A by-election in Nduba, one of the ‘remote sectors’ of Gasabo district, in the City of Kigali is likely to determine who could be the next mayor of the city in the elections slated for today, Friday May 25.

On May 21, the National Electoral Commission (NEC) confirmed that Marie Chantal Rwakazina was the winner of the by-election for a councillor from Nduba sector to fill a gap in Gasabo district council.

The by-election in Nduba Sector followed the resignation of one of the councillors Faustin Zihiga in April, prompting the Mayor of Gasabo district to write to the electoral commission asking for a by-election to replace the departing councillor.

NEC organised the by-election to find a replacement which was held on May 19. There were three candidates in the race to replace Zihiga in the Nduba sector council and Ms Rwakazina, emerged winner with 16, 926 votes, which accounts for 90.7 percent of the vote.

Her challengers Rebecca Nyiransabimana and Jean Jacques Ndayisenga managed a paltry 3.7 per cent and 5.6 per cent of the vote, respectively.

The by-election in Nduba would automatically complete the council at Gasabo district. The district would also elect its councillor to represent it in the Mayoral by-election on Friday following the April resignation of the City mayor Pascal Nyamulinda.

Mr Nyamulinda resigned from the city mayorship just over after his election in February 2017, at the same time leaving his slot as a councillor in the City of Kigali council empty.

He cited personal reasons.

Located on the outskirts of Kigali, bordering the Eastern Province, less urbanised Nduba sector could have produced the next mayor, with political sources confirming that Rwakazina will be among the leading contenders for the Mayor’s hot seat on Friday.

“Given her credentials she is well-placed to be the next mayor when the City of Kigali council convenes on May 25,” a source said, adding that she has the backing of the ruling party, Rwanda Patriotic Front-RPF Inkotanyi, which often determines who becomes the Mayor.

From Nduba sector, Rwakazina automatically became one of the councillors of Gasabo district and took part in the May 23 district council elections to elect a replacement of Nyamulinda in the City of Kigali council.

She was picked in an easy district vote to represent Gasabo district at the City Hall, putting her in contention for the mayoral race slated for Friday.

City of Kigali councillors will convene at 9am on Friday to pick the next mayor. All eyes will be on Rwakazina and the Acting Mayor, Parfait Busabizwa, who is also the Vice Mayor in charge of economic development who has a slim but possible chance of being elevated to the post of Mayor.

The Chairperson of the City of Kigali, Athanase Rutabingwa told Rwanda Today that all councillors are ‘potential candidates and potential mayors’ since all of them qualify to be nominated and seconded for the past.

“There are no prior campaigns. Everything happens when the council convenes. Candidates are nominated there and then and the councillors vote,” Mr Rutabingwa told Rwanda Today yesterday, pointing out the candidates can only be known when the meeting convenes.

“Tomorrow by noon we should know who the new Mayor is,” Mr Rutabingwa added.

Who is Rwakazina?

A look at Rwakazina’s credentials shows that her track record puts her in contention to be the next mayor. She currently works with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) as a UN Coordination Analyst based in Kigali.

Previously she has been the Deputy Secretary General of the Rwandese Association of Local Government Authorities (RALGA), an association of local government bodies, from 2011 to 2013. Before 2011, she was with the same institution as the head of capacity building.

Having served in the local government sector and with a renowned track record of performance, it makes her a frontrunner in the race for the mayoral seat, with a woman highly expected to succeed Nyamulinda.

She has also sat and still sits on different boards of directors including at the Rwanda Governance Board (RGB) and High Education Council (HEC).

Between 2005 and 2008, she was head of the Department of Applied Statistics in the Faculty of Economics and Management at the former National University of Rwanda (NUR), now University of Rwanda. She was a university lecturer since 2008.

Rwakazina holds a Master’s degree in Development Studies from the University of Luxembourg.

How the voting is conducted

According to Article 160 of the electoral code, the electoral college of the executive committee of the City of Kigali which consists of members of Kigali City Council, council members of the districts constituting the City of Kigali and members of the bureaus from all Sectors making up the City of Kigali vote the Mayor.

The Council of the City of Kigali shall be composed of 33 members including who include three members of the Council elected by the National Youth Council, on the basis of one member of the Council per District in the City of Kigali and Coordinator of the National Women Council at the level of the City of Kigali.

There are also 9 members of the Council from each District of the City of Kigali elected in accordance with the Law relating to elections which requires that at least 30 per cent of the elected members are female.

The Chairperson of the Private Sector Federation in the City of Kigali and the Coordinator of the National Council of Persons with Disabilities at the level of the City of Kigali are also part of the council.