BUJUMBURA March 15th (ABP) – As part of the parliamentary recess, the President of the Senate, Emmanuel Sinzohagera, met on Tuesday, March 14, 2023, the members of the communal councils of the communes of Bujumbura City Council (Ntahangwa, Mukaza, Muha) so that they present the challenges related to the exercise of their functions as elected representatives of the people.
In their speeches, the communal councilors demanded the autonomy of management of the communes of Bujumbura City to take in hand the development of those communes, explaining that currently, following the communal law which presents particularities for the communes of the City of Bujumbura, it is impossible to set up development projects without a budget.
On the same occasion, the mayor of the city of Bujumbura, Jimmy Hatungimana, specified that recently, the City of Bujumbura has drawn up a manual of procedures which will also guide the communes to draw up their development projects. He asked that despite the non-autonomy of those communes following the communal law, the communal councilors can draw up development projects for the communes and present them to the Bujumbura City to see how to finance them.
The President of the Senate took that opportunity to provide advice to the communal councilors of the City of Bujumbura. According to him, “an elected representative of the people should not work for their political, ethnic or regional affiliation, but for the entire population without exclusion.” He did not fail to point out that municipal councilors have the right to invite communal directors of education (DCE), heads of health districts, presidents of high courts, representatives of Regideso for the issue of water and electricity, security and others to ask them for strategies and planning they envision in improving those areas.
Bujumbura City Council must distribute the procedures manual to municipal councilors to know the actions of administrators and to monitor-evaluate and control municipal action in accordance with the law. The projects to be set up must also be in accordance with the wishes of the people living in that municipality, hence it is necessary to meet the people before drawing up the development projects. He took advantage of that opportunity to explain to the urban population the importance of paying taxes and duties.