On Wednesday, 14 August, President Paul Kagame officiated at the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Dr. Edouard Ngirente, following his reappointment for a second term in office and the 80 new Members of Parliament (MPs) elected to the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of Rwanda.
The new MPs also voted for a new Speaker of Parliament and two Deputy Speakers, forming a new Bureau of the Chamber of Deputies.
Gertrude Kazarwa, the 60-year-old former senator, was elected as the new Speaker of Parliament.
Kazarwa was voted by 73 out of 80 Members of the Chamber of Deputies, against Pie Nizeyimana (UDPR) who collected five votes. There were two invalid votes.
Gertrude Kazarwa, 60, belongs to the Liberal Party (PL).
Kazarwa served in the Senate between 2014 and 2019.
She holds an MBA in Finance and Financial Management from Maastricht School of Management in the Netherlands. She also holds two Bachelor’s Degrees, one in law obtained from the University of Lay Adventists of Kigali and another in management from Kigali Independent University.
Kazarwa is the third woman to be the Speaker of the Rwandan Parliament, after her predecessor Donatille Mukabalisa (2013-2024), who also hailed from PL, and Rose Mukantabana (2008-2013).
Sheikh Musa Fazil Harerimana and Beline Uwineza will accompany Kazarwa as Vice Speakers in charge of Finance and Administration, and Legal Affairs and Government Oversight, respectively.
Rwanda will continue to make history as the first country with a female majority in parliament, with 63.75% of the seats in the Chamber of Deputies held by women.
Who is Gertrude Kazarwa, the third woman to be the Speaker of the Rwandan Parliament?
