VZCZCXYZ0000
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHLGB #0281/01 0821626
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 231626Z MAR 06
FM AMEMBASSY KIGALI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2567
INFO RHMFISS/CDR USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE PRIORITY
RUEHXR/RWANDA COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS KIGALI 000281 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR AF/C 
EUCOM FOR POLAD 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM PINR RW
SUBJECT: PRESIDENT KAGAME RESHUFFLES CABINET 
 
REF: A. KIGALI 18 
 
     ¶B. KIGALI 221 
 
¶1.  Summary:  On March 11 President Kagame announced a 
cabinet reshuffle, replacing the Finance Minister, dropping 
three ministers, and creating a new ministerial post in the 
Office of the President for scientific research and 
technology.  Despite rumors for several weeks of an 
impending shake-up, the weekend announcement came as a 
surprise to some.  While the GOR did not publicly explain 
the reasons for the reshuffle, media reports attributed it 
to the poor performance of certain ministers.  End summary. 
 
¶2.  For the second time in barely seven months, President 
Kagame reshuffled his cabinet on March 11, removing three 
ministers, appointing the Finance Minister as the new 
Minister of Public Service and Labor, and promoting two 
state ministers to full ministerial status under the 
presidential prerogatives of Article 116 of the 
Constitution.  He also created a new ministerial post for 
scientific research and technology under the President's 
Office, bringing the total number of ministers under his 
direct supervision to two.  The latest change increased the 
number of full ministers from 17 to 18 and decreased the 
number of state ministers from 12 back to 11. 
 
¶3.  Ambassador Stanislas Kamanzi, former Ambassador to the 
UN, was appointed Minister of Infrastructure, replacing 
Evariste Bizimana, who was dropped from the cabinet.  State 
Minister of Commerce James Musoni replaced Prof. Manasseh 
Nshuti as Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, while 
Nshuti replaced Andre Bumaya as Minister of Public Service 
and Labor.  Bumaya was dismissed.  Sheikh Moussa Fazil 
Harerimana, who had been appointed Governor of the Western 
Province in the government restructuring just two months ago 
(ref A), was appointed Minister of Internal Security, 
replacing Christophe Bazivamo, while Bazivamo replaced 
Drocella Mugorewera as Minister of Lands and Environment. 
Mugorewera was removed after five years in the cabinet. 
 
¶4.  Vincent Karega, Secretary General of the Ministry of 
Public Service, was appointed Minister of State in Charge of 
Industry and Investment Promotion.  Protais Mitali, former 
2003 MDR parliamentary commission spokesman and Minister of 
State in Charge of Cooperation in the Ministry of Commerce, 
was promoted to Minister of Commerce, replacing James 
Musoni.  Dr. Jeanne d'Arc Mujawamariya, Minister of State in 
Charge of Higher Education, was promoted to Minister of 
Education, replacing Prof. Romain Murenzi, who was appointed 
to a new ministerial post in the Office of the President in 
charge of scientific research and technology. 
 
¶5.  When asked about his priorities for the Finance 
Ministry, Musoni told press that he would focus on pushing 
forward the ongoing Economic Development and Poverty 
Reduction Strategies, mobilizing revenues internally and 
externally, developing a macroeconomic framework, and 
advising the government on finance-related issues.  He also 
promised to work closely with development partners. 
 
¶6.  Although the GOR did not publicly state the reasons for 
the reshuffle, media reports attributed it to poor 
performance by ministers.  According to the pro-government 
"The New Times," the President had expressed reservations 
over the performance of certain ministers.  During a recent 
government retreat, Andre Bumaya and Prof. Murenzi 
reportedly were singled out for the poor performance of 
their ministries.  Some observers of Rwanda's education 
system speculated that Murenzi lost his post because he had 
increasingly failed to address pertinent problems such as an 
ongoing controversy surrounding the new salary structure for 
lecturers.  Others suggested that the President specifically 
created a separate ministry for science and technology and 
placed it under his direct control to ensure that the GOR 
does not fall short of its goal of turning Rwanda into a 
regional ICT hub. 
 
¶7.  Pro-government media criticized outgoing Minister of 
Infrastructure Bizimana for possible embezzlement of public 
funds from an ongoing public auction of government vehicles. 
According to "The New Times," the Auditor General had 
expressed concern over the low revenues generated by the 
sale of more than 3,000 government vehicles.  Political 
analysts also suggested that Bizimana's dismissal could be 
linked to the ongoing dispute between the Rwanda Civil 
Aviation Authority and SN Brussels (ref B). 
 
¶8.  Outgoing Minister of Public Service and Labor Bumaya, 
president of a Muslim-dominated political organization 
(PDI), was dismissed amid investigation for alleged 
irregularities that have long marred his ministry. 
According to local media, Bumaya, among others, had been 
accused by lawmakers, trade unions, and civil rights groups 
of implementing the massive retrenchment of public servants 
prior to the creation of the constitutional Public Service 
Commission, failing to create a national labor policy, and 
committing irregularities in the hiring and firing process. 
Bumaya was recently summoned by parliament to explain his 
failure to successfully implement civil service reforms. 
Media reports cited Bumaya's failure to properly coordinate 
the GOR's ongoing reduction-in-force, which resulted in the 
recruitment of terminated public servants as private 
consultants.  Bumaya reportedly also made unrealistic 
promises regarding civil service salaries. 
 
¶9.  According to local media, outgoing Minister of Lands and 
Environment Mugorewera will be remembered as an aggressive 
environmentalist who improved the country's vegetation, 
planted millions of trees, and implemented unpopular bans on 
materials hazardous to the environment, including plastic 
bags.  She also implemented bans on cattle grazing and tree 
cutting, which made life difficult for brick and charcoal 
dealers with no viable alternatives.  TVR News recently 
reported that she had threatened to bring to justice local 
residents of the famine-ravaged Bugesera district who had 
cut down trees in search of arable land.  Others argued that 
Mugorewera failed to successfully implement sustainable 
environment-friendly policies. 
 
¶10.  Some analysts suggested that Nshuti, who was Finance 
Minister for just seven months, was transferred to a less 
prestigious position due to his poor performance compared to 
that of his predecessor Donald Kaberuka.  (Note:  Nshuti was 
appointed Finance Minister in the last cabinet reshuffle in 
August 2005 after Kaberuka was elected president of the 
African Development Bank.  End note.)  Additionally, while 
not mentioned by name, Nshuti was among government officials 
criticized for their poor relations with, and lack of 
accessibility to, donors at the expense of government 
projects.  He was also criticized for attempting to build 
his own team, firing many of Kaberuka's staff, which 
triggered resentment among the staff. 
 
¶11.  Comment:  Ten (previously 11) of the 29 Cabinet seats 
are occupied by women, which meets the constitutionally 
recommended guideline that women be "granted at least 30 
percent of posts in decision-making organs."  The reshuffle 
comes on the heels of a government retreat held last month 
and sweeping administrative and territorial reforms.  It put 
to rest speculations that the Cabinet would be downsized 
from 11 ministries to eight, although some observers predict 
another reshuffle.  While it is not clear that the President 
dropped the ministers for their poor performance as widely 
reported or appointed new ministers for their superior 
skills, the reshuffle appears aimed at matching the best 
people at his disposal to the pressing problems unresolved 
by the outgoing ministers.  Whether the shake-up will 
ultimately result in improved delivery of services remains 
to be seen, but it may be a whiff of a results-oriented 
president impatient with slow deliverers. 
 
ARIETTI