The Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF) stopped the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda where more than one million people were killed in one hundred days. This was the fastest mass murder ever recorded in modern history. The new government led by RPF then moved the country from the brinks of an almost failed state to one of the rapid growing economies on the continent.

 

Although Rwanda still bears the scars of genocide, it is a successful model of post genocide recovery and transformation. It is not easy to list all of the RPF’s achievements as the list may be endless. However, here are seven major wins by the ruling party within three decades after Genocide.

 

1.   Unity and reconciliation

 

In the aftermath of the Genocide, the heavy task ever was to reunite Rwandans who were divided by bad leadership using ethnicity: Hutu,Tutsi and Twa tags. Nation building and reconciliation after the atrocities committed during the Genocide and the divisive politics of bad leadership past was the RPF’s major task and the party did not fail.

 

While the Tutsi as victims of the Genocide were experiencing post-traumatic stress disorders, some Hutu were afraid of alleged ‘revenge’ or being tried and hence end up in jail. The Gacaca courts not only provided justice but also reconciled the perpetrators and the victims.  Identity cards that profiled people based on ethnicity were disbanded.

 

The government initiated a program called Ndi Umunyarwanda which means “Iam a Rwandan,” which helped build a national identity based on trust and dignity.

 

Ndi Umunyarwanda aims to strengthen unity and reconciliation among Rwandans by providing a forum to talk about the causes and consequences of the genocide as well as what it means to be a Rwandan. The National Unity and Reconciliation Commission (NURC) was also put in place to eradicate divisionism and discrimination. The 2020 Rwanda Reconciliation Barometer indicates that Rwanda’s reconciliation status stood at 98.3 per cent which is an indication that unity and reconciliation has largely been achieved.

 

On April 1, at the start of a two-day RPF-Inkotanyi International Conference attended by many from across the continent, Senegalese novelist, journalist and screenwriter, Boris Boubacar Diop, said: “The Rwanda story is particularly interesting and intriguing because it has helped solve the question of the leadership vacuum that Africa has faced for long.”

 

2.   Peace and Security

 

The RPF made peace and security its priority. From the 1950s to 1994, Rwandans experienced ethnic discrimination which led to many fleeing to neighboring countries while others were brutally killed. This violence with impunity culminated into the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi.

 

The RPF invested more in restoring peace and security in a devastated country. It has put considerable efforts into ensuring the security and safety of the country's territory by building competent and professional security organs. According to the 9^th edition of Rwanda Governance Score card 2022, safety and decurity, previously maintain the first position with a score of 95.53%.  

 

The 2022 survey by Usebounce.com ranked Rwanda as the safest country in Africa and the sixth globally for solo travelers, based on the score of the crime index, and the score of the security index.

 

Today, Rwanda has gone beyond its borders and provided military support in countries affected by war and terrorism like Mozambique, South Sudan and Central African Republic. The country is ranked fourth among contributors of troops to United Nations peacekeeping missions globally, as of December 2022.

 

3.   Social welfare

The party strived to provide adequate standard of living for every Rwandan, so that they can grow into self-reliant and capable citizen through a stable society, quality education and healthcare.  

 

Life expectancy to Rwandans improved from 49 years in 2000 to 69.6 years in 2022. Poverty fell from 77 per cent in 2001 to 55 per cent in 2017, maternal mortality ratio has declined to 203 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2020 down from 1,071 in 2000 while under-five mortality dropped to 45 deaths per 1,000 in 2020 from 196 deaths in 2000.

 

Stunting among children under the age of 5 dropped from 47.4 per cent in 2000 to 33 per cent in 2020.

 

Rwanda has reached Universal Health Coverage status as recognized by the World Health Organization, where all people have access to the health services they need, when and where they need them, without financial hardship.

 

In sub-Saharan Africa, Rwanda is one of the top-performing countries in education with 98 per cent of children enrolled in primary school as UNICEF notes. More than 70 per cent of children with disabilities in the country are enrolled in primary school.

 

The National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda shows that 82 per cent of private households in Rwanda drink water from improved sources.

