President Paul Kagame has challenged RPF-Inkotanyi cadres and leaders to ensure that Rwanda's achievements are reflected in the daily lives of citizens, warning that progress cannot be measured by statements alone but by tangible results.
The RPF Chairman said this on Friday, July 17, while chairing the ruling party’s Bureau Politique meeting held at Intare Conference Arena.
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"The country we want to see is something we all have a role in creating. But once you have a vision of what you want, how do you achieve it? Responsibility starts with an individual and ends with all of us collectively,” Kagame said.
He said leaders must constantly assess Rwanda’s progress by looking at the gap between national ambitions and the experiences of citizens.
"You can talk about your achievements and highlight the good things you have done, but there is a measure that matters most, the people, especially Rwandans themselves,” Kagame said.
"At some point, they will say: ‘Those who lead us, the leaders of RPF and those leading the country in general, say these things, but we do not see them reflected in our lives.’”
The President said leaders should be willing to identify challenges that prevent the country from reaching its development targets and seek solutions.
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"If children are not attending school, you cannot claim that you have achieved the goal of ensuring children are in school. If people do not have good health and the systems meant to protect them are not working, you cannot claim that Rwandans have achieved better health outcomes when that reality does not exist.”
Kagame said credibility depends on aligning commitments with outcomes, stressing that any contradiction between promises, actions, and results should be treated as a problem.
"If you examine yourself and conclude that you have no illness when in fact you do, that illness will eventually harm you because you failed to recognise and treat it,” he told leaders.
He added that some challenges require individuals to take responsibility, while others require seeking support from others.
"If you do not start by treating yourself, by looking inward and finding solutions to your own shortcomings, no one else can cure you.”
He described RPF’s approach to politics as one focused on addressing challenges and finding solutions.
"The politics of complaining, lying, failing, or cheating does not solve problems. Instead, it creates more problems on top of the ones you already have,” he added.