Musanze residents who followed yesterday’s swearing-in ceremony of President Kagame on the TV said they were excited by the colourful event and the inaugural speech. The ceremonies took place on Friday at Amahoro National Stadium in Kigali and in attendance were over 20 Heads of State and Government as well as thousands of Rwandans. However, as not all Rwandans could make it to the stadium, screens were mounted in various parts of the country for the public to follow. André Ngarambe, 67, who was among those following in a hall in Cyuve Sector in Musanze, said he was excited by the event and the message from the President. “Few of us have seen this before; it is my first time to follow a President swearing-in. I was excited to see all the visiting dignitaries, this shows how our President is respected and every Rwandan should be proud of him, his speech today was also inspiring,” he said. He said he was optimistic that more will be achieved under Kagame’s next seven years in leadership. “Kagame has done a lot in the past with limited means, now the country has a foundation. As Rwandans we changed the Constitution in a referendum and we voted for him, today he was sworn in to work for us and I hope he will give us more roads, more electricity and more better schools for our children,” he added. Sarah Iribagiza, a mother of four from Muhoza Sector, said she had come to follow President Kagame’s inauguration because she could not make it to Kigali and yet she wanted to watch the proceedings. “It is as if I was physically there, I saw the President and other VIPs coming and other proceedings. I wish I could have been there but this is enough,” she said. “I liked the speech because he said he will do more and he believes in us to help him implement his campaign promises. We do not doubt his ability, the speech was also inclusive and he showed that he particularly values the youth,” she said. Kagame has said he will seek to build on what have been achieved to further develop the country and urged all Rwandans to continue playing their rightful role in this effort. editorial@newtimes.co.rw
