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By: Noble Marara
Rumours about General Nyamvumba’s sacking have been going about for days now, some even have gone as far as alleging that he intended to overthrow boss man Kagame.
The truth is General Nyamvumba did no such thing. In fact, his sacking was long overdue since the day his wife and was overheard making disobliging remarks after an incident with his boss’s wife, Mrs Jeannette Kagame. Mrs Nyamvumba decided to self-exile abroad…from where she was overheard telling her husband ( most probably over the phone since there is no such thing as a private conversation in Rwanda, particularly in the military institution…):
“ I am not coming back to Africa to be told how to live my life by that fucking bitch…”
Obviously, Mrs Kagame did not take that affront well and seeing as Mrs Nyamvumba was already far away in Canada beyond her reach, a plan was devised to find the General a new wife. General Nyamvumba categorically refused and his rejection of divorcing his wife and remarrying did not earn him points in Mrs Kagame’s eyes who is known to hold grudges.
He could, of course, have followed his wife into exile, but he must have looked at the circus that follows the disgruntled of Afande’s regime and decided to take the bitter with the better meaning; after all, he is neither the first nor the last among Kagame’s comrades to be at odds with Afande’s wife.
Understandably, General Nyamvumba has had a target on his back since that incident and it was only a matter of time until he would do something that would land him in hot water.
Kagame reigns over Rwanda like an absolute monarch. Institutions that normally exist to serve the people in what would be a normal republic have been bent to serve his will; as one cabinet official told Inyenyerinews recently, “…absolutely, we are back to the days of the Mwami, there are no institutions…”.
What started off as a military dictatorship after the victory of the RPF in 1994 has now evolved into a personalist dictatorship.
Everything revolves around Kagame. Kagame’s entourage. Kagame’s inner circle. The would-be indispensable in his court or, to put it bluntly, members of his “ immediate” family.
And so, it goes without saying that in that Rwanda, money is what lands all his closest lieutenants in trouble.
A big chunk of all that aid money that doesn’t make its way into his offshore accounts on arrival into the state coffers legally makes its way into Kagame’s inner circle’s ( read family’s) companies through collusive tendering.
If an infrastructure project needs to hire the services of a local company, the bid will be naturally be rigged and it will be awarded to one owned by his wife or her brothers or the Presidents’ relatives before anyone else’s bid can be considered.
That is how the boss man runs the country. That is just how it is.
General Nyamvumba must have forgotten this, purposely or not, in the matter of that “ hospital issue “ as Kagame reminded him during the last leader’s retreat.
Hard to believe as it is, General Nyamvumba and his fellow comrades in arms have been relegated to the role of implementing Kagame‘s will, which lately means keeping his inner circle happy; like baby sitters.
These men, who have been loyal to him from the streets of Kampala to the bush to state house continue to salute him as he publicly humiliates them one after the other.
Soldiers are trained to be patient and obedient and even though they are the first among Rwandans to be strongly encouraged to believe that their President’s will is their best interest, General Kagame may be in for a not so good surprise as vexation makes good proliferating grounds for very unpleasant situations for dictators…
