Businessman Fabrice Ngoga Shema was Saturday, August 30, elected president of Rwanda Football Federation (FERWAFA) during the Ordinary General Assembly held at Kigali Serena Hotel. Shema became just the 15th president to take Ferwafa office since it was established in 1976. With all the ups and downs that the house has gone over the past years, all eyes will be on the former AS Kigali president to change the narrative of Rwandan football. Times Sport looks back at post-genocide FERWAFA presidents and the legacy they left behind during their time in office. Ephraim Gasasira 1994-1995 Gasasira is a former lawyer who also led Mukura VS. During his time, not much was achieved due to the circumstances that the country was going through. Gasasira led Ferwafa 6 months after the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi and organised the elections that saw Gen Caesar Kayizari succeed him. 2. Gen. Caesar Kayizari, 1995-2005 Gen Kayizari joined Ferwafa in 1995 and stayed in office for 10 years, the longest period by any other president who led the federation. He will always be remembered as the only president who led the FA when Amavubi qualified for the 2004 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Tunisia, the only time the country has participated at the continent’s most prestigious football event. He was also in office when then Rwanda B won CECAFA senior challenge in 1999. Maj Gen. Jean Bosco Kazura (2006-2011) Kazura, who led Ferwafa between 2006 and 2011, was known for promoting football development from grassroots. Under Kazura, Rwanda hosted the U20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in 2009 and the U17 AFCON in 2011, where they played in the final for the first time. The team at the time qualified for the 2011 U17 World Cup in Mexico. The majority of players who participated in the competitions were products of Isonga football academy which was established when Kazura took office in 2009. Céléstin Abega Ntagungira 2011-2013 The name ‘Abega’ became well-known when he was a national referee in the Rwandan league and later became an international referee who officiated at major football tournaments including the FIFA World Cup and the Africa Cup of Nations. Abega later joined FERWAFA as president, a position he served between 2011 and 2013. Although Abega tried to bring in sponsors from outside to ensure a sustainable domestic league, the national team did not achieve any significant results during his reign. Vincent De Gaulle Nzamwita 2014- 2017 Nzamwita will be remembered for securing Rwanda’s rights of hosting the 2016 African Nations Championship (CHAN) where Rwanda reached the quarterfinals for the very first time. It was during his time that Ferwafa signed a partnership with Morocco to build the national team hotel in 2015. However, 10 years on, the hotel is yet to operate and the national team is still paying millions of francs in bills for hotel accommodations while on international football duty. Nzamwita was elected to lead Ferwafa in 2014, but his leadership was shaped by controversies. For instance, he was in office when Rwanda was on the verge of securing a ticket to play the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations. However, their qualification hopes were short-lived after the Confederation of African Football (CAF) charged the country for fielding then forward Daddy Birori who, it was alleged, was using two different names while playing for Amavubi and his Congolese club AS Vita. It was reported that Nzamwita had ordered then Amavubi coach Stephen Constantine to play Birori no matter what. Against the allegations, it was Nzamwita who encouraged clubs to seek legal status. Ferwafa also obtained it because it did not have one either. Rtd Brig Gen Jean Damascène Sekamana [2018-2021] Sekamana took FERWAFA office on March 31, 2018, but he resigned on April 14, 2021 before his term expired, citing personal reasons. During his tenure, Rayon Sports reached group stages and quarterfinals of the CAF Confederation Cup for the first time. Olivier Nizeyimana Mugabo [2021-2023] Olivier Nizeyimana was in June 2021 elected to lead FERWAFA but he also resigned before his four-year term expired. The football fraternity highly hoped that Nizeyimana would live up to expectations. However, he also stepped down prematurely. So many people linked his resignation to the dubious Rwf2 billion deal that then Secretary General Henry Muhire signed withDutch kit supplier Masita without informing Nizeyimana and the FA executive committee. It was also during his tenure that Rwanda hosted the FIFA General Assembly for the first time in the country’s history. Alphonse Munyantwari (2023-25) Not much to say about Munyantwari it was under his leadership that Rwandans started to hope for a qualification to AFCON, only to lose the ticket to Benin by goal difference.
