Sense of urgency, shunning poor service: Homework for RPF cadres

 The ruling party in Rwanda, RPF-Inkotanyi, this past weekend held its 15th congress, bringing together party delegates from the grassroots to the national level plus representatives from special groups like women, youth, private sector and Rwandan communities abroad.

There were also special guests from other political organisations that are legally registered in the country Thousands of delegates physically attended the meeting. This was after a long time, owing to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Key on the agenda was to review the progress made by the RPF-led coalition in implementing the manifesto presented to the electorate in 2017, when the party fronted its candidate –Paul Kagame, who also doubles as its Chairman – as the Presidential Candidate.

Despite the good progress made in implementing the manifesto – even in the midst of a pandemic – as we move towards 2024, President Kagame was intrigued by the growing lack of a sense of urgency, which is creeping within the ranks of the party cadreship.

The Chairman’s concerns are also underpinned by the fact that after over three decades, the founding generation of the party has over the years been passing on the mantle to the young generation.

He pointed out different examples where there has been lack of urgency and enterprise that characterized the RPF cadres of yesteryears, expressing concerns of the days ahead.

It would therefore be a disservice to the nation for the new generation to take on an organization that accepts laxity, in sharp contrast with the old generation, which, armed simply with a clarity of purpose, planned and implemented the liberation struggle, stopped the Genocide against the Tutsi, and from scratch put the country on the pedestal to middle income in record time.

One would expect the new generation, with the kind of facilitation at their disposal, including the opportunity to access education – including from the best institutions in the world – to even do better than the old guard.

This brings me back to the other key topic from the meeting and that was the complacency that still dogs our service sector.

For close to a decade now, the government has been making an effort to ensure Rwanda becomes a centre of meetings and exhibitions through the very elaborate MICE (Meetings, Incentives Conferences and Exhibitions) strategy, which was unveiled in 2024.

Despite the efforts – including having in place the necessary infrastructure, and vigorous political push to attract major events to Rwanda – these efforts have not been matched by those working in the hospitality sector, especially on the service side of things.

Much investment was put in increasing the number of hotel rooms and other facilities necessary, but the services you get in these facilities leave a lot to be desired. And the sad part, as mentioned by the Head of State, is that Rwandans seem to have resigned to fate, accepting the bad service to characterize us.

The sense of urgency to change things in the hospitality sector has never been more necessary than now when the country prepares to host the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) which will bring together thousands of delegates from the 54 member states of the Commonwealth.

To be able to change bad service, it will take everyone to not accept it and call it out whenever they get a bad experience. Once they realise that people are not ready to accept such mediocrity, service providers will certainly change.

I want to make a direct appeal to RPF cadres, especially the young generation.  You are not short of elders from whom to draw inspiration. This country got where it is today because of the sense of urgency and clarity of purpose that characterized our fore-runners.

Let us embrace that and do better to change the lives of our people.