Members of Parliament have called on the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning to address weaknesses in financial management after a parliamentary report revealed that 48 per cent of reviewed institutions made payments without purchase orders. The concern was raised on Monday, May 18, during a plenary session in which the Parliamentary Committee on Governance, Gender and Development presented its assessment of the 2024/2025 activities report and the 2025/2026 action plan of the Rwanda Governance Board (RGB). ALSO READ: Parliament orders probe into misuse of public funds by May MP Théogène Munyangeyo said the findings reflected serious gaps in accountability and public finance management. “The Ministry of Finance needs to follow up on this. They are the ones funding these institutions — how can they release money and not ensure it is being used transparently?” he said during the plenary sitting. Munyangeyo warned that leaving the issue unaddressed creates loopholes for misuse of public resources, particularly at a time when the country must make the most of the limited funds available. The report, presented by committee chairperson Anastase Nabahire, reviewed RGB’s performance, governance trends, service delivery, and findings from consultations with government institutions and stakeholders. According to the report, RGB completed all 32 planned activities for the 2024/2025 fiscal year, with an overall budget execution rate of 97.61 per cent. The institution utilised Rwf2.74 billion, including Rwf2.34 billion from the Government budget and Rwf396.8 million from partners. ALSO READ: Gov't mulls harsh penalties for misuse of public funds Nabahire told lawmakers that the committee found both progress and persistent governance challenges requiring attention from institutions. “The committee found that there are still governance and service delivery gaps that need continuous follow-up by relevant institutions and parliamentary committees,” he said. The report noted that Rwanda continued to perform strongly in several international governance indicators. The country ranked first out of 54 African countries in the Africa Visa Openness Index, first in Sub Saharan Africa in the Rule of Law Index, and fourth in Sub Saharan Africa in the Corruption Perception Index. The gaps However, lawmakers highlighted declining scores in several governance pillars under the Rwanda Governance Scorecard. Citizen welfare improvement remained the lowest scoring pillar at 64.69 per cent, while security ranked highest at 90.02 per cent. The committee also cited findings from peer reviews conducted in 2,500 non-budget agencies at sector level. It found that 68 per cent of institutions operate in buildings without fire safety measures, 46 per cent lack fire extinguishers, and 48 per cent make payments without purchase orders. The report also found that 34 per cent do not have service charters, 33 per cent fail to deduct legally required taxes, and 24.4 per cent do not submit financial reports through the designated software system. The committee warned that the gaps create opportunities for delayed service delivery, corruption, misuse of public resources, and lack of accountability. The report further highlighted challenges in public service delivery. According to RGB’s 2025 Citizen Report Card, citizens’ satisfaction with service delivery stood at 76.7 per cent. Security scored highest at 92.1 per cent, while land, settlement and environment ranked lowest at 65.7 per cent. Lawmakers also raised concerns over slow implementation of reforms in public utilities, particularly at Water and Sanitation Corporation (WASAC), despite a parliamentary resolution passed in November 2021. ALSO READ: WASAC restructuring almost complete; what to know Committee deputy chairperson De Bonheur Jeanne d’Arc said Parliament would continue following up on unresolved governance and service delivery concerns. “The issues include poor governance and service delivery. A resolution was passed by the Plenary on November 9, 2021 requesting reforms at WASAC, which nearly five years later remain unimplemented,” she said. She also pointed to “the gender equality gap in the media profession and the issue of combating gender-based violence affecting some journalists” as areas requiring continued attention.
