Open letter to Charles Onyango-Obbo concerning his article in The East African on Monday

Sir, In your article on Kagame being the right man to stop the genocide but the wrong man to build democracy, I find your judgment of the Rwandan president based on the conduct of African army generals demeaning and quite general. If there is anyone fitter to lead than Kagame let them come out and campaign, this is the president’s current stand. Are you oblivious to the fact that he is campaigning alongside three other candidates, some of whom have demonstrated leadership ability in the current government? But we cannot entertain people coming with external support, using their ethnic identity to gain support yet they know nothing about what it took to get this country where it is. If Paul Kagame’s position is to protect his citizens like he is still leading the liberation struggle then I support him and love him very much for it. Like Kagame, every leader has to be in control to ensure the security of his people and the economic welfare of everybody. Kagame’s visionary leadership has been appreciated the world over. Kagame leads this country like he’s answerable to God and I believe he was ordained for it. He has zealously overcome the great obstacles of ethnic divisionism, absolute poverty and even stopped the Genocide bringing Rwanda to where it is today. Fortunately, this is well illustrated in your article. Like Abraham Lincoln, Obama and Mandela he will be amongst the greatest leaders of history. Standing on the sidelines, you will never know just how much effort it took to lead a country from the ashes and deliver the kind of development that has been attained in only 16 years. So try to be a bit fairer in your judgment. Jidia Gaseruka Remera

Opinions

Open letter to Charles Onyango-Obbo concerning his article in The East African on Monday