KIGALI – Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame was sworn into office this afternoon Sunday 11th August, 2024 for a five-year term after a landslide win in last month’s election extended his nearly quarter century in office.
The 66-year-old former rebel leader won the July poll with 99.18% of the vote, after the electoral criticism barred eight other candidates including his most vocal critics.
Kagame won acclaim from Western and regional leaders for helping end the 1994 genocide and turning Rwanda into an attractive investment and aid destination. But his reputation has been sullied by criticism of rights abuses and suppression of dissent plus supporting rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo – all accusations he has denied.
Sunday’s swearing-in took place at Kigali’s Amahoro national Stadium, with thousands in attendance, many wearing T-shirts in the yellow, green, and blue colors of the national flag. Kagame received a military 21-gun salute, accompanied by cheers from the crowd. Twenty-two heads of state from African countries were in attendance. Rwanda’s constitution was changed in 2015, allowing Kagame to extend his time in office.
