Minister of Justice, Johnston Busingye, and the Inspector General of Police Dan Munyuza during the event at the RNP General Headquarters in Kacyiru.
Kigali: Rwanda National Police (RNP) officially bid farewell to 261 officers, who were retired and discharged honorably from active service, last week.
The retirees include 147 commissioned officers. At least 20 left active service on medical grounds.
The official send-off function held at the RNP General Headquarters in Kacyiru, was presided over by the Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Johnston Busingye.
The event was also attended by the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Dan Munyuza, Deputy IGPs; Juvenal Marizamunda of Administration and Personnel and Felix Namuhoranye of Operations.
Forty retirees represented others in the special send-off event as part of the national guidelines to prevent mass gathering or congestion to avoid spreading the pandemic of COVID-19.
Minister Busingye thanked them for their contribution in the transformation of the country. “We are gathered here today to celebrate and thank you for the good service to your country; the resilience and exemplary character that defined your committed service in providing security for your country,” Minister Busingye said.
He reminded them that they are just leaving active service but the country still needs them in many aspects of security and development.
“Retiring with dignity is a pride that others, who were not patient enough, did not achieve. Your being here today makes you heroes for your resilience and sticking to the national and Rwanda National Police values,”
The country and those they have left behind, the Minister said, will continue to sustain and build on what the retirees achieved. He urged them to always strive to preserve what they fought for even in their new life.
“You are now joining a wider family of Rwandans that you were part of but in other capacities. Continue to work with them to build a safer country,” Minister Busingye said, while wishing them a “better life ahead.”
IGP Munyuza thanked the retired officers for their “invaluable contribution” in the policing journey and building a professional force.
“You are leaving active service but your contribution to the country will continue in many other capacities. We worked together well, you served selflessly and you are leaving the RNP family with pride and dignity. Continue to be defined by that character even in your new life,” IGP Munyuza told the officers.
With majority of the senior officers who retired, having participated in the liberation and stopping the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, IGP Munyuza observed that they “stood for the values they fought for” throughout their service and “leaving with the dignity they so deserve.”
He, however, reminded them that serving the country is for both uniformed and non-uniformed Rwandans, urging them to continue to be mentors and opinion leaders to guide and support security and development matters in their respective communities.
“RNP will continue to count on you when there is need to tap from your experience in one way or another. Remember, policing is the way of life in this era and done by both uniformed and the ordinary citizens.”
He reminded them that discipline will always be key in all spheres of life and urged them to be defined by the same in the new life they have started, and always respect the law.
CP (Rtd) Faustin Ntirushwa, who spoke on behalf of the retirees, thanked all those who played part and supported them to serve ably and to retire with pride.
“We thank our President, His Excellency Paul Kagame for his strategic guidance; he instilled in us the spirit of patriotism, self-respect and self-reliance; to think big and awake at all times to fight anything that attempts to destabilize the security and wellbeing of Rwandans,” Ntirushwa said.
He added: “These are among the things that guided us in service with the support of RNP leadership that gave us training, equipped us and cared for our welfare. We are happy to have served our country in all ways we could,” he added.
He thanked their families, fellow Police officers, the media and Rwandans in general for the support, and pledged, on behalf of all the retirees, to carry on serving their country in other capacities with integrity, towards sustainable security and development. (End)