Himbara The Quiter or Kagame the Doer; Whose Promise Would You Choose?

 


By his own narrations, Dr David Himbara called it quits in January 2010, left Rwanda. Himbara’s entitlement and ego couldn’t allow him to accept that President Kagame didn’t depend on his sole counsel.

As a head of state, Kagame takes decisions based on advice from a wide variety of sources. It is the reason he has the security and civilian apparatus at his disposal. All well-meaning heads of state do.

Himbara’s writings say it all about him. He couldn’t work in a system and chose to quit.

Himbara’s latest about a government scheme bringing Zimbabwean education professionals to Rwanda is a continued manifestation of that arrogance.

Let’s look at the record. If Kagame had sought Himbara’s advice, if he had to anyway, we wouldn’t be having Carnegie Mellon University Africa, the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS), University of Global Health Equity (UGHE), several others, and soon to be Coventry University.

The US set up Green Card purposely to attract the brightest Indians, Chinese, Africans and others - yet the US is a superpower. Its fortune 500 companies are run by Indians.

UK’s Chevening scholarship is designed to attract the smartest who are eventually lured to remain at its universities.

By Rwanda easing visa processing for Africans, a Nigerian professor will board plane to Kigali for a visit, and very likely fall in love with the opportunities; then stay.  

I may not be privy to the inside thinking as to why Kagame is keen to attract regional and international brains, it needs no rocket science to see that he is laying down ground that exposes Rwandans to wide range of perspectives without them stepping out of their country.

With Kagame whose results are tangible for everyone to see, and Himbara’s blogosphere, what would you take to the bank for a loan. I will certainly take up the actions I see, than the fantasies of Himbara’s dreamland.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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