Eastern Province Governor Pudence Rubingisa on Sunday, January 5, urged religious leaders to play a major role in leading community transformation efforts. He was speaking to an audience of over 200 leaders from local government entities, the private sector, youths and religious organizations, united in their endorsement of servant leadership during the third annual Kayonza Prayer Breakfast. Servant leadership, a leadership philosophy in which the goal of the leader is to serve, is a leadership style whereby an individual interacts with others—either in a management or fellow employee capacity—to achieve authority rather than power. ALSO READ: How close are we to the ideal Rwandan leader? The Governor said: The message we deliver to residents must align with our actions. We need a jointly coordinated approach, fostering Rwandan values, demonstrating love for those we lead, and prioritizing the well-being of our communities. “Faith-based organisations’ leaders have access to a wider audience. We urge them to pioneer the transformation of their followers and nurture them into stable families.” The prayer breakfast meeting in Kayonza District also served as a thanksgiving ceremony and a platform to reflect on the district’s progress over the past three decades. Participants celebrated achievements in infrastructure development including the construction of schools and healthcare facilities, as well as expansion of critical utilities such as electricity and clean water. Notably, Kayonza District’s commitment to service excellence earned it fourth place nationally and the leading position in Eastern Province for service delivery in 2024. ALSO READ: How-irrigated-fruit-farming-transformed-livelihoods-in-a-drought-prone-region The event, themed Empowering Servant Leaders for Stable and Thriving Families, emphasized the importance of collaborative efforts in addressing family-related challenges and advancing Rwanda's development goals as outlined in the second national strategy for transformation (NST2) and Vision 2050. Kayonza District Mayor John Bosco Nyemazi elaborated on the significance of the prayer breakfast as a platform for reflection and strategic planning, particularly in relation to family welfare. “Our leadership strategies align with our fundamental teachings—prioritizing those under our care is not just a responsibility to our citizens but a divine duty,” Nyemazi stated. He stressed that committed leadership could significantly contribute to transforming families into stable units and addressing critical issues such as delinquency, drug abuse, child reintegration, and school dropout. ALSO READ: Kayonza-district-unveils-development-projects-under-five-year-strategy We celebrate these milestones, but our greater responsibility lies in ensuring the sustainability of these gains through stable families and community resilience, Nyemazi emphasized. Pastor Joel Sengonga, the event's lead pastor, reinforced the fundamental principles of servant leadership. Being a leader isn't about you; it is about those you lead. As leaders, we are required to model it [servant leadership] for the benefit of those we lead, he stated. This message resonated with the gathering's main theme of empowering leaders to prioritize family stability in their leadership approaches. For Pastor Eliab Mbonimana, the head of EAR Kayonza, humility in leadership is key. He said that: “Our collective responsibility, alongside other leadership bodies, is to nurture both the spiritual and physical well-being of our citizens.” The prayer breakfast highlighted the significance of strengthening collaboration among government institutions, civil society organizations, and faith-based groups. Discussions cantered on integrating home-grown solutions into national policies to address family conflicts, drug abuse, and youth delinquency, effectively. ALSO READ: Former UN Rwanda coordinator talks country’s ‘favourite homegrown solutions’ Leaders were encouraged to elevate their collective ambitions in fulfilling their duties as servant leaders committed to fostering unity and sustainable growth. “Citizens should be well-informed about service delivery processes and empowered to address any challenges they encounter,” Rubingisa said.
