In the many testimonies shared during Rwanda’s 32nd commemoration of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, one phrase echoed with particular emotional weight: "Inkotanyi ni ubuzima”, meaning "Inkotanyi is life.”

For those who use it, the expression goes beyond historical reference. It reflects deep gratitude for the force that stopped the genocide and restored order in a country that had collapsed under mass killings and institutional breakdown.

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Yet for many who reflect on that moment, its significance does not end with the stopping of the genocide. Senior figures in Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) often describe the post-genocide period as equally defining, shaped not only by victory but by restraint. In their account, Rwanda did not descend into cycles of revenge because those who had prevailed exercised restraint at a moment when retaliation might have seemed inevitable.

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That discipline, combined with urgency in rebuilding and a long-term view of national survival, is often described as the "Inkotanyi spirit.” Over time, it has become closely associated with the governing philosophy that guides Rwanda’s reconstruction and continues to shape its political identity. There is no doubt that this spirit has produced visible results. Rwanda is widely cited for its stability, infrastructure development, relatively low levels of corruption in regional comparison, and steady economic growth.

In the aftermath of state collapse, rebuilding required more than institutions and security architecture. It required a national mindset in which delivery, accountability, and urgency were treated not as administrative ideals, but as matters of survival. In the early years, that sense of purpose was visible across public life even with the limited resources at hand.

Today, while public services improved in meaningful ways, many citizens still feel that service delivery is not always as consistent as other areas of government performance. This gap in lived experience has led some to point to a disconnect between Rwanda’s strong national performance and what citizens encounter in their day-to-day interactions with public services. In this context, some argue that the values often associated with the "Inkotanyi spirit” are not always felt with the same intensity in everyday administrative life.

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The issue, as many describe it, is not the absence of services, but their unevenness, particularly in responsiveness, consistency, and follow-through across different levels of administration.

Against this backdrop, one expectation remains constant. For many Rwandans, the Inkotanyi spirit, understood as discipline, service to the public, urgency, and accountability, remains a yardstick for governance. It is not a nostalgic idea, but a practical one: a belief that the standards that defined the country’s most critical moments should also be reflected in its everyday functioning.

Most public services are judged against this benchmark. Where services are delivered efficiently, confidence in institutions deepens. Where delays or inconsistencies appear, perceptions begin to shift. In some cases, when swift resolution does occur, citizens attribute it less to routine administrative processes than to direct intervention from the President himself.

At the same time, there is a reality that is often overlooked: government cannot be separated from the society it governs. It is built from it, staffed by it, and shaped by the skills, norms, and expectations that exist within it.

A system cannot function at a higher standard than the values and effort embedded within it. Where competence is strong, institutions tend to reflect it. Where standards are weak or uneven, the system mirrors that reality as well.

This is not an argument for shifting blame away from government responsibility. Leadership remains accountable for outcomes. But it is also a reminder that sustainable improvement cannot come from expectation alone. It requires participation, professionalism, and a shared commitment to standards across society.

In that sense, the Inkotanyi spirit is not only about what happened in moments of national crisis. It is also about what happens in ordinary times, how work is done, how responsibility is taken, how problems are solved and how citizens and officials alike approach public service.

When that spirit is present, institutions respond faster, systems function more predictably, and fewer issues require exceptional intervention. When it is uneven, even small problems can travel upward in search of resolution.

Eventually, the strength of any state is measured not only by the policies it designs, but by the everyday values of the society that operates it. A government cannot rise above the standards of the people who sustain it. And when those standards are high – marked by discipline, accountability, and urgency – the system reflects them.

That is where the Inkotanyi spirit remains most relevant today: not only as history, but as a continuing test of how Rwandans choose to carry forward the discipline that restored the hope of their country.

The writer is a management consultant and strategist.