President Kagame appoints new leaders to key government positions

President Paul Kagame has made several high-level appointments in government, including new leadership at the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources. Dr. Telesphore Ndabamenye has been appointed Minister of Agriculture and Animal Resources, while Dr. Solange Uwituze has been named Minister of State in the same ministry. Dr. Usta Kayitesi has been appointed Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, replacing Gen. (Rtd) James Kabarebe. Gen. Kabarebe will now serve as Senior Advisor to the President on Defence and Security. Dr. Charles Murigande has also been appointed Senator. These appointments were announced in a communiqué issued by the Office of the Prime Minister on Monday, December 1, 2023. Dr. Ndabamenye previously served as Minister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources (MINAGRI), a role he assumed in July 2025 after leaving the Rwanda Agriculture and Animal Resources Development Board (RAB), where he was Director General. He has also worked as Senior Advisor in MINAGRI and held several positions within RAB, including leading the department responsible for crop production and food security. His past leadership roles also include Chairperson of the Board of the Rwanda Environment Management Authority (REMA) and Chairperson of the Nyamasheke District Council. He holds a PhD and a master’s degree in soil science. Dr. Solange Uwituze, the new Minister of State in MINAGRI, previously served as Acting Director General of RAB and as Deputy Director General in charge of livestock development. Dr. Usta Kayitesi, now Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, previously served as a Senator, a position she held since September 2024. She was Chief Executive Officer of the Rwanda Governance Board (RGB) from July 2019 to August 2024, after earlier serving as its Deputy CEO. She holds a PhD in Law, lectured at the former National University of Rwanda, and served as Principal of the University of Rwanda’s College of Arts and Social Sciences. She was also Vice Chairperson of the seven-member commission tasked with supporting Parliament in reviewing the Constitution following the Cabinet’s request on September 9, 2015. Gen. (Rtd) James Kabarebe, now Senior Advisor to the President on Defence and Security, previously served as Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. He is a former Chief of Defence Staff of the Rwanda Defence Force, a position he held for eight years from 2002 to 2010, and also served as Minister of Defence. Dr. Charles Murigande, appointed Senator, has held several key government roles, including Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Education, and Rwanda’s Ambassador to Japan.