President Paul Kagame lives a simple lifestyle
Oct 24, 2006
ALONE, he strolls in, clad in a blue suit with a matching pair of brown shoes and takes turns to give us a handshake. “Sorry for keeping you waiting,†he says. We had waited for a few minutes to see Paul Kagame, President of Rwanda.
By Arthur Baguma
ALONE, he strolls in, clad in a blue suit with a matching pair of brown shoes and takes turns to give us a handshake.
“Sorry for keeping you waiting,†he says. We had waited for a few minutes. The president had been attending a cabinet meeting. The room where we are meeting him is simple, with beautiful interior decor – a big round table with armchairs around it, a gold-plated sofa set and a coffee table on one side. There is no special seat for the president. We sit on the same chairs and table with him.
As I take a seat close to him, almost rubbing shoulders with him, the other side of this renowned revolutionary starts emerging. His gestures and speech make it difficult to trace the presidential authority in him. He is calm, answering questions slowly, punctuated by illustrations of clarity.
For close to one-and-half hours, he eloquently takes us through Rwanda’s history and what has made it the envy of the world today. He gives a passionate view of his strong desire to have Rwanda and Uganda sail in the same boat.
When I finish interviewing him about what protocol had accepted as an official interview, I wonder if there isn’t something more to this man than just – a revolutionary-turned statesman. Several ‘un-official’ questions linger in my mind. What kind of lifestyle could he be living? Where does he do his shopping? What about rumours that he walks on the streets of Kigali unescorted?
I am awakened from this deep thinking after being told to wrap up the interview with two more questions…
“Mr President, we have had a good interview about your vision and the transformation of Rwanda. But there are things about your personal life people would wish to know. People look up to you as a role model. Do you mind sharing your personal life?†I ask.
Looking straight into my eyes, he taps his finger, sending me into a marathon guess of what his answer will be. “Like what? That is fine,†he replies.
Like a hungry hunter, I immediately reach out for my pen and notebook. “Your excellency, people admire the presidency for the luxury and prestige that come with it, but some think you have disappointed them on this. That you live a very simple life-style, uncharacteristic of a president...†I begin.
The towering president nodes his head and smiles. He goes on to demystify this, citing the fact
that in his simple lifestyle, he probably lives a million times
better than he used to live.
“I don’t care… mine has been a life of refugee camps, bushes and trenches….if I lived in trenches, why shouldn’t I live in a simple house?†Kagame asks. Officials from his office look on in amusement. My colleague, Kyomuhendo Muhanga, is shocked by the president’s revelation; he falls short of throwing his hands in disbelief.
Kagame says he does not believe in living the larger-than life pomp that comes with the presidency. There was no bodyguard in the meeting room, only a pole on which the national flag hangs, stood behind his seat.
Residents of Kigali say Kagame has been seen driving alone or visiting neighbourhoods without ‘adequate security’. Like one petrol station attendant told us, “Kagame sometimes drives a convoy not different from that of a successful businessman – two cars. His convoy some times has only two cars, even at night.â€
But Kagame says he is not worried about his security. “In my country, I do not think there is much to protect myself against. I am comfortable with my people and who I am. I visit people in their homes, just like any other citizen,†he says.
Surprisingly, the president does not know of any fashion label. When I ask him what label his suit is and what it cost, his answer is an expression of surprise.
“I do not know about designer labels. This is not a designer suit. I shop here in Kigali and sometimes abroad when I travel on duty…. sometimes my wife or escort shop for me.â€
However, when his wife or escort shop for him, they sometimes buy clothes that do not fit him.
“You see, I have a strange shape, it is difficult to get clothes that fit me. May be that’s where having a personal designer would come in handy, but I have never thought about it,†Kagame reveals.
He confers that to some extent, his childhood explains what he is today.
As a refugee, he struggled to go to school and lived on handouts. Little wonder, he wants to ensure that people do not go through his experience – exposure to too much suffering for bad political reasons.
“Sometimes we would go without meals. For me, it has been a life of struggling.â€
His advice and philosophy in life is, never to know what you want to achieve as a person, but what you would want your society to achieve.
When he is not busy with state work, he spends his time with his family. “I give a lot of time to my family.â€
After an up close interaction, it was time to part company, but with one message from him, “You are always welcome,â€
Humble, down-to-earth and a realist, is the analysis I made about Kagame. When I intimated these words to Ferdinand Muhawenimana our chauffer, he laughed loudly and hit hard the steering wheel. “You have studied him so well, that is the man…. he is very easy and every one here calls him the people’s president,†Muhawenimana said as we drove out of State House.
FACT FILE
Born to Deogratius and Asteria Rutagambwa in October 1957, in Gitarama Prefecture, central Rwanda.
Fled persecution and killing in Rwanda and became a refugee in Uganda in 1960.
He attended primary and secondary school in Uganda.
He was among the first 27 men, who together with President Yoweri 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, Kagame returned to Rwanda after 30 years in exile to lead the Rwandan Patriotic Army in the struggle for the liberation of Rwanda.
