This Saturday, February 26, Umuganda is set to return in various parts of the country, except in Kigali where it was postponed due to a Tour du Rwanda race that is taking place in the city on the same day. The excerise was put off in March 2020 owing to the Covid-19 restrictions. Before the pandemic hit, Umuganda used to be conducted every last Saturday of the month. Here, village members would come together to carry out various cleaning activities in their community, as well as get time to discuss various issues affecting them. In an interview with The New Times on Friday, February 25, Jean Marie Vianney Gatabazi, the Minister of Local Governments described Umuganda as a key homegrown solution that contributes to the social and economic development of the country. According to him, since 2007 when the country revived the exercise, citizens have carried out activities that would have cost the government up to Rwf 184 billion. He referred to it as an opportunity for people to meet together and discuss their future, reflecting on how to solve the problems they are facing, the priority activities they want to do in their community, among other things. “People meet and share ideas about their development. In addition, they do practical work that would have cost the government money,” he said. Talking about this weekend’s edition, he noted that it will focus on structures that were damaged by the recent heavy rains. Here, citizens will work to rebuild their counterparts’ houses, clear blocked roads, dig anti-erosion terraces, and so on. “We will also get time to talk about problems, including school dropouts and how to take them back to school,” he said. The exercise will be done under Covid-19 preventive measures including wearing of masks and social distancing. In addition to this, people are required to bring their own tools from home so that they will not have to share them, which can increase the risks of spreading Covid-19 among themselves. Gatabazi called upon the local leaders to put effort into ensuring good organisation of the upcoming exercises. Here he said the citizens should know, in a timely manner, the activities that are to be done, where they will take place and the tools needed. “And it is always good that the citizens of respective communities are the ones that choose the activities that should be done, in regard to the need that is there. This is because they know well the issues that need to be addressed in their communities,” he said.
