City Senate candidates hit the campaign trail

Candidates vying to represent the City of Kigali in the Senate have all promised to spearhead the implementation of government programs once elected. The Senate elections are slated for September 26 and 27. The campaigns were launched yesterday at Amahoro Stadium, where all aspiring candidates and the Electoral Colleges gathered. The Colleges are composed of councillors from sectors, districts and the City of Kigali. Nine candidates, including four females, are in the race for the Kigali seat. Among the contestants is Jeanne d’ Arc Gakuba, the former Vice mayor in charge of Social Affairs in the Kigali City Council. “I am a daughter of Kigali and I have worked for Kigali. I know its success story and challenges still faced,” Gakuba said, promising to continue working with the city, once elected, to further develop it. “I will always be at your service, follow up the implementation of government programs, fight injustice and discrimination,” Gakuba, a mother of four, added. She is one of the few local government leaders who completed their two terms in office. Gakuba, 51, holds a bachelors’ degree in geography and is among the brains behind the establishment of the Kigali Master Plan, Agaseke project, which currently supports about 3,000 women and the city’s sanitation and hygiene project. Another candidate, Paul Mbaraga, promised to advocate for the construction of the regional media house, which will be the seat for media practitioners in the East African Community and CEPGL. Mbaraga, who holds a Masters degree in Journalism from Strasbourg University in France, added he would advocate for the establishment of Kigali city radio and television stations, once elected. He is a lecturer at the School of Journalism at the National University of Rwanda (NUR) and at the Catholic University of Kabgayi (UCK). Also in the race is the Rwanda’s former Ambassador to Burundi (2000-2004), Wellars Mukama. However, things turned theatrical, when Pacifique Malonga, a renowned Kiswahili teacher on Rwanda Television, took the stage. Instead of campaigning, he displayed his academic transcripts and awards he has received, including the Most Friendly Politician of the Year-2010, presented to him by the national information office, ORINFOR. “Vote for Malonga; he is the most trusted candidate, who will deliver to the best of your expectations,” Malonga said. Others in the race in Kigali are Phoebe Kanyange, Andre Gaparanyi Mutangana, Anathorie Mukabatsinda, Consolata Mukabera and Andre Leon Uwimana. Campaigns are scheduled to end on September 25. The Chairman of the National Electoral Commission (NEC), Chrysologue Karangwa, who presided over the launch, appealed to the candidates to desist from illegal activities like bribing voters and using abusive language. 57 candidates are campaigning to fill the 14 available seats. Ends