By Kabagambe Rwiyemaho Ignatius
President Paul Kagame has been encouraging all of us, as Rwandans, to build a culture of excellent service. Many of us truly want to deliver our best and be counted among those who serve others well. But somewhere between intention and action, we sometimes fall short. That leaves us with an honest question: why does this still happen?
Not long ago, I sat with members of the Good Service Initiative (GSI), a group of committed people who openly discuss service delivery in Rwanda. One key point came out very clearly: honesty and accountability are still missing among some public officials. We applaud the President when we sit in meeting halls, yet when we leave those halls, very few repeat his message with the same energy and conviction. Perhaps this is why he recently called on ordinary citizens to speak up when faced with poor service. He understands that leadership alone cannot solve everything; it must be a shared effort.
There may be two main reasons for this silence. Some people may not fully believe in the message of excellence. Others believe in it deeply, but are still shaped by our country’s difficult past. Fear and uncertainty do not vanish overnight; they linger in our habits and attitudes.
Before 1994, Rwanda was struggling in almost every sense. The country was poor, badly governed, and without real hope for the future. Over the last thirty-one years, however, Rwanda has experienced a remarkable transformation under the leadership of President Kagame and the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF). Today, our national story is one of belief: belief in dignity, order, progress, and the idea that Rwandans deserve world-class standards.
Because of this change, President Kagame is admired by many across the country and beyond. Even those who may disagree with him cannot deny how dramatically Rwanda has evolved. But this success also creates an interesting new challenge. Some people have come to see him as almost beyond ordinary human ability — someone whose standards cannot realistically be matched. So when he calls on citizens to rise to the same level of discipline and commitment, some quietly assume that his expectations belong to a different world from everyday life. Instead of reaching for excellence, people sometimes settle for “good enough”.
We should also remember that Rwandans, including members of the RPF, come from very different historical experiences. Those who lived through the liberation struggle were shaped by sacrifice, risk, hardship, and a strong sense of mission. Many who joined later especially after 1994 did not live through that same reality.
Naturally, the mindset and emotional connection to the struggle are not always the same.
The good news is that experienced leaders from the earlier generation are still actively involved in guiding the nation. They remain committed to ensuring that values such as patriotism, responsibility, and service excellence become part of our systems and institutions. They know that future generations may not experience struggle first-hand. That means such values must instead be transmitted through leadership culture, national identity, and strong institutions.
While that work continues, Rwanda remains a hopeful and confident nation. But comfort should never slow our progress. Service excellence is not only about smiling at customers or responding quickly to requests. It is also about respect, dignity, integrity, and love for country. Every public servant, businessperson, teacher, health worker, and student has a role to play in shaping the experience citizens receive every day.
President Kagame keeps challenging us because he genuinely believes Rwandans are capable of more. The dream is not for one leader alone to carry Rwanda’s future. The real goal is for every citizen to become a guardian of excellence in their own space. When we all raise our standards together, progress becomes permanent rather than temporary.
So the challenge before us is simple but important. We should not only applaud great speeches; we should live their message. We should speak openly about good service, insist on it respectfully, and practise it with pride. Rwanda has already shown the world what determination can achieve. Now we must prove that excellence in service can become part of our national character.
If we do that, Rwanda’s journey of transformation will not only continue it will grow even stronger.
