A Facebook friend has raised an important issue, namely, one of the crimes for which people are being sent to jail in Rwanda. The crime in question is “KWANGISHA ABATURAGE UBUYOBOZI BURIHO.” The English translation of this crime is “turning citizens against the current leadership.”
Kagame’s entire speech at the 12th National Leadership Retreat described in greater detail how utterly useless the current Rwandan national, provincial and local leadership are. Kagame’s condemnation of the Rwandan leadership was not limited to the executive branch he heads, but also the judiciary and the legislative leadership. Kagame even told Chief Justice to his face that the Rwandan judiciary is useless and corrupt, and that the sector is incapable of delivering justice.
These are Kagame’s exact words:
“Prove to me that we are here for serious business and that you are not in hurry to go back to business as usual. I am waiting – begin with ministers, higher authorities, and other levels of government that we are going to do things differently. I am waiting – even if we need to take a whole hour, I am waiting.”
Kagame added:
“Let me tell you what you already know. This Rwanda you see is too small to be of interest to anybody else, if not you. There is nobody interested in you, in your mess…Nobody, not a single one. The ones who come here tell you lies – you have nothing to offer.”
When Kagame’s strategist Andrew Mwenda countered that Rwanda has achieved great things, Kagame replied as follows:
“I really don’t like your comments. You can reserve them for your Independent newspaper, you write them and I will read them there…I can’t tell lies. That is what is known as cosmetics. Scratch them a bit, you get to a person that can only be deceived by the mirror.”
Kagame even went as far as advocating for overthrow of the current useless leadership in Rwanda. This is what he said:
“Some of us would take arms against you and fight you. Everybody has become like the other, the killers of yesterday and liberators of yesterday have all become rubbish. What a shame – full of self-importance and doing nothing for this country that has suffered so much.”
Clearly, President Kagame has committed a crime of KWANGISHA ABATURAGE UBUYOBOZI BURIHO. For consistency, he should either free individuals accused of this crime, or he himself be tried for committing the crime.
Dr David Himbara
