Late nomination as Gicumbi Mayoral by-election process begins

Three people are vying to occupy the vacant seat on the Gicumbi District Advisory Council paving way for the election of a new mayor. They are John Nkunzurwanda, Gilbert Rubayita and Theophile SanvuraThe trio submitted their nomination forms on Friday as the National Electoral Commission (NEC) concluded a nomination period of eight days.Shortly after handing in his nomination, Nkunzurwanda said that if elected, he would concentrate and effectively add his voice to positively influence the existing development programs in the district.He siad he would fully support economic development, especially by sensitising the youth to join cooperative societies to set up a variety of small scale businesses to improve their economic status.“I would also make appropriate advocacy in empowerment in the sectors of infrastructure, good governance and distribution of water and electricity where they are lacking,” said Nkunzurwanda, who also owns a local NGO that deals with youth empowerment.The other candidates were not readily available to comment on their candidature by press time.NEC will Monday conduct a vetting exercise and commence with officially announcing the viable candidates for the position.The next days will be used to prepare ballot papers, designate the polling stations and train electoral officials who will be in charge of conducting the elections set to take place on August 17th.Meanwhile ahead of the mayoral elections, members of the district’s electoral board have vowed to elect a leader who is ready to steer the development of the district.“The person we need should be able to get close to the people and work with them to bring a significant change to the district,” said Dr Pierre Claver Kayumba, one of the board members.He pointed out that the Mayor in-waiting is expected to cooperate with the District Advisory Board so as to come to a common understanding on decisions that affect the district’s development.He condemned a recent incident under the leadership of former Mayor Bonane Nyangezi, when potential investors were denied land despite their intentions to set up commercial and residential infrastructure.“Such an opportunity is a contributing factor towards the district’s economic growth since there are many sources of revenue and a chance for job creation,” he said.Kayumba, who is also the Director General of Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC), expressed disappointment that the district had greatly deteriorated in performance.A recent evaluation of the implementation of performance contracts saw Gicumbi District drop from ninth to 27th position.This eventually resulted into the resignation of Nyangezi amid criticism of poor management and failure to comply with the law while handling certain issues that concern public servants in his district.Jean Baptiste Bizimana, the Vice president of the District Advisory Council, said the next Mayor should be a competent person with a great sense of organisation.“The next leader should be ready to understand that team work and cooperation is one of the challenges to overcome in order to achieve sustainable development,” he said.