By David Himbara
Several key Rwandan institutions are now led by individuals President Paul Kagame recruited from overseas. It is not clear if this is a strategy to counter the shortage of leaders — or merely Kagame’s preference.
Regardless, this is embarrassing for the Rwandan strongman. He has led Rwanda since 1994 — that is twenty-four years. And still, imports leaders and from overseas.
Here is the evidence from the University of Rwanda, Bank of Kigali, Rwanda Development Board, and the Rwanda Energy Group. These key public institutions are now led by people that Kagame recruited from Britain, the US, and Israel. Take a look:
1. Philip Cotton, Vice Chancellor, University of Rwanda – British;
2. Mike O’Neal, Chancellor, University of Rwanda – American;
3. Marc Holtzman, Chairman, Bank of Kigali – American;
4. Itzhak Fisher, Chairman, Rwanda Development Board – Israeli;
5. Ron Weiss, CEO of the Rwanda Energy Group – Israeli;
Evidently, Kagame never heard of the often quoted phrase by Tom Peters that ”leaders don’t create followers, they create more leaders.” For the past twenty-four years, Kagame has been creating more followers. This legacy speaks volumes about Kagame’s own leadership — pathetic.