SOUTHERN PROVINCE RUHANGO—Local leaders in Ruhango district have been warned on ‘overstating’ and ‘presumption of figures’ achieved in performance contracts commonly known as Imihigo. The call, made recently by Governor Fidel Ndayisaba and Mayor François Byabarumwanzi, comes after third-phase evaluations of performance contracts throughout the country. In Ruhango, eight presentations were evidently exaggerated, so as not to disappoint, but this could only cause greater problems for the both the district and the country as the government would be given misconceptions of achievements on paper compared to reality on ground. Some sectors went to the extent of stating that Genocide ideology had been eliminated completely, 100 per cent gone, yet Southern Province has notoriously continued to struggle with eliminating the ideology. Other unrealistic figures also fell on Mutuelle des Sante, good governance and economic development. “The contracts have been well presented,” said Governor Ndayisaba. “However there are some exaggerations that cannot be verified on ground. It is important to be realistic and indicate the impact of the set goals.” The governor also urged the leaders to be aggressive and dynamic, taking on the current needs of the province, such as increase of gross product on coffee, cassava and implementing the zero-grazing policy. “Rwandans respect leaders and are aware of the rights and democracy. Therefore it is the role of leaders to collaborate with residents to implement policies without necessarily using force, otherwise nothing will be achieved” he said. Ministry of Local Government officials indicate that the criterion for evaluating performance contracts was not followed and reports were premature. Sector leaders were also asked to use technological know-how during presentation instead of handwritten reports. Key issues to be tackled by all sectors in 2008 include the increase of agricultural coffee products and health insurance, as well as reducing the numbers of idlers and unemployed. Ends
