On October 30, President Paul Kagame administered the oath of office to four senior officials at Village Urugwiro in Kigali. The officials include 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 urged them to regularly assess their performance and improve public service.
Kagame emphasized that changes in responsibilities provide an opportunity for leaders to examine their previous performance and consider how they can do better. He stressed that this self-assessment should not be limited to officials taking up new positions but should apply to everyone with responsibilities in government and beyond. The President highlighted that public service should be viewed in terms of its impact on other people, rather than the positions held by those entrusted with responsibilities.
Julienne Uwacu returns to Cabinet as Minister of Public Service and Labour, having previously served as Minister of Sports and Culture from February 2015 to October 2018. Uwizeye, who has moved to the Senate, was appointed Minister in the Office of the President in July 2025 and 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.
Claudette Mukashyaka takes over as Auditor General, replacing Alexis Kamuhire, who held the position from October 2021. Mukashyaka 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 and had previously held other audit management positions at the bank and worked at the Office of the Auditor General of State Finances.
Gratien 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. Kubwimana 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.
Kagame’s call for self-assessment and improved public service is a reminder that the responsibilities of public officials have consequences for the lives of ordinary citizens. The President’s emphasis on continuous self-assessment and a willingness to improve is expected to have a positive impact on the delivery of public services in Rwanda.
Key points
- President Paul Kagame urges public officials to regularly assess their performance.
- New officials sworn in, including Julienne Uwacu and Claudette Mukashyaka.
- Kagame emphasizes impact of public service on ordinary citizens.
