Mageragere prison construction delays blamed on misuse of funds

Mismanagement and misallocation of funds are allegedly to blame for delays in the completion of the construction of Nyarugenge Central Prison in Mageragere Sector, Nyarugenge District. Bernadette Kanzayire, the deputy Ombudsman in charge of preventing and fighting injustice, said this, yesterday, while appearing before parliamentary Standing Committee on Political Affairs and Gender to explain the issues that were raised in the 2013/2014 Ombudsman report. “We discovered that the budget allocated for the construction of Mageragere prison was instead channeled into other district activities. The people responsible for this include district leaders and executive secretary,” Kanzayire said. Kanzayire said there were several anomalies in the transfer of money meant for the project. “It is problematic to see how that money landed on the district bank accounts,” she told MPs. “The district officials claimed that the money was not earmarked when it was wired on the district bank account, they did not know what it was meant for and so decided to allocate it to other pending activities. “Those are the explanations we heard from Nyarugenge District officials during the recent retreat,” Kanzayire added. She urged stakeholders to always give details whenever funds are wired to district accounts, but also follow up to know if the money was allocated to the intended project. “This should not give room for carelessness; administrators should also take the responsibility of knowing why and how such money would get on their institution’s bank accounts. You just can’t spend money without knowing its source and purpose, simply because it was found on your account,” Kanzayire cautioned. Minister optimistic The new prison, which is supposed to have been completed about a year ago, is expected to be ready next year, according to the Minister for Internal Security, Sheikh Musa Fazil Harerimana. Harerimana, in a recent interview with The New Times, said that despite the delays, works are in the final stages. “I am sure by next year, Mageragere prison will be ready to receive inmates,” he said. The minister said funds for the completion of the prison will be allocated in the next financial year starting in July. The new facility, once completed, is expected to accommodate about 1,000 inmates, according to Harerimana. The correctional facility will also accommodate inmates from Gasabo prison, located in Kimironko Sector. MP Alfred Kayiranga Rwasa, the chairperson of the parliamentary committee, wondered whether issues of mismanagement were related to public money being swindled. Kanzayire did not rule out the possibility of some officials who might be involved in such delays with corruption-related intentions. However, she called for comprehensive investigations into such cases. “Some people choose to breach the law and misuse public finances. We need stiffer measures to fight such issues of financial mismanagement and hold people accountable for whatever loss they would cause to the government,” she added. Kanzayire said government had come up with new mechanisms to fight corruption and public finance mismanagement, which would also involve holding top executives of public institutions such as mayors and ministers accountable, unlike previously when only budget managers, including permanent secretaries, were answerable. The new mechanisms were adopted in the recent Leadership Retreat, Kanzayire said. editorial@newtimes.co.rw

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Mageragere prison construction delays blamed on misuse of funds