Performance contracts extend to ministries

AN evaluation exercise to check whether targets set by the government have been achieved at the ministerial level has started, Prime Minister Bernard Makuza has said.Assessing performance (Imihigo) was initially done at district level where Mayors sign a performance contract with the Head of State. In an exclusive interview held at the Prime Minister’s office in Kimihurura ealy this week, Makuza said all successful nations the world over use the evaluation approach to monitor performance of their leaders. He added that evaluating ministries were among many recommendations of the recent annual Government retreat which took place at the Akagera Game Lodge in the Eastern Province. “It is very important that leaders be held accountable. When you say you will achieve 80 percent of the set goals, we shall be assessing you,” Makuza said. He said the evaluation exercise will first be carried out by ministers themselves before the external examiners cross-check their reports. He said the President had asked government leaders to discard the notion of ‘business as usual’ and challenged all national institutions to reposition themselves and refocus on development to help the masses. “It is very difficult to present a beautiful picture if you underperformed because many people will be assessing you,” Makuza explained. He said the evaluation will be done by his office in partnership with State House. Other stakeholders in the evaluation process include the local, finance and planning ministries and local leaders at the grassroots. Makuza said the Government retreat recommended that conventional approaches be applied as long as they were pro-people. During the five-day retreat, the President had urged leaders at all levels to be steadfast in sustaining what the country had already achieved. “The President said leaders should also change negative attitudes towards work and be honest because the two elements are major attributes of good governance.” The Prime Minister also clarified that the press conference he called last Friday to brief journalists on the Akagera recommendations had absolutely nothing to do with the cabinet reshuffle as some media reports suggested. “When you read what some media reports after the press conference said, one may think that I was alluding to the impending reshuffle, which was not true,” Makuza explained.He also said the new post of Minister of Cabinet Affairs had not rendered his office redundant but instead re-enforced it. “The office will work hand in hand with the newly established ministry to ease and speed up the operations of the Cabinet.” The premier added that the move would help in speeding up various cabinet activities and improving service delivery. Other items that were discussed at length were issues regarding promoting social welfare of the population through improving their health standards and interaction between leaders and the public. Ends