RWAMAGANA – Local leaders should not expect to reap riches from government posts, because public service is more of a sacrifice, the governor of the Eastern Province has said.

Addressing local leaders and legislators at a meeting convened to assess the progress of development projects, including the construction of classrooms on Tuesday, Dr. Ephraim Kabaija warned local leaders against irresponsibility.

"If there is any one who came expecting to get rich from public service leadership, he or she should consider otherwise. You are people’s servants. The leaders you see being caught up in problems never lived to such expectations,” he said.

Officials of the Rwanda Development Bank (BRD) at the meeting noted that a number of districts were formulating development projects without consulting the targeted beneficiaries.

The BRD officials cited a cassava processing project being developed in Bugesera District, where residents were not consulted.

"They never consulted the people to get the realities on the ground. They needed for instance to know how much cassava the people were ready to produce. And more to that the type of cassava variety they had set to produce was highly inappropriate.

All these considerations means that the project is bound to fail,” BRD officials remarked.

Senator Alivera Mukabaramba and MP Théogène Safari challenged local leaders, to always involve residents while implementing their performance targets.

Ends