GITEGA, May 10th (ABP) – The senators meeting in plenary session in the hemicycle of Gitega (center of the country) on Tuesday, May 7, 2024 analyzed and unanimously adopted the organic bill relating to the reorganization of the administration communal, noted the ABP on site.
The Minister of Interior, Community Development and Public Security, Martin Niteretse, was the guest of the day to answer questions from members of the upper house of parliament.
In the explanatory memorandum, Minister Niteretse indicated that with the new redistribution-regrouping of the country’s administrative entities, effective decentralization requires the strengthening of the communal executive. It is therefore important, according to him, to clarify the specifications of each local authority to bring public services closer to the population. That is why, he added, the revision of certain provisions of the law on the organization of communal administration in force is necessary.
Minister Niteretse indicated that that decentralization will grow the economy of the communality, structurally and economically. He thus indicated that through that bill, several innovations can be observed. For example, the communal budget is annexed to the general state budget. Before the communality takes out a loan, the Minister of Finance must approve it. The other innovation is the creation of the communal executive separate from the control and supervision body. There is also the requirement of 30 years as the minimum age required to be a candidate for communal administrator and 25 years for hill or neighborhood councillors.
The elected communal administrator is an agent and receives a salary from the general State budget and his other benefits come from the communal budget. The permanent executive secretary becomes the communal executive secretary. He will play the role of civil status officer and is recruited through competitive examination; etc.
Minister Niteretse also pointed out that once elected to the position of communal administrator, he will no longer be a member of the communal council because he is a member of the executive and cannot at the same time be a member of the body deliberation and control.
He further indicated that in that new law, the communality will manage all the services established on its territory, its staff and its equipment. The communality will therefore be responsible for the management of human, financial and material resources transferred to it by the State. That law also mentions that the zone head has two university-level advisors.
The senators asked Minister Niteretse why that law says nothing about the level of education of the zone head and administrator. He replied that the latter are agents and that the law says nothing to that category of people.
Remember that with that new redistribution-regrouping of the country’s administrative entities, Burundi has 5 provinces, 42 communes, 451 zones and 3044 hills or neighborhoods.