KIGALI - Seventy eight employees of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning were Thursday officially laid off, The New Times has learnt.

Sources within the ministry told The New Times yesterday that it was only retaining 78 employees of the original 156.

According to sources the latest developments are part of the government’s second retrenchment phase that began in 2005, under a plan to cut the civil service by 40 percent.

In 2005, the government set aside approximately two billion francs to support the programme, some of which was channeled to train some of those laid off and to finance retrenchment packages among other uses.

The retrenchments are based on an evaluation that took into consideration qualifications, performance, experience and moral integrity.

Sources say that those sent off and considered to receive terminal benefits would have scored at least 70 percent during the evaluation.

When contacted for comment, the MINECOFIN Permanent Secretary, John Rwangombwa, confirmed that reforms were going on in his ministry but was non committal on how many people had lost their jobs.

He however said that a "small number” may have lost their jobs adding that the reforms were still ongoing. 

Calls made to the Minister of Public Service, Anastase Murekezi were fruitless. He however recently told The New Times that the restructuring plan will see hundreds of civil servants lose their jobs.

Information availed from MINECOFIN indicates that the ministry itself is considering re-hiring some of the previously laid off staff.

Those rehired will however not be recognized by the Ministry of Public Service and will be paid straight from the MINECOFIN coffers.

The Cabinet in June approved about 4,771 new positions within both central and local government including advisors to senior government officials.

Currently, there are over 94,000 civil servants in the country.

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