Rwanda’s Auditor General has blamed weak planning and poor contract management for repeated delays and rising costs in public projects, resulting in significant financial losses for the government.
Presenting the 2025 state audit report to Parliament, Auditor General Alexis Kamuhire said delays in signing public procurement contracts disrupted government planning and slowed project implementation.
The report found that 17 public institutions delayed signing 119 contracts worth 684.56 billion Rwandan francs ($480 million), with delays ranging from 50 to 514 days.
“These delays caused planned activities to start late, affecting government planning and project execution,” Kamuhire said.
The audit also identified delays in evaluating procurement bids. Thirty-nine tenders worth 61.56 billion francs ($43 million) were reviewed late, with delays reaching 349 days.
In some cases, contractors received advance payments before work sites were ready. The report cited advance payments totaling 15.07 billion francs ($10.5 million) paid to contractors whose projects had still not started 10 to 11 months later.
The audit further revealed that 32 contracts worth 177.14 billion francs ($124 million) had exceeded their completion deadlines, with some projects delayed by up to six years.
Kamuhire said the delays increased project costs, including an additional 4.76 billion francs ($3.3 million) spent on extending supervision contracts.
Sen. Frank Habineza attributed the problems to poor project preparation, inadequate budgeting for activities such as relocating residents, and weak monitoring of contract implementation.
