President Paul Kagame on Monday, September 23, appointed François Xavier Kalinda, Bibiane Mbaye Gahamanyi, Usta Kaitesi, and Solina Nyirahabimana as Senators. Except for Kalinda, who has served as Senate President since January 2023, the other three are new in the upper house. ALSO READ: Who is François-Xavier Kalinda, Rwanda’s new senate President? They will join 14 recently elected Senators and two designated by the National Consultative Forum for Political Organisations (NFPO). Nyirahabimana, a former ambassador to Switzerland, has previously served as Minister of Gender and Family Promotion and Minister in the Office of the President. Until recently, Nyirahabimana was the Minister of State in charge of Legal and Constitutional Affairs in the Ministry of Justice, a position she held since 2020. Kaitesi served as Chief Executive Officer of Rwanda Governance Board (RGB) since October 2018. The PhD holder in law headed RGB until August 16. ALSO READ: Ngarambe, Uwimbabazi elected university representatives in Senate Gahamanyi is a human rights advocate, who has worked with various international organisations, including Oxfam, Action Aid International, and African Centre for Democracy and Human Rights Studies. The President appoints eight out of 26 Senators. According to the National Electoral Commission, the President will appoint another four Senators within one year after the start of the new term of the Senate. The Presidential appointees were announced less than week after the NFPO designated former Speaker of Parliament Donatille Mukabalisa and Hadidja Murangwa Ndangiza, who also served in the outgoing Senate, as Senators. Mukabalisa and Murangwa were nominated to fill two of the four Senate seats allocated to NFPO representatives. The remaining two seats will be filled through elections set for 2025. As the electoral commission is expected to announce the final results of the Senatorial elections not later than Tuesday, there are now 20 senators. ALSO READ: Former house speaker Mukabalisa returns to Senate The elected Senators are Laetitia Nyinawamwiza and Laetitia Rugira who represents Northern Province. Adrie Umuhire, Pelagie Uwera and Sosthène Cyitatire were elected in Southern Province John Bonds Bideri, Alvera Mukabaramba and Fulgence Nsengiyumva were elected in Eastern Province. Marie Rose Mureshyankwano, Emmanuel Havugimana and Cyprien Niyomugabo were elected in Western Province. Esperance Nyirasafari, who in the previous term served as a Senate Vice President, was elected in the City of Kigali.
