Uwacu named Labour Minister, Bamporiki appointed Unity Club Executive Secretary

THEUPDATE

Oct 27, 2026 - 20:51

Uwacu named Labour Minister, Bamporiki appointed Unity Club Executive Secretary

President Paul Kagame has appointed new officials to key positions across Rwanda’s government, diplomatic missions and public institutions, in a reshuffle announced by the Office of the Prime Minister.

The appointments include Julienne Uwacu as Minister of Public Service and Labour, Judith Uwizeye as a senator, and former State Minister for Culture Édouard Bamporiki as Executive Secretary of Unity Club Intwararumuri.

Uwacu returns to a senior government position after years of service in politics and public administration.

She previously served as vice-mayor of Nyabihu District, entered Parliament in 2008 and became Minister of Sports and Culture in 2015.

Uwizeye, a lawyer and academic, has held several senior government positions.

She served as Minister of Public Service and Labour from 2014 to 2017 before becoming Minister in the Office of the President in August 2017.

In foreign affairs, Dr. Diane Gashumba and Dr. Valentine Uwamariya have been proposed as Rwanda’s ambassadors to Spain and Sweden, respectively, while Juan Haguma has been named Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.

Gashumba is a paediatrician and public-health specialist who previously served as Minister of Gender and Family Promotion and Minister of Health.

Her diplomatic experience includes representing Rwanda in the Nordic countries.

Uwamariya, meanwhile, is an academic and environmental-science specialist who previously served as Minister of Education, Minister of Gender and Family Promotion and Minister of Environment before entering the Senate in 2025.

The technology sector also features prominently in the appointments.

Noella Dushime has been named chief executive officer of Irembo Ltd, with Rutagarama Ngabe appointed chief technical officer.

Dushime previously worked in business development and partnerships at Irembo, a company known for digitising government services.

At the National Artificial Intelligence Agency, Olivier Twagirayezu, Jessica Ingabire and Robert Kayinamura have been appointed to operations, delivery, and strategy and partnerships roles, respectively.

Twagirayezu previously worked in Rwanda’s technology and digital-transformation sector.

Other appointments include Alphonse Zigira as Director General of the National Post Office and Dr. Nelson Mbarushimana as Executive Coordinator of the Itorero and Culture Promotion Academy.

Bamporiki’s appointment is particularly notable given his political history.

A former member of Parliament, National Itorero Commission chairperson and State Minister for Culture, he was convicted in 2023 of corruption-related offences and sentenced to five years in prison.

President Kagame pardoned him in October 2024.

The communiqué says the appointments were made under the Constitution and adds that Bamporiki’s position was agreed upon in consultation with Unity Club Intwararumuri.

Photos

Julienne Uwacu