KIMIHURURA - Members of the Lower Chamber of deputies have called upon the mayors from Southern Province to prioritise the fight against Genocide ideology in the region. Their call comes after the recent mysterious murder of Paul Rutayisire, a Gacaca president in Huye District. The province is probably leading in cases of slaughters and other abuses of Genocide survivors, and Gacaca witnesses and judges. MPs Evariste Kalisa urged the mayors to include in their annual budgets reconciliation programmes.

Desire Nyandwi urged the mayors to preserve Genocide memorial sites to ensure that the memory of the 1994 Genocide does not fade.

"We know that Southern Province is one of the provinces where many people were murdered during the Genocide. Therefore there must be tough measures to fight such ideology,” he said.

Nyandwi said that mayors should along other development programmes highlight measures that would help eliminate Genocide ideology.

The eight mayors of the Southern Province districts were yesterday in the Chamber of Deputies to present 2008 financial projections as well as justifying the budgets allocated to them for the next financial year.

Finance minister James Musoni last month allocated budgets to the eight districts as follows:

Kamonyi received Frw2, 966, 950, 399, Nyaruguru Frw 2, 251, 914, 207, Muhanga Frw3, 454, 549, 499 and Gisagara Frw2, 220, 991, 581.

Frw3, 088, 853,177 was projected for Nyamagabe, Frw3, 330, 728, 687 for Huye, Frw2, 966, 950, 399 for Nyanza and Frw 2,384, 606,998 for Ruhango districts.

Huye mayor Aimable Twagiramutara said "The District has put in place community surveillance especially during night hours to safeguard the security of the masses in the area” Twagiramutara said.

He told the MPs that they have put in place unity and reconciliation commission as a way of promoting unity and the reconciliation among residents.

Twagiramutara also said that his district’s budget would partly be used to construct Genocide memorial centers in Rwaniro and Kigoma sectors.

Leandre Karekezi, the mayor of Gisagara District, explained that his district works hand in hand with security operatives to safeguard people’s security.

Ruhango will use Frw300 million to build houses for Genocide survivors and to provide them with other basic needs.

Nyaruguru District will use Frw47million for construction of Genocide Memorial centers of Kibeho and Munini, Frw114 million is budgeted for other needs of survivors.

In Nyamagabe, Frw25 million will be used in the construction of Cyanika Genocide memorial centre and over 80 houses for survivors during the next fiscal year.

Kamonyi plans to complete the construction of Mugina memorial centre where 30,000 bodies of Genocide victims are to be buried next year.

MPs urged the mayors to identify and protect survivors in their respective districts as Gacaca courts nears end.

Ends