Senators go into a three-day retreat starting today in Karongi District, Western Province. Dr Vincent Biruta, the Senate president, said the legislators will draw up a draft action plan for 2008-2010 during the retreat, which ends on Wednesday.

"We will also be reviewing several achievements of senatorial standing committees since the establishment of the Senate,” Biruta said in an interview.

This is the third time that Rwandan senators are having such a retreat to lay out future working strategies. The 26-member Senate, with a mandate of eight years, was established in 2003. The Senate’s first retreat was held in 2004 and the second in January, 2006.
According to a concept paper for the 2006 retreat, members agreed to strengthen their capacity in establishing new laws.

They drafted an action plan for 2006-2008 and also established a five-year parliamentary plan, which will be reviewed in this retreat.
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