KIGALI - The Parliament, yesterday, hosted its first Open Day, where the initial guests, comprising members of the civil society and media were taken on a guided tour of the house by Parliamentarians and Senators.

Over 300 people turned up for the event, where they heard from the MPs and Senators how they execute their duties.
Following the tour, there was an open debate between the public, journalists, and the Lawmakers.

In his address, the President of the Senate, Dr Vincent Biruta said that the purpose of the Open Day was to engage the public in the Parliamentary business.
"We conducted a research from which we found that we need to improve our public outreach programmes, this Open Day is in line with this,” said Biruta.

He also noted that the reason parliament chose to have the media and the civil society as their first guests is because they reach out to every citizen in the country.
"Parliament is accountable to the people and that is why we have to engage the public in whatever we do,” he said.
The Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Rose Mukantabana, said that the parliament intends to hold Open Days on a frequent basis, where the public can freely ask lawmakers about their duties.

Ends