SOUTHERN PROVINCE

HUYE – Members of the District Advisory Council (DAC) last Friday passed a vote of no confidence booting the district Executive Secretary, Esperence Nyiraneza. Nyiraneza is being indicted for incompetence.

The decision was reached at an extraordinary meeting chaired by the Vice President of the DAC Medard Ruyange. Members of DAC accused Nyiraneza of failing to deliver as required by her job description. During the same meeting, the councillors also fired the district Vice Mayor in charge of Social Affairs, Josephine Musabyimana. She is also accused of incompetence. The members said the decision took immediate effect.

Ruyange said that the final fate of the duo, would be decided by the Provincial Governor. Fidel Ndayisaba is the governor of the Southern Province.

"The Governor will study the decisions to see if the decision of DAC did not contravene the law. He is the final authority on this matter," Ruyange told The New Times.

However, when contacted, earlier on Saturday, the dismissed district Executive secretary Esperence Nyiraneza said she had not received official notification about her sacking. "I just heard about it on radio. I am waiting to hear from the DAC why I was dismissed," Nyiraneza told our reporter by telephone.

Josephine Musabyimana, said the councillors never allowed time to defend self against the accusations labeled against her, a claim Ruyange denies. Ruyange chaired the DAC meeting. "The DAC did not comply with the law. I was not given an opportunity to defend myself."

Ruyange however, said Musabyimana was allowed time to explain herself before a meeting of DAC Presidents as a councillor who holds a position in the district executive.

"She was given the opportunity but her explanations were not convincing. That is why we passed the vote of no confidence," said Ruyange.

The decision comes weeks after the district presented the achievements of the first quarter of 2008, indicating low performance levels on the goals set out in the performance contracts (Imihigo) signed with the President. The district scooped the penultimate position in the recent evaluation presided over by the Prime Minister Bernard Makuza. It was not clear however, whether the council decision was directly connected with the seemingly poor results.

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