The Water and Sanitation Corporation (WASAC Group Ltd) and Rwanda Energy Group (REG Ltd) held a commemoration for former ELECTROGAZ employees who were victims of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. This event took place at the Kigali Genocide Memorial on Wednesday, April 24, 2024.
The commemoration kicked off with wreath-laying at the monument at the REG Headquarters, where families, friends, officials, and partners of REG and WASAC Group came together to remember and honor those who perished in the Genocide against the Tutsi. After a walk to remember from Kinamba petrol station to the Kigali Genocide Memorial, participants laid wreaths to honor the over 250 000, victims of the Genocide against the Tutsi buried there and visited the memorial.
Honorable Evariste Kalisa shared a testimony highlighting the discrimination, intimidation, and ELECTROGAZ’s role in fostering genocidal ideologies and targeting Tutsi employees. He recalled threats from a colleague who kept a sword in his office and his own wrongful arrest in 1990, under false accusations of collaborating with the RPA, resulting in a six-month imprisonment. Despite being released, his return to work was initially refused. Following the introduction of a multiparty system, he and other Tutsi colleagues continued to face discrimination and threats.
Kalisa noted that nearly all Tutsi employees at ELECTROGAZ were killed during the genocide. He also claimed that the company played a part in the lead-up to the genocide by financially influencing prominent businessmen to support the genocidal regime. Kalisa who survived the genocide with the help of Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) soldiers, who rescued him and his family on April 13, 1994. After the genocide, he played a significant role in rebuilding Rwanda's infrastructure and later served as a member of parliament.
Patricie Uwase, the Minister of State in the Ministry of Infrastructure, urged WASAC Group and REG staff to remember the symbols of hope and resilience as Rwanda commemorates the 30th anniversary of the Genocide against the Tutsi. She emphasized the importance of youth in bridging the past and the present, promoting unity, and reconciliation. Prof. Omar Munyaneza, CEO of WASAC Group, echoed these sentiments, highlighting the need to combat genocidal ideology and work toward a more unified and peaceful Rwanda.
"Remembering former ELECTROGAZ staff should be a lesson to all REG and WASAC Group staff to avoid discrimination, promote unity through collaboration and ensure that Genocide never occurs again," he noted.
