BUJUMBURA June 20th (ABP) – The Cabinet met on Wednesday June 15, 2022, at the Ntare Rushatsi presidential palace, under the chairmanship of the Head of State, Mr. Evariste Ndayishimiye, with 7 points on the agenda of the day, according to the press release from the General Secretariat of the State.
Among these items on the agenda is the draft organic law on the delimitation of provinces, communes, areas, hills/neighborhoods of the Republic of Burundi. The number of provinces has been reduced from 18 to 5 provinces, the statement said.
That is Bujumbura province composed of 11 communes, namely Bubanza, Bukinanyana, Cibitoke, Mpanda, Mubimbi, Muha, Muhuta, Mukaza, Mugina, Mugongo-Manga and Ntahangwa. The provincial capital is in Bujumbura.
The second province is called Buhumuza with Cankuzo as the capital. It is made up of 7 communes namely Butaganzwa, Butihinda, Cankuzo, Gisagara, Gisuru, Muyinga and Ruyigi.
It is also the Gitega province composed of 9 communes namely Bugendana, Gishubi, Gitega, Karusi, Kiganda, Muramvya, Mwaro, Nyabihanga and Shombo, the capital being in Gitega.
The fourth province is Burunga whose capital is based in Makamba. That province is made up of 7 municipalities namely Bururi, Matana, Makamba, Mpinga-Kayove, Mabanda, Rumonge and Rutana. The last province is Butanyerera with Ngozi as the capital. This is made up of 8 communes, namely Busoni, Matongo, Kayanza, Kiremba, Kirundo, Muhanga, Mwumba and Tangara.
That press release specifies that the number of municipalities has also decreased, from 119 to 42, while zones and hills, as local structures, have increased significantly, from 399 to 447 and from 2910 to 3037 respectively.
After discussion and debate, the Cabinet meeting adopted this bill with recommendations to place the capital of Ntahangwa commune in the capital of the current Mutimbuzi commune, to collaborate with the specialized services to indicate the actual areas of the different entities, to prepare the administrative map to be annexed to the bill and to find other names for the hills located in the same area and which bear the same name.
The Cabinet meeting also recommended ensuring that, as soon as the law is promulgated, the provincial capitals have everything necessary for them to be viable, to digitize the territorial administration, to the updating of the texts induced by this reform, to seek the means necessary for its implementation and to draw up the Kirundi version of the bill.