Kagame sacks four senior government officials for gross misconduct

What you need to know:

  • The office of the Ombudsman will publish the names of the four officers who are also likely to face prosecution.

Rwanda's President Paul Kagame has sent home four senior government officials for "gross misconduct", barely two months after he sacked the entire staff of a health ministry unit for wastage of public resources.

The Cabinet chaired by President Kagame on Wednesday sacked Syridion Dusabimana, director of animal resources extension at the Rwanda Agriculture Board, and Margaret Mbabazi, director of finance and administration at the Institute of National Museums of Rwanda.

The others are Albert Ruhumuriza, director of administration at the Rwanda Transport Development Agency, and Emmanuel Toto Wa Mugenza, director of planning and ICT at the National Industrial Research and Development Agency.

At a press conference Thursday, the Minister of Justice Johnson Busingye declined to provide more information on the sackings.

"Cabinet minutes are written in a way that won't provide for every detail of each element. That's why their cases were not put out. I beg not to go into the details,” Mr Busingye told journalists.

The office of the Ombudsman will publish the names of the four officers who are also likely to face prosecution.

President Kagame is known to show zero tolerance to corruption and ineptitude.

Rwanda’s laws against institutional malpractice and corruption are some of the most severe in the region. In additional to stiff penalties and blacklisting of individuals found to be practicing the vice, the laws even allow suspects' phones to be tapped to obtain evidence.