Never Again Rwanda (NAR) and its partners have expressed optimism that Rwanda can further advance decentralisation by bringing more public services, resources, and decision-making closer to citizens, following renewed government commitment to conduct a review of additional services that can be decentralised.

It was during a strategic dialogue on advancing Decentralization for Improved Governance, Service Delivery, and Accountability that was held on September 15, 2026 where civil society organisations, government institutions, and development partners called for a new phase focused on stronger local capacity, greater accountability and more responsive service delivery.

The dialogue reiterated the Ministry of Local Government's (MINALOC) findings that show that 44 per cent of the 522 services identified for decentralisation have so far been decentralised, while 56 per cent remain under central government management.

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Paola Yvette Cyuzuzo, Head of Governance and Democracy at NAR, said that further services should be decentralised, although this would require more than simply transferring responsibilities from ministries to local authorities.

"Decentralisation in itself is complex because it goes with transfer of financial capacity, authority, and even resources in terms of skills,” she noted.

Cyuzuzo said one of the major challenges is limited capacity at the local administrative level, particularly at the Cell level, where some authorities do not yet have the skills, equipment and other resources required to take on additional responsibilities.

NAR also identified institutional reluctance to decentralise some services due to varying ways of understanding decentralisation and limited coordination among ministries as other factors slowing the process.

"Some institutions can feel reluctant to decentralise because they think that they will no longer have the power when they transfer services to the local government,” she said.

She added that sectoral decentralisation requires ministries to work together, noting that fragmented approaches and limited collaboration can delay the transfer of functions.

Despite the challenges, NAR said there are reasons for optimism as MINALOC is leading the process of reviewing further services that can be decentralised. However, to ensure citizen satisfaction with service delivery, decentralised services need to be accompanied by the required capacity, financial resources, and authority.

Cyuzuzo said that this dialogue was another step towards creating a common understanding among sector ministries on what decentralisation should look like in practice, key governance dimensions to consider, and few services that could realistically be transferred.

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Citizen accountability

For NAR and other civil society organisations, the success of decentralisation will not only be measured by the number of services moved from central government to local authorities.

Citizens need to have a stronger role in determining local priorities, monitoring service delivery and holding leaders accountable.

Over the past 25 years, citizen participation in governance has risen to 90.87 per cent, according to data presented at the dialogue.

Mechanisms including Imihigo, Umuganda, Inteko z’Abaturage, public hearings, local councils, Joint Action Development Forums (JADF) and digital feedback platforms such as Mbaza.rw have become established channels through which citizens participate in governance and hold leaders accountable.

Local government financial performance has also improved. Own-source revenue increased from about Rwf49.7 billion in 2006 to Rwf107.5 billion in the 2024/25 financial year.

In addition, 27 of the 30 districts currently receive unqualified audit opinions, pointing to improvements in financial accountability at the local level.

But NAR argues that participation must go beyond citizens simply being consulted.

"We want to see a motivated citizen who has a space to hold local leaders accountable, to complain, and to even receive feedback,” she noted.

She said that when a citizen is struggling to access a service that should be delivered by local authorities, it creates frustration and lack of motivation for their daily tasks.

Uneven progress

The pace of decentralisation has varied considerably across sectors.

Health has recorded comparatively stronger progress, with 35 per cent of services fully decentralised and another 33 per cent partially decentralised.

Environmental services have also recorded significant progress, with 56 per cent fully decentralised, largely linked to advances in land-related services.

Agriculture and education, however, remain heavily centralised. About 88 per cent of agricultural services and 87 per cent of education services remain centrally managed.

NAR said these differences point to the need for sector-specific approaches rather than a blanket transfer of responsibilities.

The Ministry of Local Government’s 2025 Decentralisation Impact Assessment recommended a functional review to establish which services should be fully devolved, delegated or deconcentrated.

The recommendation was also reinforced by the March 2026 central and local government consultative meeting.

What next?

Participants at the Kigali dialogue proposed a sequenced approach to decentralisation, where functions are transferred gradually as local institutions develop the capacity to manage them.

One proposal was to conduct feasibility studies before transferring particular services. Such assessments would examine the resources, skills, infrastructure and other requirements needed to ensure that decentralisation actually improves service delivery.

Participants also proposed piloting selected functions and strengthening Cells before assigning them additional responsibilities.

Cyuzuzo said the Cell should ultimately have skilled personnel, digital technologies, equipment and motivated staff capable of delivering services effectively.

Placide Niyodusenga, Governance and Decentralisation Expert at the Ministry of Local Government (MINALOC), said the government intends to advance the digitalisation of local government services and digital governance, while strengthening the capacity of Districts, Sectors and Cells to take on their responsibilities.

Niyodusenga said the government also plans to complete a functional review of services across sectors and clarify which functions should be devolved, delegated, deconcentrated or retained at the central level.

Other priorities include improving fiscal transfers and the discretion of local governments, strengthening institutional coordination and accountability, and improving monitoring of service quality and citizens’ experiences.

The government also plans to use the Governance and Decentralisation Sector Working Group (G&D SWG) and its Technical Working Group to follow up on implementation.

Kerstin Jonsson Cissé, Head of Development Cooperation at the Swedish Embassy in Rwanda, said the country has made significant progress over the past 25 years, particularly in strengthening institutions, citizen participation, fiscal management and district-level accountability.

But she said decentralisation should be viewed as an ongoing process.

"Decentralisation is not an event. It’s a continuous process of learning, adaptation and reform,” she said.

She urged continued efforts to ensure that responsibilities transferred to local authorities are accompanied by adequate resources, capacity and decision-making authority.

She also underlined the importance of ensuring that citizen voices influence planning, implementation and oversight.

NAR and the secretariat of the Governance and Decentralisation Sector Working Group are expected to jointly follow up on the recommendations.

Cyuzuzo said NAR will continue to follow up on the government progress in the lens citizens’ experiences and engaging relevant institutions on areas requiring action.

The ultimate goal, she said, is to see more services delivered effectively closer to citizens while giving communities greater space to influence decisions and hold local authorities accountable.