The Ombudsman Madeleine Nirere
The Office of the Ombudsman announced that of the 3,794 employees in 29 institutions audited, five finance and heritage officials were unable to justify the origin of their property, and three of them were reported to the competent authorities for investigation.
This information is contained in the report on the activities of the Office of the Ombudsman for the financial year 2025-2026, recently presented by the Ombudsman, Madeleine Nirere, to members of both Houses of Parliament.
She explained that in the last three years (2023-2024-2025-2026), the Office of the Ombudsman has audited the origin of the heritage of elected officials, civil servants and political parties, in order to ensure compliance with the law on declarations of assets.
” A total of 3,794 persons were audited in 29 institutions, including those responsible for finance and assets, audit and procurement. Five of them could not justify the origin of their property, three were reported to the competent authorities for investigation, and further information is being sought from others,” she said.
Regarding district employees, the Chief Ombudsman reported that 2,084 employees had been audited in 11 districts, three of which could not justify the source of their assets.
She said that reports had also been prepared on them and sent to the competent authorities for investigation.
Over 100 million Frw returned to the Treasury
In response to questions from parliamentarians about the audit conducted in only five districts due to a lack of sufficient budget, the Chief Ombudsman, Madeleine Nirere, explained that the over 100 Frw returned to the public treasury by his Office were intended for employees’ salaries and not for the functioning of the institution.
” The funds returned by the Office of the Ombudsman were not intended for activities falling within our responsibilities, but rather for the payment of salaries,” she said.
She explained that some positions are filled by alternate employees, resulting in underutilization of the funds allocated to these employees and thus generating a surplus.
She added that the Office of the Ombudsman carries out certain activities in collaboration with other institutions, resulting in savings in staff costs.
She cited the example of a ministry that had requested the Office of the Ombudsman to train its staff and had borne the costs of preparing and conducting the training.
This allows the Office of the Ombudsman to avoid these costs and save money. (End)