Disaster aid was misused, AG tells Senate

KIGALI - An audit report presented before the Senate, yesterday, disclosed various irregularities and mismanagement of the aid relief allocated to victims of disasters that affected four districts in Western Province - Nyamasheke, Nyabihu, Rusizi and Rubavu. Presenting the report, the Deputy Auditor General, Obadiah Biraro, said that that they discovered incomplete repairs and substandard structures. The audit was commissioned on the recommendation of the Senate who received a preliminary report that indicated there was mismanagement of funds and material meant to support victims of the disaster. Biraro said that their inquiry covered ten institutions that were involved in the management of the aid that was sourced from various local and international partners. “We established that there was no value for money basing on the facts evident in the report, and we have produced a list of people responsible, with recommendations for legal action,” said Biraro The report also reveals that some local government officials inflated prices or exaggerated on the damages caused by the disasters.“These funds were either embezzled by these officials or diverted for other purposes,” he added. The report also showed images of dilapidated health and educational institutions being used by students, yet funds, according to the Auditor General, were disbursed more than two years ago to rehabilitate the structures. Rusizi and Nyamasheke districts were hit by an earthquake about two years ago, while Nyabihu and Rubavu have been hit by floods.According to the report, some victims of the earthquake still live in emergency shelter. The House recommended that the Auditor General’s report and that of the senatorial committee, be merged and forwarded to the Prime Minster for action. The report, according to the senators, will be accompanied by a letter soliciting for urgent relief for the affected victims. Ends

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Disaster aid was misused, AG tells Senate