President Paul Kagame has made new appointments in the ministries of agriculture and foreign affairs, as well as the senate. The appointments were published by the Office of the Prime Minister on Monday, December 1. In the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources, Telesphore Ndabamenye has been appointed minister, while Solange Uwituze was named the Minister of State. Prior to his new duties, Ndabamenye has been serving as Minister of State for agriculture since July 2024. Before joining the cabinet, he was the Director General of the Rwanda Agriculture and Animal Resources Development Board (RAB), a position he held from March 2023. In his new role, he replaces Mark Cyubahiro Bagabe, who was appointed in October 2024. For Uwituze, she has been serving as Acting Director General for Animal Resources Development at RAB, before her appointment to the ministry. In the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Usta Kaitesi has been appointed Minister of State, replacing General (Rtd) James Kabarebe, who has taken on the role of Senior Defence and Security Advisor in the Office of the President. Before joining the ministry, Kayitesi served as a senator since September 2024 and previously as Chief Executive Officer of the Rwanda Governance Board. Kaitesi’s move to cabinet opened a vacant Senate seat, which has now been filled by Charles Murigande according to the new appointments. Murigande is a public servant who previously served as Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Minister of Education, among other posts. He also represented Rwanda diplomatically as Ambassador to Japan, with accreditation to Australia and New Zealand.
