Nyarugenge Intermediate Court has granted bail to three former senior officials of the Water and Sanitation Corporation (WASAC) who are facing corruption-related charges. The released include Omar Munyaneza, former CEO of WASAC; Gisele Umuhumuza, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Infrastructure and former Acting CEO of WASAC; and Dominique Murekezi, former Managing Director of WASAC Development. ALSO READ: Former WASAC boss remanded, assistant freed on bail The trio had earlier been remanded for 30 days by the primary court pending trial, but the decision was overturned on Wednesday, September 17, following a successful appeal. According to the prosecution, Munyaneza is accused of abusing his office for personal gain, making decisions based on nepotism and favouritism, and acting as an accomplice in soliciting or accepting undue payments. Umuhumuza and Murekezi face similar charges of abuse of office, nepotism, and favouritism, while Umuhumuza is additionally accused of misusing public funds. Prosecutors allege that under their leadership, WASAC engaged in irregular recruitment, promotions, and dismissals in violation of the utility’s 2018 Human Resources Policy. They cited improper hiring in 28 positions involving 45 candidates, and the recruitment of 22 graduates from INES Ruhengeri and the University of Rwanda without mandatory exams. The officials are also accused of approving unauthorised promotions and transfers, which saw at least 15 employees reassigned to positions they were not qualified for. Prosecution further pointed to irregular salary allocations, alleging that Umuhumuza approved inflated pay packages. On examination irregularities, prosecutors claim Umuhumuza allowed an unqualified candidate to sit for an exam and later facilitated the hiring despite the candidate lacking required certifications. ALSO READ: Five things to know as courts roll out victim-offender mediation In her defence, Umuhumuza argued that she only attended a meeting chaired by the CEO where exam preparations were discussed, but had no role in implementing the decisions. On the alleged irregular payments, she said that although she was Acting Chief Budget Officer at the time, she was not involved in drafting the contract in question. Murekezi also denied wrongdoing, saying his role was limited to conducting oral exams and that he had no involvement in altering written tests. He maintained that decisions regarding the use of non-WASAC staff in exam preparations came directly from the CEO, and were within the rules.
