President Paul Kagame has cautioned people against excessive spending on weddings, reminding them that their priority should be building strong and sustainable families.
He delivered the message at BK Arena on October 21, 2026, where he met with approximately 10,000 young people for a discussion.
The President shared the story of a young man he had supported professionally and sponsored through university up to postgraduate studies.
“Despite how we lived together, I would notice certain behaviours in him and try to advise him. I would tell him, ‘These things will ruin you, yet you lack nothing. I provide you with everything you need, so there is no reason for you to go down that path,’” Kagame said.
He explained that when the young man grew older, he approached him saying he wanted to get married but was facing financial difficulties.
“He had brought a piece of paper in his pocket listing what he wanted me to help him with. He took it out and handed it to me. I read it and saw that the expenses were adding up to nearly Rwf 10 million. I looked at him and asked, ‘If I gave you this money, would your problems related to these expenses be solved?’ He said, ‘Absolutely,’” Kagame recounted.
The President said he later discovered that the young man had approached many people and business owners seeking financial assistance, with some promising to contribute. He had also learnt that the young man wanted to hold his wedding at an extravagant hotel.
Kagame said he told the young man that he would help him organise a successful wedding, but questioned why he should spend heavily on a hotel he had not built himself.
He explained that he offered the young man a beautiful garden at Village Urugwiro, where he promised to have an elegant tent set up. He also said he would ask security personnel to allow everyone invited to the wedding to enter the venue.
The President added that he helped the young man obtain outfits for himself and his wedding party, which they travelled abroad by plane to purchase.
Kagame said he asked the young man how many people he expected to attend the wedding. The young man estimated that around 600 guests would attend.
The President told him that some of those guests might eventually ask, “Whose wedding did we come to?” because they could become drunk and forget whose wedding they were attending.
Kagame said he also made it clear that alcohol would not be served in the gardens of Village Urugwiro. Instead, the guests would be offered plenty of fresh juice, coffee, tea and soft drinks.
He further promised to give the young man the Rwf 10 million he had requested, but only after the wedding.
“I told him, ‘I want you to use this Rwf 10 million after the wedding to find something that will help build your household, rather than letting people drink it all away until nothing is left.’ That is what I did,” Kagame said.
The President explained that some time after the wedding, he asked the young man what he felt he had lost by not spending the Rwf 10 million on the celebration. The young man replied that he had lost nothing.
Kagame urged people to make decisions that build their lives rather than undermine them. He also encouraged them to advise one another and speak up when they see others making harmful choices.
“As you sit here, and those who are not here but are listening to us, remember that each person is responsible for building themselves up or bringing themselves down. Family and country are important too, but it is good when people correct one another and say, ‘Stop that.’ Do not simply accept everything. There are times when you must tell someone, ‘Stop,’” he said.
