Rwandans are now able to address any of their complaints to any ministry or other government institutions without leaving their places, Local Government minister Francis Kaboneka announced on Tuesday. A simple free of charge cellphone message to 5353 will direct one’s complaint to the concerned ministry or department within a short period of time. Not only mobile phones can be utilised in this process, but also the Government ministry’s website. “When a citizen files a complaint through this system, the ministry is able to view the identity and location of the sender. That way, our staff can call him/her for either clarification on the matter, or immediately respond to the concern,” Kaboneka told reporters at a press briefing. Dr Patrick Ndimubanzi, the state minister for Public Health and Primary Healthcare, added that the system would enhance service delivery. Kaboneka said this is part of e-government programme now covering different services. According to the minister, by dialing *909#, one should be able to access information on the social stratification, Ubudehe. He said starting with the 2018/19 fiscal year, all Mutuelle de Santé contributions will be collected through cashless platforms.“Yes, this is new and people will complain but it signals a better future. As of now, the complaints we’ll be receiving are being answered directly. It depends on the complaint, but we promise that it won’t be taking as long as it used to take a citizen when they were queuing up,” Kaboneka added. Calling on Rwandans to be optimistic on this new development, Kaboneka noted that infrastructure is being boosted, mostly in rural areas , to ensure access to this platform, and urged local authorities to facilitate the process. “We are not stopping using the old methods, but we are facilitating whoever is able to use the system for him/her not to waste time. People can still come to us to file complaints if they are not familiar with the electronic system,” he said. The development is also part of the broad Government of Rwanda’s ICT for transformation programme, specifically e-government policy aimed at efficient service delivery through what is termed as ‘Zero-Trip, Zero-Paper.’ Kaboneka also announced that Irembo portal has started offering complete end-end e-services that won’t require citizens to physically visit the sector or other service provider offices. Particularly, Gasabo District now issues electronic birth certificates and other administrative documents (e-certificates) on Irembo platform with this mode of service delivery being rolled out to other districts. At least 1900 Irembo service centres were rolled out countrywide, according to Jules Ntabwoba, from RwandaOnline Platform Ltd. Minister Kaboneka called on all government institutions and local governments not to wait for a signed paper when they are offering a service to a citizen because they can also access the ministry website to verify whether a given service has been paid by the service seekers. editorial@newtimes.co.rw
