This archive report was first published on 4 September 2019.
Published on September 4, 2019, a significant wave of resignations has hit Rwanda's local government, with four mayors and six deputy mayors stepping down in the last 24 hours.
According to Interior Minister Anastase Shyaka, the officials have 'failed to deliver what they have promised citizens,' as he tweeted following their resignation.
This is not the first instance of mass resignations of this kind in Rwanda. In 2014, seven mayors resigned within days, and last year, another seven mayors stepped down in a similar fashion.
Observers suggest that the officials are forced to resign if the central government does not think they are performing well, implying a performance-based ouster system.
President Paul Kagame's comments four years ago, 'If the newcomers fail to perform, they will resign,' seem to support this notion.
A former interior minister has also admitted that mayors who resigned were actually being fired, further highlighting the trend.
The social media has dubbed this phenomenon the 'Tour of Rwanda,' a reference to the annual bike race, implying that all 30 districts in the country may catch the resignation fever.
