Rwandans welcome “Access to information” draft law

Rwandans from different walks of life have welcomed the “Access to information” draft law which was yesterday tabled before parliament by the Minister for Cabinet Affairs Protais Musoni . Once promulgated into law, every citizen will have the right to access information that concern their social, economic, financial welfare, public and some private institutions. Jean Nepo Turatsinze, a trader at Kigali’s business zone of “Quarter Commercial” says: “We hear budgets worth millions being allocated for some things, but at the end of the year, we don’t really see how the money is spent. This time, we will not always wait for the Ombudsman or the Auditor General to show how the money was spent,” said Turatsinze. The vice Rector of Kigali Institute of Education, Dr James Vuningoma believes that the right to access information portrays true democracy. “That is how true democracy works, and we have to look at it as an imperative,” Vuningoma said. “If the law is passed, then officials will stop taking people for granted. Journalists will also have the obligation to keep the public better informed”. Florence Mutoni, a resident of Muhima, a Kigali suburb notes: “It will help us to be more informed on our rights and be able to defend them where necessary.” “Sometime back, we were relocated without enough compensation, and we didn’t have anyone to ask if that was the only money allocated for us or even, who took that initiative. We will not face such problems in future, hopefully,” she narrated. Osman Senyonjo, a student at the School of Finance and Banking (SFB) expects the law to help him in his research and future career as a consultant. “We have a survey group at school, but we have always had a hard time getting data needed for our research, even from public institutions. This move comes in time, as institutions will be bound to reveal figures and relevant projections,” said Senyonjo. Ends

National

Rwandans welcome “Access to information” draft law