Leonille Mutuyimana is the only independent woman candidate contesting for the 53 seats for the September 16 parliamentary elections.The Gospel artiste with three albums to her name is passionate about music. “I’m an ADEPR Christian and I’m passionate about music,” Mutuyimana reveals. The multi-talented Mutuyimana says she will continue with her music career even as a Member of Parliament.“I will continue with my music although I’m very sure that I will not give it the kind of time I give it now if I become an MP, but I believe I will be able to strike a balance,” she says. When asked why she decided to contest as an independent candidate, she says, “I know that every Rwandan is free to be a part of any political party, but I felt that if I contest as an independent candidate, voters will have more confidence in me because I’m not affiliated to any political party. I want to be the voice of the voiceless,” Mutuyimana explains. The 28-year-old Mutuyimana also says she will begin her official campaigns on September 2 at her birth place in Kayonza District. “I will launch my campaigns in my home area and I will use the available resources in my power to campaign so that I at least attain the required 5% votes to be considered a Member of Parliament. I believe God will grant me this wish because I want to promote family values in our society since family is the core foundation of the nation,” she discloses. The mother of one is a lawyer by profession but she also attained leadership skills after pursuing a leadership course that was facilitated by the Rwanda Youth for Christ Centre situated in Kibagabaga. When asked how she was able to get the 600 signatures, she says, “I have many friends in different parts of the country. I went to these friends and in each district in the country; I had to get 12 people to sign. It was a hard and tiresome task but if these 600 believe that I can make it, their signatures motivate me even more.” Felecien Nambajimana, Mutuyimana’s husband says that his wife is so passionate about helping vulnerable people. “When she heard the announcement on radio about the requirements needed to stand as an independent candidate, she came and told me she wanted to apply and contest. We discussed it for some time. When she told me she wanted to contest, I promised to support her in everything because the passion she had when explaining convinced me that she was very serious about it,” Nambajimana says. Nambajimana is a driver and usually gets contracted by different Tours and Travels companies. He married Mutuyimana in August last year. The couple has been blessed with a three-month-old baby boy. Asked if their marriage won’t suffer if the wife joins the murky waters of politics, he says, “She is a lawyer. When she joins politics it won’t affect our marriage because she is a strong and intelligent woman. And the fact that she will be serving people who will need her help is a sacrifice I’m proud of.”“Many people have asked me what I think of my wife’s campaign as an independent candidate and I always tell them that she feels better serving the people without being affiliated to any political party. I support her in whatever she does but above all I pray that she acquires the Member of Parliament seat. She is naturally a leader and is good at advocating for the vulnerable,” Nambajimana explains.
