{Close to 200 members of Rwandan community living and working in Mombasa gathered at Royal Castle Hotel over the weekend in a meeting aimed at deliberating on ways of being more active in contributing to Rwanda development. Participants had an opportunity to interact with members of parliament who were in Mombasa to partake in the East African Inter-Parliamentary games. }
The meeting was officiated by the High Commissioner of the Republic of Rwanda to the Republic of Kenya Mr. James Kimonyo along with members of Parliament.
In his opening remarks, Ambassador Kimonyo thanked members of Rwandan community in Mombasa for their active participation in Rwanda’s development programmes despite the distance from home. He picked an example of how Rwandans in Mombasa turned up in large numbers to vote in the last Constitutional referendum last year in December and in the 22nd commemoration of Genocide against the Tutsi.
“Rwanda community here in Mombasa are such a committed family looking at how they have been active in different national events. We came here last December for constitutional electoral referendum and these people turned up in big numbers and voted like responsible citizens. We also held the event to mark the twenty-second commemoration of the Genocide against the Tutsi and again our people did not disappoint. I want to thank them,” Kimonyo remarked.
In her address to the gathering, deputy speaker of Rwanda Senate who headed the delegation Honourable Harelimana Fatou said that the delegation was in Mombasa to participate in East African Inter-Parliamentary games whose aim is to enhance interaction with the citizenry of the partner states as a mode of sensitization and popularization of the integration process.
“When we heard that these games will take place here, we requested our High Commission in Nairobi to facilitate the meeting with you so that we can have your views on Rwanda’s social economic transformation,” Fatou said.
During the interactive session, Honourable Mukasine Marie Clare took participants through what Rwanda has been able to achieve in the last twenty-two years.
“Rwanda has been able to achieve a lot of progress in the past 22 years in all spheres of life and this was made possible by the introduction of home grown initiatives after realizing that our development cannot be imported from anywhere, it rather has to come from within. And you and I know that this would not have been possible without the visionary and transformational leadership of H.E. Paul Kagame and the active participation of the people of Rwanda including those in the Diaspora,” she said.
Honourable Jean Marie Gatabazi presented on Ndi Umunyarwanda program, which is aimed at healing and unifying Rwandans beyond any ethnic differences.
“Ndi Umunyarwanda is a platform where Rwandans openly talk about their history, repent, forgive and heal for a better future and as responsible citizenry. Rwandans in Mombasa are supposed to be part of this important reconciliation process,” Gatabazi noted
During the session various issues were raised among them finding it difficult to obtain a work permit in Kenya, in which the High Commissioner James Kimonyo and representatives of Rwanda at the East African Legislative Assembly promised to work on and come up with a definite solution.
The Honourable members showed their multi-talent in the just concluded East African Inter-Parliamentary games, where Rwanda women parliamentarian emerged the champion of the East African Inter-Parliamentary games in Volleyball.
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