The Upper Chamber of Parliament has approved the appointment of Emmanuel Rukundo as the Director General of Rwanda Water Resources Board, a new institution. He was appointed by the Cabinet on Friday, March 4, and was vetted by the senators on Monday, March 14. While presenting to the senators a report on why Rukundo should be approved, Senator Juvénal Nkusi, the Chairperson of the Committee on Economic Development and Finance stressed that the nominee is a fitting candidate for the position. “At the age of 38, we have realized that this young man is a passionate and competent engineer who is able to serve the country diligently,” said Senator Nkusi while presenting to the Upper Chamber. He said that Rukundo holds both a PhD and a Master’s Degree in Civil Engineering with specialty in hydraulics from Istanbul, Turkey where he graduated in 2019. He also graduated as a Civil Engineer from the University of Rwanda in 2011. Prior to his appointment, he was the Senior Lecturer in Civil Engineering at the Institute of Applied Science (INES-Ruhengeri) in Musanze District, at the same time a consultant in hydraulics. He has worked as a consultant for different water sanitation projects including River 7Sebeya among others. According to the report, Rukundo’s main priorities will be establishing policies and laws of conserving water sources and promoting strategies to fight soil erosion as well as maintaining water sources in different corners of the country. Most Senators stressed that the new leader should prioritise creating awareness around the use and preservation of water. Rwanda Water Resources Board was created by law in 2019 with the primary target of ensuring the availability of enough and well-managed water resources for sustainable development.
