Hundreds of members of sector advisory committees, executive committees for special groups and the private sector in Musanze District on Tuesday, November 16 made their way to the polling station to elect district councillors, as part of the ongoing local government elections. In Musanze District, 42 candidates contested for the eights seats on the district advisory council, including the outgoing mayor and her two vice mayors. The two outgoing vice-mayors were re-elected as councillors, but the mayor did not make it. Andrew Rucyahana Mpuhwe and Axelle Kamanzi, who respectively served as vice-mayor for economic development and vice-mayor in charge of social affairs, will join the district advisory council. They will then join the other councillors elected from special interest groups – women, youth and people with disabilities. Mpuhwe was re-elected with majority 175 votes, while Kamanzi, the only woman among the eight general councillors, garnered 140 votes. The outgoing mayor, Jeannine Nuwumuremyi lost the election, with 82 votes. Other elected council members are Emile Abayisenga (163 votes), Janvier Ramuri (150 votes), Athanase Gasirabo (141), Vedaste Gasana (128), Djumapili Safari (127) and Michel Ndayambaje (119). With the eight new councillors, the district council is now fully constituted following the election of five women, representing 30 percent of the council positions, and four people, each representing special groups, namely women council, youth, persons with disabilities and the private sector. In Musanze, out of 332 eligible representatives, 305 turned out to vote. “The voter turnout was good,” Saleh Nshimiyimana, the National Election Commission (NEC) coordinator in Musanze and Nyabihu districts, told journalists on Tuesday. Some of the representatives who cast their ballot said the new council members had the responsibility to improve Musanze’s economic development. “The outgoing committee has recorded a number of achievements, but we want the new councillors to focus more on building new roads, renovation of Ruhengeri Hospital, and the ongoing construction of classrooms, as well as health posts,” said Gisele Jacqueline Uwingabire, one of the representatives of Musanze Sector advisory committee. She added that the newly elected councillors were tasked to more focus on positioning Musanze as a tourism hub and making sure the residents make the most of it. According to the NEC, 903 people nationwide have submitted their candidatures for 216 positions of district councillors nationwide. Elections at the district level are scheduled to be concluded later this week, with the election of the executive committee (mayor and two vice-mayors) and the advisory council bureau (council president, vice-president and the secretary).
