise for the local media fraternity, with other members of the electoral commission, during vote count yesterday in Kigali.

Members of Rwanda Journalists Association (ARJ), during a general assembly in Kigali, yesterday, elected new leadership.Collin Haba of The New Times was elected as president and Radio Rwanda’s Cleophas Barore and Angelique Mukaneza of Rwanda Television, as the first vice president and second vice president, respectively.The event was attended by over 200 local journalists.In his remarks after the elections, Haba called upon journalists to strongly collaborate with the new committee, which he said would enable them to fully achieve the association’s objectives. "I thank each and every body for voting for me because it’s a sign of trust and confidence you have in me and top on my agenda is to promote professionalism among all journalists,” Haba said. He won the top position in a contest that pitted him against Rwanda Dispatch’s Gonzaga Muganwa. Others elected include Jane Uwimana of Radio 10, who is the Secretary General and Charles Kwizera of Kigali Today, an online publication, the new treasurer."I am happy to have been elected as the new secretary for ARJ and I will work with my colleagues to move from an association to a trade union in the foreseeable future,” Uwimana said in an interview after the election. The same process also saw three advisors elected to the committee - Justin Mugabo of Isango Star, Doreen Umutesi of The New Times and Fred Muvunyi, a freelance journalist. The outgoing committee headed by Gaspard Safari, made a presentation about their term of office, urging the new committee to continue with the efforts to take the journalism profession to the next level.