Rwandans living in Kenya on Sunday flocked to polling stations in Nairobi and Mombasa to vote for their next president and Members of Parliament(MPs).
The elections in the Rwandan diaspora were held a day before those in the capital, Kigali, where voting is underway.
The candidates vying for the country’s topmost seat include Paul Kagame of the ruling Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF), lawmaker Frank Habineza of the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda, and Philippe Mpayimana, the sole independent candidate.
This is the second time the trio has been competing since the 2017 general election, which was won by incumbent President Kagame.
589 candidates are contesting for the 80 parliamentary seats in the Lower House of Parliament.
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According to the Rwanda High Commission in Nairobi, more than 4000 Rwandans had registered for the 2024 presidential and parliamentary elections, and the turnout during Sunday’s polls exceeded this number.
According to Rwanda’s electoral commission, nine million people have registered for this year’s combined presidential and parliamentary polls.
Among these, more than two million people are first-time voters born after the country’s tragic history of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
During a press conference held this Saturday, Kagame who is seeking his fourth term was asked about Rwanda potentially having the next leader after him.
In his response, Kagame noted that he could not predict what Rwanda would be like after his leadership, emphasizing that he can only answer to what happens under his term in office.
Further, he urged foreigners to leave the issue of the next president to Rwandans and focus on problems in their own countries.
