In his free time, Rwanda’s new Minister of Defence, Juvenal Marizamunda, 58, is an avid APR and Arsenal fan who also enjoys following and watching Spanish giants Barcelona or Olympique de Marseille, in the top tier of French football. Marizamunda who is set to swear in as the 11th Minister for Defence since Rwanda became independent in 1962 previously served in different capacities in security and law-enforcing institutions including the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF), the Rwanda National Police (RNP), and the Rwanda Correctional Services (RCS). ALSO READ: Marizamunda is new defence minister as Gen. Muganga becomes CDS He takes over from Maj. Gen. Albert Murasira who had served in the position since October 2018. Unlike his predecessor, Marizamunda plays no chess. He is a football fan who loves jogging to keep fit. Marizamunda, a father of four – two girls and two boys – was appointed as the new Minister of Defence, on June 5. Born on December 2, 1965, in Nyamagabe District, Southern Province, he is married to Seraphine Nyirasafari. He was, until his new appointment, the Commissioner General for Rwanda Correctional Service (RCS). In April 2021, Marizamunda replaced Brig Gen George Rwigamba who had headed the RCS since 2016. Until his 2021 appointment, he was the Deputy Commissioner General of Police in charge of Administration and Finance, a position he had held since June 2014. He joined the military in 1986 and was commissioned as Second Lieutenant in 1990. In the years that followed, he held various command appointments from platoon to battalion level as well as staff responsibilities at battalion level and at Defence Headquarters. He once served as the Acting Head of the Department of Peace Support Operations at RDF Headquarters. In June 2014, then as a Lieutenant Colonel in the RDF, he was transferred to the RNP and given the rank of Deputy Commissioner General of Police (DCGP) and appointed the Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of Administration and Personnel (DIGP A/P). ALSO READ: Five things to know about new defence chief Gen. Mubarakh Muganga He boasts good international exposure, having commanded an infantry company under the African Mission in Sudan –Darfur between July 2005 and February 2006. In addition, he was the Deputy Chief Military Personnel Officer at the United Nations Mission in Sudan Headquarters - Khartoum from December 2009 to March 2011. ALSO READ: Col Godfrey Gasana promoted to Brigadier General He has done multiple military career courses that go all the way to the Senior Command and Staff Course, which he attended at the Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College, between 2012 and 2013. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Social and Military Sciences, a Post-Graduate Diploma in Defence and Conflict Studies, and a Master’s Degree in Governance and Leadership from the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration. Marizamunda also has a Master’s Degree in International Relations and Diplomacy from Mount Kenya University.
