Viviane Gakire Kabeho

The 2007-08 recipient was Viviane Gakire Kabeho.  She completed her bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Administration from the National University of Rwanda.  She worked with the Center for Conflict Management pursuing peace, tolerance, prevention and peaceful settlement of conflicts in Rwanda.  After her return to Rwanda, Viviane accepted a position as a Local Government Program Analyst for the Rwandan Prime Minister’s Cabinet.  

Update,  November 2011: Viviane received her MBA from Oklahoma Christian University in 2011.  She returned to her job as an Analyst in the Rwandan Prime Minister’s Office in Kigali.

Update,  March 2013:  I have changed positions and have a new job. It is with an international organization called AWEPA, as a European Parliamentarian for Africa.  I will be working in very close relations with the Rwanda Parliament in the planning process, implementation and evaluation of their activities.

Editor’s note: “AWEPA works in cooperation with African Parliaments to strengthen parliamentary democracy in Africa, to keep Africa high on the political agenda in Europe and to facilitate African-European Parliamentary dialogue. AWEPA’s overall objective is to support the realisation of human rights and development in Africa via strengthening democratic institutions. With the help of parliamentarians and elected officials worldwide, AWEPA actively supports human resource development and institutional capacity building within parliaments made up of decentralised authorities.”

Update, September 2019: I am still Advisor to the Executive Secretary of National Public Service Commission where we provide an oversight in recruitment and management of public servants. We are now also in charge of ensuring professionalism of public servants in order to increase productivity and quality assurance in service delivery.

Our Commission is a constitutional one and we aim to provide fairness in recruitment and management of public servants based on merit. It was created to respond to different forms of injustice and corruption in public service that were based on ethnicity, regional bonds….

I am learning much from the institutions. We have different tools that help us to advocate for victims and also to provide our observations based on laws and different regulations already in place.  I am also learning a lot from my supervisor, Ms. Angelina Muganza, who is a former Minister of Gender and Family and also a Minister of State in the Ministry of Public Service. She has a high level of leadership, passion of gender parity, and a sense of treating people equally. Her character of patience and negotiation helps us to deal with complex cases professionally. We aim to promote justice in public service from the entry point to the exit.