Local government leaders have been urged to be transparent in their work. The advice was given yesterday to the leaders at the closing of a three-week workshop on financial management which took place at the School on Finance and Banking (SFB). The workshop was conducted in four different phases, with 201 participants who were enriched with different knowledge. The workshop’s major aim was to equip the local government employees with the essential capacity to accurately compile monthly financial reports both timely and successfully in order to make the accountability process more transparent. The Deputy Auditor General, Obadia Biraro, appealed to the participants to deliver better services to their esteemed customers since they are their main focus in their services. “Due to poor customer care services delivered to people, they can lead to less contribution that is expected from them,” said Biraro. Local leader should always aim high to deliver suitable services to the people who come to them. “Go for good but if there is better that should be your pleasure as a leader” During the training, the participants got different knowledge on how they can improve on their skills on mobilisation and monitoring of revenue collection, on fiscal and financial decentralisation policy and on the ministerial order of determining the use of funds allocated at sector level. The Mayor of Kigali City, Dr Aisha Kirabo Kakira, challenged the participants not only to attend workshops and training and go, but to make a positive move towards development. “Making Kigali clean and safeguard people’s good and property it is not enough when we are not transparent to them”. She said. The latter emphasised on the laws that govern them on what they are entitled to “The budget should come at the sector level whereby every local leader can know how to plan and implement their contract targets.” The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Local government (MINALOC) Eugene Barikana called for the local leaders to be fair and just in what they are doing. “The country will never develop when local leaders do not have a conscience mind to protect people’s common interest”. He stressed He also said that districts can never make a move when people are not willing to change and be active towards the development of their area. The workshop was initiated by the cities alliance, is a global coalition alliance with other cities that faced the same problems like the sister country Rwanda. Prudence Rubingisa, the coordinator of cities alliance at the country level told the New Times that their main aim in conducting the workshop was to improve on the level of systems that are used to conduct accountability activities at the district level. Ends
