WEAK PARTICIPATION OF CITIZEN IN DECISION MAKING

The proposal arises out of the prevailing concern that Rwandan civil society organizations and citizens are not interested or organized enough to engage actively and effectively in public policy dialogue and in monitoring the use of public resources allocated to economic development and community wellbeing. Today Rwanda scores poorly on the Voice and Accountability Index and despite progress in recent years, there is evidence of deepening poverty and growing inequality in the country, biased especially against rural women, youth and people with disabilities.
Numerous studies and meetings of civil society and Rwanda development partners in recent months have drawn attention to Rwanda civil society organizations’ and citizens’ weak voice in decision-making process particularly at local level. While noting that the government of Rwanda is continually opening up to and providing formal spaces for citizens and civil society at all levels to engage in public policy dialogue and monitoring of service delivery, they are not responding with enough interest and commitment to make an impact on these processes.
The same trend is observed at the local government level where again citizens (directly or indirectly through their elected representatives) are not utilizing effectively the formal spaces provided under the decentralization framework (Umuganda, Ubudehe, JADF, CDC, Imihigo etc.) to bring their voices to bear on planning, implementation and management processes and to demand accountability in the use of public resources in service delivery and local development.

The citizens are not aware of their right to and do not therefore demand accountability from public servants and leaders that they themselves elect into office. This weak involvement of citizen, the lack of citizens’ ownership and the critics faced to service delivery when combined with silence and failures of accountability, can lead to pervasive corruption, poor and elite-based decision-making and unresponsive public actors, preventing citizens from fully enjoying their human rights.

Presented by Ir Jules Kazungu
23 February 2011
Kigali Rwanda
Tel(+250) 788589224