 

4.   Rapid economic growth

 

The RPF has been the engine of Rwanda’s economic growth. The major sectors of the economy are tourism, service, agriculture, industries, arts and crafts, investment, and trade.

 

Despite having to recover more recently from the Covid-19 fallout and the repercussions of the war in Ukraine, Rwanda is one of the most successful and fastest growing economies in Africa.

 

Rwanda aspires to Middle Income Country status by 2035 and High-Income Country status by 2050. It plans to achieve this through a series of seven-year National Strategies for Transformation (NST), underpinned by sectoral strategies focused on meeting the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

 

The NST1 followed two five-year Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategies, EDPRS (2008–12) and EDPRS-2 (2013–18), during which Rwanda experienced robust economic and social performance.

 

Growth averaged 7.2 per cent a year over the decade to 2019, while per capita gross domestic product (GDP) grew at 5 per cent.

 

5.   Zero tolerance to corruption

 

The RPF has zero tolerance to corruption and ineptitude.

 

 Leaders on all levels who are accused of corruption, mismanagement of public resources or professional malpractices have been publicly suspended and some arrested and held accountable.

 

 “Government is not that political animal that is there to eat up the people but one that serves the people,” said President Paul Kagame.

 

The 2022 Corruption Perceptions Index of Transparency International ranked Rwanda as the fourth least corrupt country in Africa, while Rwanda Governance Score Card 2022, ranks Anti-Corruption, Transparency and Accountability at 87.31%.

 

Cameroonian Jacob Diko Mukete who previously served as the African Development Bank's country representative in Rwanda understands the environment in which the country has operated and trudged on. He said: “We must commend RPF-Inkotanyi for being one of the few political organizations that has maintained ideological purity.”

 

6.   Women empowerment

The ruling party has made Rwanda recognized worldwide in empowering women, a move that was next to impossible for previous republics.

 

Rwanda stands out globally for its efforts in advancing gender equality and women's empowerment, particularly in political participation.

 

Nearly two thirds of its parliamentary seats and 52 per cent of cabinet positions are held by women. Significant progress has also been made in many sectors.

 

The Global Gender Gap Index 2022 ranked Rwanda sixth based on current state and evolution of gender parity across four key dimensions (Economic Participation and Opportunity, Educational Attainment, Health and Survival, and Political Empowerment).

 

7.   Good governance

 

The Government of Rwanda defines good governance as "the exercise of political, economic and administrative authority to manage the nation’s affairs and the complex mechanisms, processes, relationships and institutions as well as leadership behaviour through which citizens articulate their interests, exercise their rights and obligations and meditate their differences.”

 

The RPF-led government promoted good governance with rule of law, respect for human rights and unity among Rwandans, while promoting gender equality.

 

“For me it was clear from the beginning that RPF knew what was good for Rwanda, in terms of governance, education, health, environment. The RPF also responded very effectively to emerging global challenges,” said Amb. Ami Ramadhan Mpungwe, the Chairman of the Tanzanian Chamber of Minerals and Energy.

 

The party holds democratic principles including the citizens' right to choose their leaders through elections, decentralization and devolution of power enabling people at the grassroots level to influence the decisions which affect their lives.

 

Rwanda’s democracy and governance is people centered, putting the interests of the people first.

 

The party promoted the entrenchment of transparency and accountability.

 

The RPF is revered by many but Rwandans belong to a dozen political parties in their country, contrary to the single party system in previous republics.

 

According to Ugandan political scientist, Frederick Golooba-Mutebi: “What Rwanda has taught us is finding common ground among political actors.

 

“Finding this common ground does not mean you do not disagree, but the need to find consensus.”

 

Marie-Chantal Nduhungirehe, a Rwandan who saw her country go through the worst of a genocide and then rise from the ashes, had decided to never be part of any political organization. 

 

But the RPF philosophy changed her mind.

 

She said: “It’s RPF’s philosophy of unity and staying together that attracted me. Having grown up in Rwanda, that aspect was non-existent.”