Rwanda and her development partners have said that the country is not mulling upon a shift in the budget calendar after successfully aligning to the East African Community (EAC) financial year, in contrast to media reports that EAC states are set to align their financial year calendars with major donors’.

Media reports in Kenya recently indicated that EAC States of Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi are set for a major review of their financial year calendars following pressure from major donors.

According to the reports, the proposed shift, which is to be implemented in the next two years, will see a change in the start of budget calendars from the current mid-year to January.

Rwanda is in the first year of implementing the EAC budget calendar since the country joined the economic bloc two year ago.

"I heard it in the media and was really surprised.  We as development partners in Rwanda would not want to see a new change,” said Dr. Heike Henn, the head of German Development Cooperation on behalf of the development partners reacting to the media reports.

"What we discussed with government and other partners, this information does not seem to be very true,” she added.

This was during a press briefing at recent joint review meeting between the development partners and government.

Elias Baingana, the Director of National Budget at the Ministry of Finance said that the process is not possible since the donor community does not have a harmonized budget calendar.

"To suggest that harmonizing our budget calendar with donors will increase the amount of Aid given to EAC is absolutely incorrect,” he said

Rwanda’s major donors include; the African Development Bank, Belgium, European Commission, Germany, Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the World Bank.

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