“Arrogance and Repeated Mistakes Will Destroy the Country”: President Kagame Warns Leaders at Gako Strategic Retreat

BUGESERA, RWANDA — At a high-level strategic governance retreat held at the Rwanda Military Academy (RMA) in Gako, President Paul Kagame delivered a sharp rebuke to senior government officials, warning that baseless arrogance and a culture of repeating the same mistakes threaten to derail the nation’s progress.

The consultative meeting convened Cabinet Ministers, Governors, Mayors, and heads of various government agencies under the guiding theme “The Citizen at the Forefront” (Umuturage Ku Isonga). While the session was designed as a critical platform to align central and local government officials on Rwanda’s strategic direction, it quickly focused on severe systemic failures in leadership accountability.

President Kagame expressed deep frustration over a recurring pattern in public service where officials are dismissed for errors, only for their replacements to commit the exact same blunders. “If someone makes a mistake, apologizes, but tomorrow repeats it… is removed from that position, and the successor comes and repeats the exact same mistake as the predecessor, what is the problem?” Kagame questioned the attendees. He challenged the officials on their endless loop of self-criticism and unfulfilled resolutions, asking the room if anyone was hearing these critiques for the first, second, or third time, which points to a deeper, unresolved crisis in governance.

A glaring example of this administrative negligence was highlighted during a discussion about the Muvumba project, an initiative originally designed with two components: agricultural irrigation and the provision of clean drinking water. In a stark admission directly to the President, the Governor of the Eastern Province, Pudence Rubingiza, confessed, “We forgot the part about providing water to the citizens”. While Kagame acknowledged the clarity of the presentation and the work being done, he used such oversights to underscore a critical disconnect in leadership, noting that setting plans without aligning them with the necessary actions leads to absolutely zero results.

The President did not mince words regarding the attitude of public servants, attributing these continuous failures to unwarranted pride and ego. He identified “ubwirasi” (arrogance) as a major problem plaguing Rwandan leaders today. “First reason you have bad habits including arrogance, you will destroy this country of yours,” he warned. Kagame criticized officials for boasting without merit, asking pointedly, “You are arrogant and show off for nothing. What are you showing off for? Leaders here, what are you showing off for with these mistakes you repeat every day?”.

President Kagame made it clear that empty apologies, baseless arrogance, and administrative carelessness are fundamentally incompatible with putting the citizen first.

He demanded an immediate end to these toxic habits, urging leaders to bridge the gap between their strategic planning and actual execution.