Wellars Gasamagera Selected to Replace Late Senator Mukabalisa.
Ambassador Wellars Gasamagera has been selected to represent Rwanda’s National Consultative Forum of Political Organisations (NFPO) in the Senate, replacing the late Senator Donatille Mukabalisa.
Gasamagera was selected on Thursday, September 24, 2026, after being put forward by the Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF-Inkotanyi) as the sole candidate for the position. The decision was made during a meeting of the political organisations’ forum in Kigali.
His nomination will now be submitted to the Supreme Court for final confirmation, as required by law.
Mukabalisa, whom Gasamagera is set to replace, died on July 30, 2026, after an illness.
If confirmed, Gasamagera will become the fourth senator representing the National Consultative Forum of Political Organisations.
Rwanda’s Senate has 26 members. Twelve are elected through designated organs based on administrative entities, eight are appointed by the President, four are designated by the National Consultative Forum of Political Organisations, and two represent public and private higher-learning institutions.
The other three senators representing the political organisations’ forum are Hadidja Ndangiza Murangwa of the Ideal Democratic Party (PDI), Frank Habineza of the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda, and Alphonse Nkubana of the Prosperity and Solidarity Party (PSP).
Who is Wellars Gasamagera?
Gasamagera is a veteran Rwandan public official and diplomat who has held several senior positions in government, the Senate and the RPF.
He served as Secretary General of the RPF-Inkotanyi from April 2023 until December 2025. He was elected to the position at the party’s 16th National Congress, replacing François Ngarambe.
Before becoming RPF Secretary General, Gasamagera served as Rwanda’s ambassador to Angola and was also accredited to São Tomé and Príncipe. He had previously headed the Rwanda Management Institute (RMI), where he served as Director General from 2012.
Gasamagera is also no stranger to the Senate. He served as a senator from 2003 to 2011, during which he was a member of the Standing Committee on Political Affairs and Good Governance and the ICT Steering Committee.
Earlier in his career, he served as Prefect of the former Kigali Rural Province from 1997 to 2001. He also chaired the Institute of Policy Analysis and Research (IPAR), a think tank involved in policy research and analysis.
Gasamagera holds a Master of Public Administration from the University of Quebec in Canada and a Commonwealth professional certificate in parliamentary practice and procedures.
