The final list of FARG needs to be accurate

With reports of gross mismanagement and other ills regarding disbursements within the Fund for Genocide Survivors (FARG) being rife within the media, and accusations and counter accusations on the culpability flying all over the FARG precincts, the government did the expected thing; fired the entire leadership of the fund. I say it was expected because to most observers of Rwanda’s governance, there is zero tolerance to corruption. The acting boss of FARG told reporters at the weekend that a provisional report from the just ended validation exercise for beneficiaries, which was conducted countrywide, is expected this week. However, media reports last week published claims that there were deserving cases which were struck off the list of beneficiaries despite being eligible. In Ngoma, about 50 students stormed the district complaining that they were unfairly scrapped from the list. An official in charge of statistics in the area admitted that there could have been flaws due to lack of ample time accorded to the exercise and promised to look into the complaints. In other areas, according to the media, officials were ordered to revisit the lists after several complaints surfaced .Thus against the backdrop all this drama,the recent firing of the officials involved in the mess reaffirms the government commitment to dealing with this vice. In Kayonza and Rwamagana districts, there were reports that local leaders who carried out the validation exercise misinterpreted the guidelines and in the process committed ‘errors’ among which was to wrongly strike legitimate people off the list. This is unfortunate. These children especially, should be given the opportunity to pursue education. Accurate data and figures are needed here as it will be used to make critical decisions affecting particularly unfortunate members of the society. Inaccurate figures will cause unnecessary panic, suffering among student survivors, and waste in case fake people are retained on the list again. If beneficiaries who surpass the poverty line are supposed to be removed every passing year, this also calls for accurate data capture to assess the progress of the poverty eradication projects. In some areas it was reported that officials failed to accurately determine the economic status of potential applicants leading to erroneous decision making which largely informed the exercise. It was therefore necessary to first educate local leaders on the perimeters before carrying out the exercise. People should not out of ignorance strike genuine needy cases off the list. Accuracy is vital if the government is to plan adequately for survivors. It should be noted that having ghost beneficiaries on the list is not only a gross malpractice; removing genuine beneficiaries from it, on account of ignorance, is also a serious malpractice. The criteria should be clearly followed, and if grassroots leaders cannot understand them, competent people should be employed, who will not only weed out the malpractice , but also resume some sense of normalcy and hence credibility in the whole exercise. Ends