The Speaker of the Lower Chamber of Deputies Rose Mukantabana, has appealed to fellow lawmakers to take a lead role in the fight against corruption.

Opening Parliament’s first term of 2009 on Thursday, Mukantabana told the legislators that it is their constitutional obligation to play a leading role in fighting corruption.

"In the previous National Dialogue Meeting, we dwelt mostly on the issue of corruption; I take this opportunity to emphasise that the role of Members of Parliament in this campaign should be evident,” said Mukantabana.

She also recognised the efforts of the Ombudsman’s Office in encouraging Parliament to intensify its fight against corruption by erecting an anti-corruption billboard at the entrance of the parliament.

The Speaker took time to explain to the Deputies how parliament intends to intensify its fight against the vice by educating people of their right to free services, reporting cases of corrupt officials and informing them that nobody was above the law.

"Time has come for all MPs to know that they have a role to play in the fight against corruption. If we leave eradication of corruption only to a few leaders and the victims, we won’t achieve our goal,” Mukantabana stressed.

Parliament receives an annual report from the Auditor General’s office which lists any misappropriated funds and names of corrupt officials.

The parliamentary campaign follows the recent arrests of top government officials over corruption related allegations.

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