EASTERN PROVINCE

NGOMA/KIREHE — The district statisticians of Ngoma and Kirehe districts have threatened to lay down their tools over delayed salaries. The workers say they have not been paid since February. They were allegedly also not paid full salaries for the months of December and January.

According to information available, the supervisors were entitled to get Frw90,000 in transport allowances while researchers (data collectors) were supposed to get Frw72,000 as top up on their salaries.

The former get Frw250,000 as salary while the latter earn Frw225,000. With most of the affected workers being students, they were also recently ordered by the district to halt their studies till the end of their contract which is supposed to expire at the end of this year. Without any other alternative, they say, education was put aside hoping to resume next year.

"We are now regretting as to why we asked for a dead year because we would now go back to our studies and leave these jobs that seem not to be of any help to us as we thought,” one worker who preferred not to be mentioned said.

The workers are supposed to collect data from each household regarding their harvesting each season. They are also supposed to collect each family’s data concerning its well being and the number of households.

"We are forced to go to the fields even when we have no money for transport. How do they want us to move?” another female worker asked. They are saying that they have never got official communication regarding their payments.

"Why don’t they tell us what’s going on instead of putting us at stand still? We are now swimming in debts for those motorcycle taxis that used to take us in fields and we have nothing to do now,” she added.

"Let them come down to us and tell us what is really happening instead of keeping mum and make us suffer.”

Dr. Eng. Louis Munyakazi the statistics General Director in Rwanda acknowledged the problem, saying it was not to Ngoma and Kirehe.

Munyakazi explained that the problem arose because of delays in releasing the money by the programme funders. The programme is funded by the European Union and Department for International Development (DFID). He however, said they have secured the money to sort out the problem.

"But now the money is here and ready to pay them all the arrears in less than five days,” he said adding, "We have been aware of our workers’ problems in their work and it has been affecting all of them across the country. This we hope to iron it out since the money has been deposited on our account.”

Ends