EDITORIAL: Citizens should be more involved in monitoring development projects

Several studies conducted among the Rwandan population draw a picture of an informed society. Rwandans take a great interest in what affects them, religiously attend neighbour meetings and are receptive to instructions from their leadership. That, in normal circumstances, would be a plus, as far as local administration goes. But scratch the surface and one finds that the information is incomplete. Citizens may know the existence of major policies, even take part in their elaboration, but there are little signs of ownership. They tend to leave the implementation in the hands of the local leadership i.e. Mayors, Executive Secretaries, etc. In such a scenario, the executors of the policy at the grassroots are given a free hand to make or break the policies. Many such local leaders tend to take arbitrary decisions that might not be in the interests of their subjects, or society in general. That is the reason why one finds that certain development projects were abandoned half way as has been previously reported by the Auditor General. That could be averted if the beneficiaries understood that they have a say in anything to do with their welfare. They should not be idle bystanders in what takes part in their communities; they should be seen and heard and let their local leaders know that they are under scrutiny every step they take. The population needs to graduate from knowing about the existence of development projects to fully understanding them.

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EDITORIAL: Citizens should be more involved in monitoring development projects