A video of Rwanda's President Paul Kagame ordering a group of government officials to stand up during his address on March 23, 2026 has gone viral.

A visibly irritated Kagame told the officials to be on their feet because some of them were "sleeping" yet he was addressing pertinent issues pertaining to their performance and the citizens' welfare.

In his address, Kagame highlighted repeated mistakes in state institutions, poor talent searching, lack of clear priorities, wastage of public resources, and the lack of adequate follow-up on the implementation of government programmes.

The tense moment occurred at the Rwanda Military Academy in Gako, located in the country's Eastern Province.

'Resign and engage freely in other things'

President Kagame had presided over the closing ceremony of a meeting that brought together officials of both the national and the local governments.

Those in attendance included cabinet ministers, provincial governors, mayors, and heads of various government agencies.

Speaking in the native Kinyarwanda language, President Kagame told the officials: "I am speaking and some of you are sleeping. Get up."

The president told the officials that if they did not want to continue serving in the public service, they should resign and "engage freely in other things."

Kagame cautions against personal enrichment

Kagame added that some of the officials were still "not listening" to him despite being on their feet.

With the room now falling silent, Kagame wondered: "What kind of people are you?"

He went ahead to tell them that they should "look for other activities" that would condone what he described as "incompetence."

In his closing remarks, the head of state cautioned the officials against personal enrichment at the expense of the Rwandan people.

'Power obsession'

In particular, he told the government officers: "The country's interest is your interest too. You cannot work only for your own personal interests and expect the country to benefit, especially if you are using the country's resources only for your own benefit. This must come to an end."

He also cautioned against power obsession, saying: "Simply being called a leader, being referred to as 'mayor', and that is where it ends, that must stop."

He referred to such addiction to power and titles as the cause of "ubwirasi", a Kinyarwanda word that means "pride" or "arrogance."

The March 23 meeting, themed "Citizen at the Forefront", was organised to align the operations of both the national and local governments toward efficient service delivery.

Credited with transforming Rwanda

President Kagame is credited with transforming Rwanda's economy, and his admirers laud what they describe as his "strategic and hands-on leadership."

According to a 2024 World Bank report, Rwanda leads Sub-Saharan Africa for its quality of public policies and institutions.

It is also a leading investment hub due to its business-friendly economic policies.