Herbalists’ body to undergo audit

The Traditional Healers’ Association, AGA Rwanda Network, is set to undergo an external audit following managerial discrepancies that have rocked the body for months.

Thursday, August 02, 2012

The Traditional Healers’ Association, AGA Rwanda Network, is set to undergo an external audit following managerial discrepancies that have rocked the body for months. Emmanuel Rekeraho, the president of the body, told The New Times on Tuesday that he had initially rejected to the auditing because incompetent companies had been hired by his opponents.The wrangles between top management of the network led to last month’s dismissal of top managers by the general assembly, including Daniel Gafaranga, the vice president.The sacked members, who also include the secretary general and the treasurer, accuse Rekeraho of having connived with some committee members to swindle the association’s funds, accusations that Rekeraho vehemently denies.Gafaranga accuses the committee’s president of being autocratic and trying to control the association’s funds as his personal property. Rekeraho said that he accepted to the audit to clear the allegations of embezzlement against him."I do not have any problem, if they want to come and audit they are free as long as they hire a credible auditing firm,” he said in an interview."We cannot allow those individuals or unprofessional firms to conduct the exercise; what we need is a professional firm,” Rekeraho said. Meanwhile, Gafaranga said they would need police protection during the audit, saying they’re scared of going to Rekeraho’s home to go through the books, because he relocated the network’s offices to his home.Police spokesperson Supt Theos Badege advised them to go to the nearest police station if there is justification for police protection."Whoever justifies the need for security is entitled to it,” he said.The main objective of the association, which has over 2,700 members, is to enhance the traditional medical practice in the country as well as modernizing the practice in observance with established hygiene standards.