Ngoma mayor resigns

NGOMA–The Mayor of Ngoma District in Eastern Province, Francois Niyotwagira, over the weekend, handed in his resignation letter to the District Advisory Council citing ‘personal reasons’. Ntiyotwagira was first elected in office in 2006, served for five years and was in 2011 re-elected to serve another five year term.The Chairman of the Council, Stephen Rwamurangwa, acknowledged receiving the mayor’s letter, adding that the Council had accepted the resignation.“We have to move on,” he said.A source who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the mayor’s resignation was long overdue, after much criticism over mismanagement of the district.“He was involved in serious mismanagement of the district…his six years in office were marred by a series of serious scandals, especially related to land grabbing,” the source said.The source alleges that the land that the mayor allegedly grabbed was meant for people repatriated from Tanzania several years back.Niyotwagira was also reportedly at loggerheads with Kibungo Institute of Agriculture and Technology (INATEK), after allegations that he had grabbed most of the plots allocated to the institution.Several residents relocated from the district’s main town of Kibungo, last year, told The New Times that the mayor was very obsessed with possessing land.When contacted for comment, Niyotwagira dismissed the allegations, insisting that he legally acquired all the land he owns, stressing that he did not grab any land from anyone.He further insisted that the grounds of his resignation were personal. Despite fertile soils and abundant natural resources, Ngoma District has often been ranked among the last, countrywide, in executing performance contracts.

National

Ngoma mayor resigns