Rwamagana District has approved a Rwf10.2bn budget for the fiscal year 2014/2015, representing an increase of 5.3 per cent compared to the 2013/2014 budget. The district vice-mayor in charge of economic affairs, Francine Mutiganda, said 10 per cent of the budget will come from local revenues, 82 per cent from the central government, while 5 per cent will come from development partners. Mutiganda added that the Rwf92.5 million transferred from the 2013/2014 fiscal year will cover the remaining 1 per cent of the budget. Mutiganda said the normal activities of the district will consume Rwf6.7 billion (68 per cent), while the general development project would take Rwf3.2 billion (32 per cent). “We are committed to achieving our targets. Ten per cent of the budget will go into infrastructure development, 11 per cent will be directed towards improving productive capacities, while human development and social sectors will take 5.7 per cent,” she said. Mutiganda cited economic transformation, youth development and accountable governance among the key priorities. She said urban and feeder roads, as part of the general infrastructure development, would be reshaped. “The previous budget had great economic impact. Crop productivity moved from one tonne per hectare, to 4.6 tonnes per hectare on average,” she said. Meanwhile, residents welcomed the new budget allocations, but cautioned local leaders against poor implementation. Jean Marie Murengezi, a resident, said the authorities should work hard to rehabilitate the existing infrastructure. “We must build new infrastructure but we should not let existing infrastructure crumble. So, the new infrastructure must go hand-in-hand with maintenance of the existing network,” he said.
