KIGALI – President Paul Kagame has urged public officials to regularly assess their performance and improve the way they serve the public, warning that their decisions have consequences for the lives of ordinary citizens.
Kagame was speaking on Friday, October 30, during the swearing-in of four senior officials at Village Urugwiro, the Office of the President in Kigali.
The officials are Julienne Uwacu, the new Minister of Public Service and Labour; Judith Uwizeye, who has moved to the Senate; Claudette Mukashyaka, the new Auditor General of State Finances; and Gratien Kubwimana, the Deputy Auditor General.
Kagame said changes in responsibilities should provide an opportunity for leaders to examine their previous performance and consider how they can do better.
He said this should not be limited to officials taking up new positions. It should apply to everyone with responsibilities in government and beyond.
“As time goes by, as one year ends and another begins, whether we are continuing with responsibilities we already have or taking on new ones, what is most important is that we take it upon ourselves to reflect and assess how we have been doing things,” he said.
He challenged officials to examine how they had performed in the past and determine what more they needed to do in their new responsibilities.
The President said public service should be viewed in terms of its impact on other people, rather than the positions held by those entrusted with responsibilities.
“It is simply to remind ourselves that, wherever we are, the responsibilities we have are not just about ourselves. What we do affects many other people. When we do things well, they benefit. When we do things badly, they also suffer the consequences,” he said.
He called for continuous self-assessment and a willingness to improve, saying the responsibility extends to citizens working outside government as well.
New Cabinet and Senate appointments
Uwacu returns to Cabinet as Minister of Public Service and Labour. She previously served as Minister of Sports and Culture from February 2015 to October 2018.
After leaving Cabinet, she worked in roles related to Itorero and culture development at the Ministry of National Unity and Civic Engagement. She also served as Executive Secretary of Unity Club Intwararumuri.
She replaces Uwizeye, who has moved to the Senate after serving as Minister of Public Service and Labour.
Uwizeye was appointed Minister in the Office of the President in the government formed in July 2025. She later took charge of the Public Service and Labour Ministry in June 2026.
Her move to the Senate comes just months after taking up the ministerial portfolio.
New leadership at the Auditor General’s Office
The other two appointments concern the Office of the Auditor General of State Finances, the institution responsible for auditing public finances and examining how government resources are managed.
Mukashyaka takes over as Auditor General, replacing Alexis Kamuhire, who held the position from October 2021.
She brings more than 15 years of experience in internal auditing and four years in external auditing.
Before her appointment, she served as Chief Audit Executive at I&M Bank Rwanda. She had previously held other audit management positions at the bank and worked at the Office of the Auditor General of State Finances.
She holds ACCA and CPA Rwanda professional qualifications. She is also an Internal Audit Quality Assessor.
Mukashyaka received an ACCA Certificate of Excellence after ranking first in Rwanda and 31st worldwide in the Advanced Audit and Assurance examination.
She has also served as vice-president in charge of the private sector at the Institute of Internal Auditors Rwanda and chaired audit committees.
Kubwimana becomes Deputy Auditor General, replacing Patrick Habimana.
Before his appointment, he served as Director General in charge of Local Government Audit, Projects, Programmes and Specialised Audits at the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, a position he took up in 2024.
He has also held finance and internal audit positions at the Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Authority (RURA), the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, and the former Kigali Institute of Science and Technology (KIST).
The appointments of Mukashyaka and Kubwimana were approved by the Senate on October 29, following their nomination by the Cabinet.
The Cabinet had approved their appointments during a meeting chaired by Kagame on October 26.
Uwacu’s appointment as minister and Uwizeye’s move to the Senate were announced on October 27.
The four officials took their oaths of office a day after the Senate approval, formally assuming their new responsibilities.
