Gacaca progress impresses Governor

NYANZA – Provincial Governor Fidèle Ndayisaba, on Friday, told journalists that the Gacaca process, has been pivotal in uniting Rwandans and eradicating the culture of impunity. The governor noted that despite the province having the highest cases to be tried, much has been achieved across the different category of cases. “We are talking about a completion level of up to 99 percent of all cases in the second category, 96 percent in the first category and about 76 percent in the third category,” he said. “We have achieved conviviality amongst our population as they come together to face the challenges posed by the legacy of the Genocide.” He cited Kamonyi District where courts have been most efficient, survivors and perpetrators have owned up to their crimes, coming together in associations in a bid to rebuild their lives. “Gacaca has helped in building community spirit. In some places in the province, people have come together to help their poor colleagues compensate for the property they destroyed during the Genocide,” said Ndayisaba. The Governor said that Genocide perpetrators who made a guilty plea are helping build what they destroyed through community work. “This is a good gesture because through these activities, roads have been built, classrooms constructed, steep slopes terraced saving local authorities large amounts of funds they would have spent on these activities,” he added. The Governor observed that the challenge remains in the third category of cases where people whose property was destroyed have to be compensated. “Many of the people who are supposed to pay up in this category are very poor. They don’t have the ability to pay for what they destroyed. This is holding up the completion of cases in this category,” he said. Ends