Vulnerable people across the country will no longer receive handouts under Ubudehe classification. They will be supported through other existing mechanisms and a new system that is being set up, the ministry of local government has told The New Times.

Ubudehe classifications, which are based on household financial status, were first introduced by the government in 2000 as part of the strategies to address poverty reduction.

ALSO READ: Where do you fall in the new Ubudehe categories?

Providing financial means to the poor, university tuition fees, and subsidized Community-based health insurance ''Mutuelle de Santé'' premiums used to be based on Ubudehe classifications.

However, according to Huss Monique, the Director General of Community Development and Social Affairs at the ministry of local government, Ubudehe categories will only be used by government entities for planning and research.

"Ubudehe categories will no longer be used as criteria to identify beneficiaries of social protection programs because many citizens, regardless of their socio-economic status, want to be in the lowest category that receives support from government and stakeholders.

"From past experience, we have discovered that Ubudehe classification is not a good tool for targeting beneficiaries of social protection programmes but planning and research on citizen welfare.”

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The use of Ubudehe categories were scrapped due to inclusion and exclusion errors on selecting beneficiaries of social protection programmes.

"Some well-off households have been receiving subsidized government support like Community Based Health Insurance (Mutuellede santé) at 100 percent, VUP, and Girinka, among other benefits. Lower-income households would be excluded,” she said.

New approach

The ministry of local government has announced that there are committees from sector to village level that are responsible for carefully analysing and selecting genuinely vulnerable people that require government support in various ways, without relying on Ubudehe categories.

"Beneficiary selection will be done through a social registry (a new system currently being developed) based on guidelines that each institution responsible for the said programme such as Mutuelle, VUP, Girinka and other services are developing,” Huss said.

Rwandans who are able to work will be financially supported with income-generating projects to be able to afford health insurance, among other needs.

"In line with the new graduation strategy, vulnerable households will be empowered or enabled to pay the contribution of the community-based health insurance for their families except households classified in the category of people with severe disability, elders and families headed by children without any other financial resources.”

Numbers decrease

The City of Kigali will no longer pay Mutuelle de Santé premiums for its 22,874 households who were previously considered as vulnerable people.

The decision announced on March 25 during Umuganda (community work) follows the government decision to abolish Ubudehe categories.

Officials said that people who will no longer benefit from the subsidized-Mutuelle de Santé premiums have graduated out of poverty while others are obliged to work, earn income and cater for their own health insurance expenses.

"Only committees established at sector and cell level as well as representatives of village leaders will assess and select genuinely needy people to be given support including Mutuelle de Santé premiums,” Clarisse Nyirigira, the Executive Secretary of Kanyinya sector, in Gasabo district, Kigali, explained the new processes to more than 100 area residents during community work.

A copy of new procedures, which The New Times saw on Saturday, shows that in Gasabo district, 17,105 people were initially being given Mutuelle de Santé premiums. The number had decreased to 2,179, lately, after screening.

In Nyarugenge district 5, 291 people were being given Mutuelle de Santé premiums. The number had also been reduced to 1,126, while of the 4,492 were earlier benefiting in Kicukiro district, only 709 remained on the list benefitting from the subsidized-Mutuelle de Santé premiums.

Only 4,014 out of 26, 888 people who were previously benefitting will benefit from subsidized Mutuelle de Santé premiums in the City of Kigali.

ALSO READ: Only 18 per cent have paid Mutuelle de Santé premiums

The decision being enforced is part of measures to eradicate poverty in a sustainable way as decided in the cabinet meeting of November 11, 2022.

"Only vulnerable people with disabilities, vulnerable elderly, vulnerable people with incurable diseases, households led by children will be catered for.”

Signing contracts to graduate out of poverty

The Fifth Integrated Household Living Survey (EICV5) shows that poverty decreased from 39.1 per cent in 2013/14 to 38.2 per cent in 2016/17 while extreme poverty decreased from 16.3 per cent to 16.1 per cent.

According to the National Strategy for Transformation (NST 1) developed in 2017/18, by 2024, extreme poverty has to be less than one per cent.

ALSO READ: 1.3 billion people live in extreme poverty

"One year now remains and this implies that it requires extraordinary effort to reduce extreme poverty from 16.1 per cent to less than one per cent,” an official said during community work on Saturday.

"The list of households in poverty and extreme poverty will sign performance contracts on the journey to graduate out of poverty within two years only,” Nyirigira told area residents.

Report every month

A list of partners engaged in helping districts to implement a plan to eradicate poverty, and vulnerable households to be supported was recommended. A committee comprising the executive secretary of sector, security organs, social affairs officer, land officer, agronomist, investment and labour officer, education officer, private sector representative, representatives of faith-based organizations and NGOs was established to track people who are still in extreme poverty that must be duly supported.

At the cell level, the committee comprises executive secretary, the officer in charge of development and social affairs, a private sector representative, faith-based organizations representatives, NGOs in the cell, para-social workers’ coordinator, community health workers’ representative and village leaders’ representative.

Village leaders have also been requested to list all vulnerable households to scrutinise those who are able to work and earn income to graduate out of poverty.

"The village leaders have to track those given opportunities to graduate out of poverty and report every month.”