Kagame Appoints Central Bank Official as Rwanda’s New Prime Minister

Edited By: Aminata Diallo

 Rwandan President Paul Kagame has named Justin Nsengiyumva, a senior central bank official and former education ministry secretary, as the country’s new prime minister, replacing Edouard Ngirente, who had held the post since 2017.

The announcement was made late Wednesday via a statement from the office of the government spokesperson on X (formerly Twitter). The brief communiqué did not provide a reason for Ngirente’s dismissal. On his part, Ngirente expressed gratitude to Kagame in a message on X, calling his term in office “deeply enriching.”

Justin Nsengiyumva, who most recently served as deputy governor at the National Bank of Rwanda, holds a PhD in economics from the University of Leicester. His resume includes work as a senior economist for the United Kingdom’s Office of Rail and Road, highlighting his international credentials.

However, Nsengiyumva’s appointment has drawn attention due to a controversial chapter in his past. In 2008, during his tenure as permanent secretary at the Ministry of Education, he was arrested and later convicted on corruption charges. He was subsequently pardoned by President Kagame in March 2023, alongside 380 other individuals in various unrelated cases, according to The New Times, a state-owned Rwandan newspaper.

Kagame, who has led Rwanda since the end of the genocide in 1994, was re-elected in 2024 with 99.18% of the vote. His decision to appoint Nsengiyumva underscores a pattern of calculated political reshuffling within his administration, where technocratic expertise often intersects with loyalty and presidential discretion.

The government has not issued an official comment on the rationale behind the prime ministerial change.