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Name: Kimonyo, James
Current Position: Previous Ambassador
James Kimonyo became ambassador of Rwanda to the United States on May 18, 2007. He also serves as the non-resident ambassador to Mexico, Brazil, Argentina and Chile. Kimonyo led the Social Democratic Party (SDP) as a senior member. However, in Septemmber 2010, he switched to the ruling Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF because it has “superior programs” and “mature politics.” He also stated, “I came to realize that the RPF is difficult to defeat and it has the support of the majority of the population.”
Kimonyo has a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering and holds a masters degree in engineering project management.
Prior to his diplomatic career, Kimonyo served as the governor of the southeastern province of Kibungo from January 2002 until 2004 and the southern province of Butare for six months in 2004.
After the 1994 genocide, he was appointed to head the Department of Rehabilitation and Reconstruction under several ministries including Rehabilitation and Social Integration, Home Affairs, Communal Development and Resettlement. He was later director of resettlement in the Ministry of Lands, Resettlement and Environmental Protection.
In December 2004, Kimonyo took over as Rwanda’s Ambassador to the South Africa and non-resident ambassador to Zambia, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Angola, Namibia, Botswana, Swaziland and Lesotho, a position he held for two years.
Kimonyo has also served as a national director and coordinator of several projects funded
by different international organizations including UNHCR, UNDP and UN-HABITAT.
James Kimonyo(USAID) (pdf)