Eight Incumbent Leaders Appear on the Provisional List in the coming elections.
An analysis of the list released by the National Electoral Commission (NEC) on October 26, 2026, reveals that eight incumbent district leaders—including one serving in an acting capacity—have submitted their candidacies for the District Councils. It is from these councils that members of the District Executive Committees are elected.
Conversely, eight other leaders have reached the two-consecutive-term limit, rendering them ineligible to run for another term within the District Executive Committees.
Furthermore, some district leaders are absent from the list of provisionally approved candidates, even though they were still eligible to run, having served only one term.
This suggests that the November 2026 elections could bring new leadership to many districts, while other current officials may have the opportunity to be re-elected—provided they first secure seats on the District Councils.
Eight District Mayors Submit Candidacies Again
Among the incumbent district mayors, eight appear on the provisional list of candidates approved to run for office.
They include the mayors of Gakenke, Karongi, Kirehe, Ngoma, Nyamasheke, Rubavu, and Rusizi districts, as well as the acting mayor of Kayonza District.
Eight District Mayors Submit Candidacies Again
Mayor | District | Number on the NEC List
Mukandayisenga Vestine from Gakenke 126
Muzungu Gerald from Karongi 434
Hategekimana Fred from Kayonza (Acting 490
Rangira Bruno from Kirehe 523
Niyonagira Nathalie from Ngoma 653
Mupenzi Narcisse from Nyamasheke 876
Mulindwa Prosper from Rubavu 979
Sindayiheba Phanuel from Rusizi 1111
All these individuals appear on the NEC list with a “YES” status, indicating that their candidacies have been provisionally approved.
Another commonality is that they all registered to run in the category of general councilors, rather than in the category reserved for women (which accounts for 30% of the seats).
However, being included on this list does not automatically make them candidates for the position of District Mayor; they must first compete for a seat on the District Council—a prerequisite for anyone wishing to run for a position on the District Executive Committee.
Once elected to the District Council, they will then be eligible to submit their candidacy for the position of District Mayor or Vice Mayor, provided they meet all other legal requirements.
Eight incumbent district leaders have submitted their candidacies again.
Gerald Muzungu: From Kirehe to Karongi—and now seeking to continue.
Among the leaders appearing on this list, Gerald Muzungu stands out for having previously led Kirehe District before moving on to lead Karongi District.
Muzungu served as the Mayor of Kirehe District before taking on other responsibilities.
On November 16, 2024, he was appointed as the Acting Mayor of Karongi District, succeeding Valentine Mukase, who had stepped down from the role.
Four months later, on March 28, 2025, he was elected by the Karongi District Council to serve as the District Mayor.
He currently appears on the list of provisionally approved candidates for Karongi District, assigned number 434.
This indicates his intention to remain involved in the district’s leadership; however, the specific position he might seek within the Executive Committee will only be determined after—and provided that—he is elected to the District Council.
Gerald Muzungu has the unique experience of having previously led Kirehe District before moving on to lead Karongi District.
Kayonza: Fred Hategekimana seeks election following his interim appointment.
Another official appearing on this list is Fred Hategekimana, who is currently serving as the interim leader of Kayonza District.
He was assigned these responsibilities in December 2025, following changes within the district’s leadership.
On December 9, 2025, Kayonza District announced that Fred Hategekimana and Jules Higiro had been installed as the new interim leaders—an event attended by the Minister of Local Government, Dominique Habimana.
Hategekimana appears on the NEC list with the number 490.
Should he be elected to the District Council, he would be eligible to run for a position on the Executive Committee, provided he meets the necessary requirements.
This differs from the situation of other leaders who were previously elected to head districts, as Hategekimana had been performing these duties on an interim basis.
Hategekimana appears on the NEC list.
Rusizi and Karongi: Officials elected in 2025 submit candidacies again.
The districts of Rusizi and Karongi are unique in that their leaders were elected in 2025, following a period where certain leadership positions remained vacant.
On March 28, 2025, Sindayiheba Phanuel was elected to lead Rusizi District, while Muzungu Gerald was elected for Karongi.
Sindayiheba succeeded Kibiriga Anicet, who resigned in November 2024, while Muzungu replaced Mukase Valentine.
In the 2026 elections, both of these leaders have reappeared among the provisionally approved candidates—Sindayiheba running in Rusizi, and Muzungu in Karongi.
This indicates that both seek to remain in the leadership of the districts they currently head, though the outcome will depend on the results of the election. On March 28, 2025, Phanuel Sindayiheba was elected to lead Rusizi District.
Eight officials have reached their term limit.
While some officials are seeking re-election, eight others have completed two consecutive terms, which precludes them from running for another consecutive term on their respective District Executive Committees.
These officials are from the Southern, Eastern, and Western Provinces.
All eight of these officials have served two consecutive terms, as evidenced by the history of their elections in previous years.
In the Southern Province, Jérôme Rutaburingoga, Ange Sebutege, Valens Habarurema, and Jacqueline Kayitare are among those who were re-elected to lead their respective districts in 2021, having previously served in those roles.
In the Eastern Province, Richard Mutabazi, Richard Gasana, and Radjab Mbonyumuvunyi have reached the maximum number of permitted terms, while Antoinette Mukandayisenga from Nyabihu District falls into this same category in the Western Province.
None of these individuals appear on the list of candidates provisionally approved for the 2026 District Council elections.
This means that the eight districts they currently lead will have new leadership following the elections—though it is possible that some of these outgoing officials could be elected to different positions.
The law governing districts does not impose a permanent, lifelong ban on an individual serving as a district leader. Instead, it prohibits a person from serving more than two consecutive terms, based on how those terms are calculated.
