President Paul Kagame has promised a permanent solution to concerns on excessive use by some police officers in the line of duty. Kagame made the remarks while addressing a press conference on Sunday 6th September. Responding to a question on the subject, the President said that he had been following up on the issue and from his understanding, it was the actions of a few individual officers and not operational guidelines of the police force. “I have learned that there have been individual excesses which I don’t attribute to lack of training. They have sufficient training, they have ability and commitment. This depends on individuals,” he said. On learning about the issue, he said that he had instructed the leadership of the police adding that any officers found to have engaged in excesses will be held accountable openly. The transparency in accountability he said was necessary so as not to create a misperception that excessive force was police guidelines. “We are going to see change, there is no need for that excessive force. Even when the one you are dealing with maybe a hardcore criminal the police are trained and knows how to deal with such a situation without applying excesses,” he said. President Kagame on incidents of police brutality: I have instructed Police leadership to check these individual excesses. It would be a mistake to think police brutality is encouraged by anyone. This is something that we need to deal with & we will. #AskPresidentKagame — Presidency | Rwanda (@UrugwiroVillage) September 6, 2020 The isolated incidences he added should not tarnish the image of the Rwanda National Police which he revealed had also been affected by Covid-19 in the execution of their duties. On managing the pandemic, Kagame said that all along, the government and citizens have made impressive efforts in managing the virus which has built confidence that the country will overcome and get past the hurdle. Among the impacts he noted the pandemic will have is on the economic growth which has been stable and above 7 per cent in recent years. This year, he said that projections show that the economy will grow by between 2 and 3 per cent. Despite being a significant drop, it is still above the global average. The global economy is projected at –4.9 per cent in 2020, according to the International Monetary Fund as of June this year making it one of the deepest recessions in recent decades. In management of the pandemic, he said that the government had been careful not to have very stringent measures that would badly affect livelihoods terming it as a balancing act. The measures he said have shielded the country against a severe blow as had been initially feared. He called on Rwandans not to view the measures set to curb the spread of the pandemic as a way to disrupt their lives or prevent them from enjoying life but rather keep them alive. With regard to Rwanda’s involvement and follow up on the vaccine and treatment being developed and tested, the President said the country is working with the World Health Organization, and other global institutions for advice on the way forward. President Kagame also addressed rumours about his health saying that he is not in any way affected by the false reports quipping that no one truly knows the length of their lives. “Life is life as you know it. Even those saying it, dont know how many years they have to live on this earth. Even if they had to live up to 100 years, those years would pass. I am not affected in any way by this,” he said.
