Govt names career journalist to head public broadcaster

The cabinet meeting of April 24, 2013 has approved veteran journalist Arthur Asiimwe to head the newly formed Rwanda Broadcasting Agency (RBA) which comes to replace Rwanda Bureau of Information and Broad­casting (ORINFOR).

Asiimwe was until last night the Rwanda Health Communication Center Division boss, an arm of the Ministry of Health, a position he has held since 2011. He replaces Willy Rukundo who has been the Acting Director of ORINFOR for some time.

Asiimwe who is also the current Board Chairman of the Media High Council was Managing Editor of the English Daily, The New Times before heading to the Ministry of Health.

He comes in to head RBA at the time when the institution is being revamped to become a public broadcaster which sets a broad challenge ahead of him to transform the former ORINFOR.

Following the announcement of his appointment, many congratulatory messages poured in via Twitter where a big number of people expressed optimism for Asiimwe’s administration at RBA.

According to available information, the bill that puts in place RBA has been approved by the senate and is awaiting the president’s signature to become a law.

Orinfor which is being replaced by RBA has been a gov­ernment run institution which means that its content and editorial policy were set and closely watched by government.

According to the new RBA law, the institution will be autonomous. Article 5 of the law says that the agency’s responsi­bilities will include being a broadcaster providing the pub­lic with impartial and accurate national and international news as well as recreational programs.

RBA will according to the law have its own bud­get, hire workers without gov­ernment influence as well as broadcast content for public rather than government inter­est.