Protocol is one of the most important services that every event organiser needs towards having a well-organised and successful event. In Rwanda, a number of protocol services at different events are done by friends and relatives who take credit when things go well as planned. But what happens when they go wrong? Absolutely not one will pay the price because they most of the times do it as a free service. It is from the current experience that a group of youth founded a protocol team dubbed ‘Kigali Protocol’ to serve events in a professional way. Kigali Protocol is a protocol-based team that provides protocol services in different events varying from concerts corporate events, sports events, weddings and conferences among others. Josue Umukundwa, the brains behind the team told The New Times that starting a protocol company came in 2019 just a few months after he realised that Rwandans would welcome the service if done professionally. Alliance Irasubiza, one of former Miss Rwanda constestants who joined Kigali Protocol ./ Courtesy “After we successfully served protocol at different events and people came to appreciate what we were doing, I started to take it serious and think of going professional in this field because we have come to realise that people who organise events need this service,” Umukundwa said. The very first event the Kigali Protocol served protocols was, back in 2018, at the inaugural edition of ‘Bigomba Guhinduka’, an annual comedy event organized by Daymakers. Edutainment which is courtesy to celebrated local comedian Clapton Kibonge. “Kibonge was the first person to give me a chance to do protocol services at his event. He trusted me and hired our team to do protocols….and, thankfully, his comedy event went on to become successful,” Umukundwa said. After impressing at the comedy event, more event organisers approached them to do similar protocols for them. Josue Umukundwa, the brains behind Kigali Protocol team. / Courtesy The team, which comprise young men and women, has so far done protocol services for big music events organised by East African Promoters and ‘Celebrities Christmas Party’ that was organised by The Mane Music Label. Hope for ex-Miss Rwanda contestants Days after the events were banned to contain the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic, protocol services were cut short as a result and the Kigali Protocol hence thought of going beyond just doing protocols. Umukundwa said he thought of creating a platform for former Miss Rwanda contestants whose projects didn’t get the chance to make it through the beauty contest and get a platform to implement their projects yet they have potential to make an impact on the community. Some former Miss Rwanda contestants have since joined the Kigali Protocol including the likes of Alliance Irasubiza, who won the Miss Popularity at Miss Rwanda 2020, Lea Umutesi, and Clementine Uwimana among others. “A young woman participates in Miss Rwanda contest with a dream to win the crown and see a host of opportunities coming her way to make her dreams a reality. But when she doesn’t win, sometimes she gets disappointed because she thinks the pageant was the only platform for her to successfully implement her project,” said Umukundwa. “That’s why we thought of taking some projects of former Miss Rwanda contestants, look at their feasibility and select at least one potential project and find a sponsor to support it during the implementation,” he added. Alliance Irasubiza, the vice-president of Kigali Protocol, said that there are a number of brilliant projects presented during past Miss Rwanda editions that missed out on the support not because they weren’t good enough but because only the winning projects were supported. “As Kigali Protocol, we don’t have the capacity to finance all these projects but we can at least play a role in giving them exposure and connect them to sponsors,” Irasubiza explained. “This is a platform that strives to change lives of the youth which is part of the team and which particularly supports the development of young women, starting with those who participated at Miss Rwanda, through its initiatives. We are still young, we have a dream to achieve more and we are here to support each other as youth,” she added.