Therefore, to determine whether an individual is ineligible to run for office again, one must examine the duration of their service on a District Executive Committee and the sequence of their terms.
11 other officials absent from the list of approved candidates
In addition to the eight leaders who have reached their term limit, there are 11 others—who were either serving as district leaders or in an acting capacity—who do not appear on the list of provisionally approved candidates. On the provisional list that has been reviewed, none of these 11 officials appear among those permitted to run for office—neither in the districts they currently lead nor in any other districts.
However, their absence from this list does not necessarily mean that all of them have reached the maximum number of terms.
Some of them—including the leaders of Kamonyi, Nyaruguru, Nyamagabe, Burera, Gicumbi, Musanze, Rulindo, Ngororero, and Rutsiro—began their first term in 2021 or later.
Therefore, their absence from the list of approved candidates cannot be explained solely by legal restrictions preventing them from seeking re-election.
A leader’s absence from the provisional list could stem from various reasons, such as choosing not to run or having their candidacy rejected. However, there is insufficient information to specify the exact reason for each individual; thus, it would be inappropriate to attribute a specific cause to any particular person without an official explanation.
Nyanza: Acting leader also completes term
Nyanza District is currently under interim leadership, following the departure of its former leader, Ntazinda Erasme, in 2025.
Patrick Kajyambere, who previously served as the Vice Mayor, has assumed the role of acting leader of the District.
Although Kajyambere was not originally elected as Mayor in a general election, he had previously served within the District’s Executive Committee in other capacities. Since the regulations regarding term limits apply to all members of the Executive Committee—rather than just the District Mayors—Kajyambere is among those officials who have completed their terms and are ineligible to run for a consecutive term, according to information from local government authorities.
Consequently, the situation in Nyanza District must be distinguished from that of officials who have only completed their first term.
Patrick Kajyambere is the Acting Mayor of Nyanza District.
Nyagatare: Henry Kakooza did not appear on the list.
In Nyagatare District, Henry Kakooza had been serving as the Acting Mayor following changes within the district’s leadership.
Kakooza had replaced Stephen Gasana, who had departed from the district administration.
Kakooza Henry’s name does not appear on the list of candidates who have been provisionally approved.
Consequently, there is no confirmation that he is among those who will compete for leadership of the district in the District Council elections scheduled for November 2026.
Kakooza Henry did not appear on the list.
Former district leaders have also reappeared.
An analysis of the National Electoral Commission (NEC) list reveals that it is not only current officeholders who have submitted their candidacies.
Some individuals who previously led districts—in some cases on an interim basis—have also submitted their candidacies for the District Council.
Among them are Sewase Jean Claude and Kamili Athanase, both of whom served as interim leaders of Gicumbi District in 2018.
Sewase was appointed to a leadership role following changes in Gicumbi in May 2018, but he left the position shortly thereafter and was succeeded by Kamili Athanase.
In the current electoral process, Sewase Jean Claude appears on the NEC list as candidate number 245, and his candidacy has been provisionally approved.
Kamili Athanase also appears on the list as candidate number 255; however, his candidacy has not been provisionally approved, as the NEC’s decision field is marked “NO.”
Another former district leader who has appeared is François Byabarumwanzi, a former Mayor of Ruhango District.
Historical records regarding the administration of the district indicate that he served as its leader in 2007.
Byabarumwanzi submitted his candidacy for Ruhango District—appearing as number 1010—but he was not included in the provisional list of approved candidates.
This demonstrates that some former district leaders are seeking to return to administrative roles, although not all have been cleared to proceed in the election, according to the provisional list.
What does the law say regarding the re-election of a Mayor?
Article 41 of Law N° 065/2021 of October 9, 2021, governing districts, stipulates that members of a District Executive Committee are elected for a five-year term, which may be renewed.
The law further specifies that members of a District Executive Committee may not serve more than two consecutive terms.
However, there is a specific provision for an individual elected to replace a member of the Executive Committee who left office before the end of their term.
If an official replaces another when less than one year remains in the term, the law stipulates that the replacement is eligible to run for two additional consecutive terms.
This provision highlights why it is essential to know when an official began their duties and when their term ended, in order to determine whether they are permitted to run for office again.
Furthermore, the fact that an individual previously led a District does not automatically disqualify them from running again; the determining factors are the number of consecutive terms served and other legal provisions.
How will District leaders be elected?
Rwanda has 30 Districts; however, for these elections, the list of candidates covers 27 Districts located across the four Provinces.
The three Districts within the City of Kigali—Gasabo, Kicukiro, and Nyarugenge—are governed by the specific administrative framework of the City of Kigali, which is why they do not appear on this list.
In each of the 27 Districts, the District Council consists of 17 members.
This group includes eight general councilors, five women elected through a special category, and four others representing specific groups: women, youth, persons with disabilities, and the private sector.
Following the election of the District Council members, the Council’s Bureau is elected, which is then followed by the election of the District Executive Committee.
The Executive Committee consists of three individuals: the District Mayor, the Vice Mayor in charge of Economic Development, and the Vice Mayor in charge of Social Affairs.
To serve on the Executive Committee, one must first be elected to the District Council and meet other legal requirements.
These elections are conducted through an indirect voting process, with the secrecy of the ballot strictly maintained.
Consequently, not everyone who qualifies as a candidate for the District Council will necessarily become a candidate for the position of Mayor.
Key dates for the scheduled elections
Below are the important dates according to the election schedule announced by the National Electoral Commission (NEC) and the Ministry of Local Government. November 24th will mark the announcement of the elected district leaders—identifying those who will continue in their existing roles and those who will be assuming their duties for the first time
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