The Office of the Ombudsman has announced a major milestone in the fight against corruption, revealing that over 14 billion Rwandan francs have already been recovered from stolen public funds, out of an estimated 31 billion francs stolen between 2014 and 2024.
Speaking on Friday at a consultative meeting with members of Parliament, Chief Ombudsman Nirere Madeleine shared progress on efforts to recover misappropriated public assets. The event, which aimed to discuss Rwanda’s anti-corruption efforts, highlighted both successes and challenges in the ongoing battle against corruption.
“We’ve made significant strides,” Nirere said. “From July 2023 to June 2024 alone, we’ve managed to recover more than 2 billion Rwandan francs and over 850 million francs in stolen funds.” She also revealed that alongside the recovered Rwandan francs, foreign currencies totaling 6.5 million US dollars and over 920,000 Euros are also being returned to the country.
The total recovered so far also includes assets valued at over 100 billion Rwandan francs. While this is a huge achievement, Nirere emphasized that there is still more work to be done. “We’re nearly halfway there, but to bring back the remaining funds, we’ll need to continue working across all sectors of government,” she added.
The Chief Ombudsman Nirere Madeleine
Hon. Clement Musangabatware, a member of the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA), also spoke during the meeting, proposing a new law that would require government employees to declare their assets as soon as they start their jobs. “It’s important that public servants make their financial status clear, so we can track any changes over time,” he said.
Habyarimana Angelique, the Prosecutor General also addressed the meeting, acknowledging that challenges remain in fully recovering stolen assets. “Sometimes, the stolen funds are transferred abroad or registered under the names of family members, which makes it difficult for authorities to track them down,” she explained. “However, we are working closely with both local and international agencies to ensure that these funds are returned.”
Habyarimana further assured the public that any government employee caught engaging in corruption would face immediate dismissal. “We’re committed to holding people accountable,” she said.