On July 19, 1994, he was appointed vice-president and Minister for Defence in the Government of National Unity.
In 1998, he was elected chairman of the Rwandese Patriotic Front, a partner in the Government of National Unity.
On April 17, 2000, Kagame was unanimously elected president of the Republic of Rwanda by the Transitional National Assembly. He took the Oath of Office on April 22, 2000.
On August 25, 2003, he won a landslide victory in the first ever democratically-contested multiparty elections.
In April 2005, Kagame was awarded an Honorary Degree of Doctor Laws by the University of the Pacific in the USA.
Kagame has been married to Jeannette Nyiramongi since 1989. They have four children.
ALONE, he strolls in, clad in a blue suit with a matching pair of brown shoes and takes turns to give us a handshake.
“Sorry for keeping you waiting,†he says. We had waited for a few minutes. The president had been attending a cabinet meeting. The room where we are meeting him is simple, with beautiful interior decor – a big round table with armchairs around it, a gold-plated sofa set and a coffee table on one side. There is no special seat for the president. We sit on the same chairs and table with him.
As I take a seat close to him, almost rubbing shoulders with him, the other side of this renowned revolutionary starts emerging. His gestures and speech make it difficult to trace the presidential authority in him. He is calm, answering questions slowly, punctuated by illustrations of clarity.
For close to one-and-half hours, he eloquently takes us through Rwanda’s history and what has made it the envy of the world today. He gives a passionate view of his strong desire to have Rwanda and Uganda sail in the same boat.
When I finish interviewing him about what protocol had accepted as an official interview, I wonder if there isn’t something more to this man than just – a revolutionary-turned statesman. Several ‘un-official’ questions linger in my mind. What kind of lifestyle could he be living? Where does he do his shopping? What about rumours that he walks on the streets of Kigali unescorted?
I am awakened from this deep thinking after being told to wrap up the interview with two more questions…
“Mr President, we have had a good interview about your vision and the transformation of Rwanda. But there are things about your personal life people would wish to know. People look up to you as a role model. Do you mind sharing your personal life?†I ask.
Looking straight into my eyes, he taps his finger, sending me into a marathon guess of what his answer will be. “Like what? That is fine,†he replies.
Like a hungry hunter, I immediately reach out for my pen and notebook. “Your excellency, people admire the presidency for the luxury and prestige that come with it, but some think you have disappointed them on this. That you live a very simple life-style, uncharacteristic of a president...†I begin.
The towering president nodes his head and smiles. He goes on to demystify this, citing the fact
that in his simple lifestyle, he probably lives a million times
better than he used to live.
“I don’t care… mine has been a life of refugee camps, bushes and trenches….if I lived in trenches, why shouldn’t I live in a simple house?†Kagame asks. Officials from his office look on in amusement. My colleague, Kyomuhendo Muhanga, is shocked by the president’s revelation; he falls short of throwing his hands in disbelief.
Kagame says he does not believe in living the larger-than life pomp that comes with the presidency. There was no bodyguard in the meeting room, only a pole on which the national flag hangs, stood behind his seat.
Residents of Kigali say Kagame has been seen driving alone or visiting neighbourhoods without ‘adequate security’. Like one petrol station attendant told us, “Kagame sometimes drives a convoy not different from that of a successful businessman – two cars. His convoy some times has only two cars, even at night.â€
But Kagame says he is not worried about his security. “In my country, I do not think there is much to protect myself against. I am comfortable with my people and who I am. I visit people in their homes, just like any other citizen,†he says.
Surprisingly, the president does not know of any fashion label. When I ask him what label his suit is and what it cost, his answer is an expression of surprise.
“I do not know about designer labels. This is not a designer suit. I shop here in Kigali and sometimes abroad when I travel on duty…. sometimes my wife or escort shop for me.â€
However, when his wife or escort shop for him, they sometimes buy clothes that do not fit him.
“You see, I have a strange shape, it is difficult to get clothes that fit me. May be that’s where having a personal designer would come in handy, but I have never thought about it,†Kagame reveals.
He confers that to some extent, his childhood explains what he is today.
As a refugee, he struggled to go to school and lived on handouts. Little wonder, he wants to ensure that people do not go through his experience – exposure to too much suffering for bad political reasons.
“Sometimes we would go without meals. For me, it has been a life of struggling.â€
His advice and philosophy in life is, never to know what you want to achieve as a person, but what you would want your society to achieve.
When he is not busy with state work, he spends his time with his family. “I give a lot of time to my family.â€
After an up close interaction, it was time to part company, but with one message from him, “You are always welcome,â€
Humble, down-to-earth and a realist, is the analysis I made about Kagame. When I intimated these words to Ferdinand Muhawenimana our chauffer, he laughed loudly and hit hard the steering wheel. “You have studied him so well, that is the man…. he is very easy and every one here calls him the people’s president,†Muhawenimana said as we drove out of State House.
FACT FILE