Rwanda News Agency (Kigali)
1 April 2008
Kigali — The Office of the Prime Minister and the Ministry for Cabinet Affairs are two different levels of government meant to streamline functioning but not duplication, President Paul Kagame said on Tuesday.
Speculation in public has been that the recently created Ministry for Cabinet Affairs handed to former Foreign Affairs Minister Dr. Charles Murigande was meant to sideline Prime Minister Bernard Makuza.
"The Prime Minister in the hierarchy of the leaders of this country is number 5 (and) the cabinet affairs Minister is a minister who acts like a head of a secretariat to organize when issues are being discussed in Cabinet", Kagame told a press conference in Kigali.
"The Prime Minister coordinates ministries, ministers and the government business".
He added: "That is the difference and it was created for efficiency"
On March 07, President Kagame carried out a major shake up of his government bringing in more women ministers and cutting on the number of cabinet. The Ministry for Cabinet Affairs was created in a move officials say was from a proposal by former British Prime Minister Tony Blair - who is now advisor to government.
The portfolio for Cabinet Affairs, lauded by diplomats alike, was recommended to ease the decision making process. According to government planners, that position would be charged with doing most of the planning to ease the workload on ministers.
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