Kagame takes leaders to task

GATSIBO- President Paul Kagame on Saturday lashed out at local leaders who don’t live up to their roles and responsibilities, especially by failing to solve disputes and problems affecting people at the grass roots level. The President was addressing residents of Kiramuruzi, Gatsibo District in the Eastern Province during on his traditional countrywide tour to listen to the problems and views of the population. “I have no business to do with leaders who don’t perform their roles and they also have no business being in the positions they are in” said Kagame. He told a huge gathering at Kiramuruzi grounds that he will not tolerate leaders who don’t go to the grassroots to listen and act on people’s problems but rather prefer sitting in their offices all the time. Kagame was reacting after visiting Kanyonyomba Rice Growing scheme where the government has invested over Rwf 2.5bn to construct dams and an irrigation scheme for residents to grow rice, but 3 seasons later, no harvests have been realised. The Agriculture Ministers Christopher Bazivamo and Agnes Kalibata were put to task to explain why the project has not lived to its expectations and no valid answer could be provided. The 2 ministers blamed the failure of the project, which was expected to realise 20Bn Rwf in returns in just a few years, to residents who have failed to adopt the whole concept of the project. However Kagame put the blame on local leaders who have failed to sensitise people on the importance of the project whose role was to fight hunger and help residents improve their household incomes. He also accused residents of Gatsibo and the Eastern Province for shunning development projects but instead prefer spending time in bars drinking illicit blew commonly known as ‘Kayanga’ which is rampant in the Eastern Province. “I have seen the place, yes, the dams are there, but have we realised our target? This actually means that the money we invested in this project is all wasted. The choice is yours, you either take up the project as your own, or we give it to Rwandan investors who can utilise it” he told the attentive crowd. He challenged the locals who claim that they are not used to growing rice to come up and show what they have produced of those crops they claim to be familiar with. “What are you familiar with, hunger or laziness?” he asked to the crowd. The President warned against laziness warning that they would continue facing hunger and poverty or become beggars . “I don’t see any reason why the people of Gatsibo or Rwandans would opt to die of hunger or become beggars when they can work to avoid it.” He said that stern measures, including prosecution and dismissal, will be taken against officials in the District who have been found to have diverted fertilisers meant for the Rice Project while those who don’t address the concerns of the people will also be done away with. This was after he took time off to listen to the grievances of the people. Most of the complaints were relate to land but residents also complained about particular leaders who deny them services. In a typical one-on-one session, the President took in the concerns of the people and occasionally came in with solutions while local leaders would be put to task to explain why particular problems hadn’t been dealt with, some as old as 15 years, even when the leaders were aware of them . The crowd as if to say ‘this is our time’ clapped as the Mayor of Gatsibo, Vianney Murego, and other district officials struggled to come up with answers. The President ordered them to go and deal with the issues once and for all. Kagame will visit Kirehe District in his next tour. Ends