The top executive committee members of Nyagatare District led by the mayor, George Mupenzi, tendered in their resignations Wednesday to the District Advisory Council, citing “personal reasons”. Mupenzi resigned with the Didas Kayitare and Domithille Musabyemariya, vice mayor for finance and economic development and vice mayor in charge of social affairs, respectively. The resignation was confirmed by Chantal Rukeba Atukunda, the chairperson of Nyagatare District Council. This brings to nine the number of districts whose leaders have resigned just two years into their five-year term. The resignation letters by the Nyagatare leaders were received by the district council this Wednesday, “around at noon,” according to Atukunda. None of the three could pick their telephones when contacted Wednesday, however, Atukunda said that resigning “is their right, since we promote democracy”. She said the District Council will meet Thursday to approve the requests, and also chart a way forward for the district leadership. They will also appoint an acting mayor who will lead the largest district in the country into a by-election to be organised later by the National Electoral Commission. “It is a process. Normally, when we receive resignation letters; we sit as Council, analyze the request basing on what the law dictates,” she said. In Eastern Province, the Nyagatare resignations follow those of the executive leadership of Bugesera District this past weekend. Richard Mutabazi, who is one of the council members, is now the acting mayor of Bugesera. When contacted, Fred Mufulukye, the Eastern Province Governor, said that it was important that leaders take responsibility and resign wherever they feel they cannot continue to serve. “We believe that it is absolutely their right to take responsibilities and whenever they feel like it, say that they want to go for any other kind of responsibilities,” he said adding however that it would be better for them to added the council meeting on Thursday to clarify more on their decision. Mufulukye appreciated their contribution but said he could not make any judgment on their performance at the moment. “There comes the time you assess what you have done, depending on the development pace the country needs, and say, ‘it would be better if someone else came to take over my responsibilities,’ or maybe because you want to go for other affairs,” he explained. He said that what is the focus now is getting capable successors to carry the district forward.
