Rwandan President Paul Kagame has questioned the loyalty of former members of the ruling party saying that they might have had different agendas from those of Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF)-Inkotanyi.

While addressing the Press on Tuesday ahead of the country’s 20th Liberation celebrations on July 4, President Kagame, who also doubles as the RPF chairman, said that the party has evolved over the last two and a half decades, with some people dropping off along the way.

He downplayed fears that the RPF has been weakened by the fall out with some of the senior cadres and top officials including those who have gone on to form opposition parties abroad, pointing out that as is the case in other parts of the world, people disagree on many fronts but life has to continue.

“The state of affairs in RPF is that of dynamism. I would be surprised, and I wouldn’t like it if the RPF of 20 years ago is the same RPF of today. I think there would be a problem. That would mean RPF is not evolving or developing or undergoing any transformation,” Kagame said.

READ: RPF ‘historicals’ take stock of long journey

He said it was normal for some senior cadres to retire from the ranks of the party while others fell out for different reasons.

Several former members of the RPF and its military wing RPA who include Lt Gen Kayumba Nyamwasa, the former army chief of staff Dr Theogene Rudasingwa, the former secretary general of RPF Gerald Gahima, the former Prosecutor General and the late Patrick Karegeya are examples of those who fell out with the party.

The exile-based officials joined forces to form the Rwanda National Congress, one of the formidable opposition group the current government faces. Several senior RPF cadres who occupied big positions in government have since been ‘put on the bench’ without any explanations.

However, Kagame says that these should not be seen as fault lines within the political party but part of the evolvement.

“As far as I know though, the RPF is as strong enough, focussing on what is good for this country and what is good for itself, as it has ever been. But there are different circumstances and challenges that RPF operates in and it is a dynamic situation. It is never stagnant and probably it should never be.”

He said that by analysing the challenges which the party has overcome over the years, challenges even bigger than departed members, the RPF cannot be found ‘wanting’ in anyway when it comes to dealing with issues, whether political, economic or social.

Questions loyalty

President Kagame said that what should be questioned is whether those who left for whatever reasons were loyal to the party or whether they were even real cadres.

He said that among those who left, none of them went for doing good or for any heroic acts during the liberation struggle but most of those who fled, had personal cases related to their actions which they had to answer for.

“I challenge you to tell me just one individual among those who left and what they were doing right and that it was the cause of their demise. I will tell you some of their cases if you don’t know but I would like to tell you that what those people say out there is different for the reality behind leaving the party,” Kagame said.

“Most of those you know have cases to answer, with clear evidence to show of it. It is not my job to explain why they went or what they embezzled but these cases are out there. Well, if they challenge these charges, let them bring their own evidence to clear their names,” he said.

President Kagame said the issue of some former members living should be put to rest once and for all because ‘life has to go on’.

But even as Rwanda kicks off celebrations for the 20th anniversary of the liberation, some of President Kagame’s former colleagues including Dr Theogene Rudasingwa, say the efforts of RPF freedom fighters who shed their blood, millions of Rwandans who perished during this period and since then, their deaths have been in vain.

“July 4 is absolutely meaningless for the ordinary Rwandans,” Rudasingwa said even though he admitted that the progress made over the last 20 years, given the destruction the 1994 genocide and civil war left behind is significant.