City mayor urges dwellers to denounce poor service delivery

The Mayor of the City of Kigali, Fidèle Ndayisaba, has decried poor service delivery among some officials, saying it fosters corruption. “We have established a client’s charter clearly stipulating the requirements for each service in the city and the time it takes to get served. The public should denounce those who do not abide by the charter since it was realised that some leaders intentionally delay to deliver on their duties so that people can give them kickbacks to speed up services,” Ndayisaba said. Ndayisaba was speaking during the anti-corruption week in Kigali on Thursday. The event was organised as part of activities to mark the Good Governance Month that started on March 18. Donatien Mungwarareba, the head of capacity building in the Private Sector Federation, said corruption leads to closure of some businesses which undermines development. “Every year, many businesses close due to bankruptcy related to corruption,” Mungwarareba said. Marie Immaculée Ingabire, the president of Transparency International Rwanda (TI-Rwanda), cited lack of solidarity as the biggest challenge to the fight against corruption. “When one leader notices that their counterpart has taken a bribe, they protect them instead of exposing them,” Ingabire said. Clement Musangabatware, the Deputy Ombudsman in charge of the fight against corruption and injustice, said there was need for people to join efforts in the fight against graft. Grassroots institutions that are closer to people are the most affected, he said, adding that political will is necessary to stem corruption. “Despite the existing political will to fight corruption and related practices, studies have shown that there are still obstacles hindering the fight against corruption,” Musangabatware explained. The will to fight corruption and related crimes increased from 88 per cent in 2013 to 97.3 per cent in 2014, according to Musangabatware. Providing information about corruption stands at 25.6 per cent, up from 14.3 per cent in 2013. Studies show that 51.1 per cent offer bribes in a bid to get faster services. The anti-corruption week in Kigali is running under the theme: “Fighting corruption, a responsibility for everyone.”

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City mayor urges dwellers to denounce poor service delivery