Five top Gov’t officials sacked

The Cabinet on Wednesday endorsed the sacking of five government officials accused of embezzling public funds and corruption. Two of the sacked officials are former employees at the Ministry of Infrastructure (MININFRA) who are now in jail as investigations over the loss of Rwf 1.7billion continue. They include the ministry’s former Permanent Secretary, Vincent Gatwabuyenge and his former Director of Finance, Faustin Gacinya. Others in detention are former Director General of the Central Public Investment and External Finance Bureau (CEPEX), George Katurebe and former Director General of the National Institute of Statistics (NIS), Dr. Louis Munyakazi. The Cabinet also fired the former Senate Secretary General, Fidele Rwigamba. The officials, mostly seniors were dismissed “because of the mistakes they did during the course of their work,” a press release signed by minister in charge of cabinet affairs Charles Murigande reads in part. In a related move, the meeting which was chaired by President Paul Kagame at Urugwiro Village urged all public servants to “properly manage public funds by” avoiding any extravagance. “Government will never tolerate any civil servant who will fall into such mistakes,” the statement said, ringing the bell against misuse of taxpayer’s money. A corruption case currently in public prosecution files about Kigali-Bugesera road in which alleged embezzlement of Rwf 1.7billion claimed most of the sacked officials. The money was reportedly released by Gatwabuyenge to STRABAG, a construction company. The prosecution’s spokesperson, Augustin Nkusi, said last month that a war against corrupt officials was on course after police had arrested Dr. Munyakazi over alleged embezzlement, abuse of office, misuse of public funds and corruption. Several senior officials working for the Rwanda Senate have been reportedly suspended from their duties for alleged irregularities. Reliable sources told The New Times that the suspension was linked to suspected overpricing of ICT equipment supplied to Senators. A case that brought the issue up seems to be the US$ 800 unitary price that is said to have been spent on buying laptop bags for senators. “What kind of computing does a laptop bag do to warrant that spending?” President Kagame is said to have asked the President of the Senate, Vincent Biruta, during the last government retreat. Ends