Paul Kagame, President of Rwanda
UPDATE Aug 4, 2017 – In presidential elections, incumbent Paul Kagame wins 98.8% of the vote. Turnout is 98.2%.
• H.E. Paul Kagame was born in October 1957 in Gitarama Prefecture, Central Rwanda to Deogratius and Asteria Rutagambwa.
• He fled persecution and killing in Rwanda and became a refugee in Uganda in 1960.
• He attended primary and secondary school in Uganda.• Paul Kagame was among the first 27 men who together with Yoweri Kaguta Museveni launched a five-year liberation war in Uganda in 1980.
• He served as a senior officer in the Ugandan army between 1986-1990.
• He attended a staff and command course at Fort Lavenworth, Kansas USA in 1990.
• In October 1990, Paul Kagame returned to Rwanda after thirty years in exile to lead the Rwandan Patriotic Army (RPA) in the struggle for the liberation of Rwanda.
• On 19th July 1994, Paul Kagame was appointed Vice-President and Minister for Defence in the Government of National Unity.
• In 1998, Paul Kagame was elected Chairman of the Rwandese Patriotic Front (RPF), a partner in the Government of National Unity.
• On April 17th, 2000, Paul Kagame was unanimously elected President of the Republic of Rwanda by the Transitional National Assembly. He took the Oath of Office on April 22nd, 2000.
• In December 2002, H.E. Paul Kagame was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Philosophy by India’s prestigious Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), in recognition of his “service to his country, education of his people, bringing independence, peace and tranquility to his country, signing a peace treaty with neighbouring Congo, and his vision to make Rwanda a model country in the entire African continent.”
• H.E. Paul Kagame was in March 2003 awarded the 2003 Global Leadership Award by the Young Presidents Organisation (YPO). He received the award in recognition of his “commitment and tireless work to address crises, to foster understanding, unity, and peace to benefit all people. YPO regard his role in reconciling the Tutsi and the Hutu differences in Rwanda and in developing a peaceful solution to the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo as a benchmark of great leadership, uncommon inspiration and remarkable achievement.
• H.E. Paul Kagame was elected First Vice President of the African Union during the Second-Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union held in Maputo, Mozambique on July 11th 2003.
• On 25th August 2003, H.E. Paul Kagame won a landslide victory in the first ever democratically contested multiparty elections.
• On 12th September 2003, H.E. Paul Kagame was sworn in as President of the Republic of Rwanda, ending the transition period.
• In April 2005, H.E. Paul Kagame was awarded an Honorary Degree of Doctor Laws by the University of the Pacific in the USA.
• In September 2005, H.E. Paul Kagame was awarded the Andrew Young Medal for Capitalism and Social Progress by Georgia State University in the USA.
• In September 2005, H.E. Paul Kagame was awarded the African National Achievement Award by the Africa America Institute in the USA.
• In April 2006, H.E. Paul Kagame was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by Oklahoma Christian University in the USA.
• In May 2006, H.E. Paul Kagame was given the 2006 ICT Africa Award, an award that is designed to recognize and reward organizations and individuals that have demonstrated excellence in promoting the use of ICTs for the overall development of the African continent.
• H.E. Paul Kagame is currently Chairman of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA).
• Paul Kagame holds a diploma in Professional Management and Business Studies from the Open University of London, UK.
• Paul Kagame has been married to Jeannette Nyiramongi since 1989. They have four (4) children.
• Paul Kagame is a keen tennis player and football fan
