Rwanda: James Musoni, The Embattled Minister Behind The New Times� Boss Arrest

by Chief Editor

The faces of Kagame�s assistant conman/cronie Rajabu aka James Musoni

James Musoni, commonly known as Rajabu in Rwanda is again embroiled in another scam, but as usual hiding his head in the sand like an ostrich and busy whispering to his boss and mentor�s ears the names of those to be thrown in jail or fired.

For starters, James Musoni is the current Minister of Local government and a senior member of the Rwanda Patriotic Front, the ruling party. Also he is considered as the second most powerful man in Rwanda after his boss and mentor, President Kagame. However, his closeness and proximity to Kagame is much more linked to working together in corrupt related deals. It is common knowledge that Musoni�s knows much about Kagame�s wealth than even Kagame�s wife.� Rajabu is very active in stabbing others from their back by whispering lies to Kagame�s ears.

According to our source close to the President�s office, Rajabu was upset by The New Times stories about the Rukarara hydro power dam. Needless to mention here that The New Times like Contact FM radio stations are both media outlets owned by Kagame or his wife and financed largely by the family. To protect his interests, Kagame appointed (read deployed) Col Ndahiro Emmanuel as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of The New Times.

Both Ndahiro and Musoni are at logger-heads, and Musoni worked hard to have Ndahiro fired from his juicy job at NSSS. The two gentlemen are known to be behind major political and security decision (including killings in the country and out of the country) in the country.� After successful uprooting Ndahiro, Musoni does not want to see Bideri Joseph at the helm of The New Times, and he was incensed by the recent true and well investigated publications about Rukarara hydro dam project.

As usual, Musoni made an attempted to get a kick back from the project but in vain. Miss Linda Bihire and Engineer Albert Butare, former Minister of Infrastructure and State Minister of Energy respectively resisted his corrupt tendencies, and were hence fired from their positions.� Ndahiro�s attempt to save Ms Linda Bihire, his mistress with whom he has a son from an axe did not yield to anything. Eventually, Musoni celebrated when Kagame fired Bihire and Butare! And few months later, Kagame listened to Musoni�s pleas to have Ndahiro fired, and now wants Bideri out of Kagame�s Newspaper to have his own man there. Will Kagame yield to Musoni�s pleas? Probably yes!

Shortly before his arrest and detention, Musoni called a meeting at his office that was attended by Emmanuel Gasana and Brig General Jack Nziza, the Commissioner General of Rwanda National Police and Secretary General in the Minister of Defense respectively to lay a strategy of halting Bideri from running the truth about Rukarara hydro dam. The trio agreed to use the Criminal Investigation department and bring corrupt related allegations against him, and lock him up under the fabricated charges. Knowing that Ndahiro has been weakened and can�t deter them from achieving their mission, Emmanuel Gasana (aka Rurayi) summoned Bideri to his office. On arrival to his office, Bideri was grilled by Gasana and Bizimungu, the CID boss. Gasana is a relative to Musoni, and is known to be receiving directives from him to terrorize Rwandans who he (Musoni) perceives to be his critics or enemies.

Upon being shackled in chains, Bideri sweated profusely, but managed to make a quick phone call to Ndahiro Emmanuel, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the New Times about his plotted arrest and eventual detention. Still recovering from his sack, Ndahiro called and pleaded with Kagame to spare Bideri from jail, pleading that such move dent the leadership�s credibility, especially from the international media watchdogs. The source confirms that Kagame was not aware of Musoni and his company�s attempts to lock up Bideri because of Rukarara hydro power dam. He then called Bizimungu, the CID boss and questioned him about Bideri�s case. Our source reveals that Bizimungu painstakingly revealed that he was only invited by Gasana to be part of the interrogation session, and that his efforts to advise Gasana from pursuing this case was out rightly objected by the later.

Kagame furiously called Gasana, and questioned him about Bideri�s case. The President lambasted Gasana for acting in an insane manner, and ordered him to immediately release Bideri from jail. However, Gasana did not reveal to the President the real person who was behind the move, namely Rajabu. The next day Kagame ordered a meeting at his office, and mandated Major General Karake Karenzi, the NSSS boss to chair it. In attendance were at Gasana, Bizimungu and Nziza. In this meeting, Karake Karenzi strongly condemned Gasana for the arrest and detention of the TNT boss. He cautioned him against acting irrationally in matters of arrest of citizens, especially people working in the media.

Again in this meeting, Gasana decided not to reveal Rajabu, as being behind his decision to arrest Bideri. At the end of the meeting, Gasana and Nziza briefed Rajabu about it. Rajabu vowed to punish and bring down Karake from his NSSS job and hand it over to Nziza. Indeed, he approached Kagame with wild allegations against Karake. As usual, Kagame rubbished Karake�s report of that meeting.

