EDITORIAL: Public servants must be more vigilant

The Auditor General’s report currently being scrutinised by the Public Accounts Committee contains very disturbing revelations. And, this is not unique to the current report. Each year, there seems to be shocking examples of wasteful spending, extreme mismanagement of the scarce public resources and gross negligence. Last month Rwandans were shocked to learn of a bizarre case where the agriculture ministry bought tractors and other equipment worth billions that could not be used in the country. This week, we leant that Rwanda Education Board (REB) officials were duped by internet fraudsters and the government lost $516,397 (about Rwf379.6 million). The money was for tuition fees of Rwandan students studying at a Nigerian university. According to the 2013/14 Auditor-General’s report, this wasn’t the only problem. REB had other accounting queries, including mismanagement and the discrepancies. Such cases point to a bigger problem that needs a thorough audit. We need to get to the bottom of how public servants make decisions. Are the people entrusted to make such important decisions qualified? Are there other ulterior motives that have influenced bad decisions? What is the decision making process like in these institutions? Are there checks and balances to protect tax payers money? All these are questions that need to get answered. Unearthing discrepancies and punishing those culpable is a step in the right direction, but getting to the root cause of these mistakes is one area that needs to be explored extensively, if the cycle of mistakes is to be broken. Rwanda may not be endowed with a wealth of resources, but if we efficiently managed what we have, we will achieve milestones that we only dreamt about.

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EDITORIAL: Public servants must be more vigilant