Despite more than a decade of decentralisation reforms, key gaps in decision-making, financing, staffing and service delivery continue to limit the effectiveness of Rwanda’s local governments, particularly in the health, agriculture and environment sectors, according to Transparency International Rwanda.

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Presenting findings from the Decentralisation Assessment Framework (DAF) on Wednesday, December 17 during the National Dialogue on the Role of Civil Society in Decentralisation in Kigali, Transparency International Rwanda Executive Director Apollinaire Mupiganyi said several ministries have retained powers and programmes that should have been devolved to districts, sectors and cells.

The DAF assessments, conducted in five districts, Musanze, Karongi, Gisagara, Ngororero and Gasabo, show that while decentralisation policies are in place, implementation remains uneven, with functions often transferred without matching financial resources, staffing and autonomy.

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"Our assessments in health, agriculture and environment show that decentralisation is advancing, but important gaps remain, especially where decisions and budgets continue to be centralised despite services being delivered locally,” Mupiganyi said.

The framework assessed decentralisation using four dimensions, 19 variables and 89 indicators, drawing on desk reviews, key informant interviews and focus group discussions with government officials, civil society and community members.

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In agriculture, the DAF found that districts and sectors often lack the flexibility to respond to location-specific farming needs, despite being closest to farmers.

According to the assessment, agricultural staffing at sector and cell levels remains insufficient, limiting extension services in a sector that is largely farm-based. District agronomists are often overstretched, while farmer promoters receive limited logistical and financial support compared to their counterparts in the health sector.

Mupiganyi cited cases where centrally designed interventions overlooked local agro-ecological realities.

"In some areas, farmers were given Irish potato seed varieties intended for different climatic conditions,” he said.

In the health sector, the DAF revealed a persistent mismatch between responsibilities assigned to local governments and the powers they hold.

While health services are delivered at district and facility levels, human resource management, infrastructure maintenance and key financial decisions remain largely centralised, mainly under the Ministry of Health and its agencies.

The assessment found that local governments’ own revenues average about 8 percent of district budgets, making health facilities heavily dependent on central government transfers and insurance reimbursements.

Delayed reimbursements from the Rwanda Social Security Board (RSSB) were identified as a major bottleneck, undermining service delivery and financial sustainability. The DAF recommended decentralising certain verification and decision-making processes and accelerating digitalisation to address the delays.

In the environment sector, the DAF identified limited delegation and devolution of environmental and climate-related services, particularly at sector and cell levels.

Districts were found to lack specialised environmental staff, while funding for environmental protection and climate adaptation remains insufficient and, in some cases, delayed. The assessment also found that the proportion of the national environmental budget allocated to local governments remains low compared to their responsibilities.

Across all sectors, Transparency International stressed that citizens have a strong understanding of their development needs, yet their priorities are not consistently reflected in planning and budgeting processes.

"The citizens know what they need in their communities and how they can contribute to development,” Mupiganyi said. "When leadership is not sufficiently grounded in citizen priorities, accountability weakens.”

Richard Kubana, the Director General in charge of Community Mobilisation and Youth Volunteers Coordination in Community Policing at the Ministry of Local Government (MINALOC), highlighted the progress and challenges of public service delivery at the grassroots level.

He said that currently, "between 40 and 45 per cent of public services are delivered at the grassroots level,” with the Second National Strategy for Transformation (NST2) aiming to raise that figure to at least 70 per cent.

Richard Gasana, the Mayor of Gatsibo District, speaking on behalf of other district mayors, said decentralisation has cut travel time and costs for citizens, with many services now available at sector and cell levels. He acknowledged persistent challenges, particularly with land disputes.

"There are still people who often insist on taking their cases to the highest level, but even then they remain dissatisfied. We are responsible for educating them. The cases that most often cause dissatisfaction relate to land,” he said.