Work to achieve your targets, Kagame tells leaders

Leaders in the Central and Local Government, yesterday, signed performance contracts, known locally as Imihigo, for the fiscal year 2015-2016 with President Paul Kagame, who urged them to successfully implement the targets they have set for themselves. At an event that took place at Parliament Buildings in Kigali yesterday, the Minister of Local Government, Francis Kaboneka, detailed some of the targets that District Mayors have set for themselves for the current fiscal year. [KINYARWANDA] President Kagame at the Signing of Imihigo (Performance Contracts). Paul Kagame/YouTube Prime Minister Anastase Murekezi also detailed the targets that Cabinet ministers and leaders of parastatals have planned to achieve in the current fiscal year. Overall, districts have planned to spend Rwf206 billion in the current fiscal year to implement several projects, including building 1513 kilometres of feeder roads, and collecting Rwf52 billion in taxes. (L-R) Mayor of Huye District, Eugene Kayiranga Muzuka, and Mayor of Ngororero District, Gedeon Ruboneza, chat prior to a photo shoot after being declared winners of the Imihigo 2013-2014. (Doreen Umutesi) Among other targets, the districts will also distribute 26,000 cows to vulnerable families, improve service delivery, provide homes with biogas systems, connect more households to electricity, and increase agricultural production. Premier Murekezi pledged that ministries and other government institutions will work with other institutions in the country and the private sector to create 314,000 off-farm jobs, add 70 megawatts of electricity to the national grid, and increase agricultural production by 6.5 per cent. Among other targets, Murekezi also pledged to build 765 kilometres of water supply lines in Kigali and distribute 30,000 cows under the Girinka (One-Cow-Per-Poor-Family) programme. Taking place on the day Lt Gen Karenzi Karake, the secretary-general of the National Intelligence and Security Services, returned from London, President Kagame urged leaders to reject injustice. “This Rwanda is owed mountains of debt by people who have put it where it is; it can’t be that these same people come around and turn it upside down; we just have to reject it, we can’t accept it,” Kagame said. Mayor of Nyanza District, Abdallah Murenzi (L), and Mayor of Ngoma District Aphrodise Nambaje share a light moment after their districts stood out in the Imihigo 2013-2014. (Doreen Umutesi) “As we sign performance contracts to develop our country we must always bear in mind the complex nature of the world we live in and the context we operate in,” the President added, calling on leaders to continuously strive to deliver and confront challenges Rwanda faces. Best performing districts awarded Prime Minister Murekezi also presented results on the performance of districts for the Financial Year 2014/15, with Huye ranked the best performing district, Ngoma the second best performing district, while Ngororero and Nyanza districts tied in third place. Mayors of the four districts received trophies from President Paul Kagame in recognition of their good performance in implementing Imihigo targets. Mayors sing along in Parliament to mark the Imihigo 2013-2014. (Doreen Umutesi) The President urged leaders to take lessons from the rankings of districts’ performance and tasked both Minister Kaboneka and Prime Minister Murekezi to seek explanations as to why some districts keep lagging behind in implementing their performance contracts. The last three performing districts in the implementation of performance contracts include Gakenke, which was last on the list at number 30; Karongi came in 29th position; and Kamonyi 28th. editorial@newtimes.co.rw

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Work to achieve your targets, Kagame tells leaders