President Paul Kagame yesterday urged leaders to uphold a culture of accountability.

The President made the remarks during the annual performance contracts (Imihigo) signing event at Parliament, for central and local government officials for the year 2014-15.

The Head of State observed that although the level of accountability among public officials is improving, there are still cases of officials who are still involved in practices of corruption, urging the Judiciary to take the issue seriously.

President Kagame issued a tough warning against embezzling of state funds by officials, saying that not only should they be prosecuted but should also be compelled to return the resources they are accused of embezzling. He advised leaders that the best way to deliver on Imihigo is to ensure that they serve the interest of the people ahead of their own.

"Rwanda cannot afford corruption. We must continue to hold each other accountable. The progress we have made is not an excuse for complacency,” President Kagame said.

Imihigo

The imihigo programme is one of Rwanda’s home grown initiatives which has since become the countries scorecard in fostering good governance and socioeconomic development.

The inaugural performance contracts were first signed in 2006 with the aim to evaluate the performance of local authorities.

Imihigo has since helped the country to realise its goals including the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the locally driven Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy (EDPRS) and the broader Vision 2020 policies towards becoming middle-income economy.

The President noted that, evaluation report, the performance by Districts was generally good, but said those ahead of the others should not simply take pride in being at the top, but the quality of the services.

"Let us look ahead and work to accomplish even more with every step that we take,” President Kagame said.

President Kagame expressed concern that there was weakness in terms of coordination and implementation by local leaders, citing the incidents he himself faces during interactive meetings with citizens across the country, where leaders fail to enforce cases pronounced by Courts of Law.

The President reminded leaders that their primary responsibility will be to remain accountable to citizens and deliver services:

"Imihigo is a performance contract between leaders and those you serve. As leaders, you must put your words into action and walk the talk. As leaders, it is your responsibility to solve challenges faced by citizens in an efficient and just manner”

Meanwhile, for the third time, Kicukiro District emerged the best performer in Imihigo 2013/14 with 76.1 per cent followed by Ngoma 75.8 per cent while Ngororero and Huye districts tied in the third position with 75.7 per cent.

President Kagame speaks at the signing of Imihigo (performance contracts) ceremony. Source: Paul Kagame/YouTube

The Mayor of Kicukiro, Paul Jules Ndamage attributes his exemplary performance to commitment to delivery of services.

"My team and I are committed to working to ensure we deliver services to the satisfaction of our people.”

Ndamage added: "In this past year, we concentrated on off-farm activities to ensure we implement programmes that are beneficial to a larger population of Kicukiro.”

The four districts ranked last are: Musanze that emerged the 27th followed by Gasabo and Rwamagana Districts while Gatsibo came at the bottom with 70.2 per cent.