Edouard Bamporiki has pledged to safeguard the trust President Paul Kagame has placed in him following his appointment as Executive Secretary of Unity Club Intwararumuri, while Julienne Uwacu has returned to government as Minister of Public Service and Labour after eight years away from cabinet.
The appointments were announced on October 27, 2026, in a statement issued by the Office of the Prime Minister outlining changes to several government positions.
Bamporiki succeeds Uwacu as head of the secretariat of Unity Club Intwararumuri, an organisation established in 1996 by First Lady Jeannette Kagame to promote unity, reconciliation and the welfare of Rwandans.
Bamporiki pledges to safeguard renewed trust
In a post on X following his appointment, Bamporiki expressed gratitude to Kagame for giving him another opportunity, acknowledging that he had previously lost the trust placed in him.
“This renewed trust comes as I remember the trust that was broken at that time. With great respect, I owe the source from which this trust flows, Paul Kagame. I accept this trust too, and remembering the one that was broken will help me protect the one I have now. With your kindness, I will make both of you proud,” he wrote.
Bamporiki’s appointment comes two years after he was pardoned by Kagame following his conviction in a corruption case that led to his removal from public office in 2022.
He served as a member of parliament representing the RPF-Inkotanyi from 2013 to 2017 before being appointed president of the National Itorero Commission in August 2017. In November 2019, he became Minister of State in the ministry then responsible for youth and culture.
In 2022, the Nyarugenge Intermediate Court sentenced him to four years in prison and fined him Rwf60 million.
Following an appeal, the High Court sentenced him in January 2023 to five years in prison and a fine of Rwf30 million after finding him guilty of offences including obtaining another person’s property through fraud and abusing legally granted powers for personal gain.
On October 18, 2024, Bamporiki was among 32 people pardoned by President Kagame and released from prison.
His new role places him at the helm of the secretariat of Unity Club Intwararumuri, which brings together current and former government officials and their spouses to promote unity, reconciliation and social welfare.
The appointment marks his return to a leadership position after an extended period away from public office.
Uwacu returns to cabinet after eight years
Meanwhile, Uwacu has been appointed Minister of Public Service and Labour, returning to cabinet after leaving government in October 2018.
In a post on X, she thanked Kagame for renewing his confidence in her and pledged to carry out her new responsibilities diligently.
“Thank you very much, Your Excellency President Paul Kagame, for once again placing your trust in me to join others in continuing to serve our country. I will work wholeheartedly to fulfil the responsibilities you have entrusted to me, and I assure you that I will not betray this trust,” she wrote.
Uwacu previously served as Minister of Sports and Culture from February 2015 to October 2018.
After leaving cabinet, she continued working in institutions involved in promoting national unity and culture.
In January 2024, she was appointed Director General in charge of Itorero and culture promotion at the Ministry of National Unity and Civic Engagement (MINUBUMWE).
She was subsequently appointed Executive Secretary of Unity Club Intwararumuri, a position she held until her latest appointment to cabinet.
Uwacu succeeds Judith Uwizeye as Minister of Public Service and Labour. Uwizeye was appointed senator after serving in the ministerial position for approximately one month, having replaced Ambassador Christine Nkulikiyinka.
