NUR officials to be quizzed over funds

KIGALI - Officials from the National University of Rwanda are set to be quizzed over the alleged mismanagement of public funds, it has emerged. The Prosecutor General’ spokesperson, Augustin Nkusi confirmed the development when contacted on Friday. “The officials will be summoned to court soon to clear themselves,” Nkusi said by the phone. He, however, declined to give the date when the said official will appear in court. Nkusi said that among officials to be summoned include the Director of the National University of Rwanda School of Public Health (NURSPH) and other finance department officials. In January this year, the Auditor General, Evelyne Kamagaju, presented her 2006 report to Parliament which indicated that Frw3.5 billion had been mismanaged by various public institutions including NURSPH. “We have completed investigations. Officials will soon be summoned to court,” Nkusi added. He explained that during investigations carried out by the Prosecutor General’s office, it was discovered that a sum of Frw83.5 million was mismanaged in NURSPH. Frw58 million of the money had no supporting documents or financial statements, while another Frw25million meant for fuel was unaccounted for. In an interview at his office, the director of NURSPH, Pr. Cyprien Munyanshongore admitted being summoned. “It is true that our institution is among those singled out in Auditor General’s report of having misused public funds and I am ready to answer what I know. But as a new director of the institution, it happened before my appointment,” Munyanshongore explained. “Those involved are still our staff. One of them was once held in police custody but later released on bail,” said Munyanshongore. He explained that in 2006, NURSPH undertook extensive research activities which required its staff and interviewers to travel to all corners of the country. Unfortunately, the institution did not yet have in place sufficient mechanisms to track distribution of fuel for the research. “But we have since 2007 instituted an internal special committee that is in charge of controls of tracking fuel,” he added. Nkusi said that the Prosecutor General’s investigations started with the Ministry of Education and were in the final stages. In all institutions that were investigated under MINEDUC, Nkusi mentioned Students Financing Agency for Rwanda (SFAR) and the NURSPH as the most serious. The Director of SFAR, Emmanuel Muvunyi, was also summoned over a financial scam that allegedly involved his accountant. Sources from the Prosecutor General’s office said that Muvunyi was summoned in a bid to to the whereabouts of Frw96million. The Auditor General’s report exposed an extraordinary case where an accountant at SFAR stole money worth Frw96 million and deposited Frw20 million of it on Muvunyi’s account. Ends