Incumbent President Paul Kagame has recalled a slight clash with a guard of then-President Juvenal Habyarimana in the late 1970s. He also described the impact of ethnic discrimination that was enshrined during the rule of Habyarimana and his predecessor Gregoire Kayibanda, especially in denying Rwandans equal opportunities in education and politics. Kagame, who was a refugee in Uganda due to discriminatory policies that began in the late 1950s, said he could still sneak into Rwanda in the 1970s to see his relatives. ALSO READ: Transformational politics should not be taken for granted, says Kagame It was during one of his stays in Kigali that Kagame, then in his early twenties, passed by Habyarimana’s residence in Kiyovu and was almost assaulted by one of the presidential guards. “I used to come to Rwanda. I came first in 77, returned in 78 and again in early 79,” said Kagame, who was addressing a rally at his penultimate campaign stop in Gasabo ahead of elections on July 14-16. Kagame's family had fled Rwanda in 1959, after anti-Tutsi pogroms spread across the country, forcing tens of thousands to seek refuge in neighbouring countries. He said that in the late 1970s he looked like an ignorable young man. ALSO READ: Kagame in Kayonza: leading Rwandans is beyond comparison Kagame recalled that he stayed in Kiyovu with one of his relatives, called Claver Muyango, who was a director general in the Ministry of Health. Muyango had studied in Czechoslovakia along with many Rwandans, Kagame recollected. Upon graduation, Muyango and a few others were denied to return to Rwanda, “due to their identity,” he said, adding that “that was part of the [genocidal] ideology.” After some time Muyango and his colleagues decided to force their return to Rwanda, even if that could result in death. Indeed, two of them were later killed, and Muyango finally got a job in the ministry. “I stayed at Muyango’s place; he lived nearby the State House in Kiyovu,” said Kagame, who used to walk in the streets of Kigali whenever he came to Rwanda. “One day,” he said, “I passed by the State House on foot. I used to take a small book with me, pretending to read.” One gendarme at Habyarimana’s gate called him, but Kagame ignored him and focused on the book. “I ignored his calls and then I could hear that tramp of his boots as he crossed the street towards me and yelled at me, saying ‘Hey, I’m talking to you.’” “I turned and asked him, Oh, me? Am I the one you were calling? He nodded and told me to come over. “I pretended not to hear and ran away,” said Kagame, bringing the crowd to laughter. “He ran after me, but he could not catch me,” he said. He managed to find his way back to Muyango’s house, and told no one about his encounter with the presidential guard. “What am I driving at? That happened in 77 or 78. After so long, I found myself in the State House,’ Kagame said, hinting at the time he became the President of Rwanda. ALSO READ: Kirehe: Kagame says critics not used to politics of uniqueness, unity, integrity Kagame’s story was triggered by a similar experience recalled by Claudette Irere, now the Minister of State for Education, who shared her story as a schoolgirl in the 1990s. Irere, who was seven in 1994 when the Kagame-led RPF-Inkotanyi stopped the Genocide against the Tutsi and liberated Rwanda, said she would go to the Ministry of Education with her classmates after study hours to take a ride in one of the elevators. “As children, we would go there to enjoy the ride in the elevator but they were always chased away by the workers in the Ministry,” she said, describing that it was easy to sneak in and out of the ministry yard since it was not fenced. “At the same place I used to go for a ride in the elevator, today I take the ride up to my office to do the work of delivering universal education, thanks to the trust you put in me, Dear Chairman,” Irere said, thanking Kagame for his leadership, which has given all Rwandans equal opportunities. “I know for a fact this story is not unique to me. It is shared by many people. Children today grow up knowing that the country loves them and strives for their brighter future,” Irere said. Kagame said that Irere’s story was a testament to the policies of ‘a country that values all its people without discrimination.” “That is a long history. But, in short, the RPF that you are means that the politics that determine how history ought to be written,” he said. ALSO READ: Gakenke: Kagame tells RPF supporters to reflect on history for more development “RPF has long fought for the integrity of Rwandans,” he said, referring to the liberation war. “That transformational politics, which was brought about by the people who sacrificed their lives, should not be taken for granted.” “I thank you Rwandan who never take that politics for granted.” He said Rwandans should appreciate the strides the country has made since 1994, as they continue to develop it further.
