The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Local Government, Cyrille Turatsinze, has been elected chair of the African Rehabilitation Institute (ARI), Eastern Africa Regional Office. He will be assisted by Dr Samuel Kabue, a Kenyan, who is the chairman of Eastern Africa Federation of the Disabled.Turatsinze assumed the position following a workshop of the Eastern Africa Regional Disability Technical Committee that was held recently in Nairobi, Kenya.Rwanda was recognised for protecting and supporting persons with disabilities, according to information from the Ministry of Local Government. “In a special way, the country was commended for having established and empowered the National Council of Persons with Disabilities and its structure, as well as their representation in decision making organs,” reads a statement from the ministry. Turatsinze pledged to increase advocacy and awareness campaigns aimed at having persons with disabilities integrated into all development programmes.“My nomination and the confidence entrusted upon me can only be attributed to the leadership of this country, and our achievements should be attributed to all Rwandans,” Turatsinze is quoted as saying.He said he will work and advocate for conflict prevention because most disabled persons are victims of various conflicts on the continent.When contacted for comment, the ARI Regional Director, Joseph Learnamo, said, “We were concerned about countries’ statuses on disability policies and legislation plus ratification of international and regional instruments, and Rwanda met all the requirements for eligibility.” ARI is an organisation under the African Union.The Regional Disability Technical Advisory Committee includes Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, South Sudan and Ethiopia; UN Specialized agencies, various NGOs (African and International NGOs) and the East African Community.It is a Pan-African Network Programme for manpower development and research in the field of rehabilitation and disability prevention.
