How Rwandans rated national performance

A study commissioned by Senate, to be released today, will underscore perceptions of citizens, showing how they ranked various services and institutions in the country. The Senate sanctioned the research in line with its mandate of seeking solutions through dialogue and consensus among citizens, one of the core principles contained in the Constitution. The study was conducted by the Institute of Policy Analysis and Research-Rwanda (IPAR), a local think-tank. Evaluating policy tools Entitled “the Constant Quest for Solutions through Dialogue and Consensus in Rwanda: The Mechanisms for Dialogue and Consensus,” the research evaluated major policy tools that have been put in place to enable dialogue and consensus in problem solving. They include mechanisms such as Gacaca, Abunzi, Umuganda, community development committees, National Women Council, National Youth Council, Itorero, Girinka, Ubudehe, Community Juries, and advisory councils. Roger Mugisha, a research fellow at IPAR, who was among the leaders of a team that conducted the study, said the majority of Rwandans appreciate most of the policies. “Generally, they wish that the existing mechanisms are improved because they appreciate how much they have been helpful and wish they were extended or consolidated,” he said. The findings show that the mechanisms for dialogue and consensus in the country have helped local communities to solve problems for themselves to a great extent and contributed to the increase in social cohesion. In its executive summary, the report indicates that “mechanisms such as Umuganda, the Abunzi and Girinka programme were seen to bring benefits to the community. Schools, roads and houses for the vulnerable through Umuganda and the Abunzi have been effectivein resolving disputes, especially those involving land.” With regards to the level of people’s satisfaction with the mechanisms, Umuganda community work stood out as the most favourite with a rating of 83 per cent by the respondents. Ingando, Gacaca, Girinka and Itorero are the mechanisms considered to be the major contributor to Dialogue and Consensus scoring 77.6 per cent, 75.4 per cent, 72.7 per cent, and 70 per cent, respectively. Responds said Ubudehe (30.6 per cent), Community Development Committees (30 per cent) and National Youth Council (38.4 per cent) are the least contributor to Dialogue and Consensus. The annual National Leadership Dialogue scored 51 per cent. Kagame, RDF most trusted In addition to dialogue and consensus mechanisms, the study captured views on the trust in various institutions at national, local level as well as in families and friends. The findings revealed that trust in politicians and the forces of law and order are high, with more than 80 per cent of respondents saying that they trust them. The President (99 per cent) and the army (96 per cent) have the highest approval levels, while political parties are the least trusted institutions with 61.3 per cent. “For the President, they (respondents) feel he delivers and that he remains their best spokesperson. They also feel they achieve a lot with him at the helm,” Mugisha said. “For the army, the people generally have trust that it is capable to protect them.” At the local level, the study says the trust is high for district mayors (84.4 per cent), while members of the cell council (79 per cent) are the least trusted. Researchers found out that “there were relatively high levels of trust in family members (74.4 per cent), friends (78.7 per cent) and neighbours (85 per cent).” Economic prospects According to the study, conducted between July 2012 and end 2013, 76 per cent of the respondents thought that the economic situation was fairly good or very good and 96 per cent were confident that it would be better or much better in five years. But citizens worried about widening economic inequalities, saying the rich were getting richer, even if the respondents generally said this was not a problem as the well-to-do are now able to provide employment for the poor and in some cases the better off helped the poor by paying school fees and Mutual Health Insurance subscriptions.