Rwandan youth in Kenya encouraged to invest at home as envoy echoes calls for Rome to apologise for genocide

Rwandan High Commissioner to Kenya H.E James Kimonyo and other panelists applaud at the Rwanda Youth Forum at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre Nairobi yesterday. PHOTO BY BONIFACE OKENDO/STANDARD

Rwanda High Commissioner to Kenya, Ambassador James Kimonyo has called on Rwandan youth living in Kenya to take a more active role in Rwanda's growth and progress.

Speaking during the Rwanda Youth Forum at Kenyatta international Convection Centre (KICC) in Nairobi attended by over 500 members of Rwandan youth who live in Kenya the envoy showed how Rwanda has been able to achieve a lot across all sectors and how that has raised the bar even higher for Rwandans to aim at achieving more.

Rwandan High Commissioner to Kenya H.E James Kimonyo young compatriots at the Rwanda Youth Forum at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre Nairobi yesterday. PHOTO BY BONIFACE OKENDO/STANDARD

"The liberation struggle aimed at promoting national unity, fostering democratic dispensation, ensuring security for all Rwandans, building an integrated and self-sustaining economy; and repatriating and resettling all refugees. This has guided our political systems to date and youth has been at the forefront of the liberation and rebuilding the country." Kimonyo said.

At the same time the envoy thanked the Catholic Church in Rwanda for recognising and apologizing for the genocide that left 1 million Rwandans dead.

"Some people deny the genocide but I call upon the rest to own up and apologise like the Catholic Church in Rwanda and the Belgian government," he said urging the Catholic Church headquarters in Rome to follow suite as well as the French to apologise as well.

He noted this was central to reconciliation and healing.

In his presentation that aimed to enlighten the youth about how far Rwanda has come in terms of unity and reconciliation, Ambassador Kimonyo explained how Lack of avenues for a peaceful political change in Rwandans led to the launch of a liberation struggle in 1990 by the RPA Inkotanyi under the leadership of our current President His Excellency Paul Kagame.

The High Commissioner cautioned the youth against the detractors especially those in the camp of fugitives and renegades who continues to preach divisive politics.

"The leadership of our country has created conducive business environment coupled with opportunities especially for the youth, it’s important that you put these two to good use than wasting time on things that can never improve your lives,"Kimonyo noted.

Rwandan youth dance a Kinyarwanda jig at the Rwanda Youth forum presided over by the Rwandan High Commissioner to Kenya H.E James Kimonyo at at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre Nairobi yesterday . PHOTO BY BONIFACE OKENDO/STANDARD

During this forum Brigadier General Joseph Demari took participants through what patriotism means to Rwandans and why Rwandan youth and why youth has a big role to play.

"When we started the liberation struggle, our commander in Chief President H.E Paul Kagame was in his early thirties and the rest of us were in twenties but that did not stop us from toppling the regime that had a highly trained and equipped army.

"This is an indication that youth has all it takes to take the country to another level in terms of development but this can only be possible when our youth is patriotic which I believe most of you are," Brigadier Gen Demari said.

During this forum, participants were inspired by a personal story of 35 year old Kenyan Mr. Bernard Kioko, Founder and CEO of BernSoft Ltd who was born to a very poor family that could not afford school fees for his university studies.