Is public mindset slowing down Ubudehe classification exercise?

People who consider the ongoing Ubudehe classification exercise as an opportunity to get financial assistance are slowing down the process, it has emerged. The New Times got a firsthand glimpse into this predicament over the weekend when it witnessed a young man from Intwari Village in Gasabo District, pleading for his elder brother’s household to be classified in Category Two, and not three, so that his sister could get government support to pursue further studies. It was a hurdle to let the young man and others understand that it is not a household’s needs that determine its category, but rather its true economic status reflected in household data analysis. This was during a discussion on preliminary results of the Ubudehe social stratification review as residents of Intwari held their regular meeting after community work (Umuganda) on Saturday. As was the case in the entire country, some months ago, a comprehensive questionnaire from the Local Administrative Entities Development Agency (LODA) was filled in by over 200 households in the village. Quantitative and qualitative data regarding matters such as the nature of accommodation, employment, as well as feeding patterns, were provided by each household. As it appears now, however, most people did not figure out that this same ‘accurate’ data they provided would be used to determine which Ubudehe category a family belongs in. In Saturday’s meeting, Cyprien Ngarambe Intwari village chief and other community elders, laboured to explain the essence of Ubudehe classification. Former minister and lawmaker Munyanganizi Bikoro chipped in to help offer an explanation. “People need to understand that Ubudehe programme was not designed so that the Government dishes out money. It all comes back to us in the community because we are the ones who will duly support people found to be genuinely needy,” he said. On Monday, Ngarambe told The New Times that the exercise is challenged by the fact that some people think that when placed in the most underprivileged category, they will be given money to cover needs like school fees or health insurance. “There are people who have a mindset problem,” Ngarambe said. “People see this process as a chance for free financial benefits.” The current version of Ubedehe was launched in 2001 as a vehicle for involving communities in their own development through participatory problem-solving mechanisms. LODA looks to sensitisation What was witnessed in Gasabo reflected what happened across the country. The latest classification started early last year and was supposed to end in June. However, due to some hitches, the deadline was pushed to August 31. Laetitia Nkunda, the director general of LODA, yesterday, acknowledged that sensitisation is needed to check dishonesty. The rationale for Ubudehe is to help us in planning, she said, but the problem is that there are people keen on being in the category likely to benefit from health insurance, scholarship, and the Vision 2020 Umurenge Programme (VUP). “They have no problem with the data they provided, but when it comes to categorisation, some will say, ‘give me the Mutuelle de Santé category’ – that is a very big problem,” Nkunda said. “People gave correct data, but they still want to be placed in categories that allow one to qualify for some assistance. They are appealing to be put in those categories even without changing the data they initially provided.” She said even the well-to-do want to be listed as deprived. The process allows room for appeals so that genuine errors can be rectified. “The process of appeal is taking too long so that anyone not happy with the classification can re-evaluate,” Nkunda said. Gasabo, Ngororero districts lagging behind Countrywide, Gasabo and Ngororero districts are reportedly lagging behind due to various reasons, including being derailed by the process of evaluation of performance contracts (Imihigo), according to Nkunda. A pilot phase carried out in five districts late last year indicated that grassroots local administration was overwhelmed by tasks, and as such LODA arranged for three intern statisticians in every district to monitor data entry daily. More time was granted, Nkunda said, so that citizens are sensitised further. The public needs to understand that Ubudehe has little impact on things such as tuition support, she said. Yet Nkunda believes the Ubudehe classification programme – which captures the socio-economic profile of all families in the country – has come a long way and is gradually improving. Approximately Rwf2b was set aside to facilitate people carrying out Ubudehe classification exercise. Since 2008, the Government considered six categories: those in abject poverty; the very poor; the poor; the resourceful poor; those with abundant food; and the rich. However, the Ubudehe categories were reduced to four. The first category has people without a house nor the ability to rent, unable to rent, very often struggle to get food, and struggle to get household basic items such as soap, paraffin, salt and clothes. The second includes those with a house, are able to rent, often get food (able to eat at least twice a day) and often work for others. The third category comprises people or households with an employee in public or private sector; with a member that is self-employed with a business; farmers with surplus for the market; and or with a member who is a small business owner. The fourth category comprises big business owners; people who own companies providing specialised services such as transport and consultancy; households with a member who is an employee in public or private sector at leadership level; and those with a member who owns commercial buildings, and petrol stations, among other assets. editorial@newtimes.co.rw

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Is public mindset slowing down Ubudehe classification exercise?