Malawian Ombudsman on Rwandan visit

The Ombudsman of Malawi, Justice Tujilane Chizumila, has hailed the government of Rwanda for the progress made in for promotion of good governance and fight against corruption.The official said this yesterday shortly after visiting the Office of the Ombudsman in Kigali.“The main objective of this visit is to learn from our Rwandan counterparts because, as you are aware, the Rwandan Office of the Ombudsman, and the government in general, just 18 years after the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi has so far done so much on justice issues and good governance, so we have come to learn and also share experience with them,” Chizumila said.The Ombudsman, who is in the country for a week, said the Malawian Office of Ombudsman was established in 1996. She said they will use the best practices and experiences from Rwanda to improve her institution’s performance.“From the presentation made by the Office of the Ombudsman here, I noticed that we have a lot of similarities but the way our counterparts in Rwanda handle their issues is far beyond what we are doing back home. For instance, I have learnt how to work closely with the local authorities which we haven’t started yet and we shall do through public awareness programmes,” Chizumila saidThe official was also impressed that the Office of the Ombudsman in Rwanda involves the youth through forming anti-corruption youth clubs around the country, saying they will open up similar clubs in Malawi.She told The New Times she will also visit other institutions, including the National Human Rights Commission and different Ministries.Speaking to The New Times, Augustin Nzindukiyimana, the Deputy Ombudsman in charge of fighting corruption and other related offences, said one of the serious challenges still being faced by his office is resistance from public institutions and private institutions to implement some of its recommendations.He said they will continue to raise public awareness about the importance of fighting injustice and corruption in the country.