Gicumbi gets new mayor

ALEXANDRE Mvuyekure was yesterday elected as the new Mayor of Gicumbi District in the Northern Province, replacing Bonane Nyangezi who resigned in June.Mvuyekure, who has been working as the district’s vice mayor in charge of economic affairs, got an overwhelming majority of 339 votes while his contender, Hussein Niyoyita, polled only 47 votes.Four votes were declared invalid.The voters included members of the district and advisory council and representatives of all 21 sectors in the district.On the same day, Stanislas Kagenzi was elected to replace Mvuyekure on the economic affairs portfolio with 277 votes beating his rival Jacqueline Umutesi who polled 110 votes.The position of the district head fell vacant almost three months ago after the then Mayor Bonane Nyangezi, resigned due to what he referred to as personal reasons.The district advisory council however said that Nyangezi, who was serving his second term, was forced to resign because of gross administrative irregularities during his tenure.In his acceptance speech, the newly-elected mayor pledged to prioritise social economic development of the district.“I will work closely with the population by considering any available advice to ensure that our district develops further...... having been elected into this new office, I will dedicate all my time to serve the people to the best of my ability,” he said.Mvuyekure vowed to mobilise local leaders in the district to provide good services, even at the lowest levels of leadership.The new Mayor disclosed that that his immediate attention was to solve some of the major problems in the district, including low electricity and water distribution in the area.He disclosed that the district master plan will be unveiled before the end of this month and it will pave way for further infrastructural development.There are over 370,000 residents in the district and only 8% have access to electricity, but the new mayor intends to raise the figure to about 70% during his current term of office.Jean d’Amour Gatera, the Chairperson of the District Advisory Council, said the district leadership was ready to work together and embark on a long-term development for the people of Gicumbi. He challenged the new leaders to endeavour to put the interests of the population as a priority and the rest shall all be possible.Northern Province Governor, Aime Bosenibamwe, who witnessed the elections, challenged the electorate to support the Mayor so as to deliver on his mandate.“The public expects the new Mayor to deliver and all players should take it upon themselves to work towards realization of performance contracts of this district,” he said.The Governor also called on the general public to effectively fight poverty by promoting home-grown solutions to their problems.

National

Gicumbi gets new mayor