As the ruling Rwanda Patriotic Front-RPF Inkotanyi prepares to celebrate 25 years of existence, the party is preparing youthful leaders to take over as a large number of founding members retire.

The party was formed in 1987 by Rwandese mainly living in exile and will celebrate its silver jubilee on December 15 following three months of activities to mark the milestone.

The December fete is expected to be a colourful one and will cost the party over Rwf300 million ($460, 000).

But the party — which waged a liberation war under the Rwandan Patriotic Army and stopped the 1994 genocide — is facing a mini-crisis, with majority of the founders ageing or losing favour with the leadership finding themselves outside the party hierarchy.

Over the years, RPF-Inkotanyi has seen some of its prominent members sidelined, dormant, falling out with the system or those still in service not having much say.

There have been concerns that party’s chairman, President Paul Kagame’s larger-than-life-personality dwarfs the party itself — something that would have major implication during the post-Kagame RPF transition, though the party maintains that this is unlikely.

The past 10 years have seen prominent party members including former president Pasteur Bizimungu, Jacques Bihozagara and the likes of Patrick Mazimpaka either expelled from the party or sidelined.

The party’s leadership however maintains that RPF-Inkotanyi is still strong with party membership having grown, with 60 per cent of the country’s eligible voting population registered as members.

According to the vice chairman of RPF Christophe Bazivamo, the party has implemented an “all inclusive” policy that has seen the youth take leadership within the party ranks.

Youth leaders

“We have the youth at all levels serving the party as well as many more serving in other positions of leadership outside the party but are party members. We have many more joining the party every day.”

“There shouldn’t be any issues of transition. RPF nurtures youth to grow up with responsibility and within the party. It is a system that is within the party structure that requires young persons to be responsible leaders,” said Mr Bazivamo.

He further said that the party has stuck to its strategy and principles, a thing which has seen a “few individuals” fall out with the system, but that this will not stop it from carrying out its plans.

“The principles are still the same, what has changed are the times and the evolving battles that we have to fight. We have not stopped anyone from exercising their political rights. We continue to tread a line that Rwandans want development and democracy.”

“Those who say we silence opposition want to tarnish the image of the party,” Mr Bazivamo said.

There have been consistent concerns regarding how RPF has fallen out with its original founding members, but Mr Bazivamo said that only those who are not “law-abiding” have found themselves in trouble with the party.

The party’s secretary-general Francois Ngarambe, concurs. He said that the reason some of the major party members were sidelined was because they failed to toe the party line and instead were pursuing selfish interests.

“It happens all over the world among progressive parties. When people fail to meet party standards they spread falsehoods that the party has lost its original ideals. The party has evolved over time but the objectives remain the same,” insisted Mr Ngarambe.

RPF has been credited for turning around Rwanda after the devastating 1994 genocide but the party has also faced criticism after some of the founding members had a bitter fall out with the system.

In 2010, Gen Kayumba Nyamwasa, former intelligence chief Col Patrick Karegeya, former prosecutor general Gerald Gahima and former director of Cabinet Theogene Rudasingwa had a run-in with the establishment, penning a scathing document titled Rwanda Briefing, attacking President Kagame and the ruling party.

But Tito Rutaremara, one of the founding members of the party and currently a senator says that some of the disgruntled individuals failed to abide with the party policies.

“The party tries its best to put back its people in the line but where it fails, it gives up. It is like a bad apple out of many good ones. Usually these are people we have failed to put back in shape and the party moves on.”

Mr Bazivamo also says that there people who retire out of party activities but it does not necessarily mean that they have been side lined. He says some individuals who earlier served the party ought to retire.