On 1st and 2nd March 2019 at La Palisse Hotel in Nyamata, Chairpersons of the City of Kigali and District Councils met in the context of the technical forums organized by Rwanda Association of Local Government Authorities (RALGA). The forum was also attended by RALGA’s Secretary General, Mr. Ladislas NGENDAHIMANA. It was officially opened by RALGA Chairperson, Cllr Innocent UWIMANA, chaired by the forum’s Dean, Cllr. Ernest RWAGASANA and closed by the Minister of State in charge of Social Affairs and Social Protection in the Ministry of Local Government (MINALOC), Dr. Alivera MUKABARAMBA as the Guest of Honor.
Better equipped to oversee implementation of key laws and policies
The nature of the role of District and City of Kigali councillors does not allow them to be involved in the daily management of their constituencies, apart from members of the executive committee. In addition, it is clear that there are still other factors affecting smooth collaboration between the councillors, the executive committee and the staff such as poor communication practices. As a consequence, it becomes sometimes very challenging for the councillors to play their role of overseeing key activities impacting citizens in their constituencies.
It is in this context, but also in line with RALGA’s mandate of building the capacity of its members that the 1st day of the forum was dedicated to presentations and discussions. The 1st presentation was on Gender Responsive Budgeting by Ms Rebecca ASIIMWE, Director of Gender Monitoring at Gender Monitoring Office. She was followed by Mr. Pascal NGENDAHIMANA, Division Manager at the on the status of Local Economic Development (LED) in Rwanda. On his side, Mr.Jonathan NZAYIKORERA, Director of Fiscal Decentralization at the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning made a presentation on the law determining sources of revenues and property of decentralized entities. In general, participants appreciated the presentation and subsequent debates as they allowed them to get enough information but also clarify various aspects about the discussed areas.
Performance-assessment
The 2nd day of the forum was dedicated to critical analysis of the Councillors’ roles and responsibilities, but also to experience sharing. The Chairpersons discussed factors affecting their efficiency and possible ways of addressing them. One of the factors discussed is their facilitation to monitor activities but also to attend meetings in their constituencies. On the one hand, the general observation was that councils’ staff are not delivering the expected results. On the other hand, facilitation provided to Councillors was deemed not sufficient to allow them to play their role efficiently. In addition, they expressed the wish for improved communication between Local and Central Governments. As a matter of fact, they mentioned delayed transmission of new laws, as well as limited involvement in the policy making process.
In her intervention, Hon. Alivera MUKABARAMBA commended the work done by the Chairpersons. She however encouraged them to make more efforts to make their role more visible.
