Local government minister Francis Kaboneka has criticised local leaders of Northern Province for general poor performance in performance contract (Imihigo). He urged them to learn from their failures and work hard as a team for better results in the next Imihigo.

He spoke at meeting with grassroots, local government and opinion leaders in Musanze District on Thursday. None of the five districts that constitute Northern Province emerged in the top ten.

"That no district [in Northern Province] was rated among the best ten is the country is an indictment not only on the mayors or officials in the districts, but also you, the community leaders,” Kaboneka said.

"You have to think of your contributions to meet set targets and perform well in next year’s performance contracts; from village level to the sector and the district. Understand what you did not do right and find out what happened so as to learn from your mistakes,” he added.

In the 2013/2014 Imihigo, Gicumbi District was the best in the province but in 14th position overall while Musanze District trailed at number 27.

The minister said he was optimistic that with determination, local leaders can better their performances. "It requires clear teamwork with a vision.”

Musanze District officials say the District will aim to do better in service delivery focusing on economy, good governance and community well-being.

Kaboneka also urged local leaders to help residents explore opportunities in various sectors such as health, education among others to become self reliant in the future.

The Mayor of Musanze, Winifride Mpembyemungu pledged teamwork to achieve set targets in the next Imihigo. She urged other local leaders in her district to be agent of realization of the set targets.