On April 30, 2024, the City of Kigali, in collaboration with its stakeholders, organized a consultative meeting to discuss measures to combat corruption and injustice in service delivery. The meeting brought together participants from various Government and Non-Government Organizations, civil society organizations among others.

In his opening remarks, the City of Kigali Mayor, Dusengiyumva Samuel, emphasized that poor services are often the root cause of corruption. He challenged all attendees to consider ways to improve service delivery in Kigali.

“We are gathered here today because we strongly believe that we can address the issue of poor service delivery from the City level down to the Village level,” said Mayor Dusengiyumva Samuel.

The Deputy Ombudsman in charge of preventing and fighting injustice, Mrs. Yankurije Odette, highlighted that corruption is particularly common in tender awarding and land services. She urged people to report any incidents of corruption they encounter.

Participants acknowledged that corruption persists partly because individuals often do not report incidents to the relevant authorities, despite the presence of legal protections for whistleblowers.

Dr. Murangira B. Thierry, Spokesperson for the Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB), reminded attendees that corruption offenses do not expire. He noted that offenders can be prosecuted at any time, regardless of when the offense occurred.

The Chief Executive Officer of the Rwanda Governance Board (RGB) stressed the importance of commitment to work. She noted that when citizens receive poor services, they often suspect that the officer is soliciting a bribe.

The Chairperson of the City of Kigali Council, Prof. Kayihura Muganga Didas, affirmed that all necessary resources for efficient service delivery are available, emphasizing the need to provide good services to clients.

“We have all it takes to provide good services to our customers. Let us, therefore, offer good services, adhere to laws and regulations, and openly communicate our actions to citizens while being accountable,” said Prof. Kayihura Muganga Didas.

The meeting concluded a weeklong campaign focused on fighting corruption and injustice in service delivery in Kigali.