According to our source close to the President�s office, In a recent security meeting, Kagame condemned Karake Karenzi for being a moll of enemies of the State and undermining the security. In rather an outburst manner, Kagame reminded him of how he had helped him by appointing him at a NSSS boss. He reminded him of his past and present �sins�; and warned him to keep off from interfering in other people�s business. For those known to Kagame, he plays the double standard game! In short, Karake�s days at NSSS are numbered because Rajabu is working hard to undermine him from there and expose him to Kagame�s wrath.

In a related development, we carried an investigation of other people who have been victimized of Musoni�s malicious witch hunt. For example, he categorically refused to register Ingabire�s FDU-Inkingi party, and together with Kagame preferred to lock her up in jail under fabricated charges. Mandated by Kagame, Musoni and Nziza worked tirelessly with DMI, and are behind Ingabire�s woes as well as other politicians and journalists who are rotting in Kagame�s controlled jails. The same source also revealed that the ban of Umuvugizi and Umuseso was Musoni�s project, because both papers were critical of his machinations and corruption. And families of Agnes and Saidati, the two journalists in jail also confirmed that the police and prosecutors revealed that they were acting on orders of Musoni, the powerful Minister to lock up the two journalist in jail. According to some Green party member, Musoni using Kambanda, the former Green Party General Secretary planned and executed the assassination of Andrew Rusereka, the party�s Vice President. The Directorate of Immigration and Prosecutor�s General office received instructions from Rajabu to fabricate charges against the human rights watch lady Calina; who was later ordered to leave Kigali with immediate effect. Similarly, Ngoga, the Prosecutor General confessed to some people that USA respected scholar and lawyer Peter Erlinder was arrested and pronounced a persona non grata in Rwanda much more under Musoni�s order than Kagame.

Musoni�s notorious actions have become a real threat to human life in Rwanda. John Rwagombwa, the current Minister of Finance and Economic planning has confided to some close RPF members that Musoni is working hard to tarnish his credibility. Having studied together at Makerere University, where John Rwagombwa and Emmanuel Hategeka the Permanent Secretary in the Minister of Commerce outshined him in studies, Musoni has never forgiven the two gentlemen, yet both are widely respected and intelligent gentlemen by all standards. Actually, accordingly to the Makerere Univesity records, Musoni obtained a pass degree, and many of his former students wonder why Kagame has elevated him and continue to value his (Rajabu) irrational advice.

Musoni�s other target is Ms Kampeta Sayizonga, the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Finance and Economic planning. This learned lady, like John Rwagombwa the Minister of Finance have vehemently refused Musoni�s move to make them his instruments of corruption and other malicious-hate related missions. The young intelligent man called Francios, former OTE was fired from the Ministry of Finance because he rejected to clear Musoni�s requisition of millions of dollars. Another resourceful person from the same ministry who lost his job (not because of his incompetence) was Kamili Karamaga former director of budget. Before she left Rwanda Revenue Authority, Mary Baine, the former Commission General too was a tormented by Musoni because of the later�s numerous attempts to use her to evade taxes of his building materials. Later, Musoni managed to have her removed from her juicy position and posted into the Ministry of Foreign affairs. Before Baine, Henry Gaperi Kanyesigye her predecessor and later Director General of Caisse Socialle suffered the same fate. In fact, we�ve been told that Gaperi who is now the IMF regional director with offices in Mozambique has been refused to cover Rwanda because of Musoni�s orders. Others, like Claudine Nyinawagaga, the former Mayor of Gasabo district were easily fired by Musoni for her refusal to allocate him government land. Then you have this learned accountant in Kigali and proprietor of Kigali Institute of Management called Peter Rutaremara who too was fired from the Chairmanship of Tender Board again for refusal to grant Musoni government tenders.

The vital question among Rwandan citizens is; for who long shall Rajabu, ordained by Kagame, continue to live in their country under such constant fear of persecution from James Musoni? Though Musoni James is Kagame close confident, one wonders whether he does not take advantage of Kagame personal weakness to quench his thirst of terrorizing citizens perceived to be his critics and enemies. Musoni, like Kagame, will always be remembered in the history of Rwanda for their political mismanagement and history will judge them harshly. As for those who have taken a vow of standing with Musoni and his mentor Kagame to bring down others, either you should chose to act rationally by abandoning the two or� you risk sinking with Kagame-Musoni-Nziza-Nyiramongi titanic ship soon than later!

Benedicto Kimenyi

Email: [email protected]