Kigali, May 20, 2016- The Management and Staff of the Ministry of Infrastructure (MININFRA) and its affiliated agencies joined in commemoration activities to honor former MINITRAPE (Ministry of Public Services and Energy) and MINITRANSCO (Ministry of Public Services, Transport and Communication) staff killed during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

In line with backing Genocide survivors, delegations from MININFRA and its affiliated agencies paid visits to survivors’ families living in Sumbure, Murambi and Muyange villages located in Nyamata sector, Bugesera district to support them with basic needs in everyday life.

Addressing survivors’ families in Sumbure village, Honorable Germaine Kamayirese, the Minister of State in Charge of Energy and Water said the Ministry of Infrastructure has come to back them during the 22^nd Commemoration of the Genocide against the Tutsi period.  After touring the village, Minister Kamayirese pledged consistent support to them by dispersing adequate water in the area as they have identified shortage of clean water as their main challenge.

“There is an under way project of constructing KANZENZE water Treatment plant that will produce 40 000 m3 per day, 10 000 m3 of this production capacity will serve to distribute clean water in Bugesera District which is the home of the plant. This will help to address water shortage that is still a challenge in your villages” Kamayirese said.

She called upon survivors’ families to learn from the past and build a better future generation that will live in a unified society without genocide ideology.

After visiting these families, all staff and high officials joined together for a walk to remember that kicked off from Bugesera District Headquarter to Nyamata Genocide Memorial Site where more than 45,000 Victims of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi are resting from.

The delegation toured different parts of the memorial site and laid wreaths at the site graves to honor victims. A financial support was also provided to the memorial management to handle their daily activities.

Besides, a commemoration evening was held at the Ministry headquarter in Kacyiru , where staff  and management of MININFRA together with family members of killed staff of former MINITRAPE and MINITRANSCO were gathered to remember the victims.

In honor of them, MININFRA management illuminated a flame of remembrance and laid wreaths at the wall of remembrance bearing names of those workers killed during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

In his speech, Honorable James Musoni, Minister of Infrastructure said “We are here for a commemoration evening to honor our colleagues who were killed during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi”.

Minister Musoni stated that genocide planners failed to achieve what was their main target. “Those who planned the Genocide had a primary target of eliminating all Tutsi but they did not achieve that because some of them survived” He said.  

In line with supporting survivors’ families, Minister Musoni called upon MININFRA staff to assist orphans and widows left by those who were killed.

Honorable Musoni said that all Rwandans have to partake in the fight against the genocide ideology by building a unified society. “Though, there are still genocide deniers abroad, we have to be characterized by a heroic spirit intending at building a better society that would fight against whatever can push back the development of our country “ Minister said.

He declared that with the visionary leadership of Rwanda, genocide ideology will be totally eradicated as the Government has embarked on a journey of nation rebuilding towards an impressive socio-economic transformation.

At the present time, MININFRA has so far identified 164 of its staff who were killed during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.