Members of Parliament have requested the Prime Minister to expedite the establishment of the Disaster Response Fund in order to ensure timely disbursement of relief to people affected by disasters. Specifically, the members of the Parliament’s Chamber of Deputies want the Prime Minister to accelerate an Order determining the organisation and functioning of the Fund. The resolution was adopted on Tuesday as the Plenary Chamber of Deputies approved the report of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Cooperation and Security on the implementation of the law relating to disaster management, which was enacted in 2015. The establishment of this Fund is provided for by this law in its article 38. According to the law, financing of the Fund shall be through the national budget, grants from development partners as well as donations and bequests. Overall, MP Emmanuel Bugingo, Chairperson of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Cooperation and Security said although the law was being implemented the Fund is yet to be set up. MPs have been arguing that disasters are unexpected and costly as they claim lives and destroy property, thus calling for preparedness strategies. “The Prime Minister’s Order has not yet been made almost six years since the enactment of the law, which means it is long overdue,” he said. The Ministry of Emergency Management and Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning have held discussions over the establishment of the Fund. According to data from the Ministry of Emergency Management, in 2020 disasters – including fire, floods, hailstorms, landslides, lightning, rainstorms, windstorms, mine disaster and wildfires, killed 298 people and injured 414 others, damaged 8,098 houses and 4,661.5 hectares of crops. They also destroyed 154 roads, 103 bridges, and 96 classrooms among other damages in the same year. And in 2021, the tremors that ravaged Rubavu District in Western Province, following Nyiragongo volcanic eruption in May, caused damages estimated at over Rwf36 billion. According to a post-disaster assessment by the government of Rwanda, the earthquakes damaged a total of 2,990 buildings, including residential houses, government and commercial buildings, schools, health facilities, and churches. Other public infrastructure, such as water pipes, electricity and roads, were also damaged Swift response to disasters such as constructing houses for the affected residents, rehabilitation of infrastructures such as roads and bridges as well as farms, has been faced with challenges including lack of readily budget.
