The evaluation exercise of performance contracts locally called Imihigo, after the second quarter, ended on Wednesday last week in Nyamagabe district. The Prime Minister, Bernard Makuza, who presided over the function hailed Imihigo as another success story of innovativeness after Gacaca, Umuganda and among many others. The Premier remarked that since its inception, the Imihigo programme has led to steady development in the country. Residents air their burning needs and the leaders turn these ideas into executable programmes by lobbying for funding from government and development partners. Three years into the programme, it is now important to start measuring its impact on the lives of local people. At the function, Francois Munyankindi, the area Mayor highlighted a number of achievements in the district that he attributed to Imihigo. It was unusual but not out of place. He indicated that the numbers of cars, motorcycles, buildings in place, are an indication that the district was progressing. This unusual presentation won him accolades from the Minister of Natural Resources, Vincent Karega, who argued that it is now time to show the impact of Imihigo by showing some development indicators. The Minister was not far from the truth. If district X has registered a 100 percent enrolment of its people in health insurance, it is not enough to stop at that but one needs to ascertain the impact of good health attained as a result to the areas development. In Kaduha Sector, for instance, local people have managed to set up a micro hydro electricity plant with the help of different development partners. Looking at a video footage shown by Nyamagabe Mayor Alphonse Munyantwali, in his presentation, it is clear that Musange Cell will no longer be the same. One trader says that the availability of electricity in the area has meant working for longer hours and therefore increased incomes. Others say that it is no longer necessary to travel many kilometers to charge one’s mobile phone. Time saved should naturally translate into more working hours in the farm or shop. This is what would be expected in the next presentation at the end of the second quarter. Trading centres have sprouted up as a result of the availability of electricity and that new businesses like grinding mills, barber-shops have been born resulting in improved standards of living for the local people. The same district has embraced a project of using human waste as manure. Its success should be manifested in increased production. It is not enough to say that such a programme was initiated without showing the impact it has had on people’s livelihoods.According to Christine Nyantanyi, the State Minister for Local Government, performance contracts should be taken to the family level. Being the smallest unit of administration, Imihigo at family level is an interesting precedent because it will show how families get out of poverty. The success of Imihigo at family level would be easy to measure only that it would require monitoring on the part of local authorities- who will have to guide residents to embrace it.It will also require more resources in terms of manpower as residents learn to take stock of their daily income generating projects, so as to show progress or decline over a period of time. Ends
