President directs officials to declare their wealth

Rwandan President Paul Kagame has asked members of the newly installed parliament to endorse the establishment of an ombudsman’s office so that senior and grassroots government officials could declare their assets before taking office.

"We need to have a continuous assessment of how our leaders accumulate their wealth," he said on Tuesday during the swearing in of his new cabinet in the capital, Kigali.

He said that it would now be "compulsory" for all government officials to declare their wealth as part of efforts to stamp out corruption.

"I call upon this parliament to urgently pass the law setting up the ombudsman’s office to enable us keep track of the wealth that our officials accumulate over time," he said.

He said that in addition to enhancing transparency and accountability in government, the process of declaring personal assets would shield government officials from "unjustified" public criticism about their wealth.

"You must put your personal interest behind the interests of the nation," he told the 28 ministers who were sworn in.

He also called for the quick revamping of the country's judicial system, which has been marred by corruption.

Outlining the government’s new programmes, Prime Minister Bernard Makuza said that the administration would dwell on the economy, good governance, justice and improving the welfare of the population.

Currently, 60 percent of Rwanda’s 8.1 million people live on less than US $1 daily.