The Chamber of Deputies has called on the Ministry of Justice to urge the Office of the Prosecutor to investigate more than RWF 5 billion (approx. $4 million) flagged for irregular use in the 2023/2024 report by the Office of the Auditor General.
The resolution was passed on Tuesday during a plenary session in which the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) presented its analysis of the Auditor General’s findings, covering audits from 239 government entities.
Those audited included 33 central government institutions, 11 large public entities, 29 commercial public enterprises, 19 ministries, 87 projects, and all 27 districts including the City of Kigali.
Among the critical issues raised were funds disbursed and spent by public institutions without clear accountability or supporting documentation.
PAC has recommended that the Ministry of Justice take legal action and ensure recovery of funds where possible. The funds in question involve ministries, large public agencies, and decentralized entities funded through the national budget.
For instance, the Ministry of Sports reportedly transferred RWF 151.9 million to various sports federations without explaining how the funds were used. An additional RWF 991.2 million also lacked full documentation of its utilization.
The Auditor General also found that the Road Maintenance Fund (RMF) disbursed over RWF 425.7 million to districts for road rehabilitation without corresponding activity reports.
In another case, RWF 12 million was paid for bamboo trees meant for planting as part of the Jomba–Shyira road rehabilitation project, but the trees were never planted.
Other questionable transactions included RWF 31.8 million that should have been withheld from overpaid invoices totaling RWF 212.2 million but was never recovered.
In Ruhango District, a contractor was overpaid by RWF 103.2 million due to lack of prior price negotiation before awarding the contract. Another RWF 13.2 million was paid for unexecuted work on the construction of Vunga I and Rwamakungu bridges.
At the Ministry of Trade and Industry, more than RWF 300.7 million was paid as part of a contract for water pipeline construction at the Kigali Logistics Platform (KLP) for additional works that were not covered in the revised contract. Another RWF 227.4 million was paid for duplicate or unnecessary items.
In Musanze District, a contract for the Gakangaga-Munindi water supply pipeline involved RWF 36.7 million paid without a breakdown of activities. An additional RWF 41.8 million was paid for a feasibility study that should have been covered by the contractor. Contract price changes led to another RWF 60.6 million in unplanned costs, and RWF 81.2 million was spent on undocumented additional works.
Water utility WASAC was also flagged. In the Sake water pipeline project, RWF 430.8 million was paid for items exceeding actual requirements. For the Kivu Belt Phase I pipeline, RWF 812.9 million was paid without adequate documentation. Another RWF 602.9 million was spent on the Muhazi water pipeline project without details of work performed.
In Burera District, RWF 27.3 million was paid for work that was never executed on the new district office construction. An additional RWF 5.4 million was paid for items invoiced more than once.
The education sector was also flagged. At TTC Mururu in Rusizi District, RWF 9.97 million was overpaid. In the construction of TTC Saint Jean Baptiste Cyahinda (Nyaruguru District), TTC Rubengera (Karongi), and TTC Zaza (Ngoma), the government overpaid by RWF 16.2 million, RWF 15.2 million, and RWF 12.5 million respectively. The GS Zaza construction project was also overpaid by over RWF 11 million.
The Rwanda Housing Authority (RHA) was cited for irregularities in low-cost housing projects. In Bumbogo, RWF 102.1 million was paid for unused items. A contractor in Gahanga received RWF 376.5 million more than the cost of mandatory worker insurance.
In another case, contracts for feasibility studies and supervision of urgent construction projects were awarded to three different companies at widely varying costs—RWF 125 million, RWF 127 million, and RWF 385 million—despite similar terms of reference.
PAC Chairperson Valens Muhakwa said prosecution and recovery should be prioritized for all funds found to be misused, and individuals involved should be held accountable.
In addition to legal follow-up, other public institutions found with non-financial administrative errors were directed to correct them promptly.
