The power to pass laws in Rwanda has been granted to President Paul Kagame. Once a proposed recent amendment act is enacted, the Rwandan Parliament will have no part in the setting up or dissolution of state agencies. The President can wake up any day and create a state agency under new reforms. This may dissolve every entity with similar authority without a specific examination, as it seems appropriate. Many supported it. Those who had the large percentage swallowing their heads said they believed one branch of government, the executive, will accumulate full control.
Rather, Parliament would have just the choice of knowing what occurs in the Auditor General’s findings of each of these departments. Both the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate approved a new bill that deprives them of their ability to implement legislation setting up or eliminating institutions that concentrate on industry. Earlier, the House embraced the bill, and the Senate did likewise.
They gave these powers to President Paul Kagame and the finance minister in the bill waiting for presidential approval. The adjustments will become effective within two years. From 2022, the President is only accountable for the financial and investment organizations including RwandAir, RDB, WASAC, REG, etc.
Why has the Rwandan Parliament Given President Kagame All the Powers?
The latest big reform came from cabinet minister Fanfan K. Rwanyindo, Labor and Public Service. Rwanyindo stated the law limited the capacity of the government to execute its policies rapidly.
“The enactment of the law takes a long process from its initiation to publication whereas Government policies, programs, strategies like National Strategy for Transformation (NST1) which require an accelerated implementation by public institutions. Thus, the establishment of a public institution by law does not respond to the need for accelerating the implementation of Government policies, programs, strategies, and quick service delivery,” she said.
The existing policy establishes lengthy bodies that function both financially and non-commercially as RSSB. Some institutions, like RSSB, can be distinct in the proposed policy, so only money-making firms and those without money-making policies are established.
What Is the Extent of the President’s Power?
The independent governmental agencies will be two broad categories: public non-commercial institutions and state-owned enterprises. The Rwanda Convention Bureau, Rwanda’s Co-operative Initiative, WASAC water supplies, the REG power utility, the RSSB, the National Board of Agricultural Export Development (NAEB), RwandAir, and a lot more, belong among the current bodies that deal with this new legislation. If President Kagame created a new organization under its current state, he had to get legislation from Parliament. He also required senate approval if he were to restructure such an agency.
For instance, if the President is dissatisfied with RwandAir, the national airline, he will declare them scrapped. Lawfully, as the proposed law permits, he won’t have to ask anyone. However, as per the Green Party member and lawmaker Dr. Frank Habineza, not all legislative representation has been abolished. They were the only two MPs who voted against the proposed legislation, along with his partisan colleague Jean Claude Ntezimana. On Thursday, Habineza said Parliament’s position will be “minimal,” adding that “unless the Auditor General audits them, so Parliament will only have to view it.”
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