Rwanda: Youth MP Ernest Kamanzi Resigns

Member of Parliament Ernest Kamanzi.
29 December 2022

Member of Parliament (MP) Ernest Kamanzi has resigned from Parliament, stating personal reasons.

The Deputy Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Mussa Fazil Harerimana confirmed to The New Times that the youth representative MP submitted his letter of resignation on Wednesday.

According to Harerimana, Kamanzi didn't specify the "personal reasons".

However there are reports that the youthful MP resigned following a drunk driving incident in Huye District when he was on a work mission, leading a group of other members of the parliament in the Chamber of Deputies.

According to a tweet by Joseph Hakuzumuremyi, a journalist for umuryango.rw, the MP was detained following the incident.

Deputy Speaker Harerimana didn't want to comment on the reports saying the former MP would explain his reasons for resigning.

Before becoming an MP in September 2018, Kamanzi was the chairman of National Youth Council in the Southern Province and a member of the advisory council of Kamonyi District.

In November, another Member of Parliament Jean-Pierre Celestin Habiyaremye resigned from Parliament over what he described as personal reasons but pointed to his misconduct during the pandemic when he violated curfew hours - an incident that happened over a year and nine months ago.

He told The New Times that, "In March 2021, when there was a Covid-19 curfew that was starting at 9 pm, I violated it and ended up having an altercation with security organs although we talked things through and sorted them out."

That followed the resignation of Gamiel Mbonimana who was also an MP representing the Liberal Party on November 14.

His resignation came after President Paul Kagame expressed concerns over a lawmaker whose name appeared in police reports for drunk driving and was always let free 'because he enjoys immunity as a member of Parliament.

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