Factors Affecting Service Delivery in Local Governments-2

Kigali International Airport Boulevard, 1
st
Floor Sunrise House, BP 7249 Kigali
Tel. +250 788309471/ +250 788309472, E-mail: ralga@ralgarwanda.org, Website: www.ralgarwanda.org

FACTORS AFFECTING SERVICE DELIVERY
IN LOCAL GOVERNMENTS

A STUDY REPORT

June, 2010

1

LIST OF ACCRONYMS/ABBREVIATIONS

RALGA: Rwandese Association of Local Government Authorities
CRC: Citizen Report Card
CSC: Community Score Card
OSSREA: Organization for Social Science Research in Eastern and Southern
Africa
MINALOC: Ministry of Local Governments
MINECOFIN: Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning
e.g.: example
NURC: National Unity and Reconciliation Commission
MDGs: Millennium Development Goals
EDPRS: Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy
AIDS: Acquired Immuno-defficiency Syndrom
KCC: Kigali City Council
CC: City Council
HR: Human Resources
NGOs: Non Governmental Organizations
ID: Identity Card
No.: Number

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

RALGA wishes to acknowledge the support and efforts of a number of persons in making
this study and report possible. Special thanks go to the executive secretaries and the
technical staff of the districts contacted for their valuable information provided to the data
collectors. RALGA appreciates the job well done by the data collectors for the hard work
and commitment they manifested to accomplish the data collection process, their inputs into
this report are highly regarded. Finally, RALGA recognizes all those who contributed
directly or indirectly to the successful accomplishment of this study, their contribution is
highly valued.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

LIST OF ACCRONYMS/ABBREVIATIONS ......................................................................................... 1
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................................................ 2
TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................................................ 3
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .......................................................................................................................... 5
1.0 GENERAL INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................... 11
1.1 Background ..................................................................................................................................... 11
1.2 Rationale of the Study ................................................................................................................... 11
2.0 STUDY METHODOLOGY ......................................................................................................................... 17
2.1 Study Approach ............................................................................................................................. 17
2.2 Sampling .......................................................................................................................................... 17
2.3 Sources of data ................................................................................................................................ 18
2.4 Data collection methods ................................................................................................................ 18
3.0 MAJOR FINDINGS .................................................................................................................................. 19
3.1 Framework Conditions Facilitating Service Delivery in Local Governments ....................... 19
3.1.1 Macro Level .......................................................................................................................... 19
3.1.2 Micro Level ........................................................................................................................... 21
3.2 Local Government Structure ........................................................................................................ 21
3.3 Availability of Service Delivery Guidelines/Rules and Compliance to those Guidelines .. 27
3.4 Monitoring and Evaluation of Service Delivery in Local Governments ................................ 29
3.5 Services that are poorly provided ................................................................................................ 29
3.6 Causes of Poor, Inadequate or Lack of Service Provision in the Local Governments.......... 31
4.0 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ........................................................................................... 35
4.1 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................................... 35
4.2 Recommendations .......................................................................................................................... 35
4.3 Action Plan for Implementation of Recommendations ............................................................ 37
5.0 REFERENCES .......................................................................................................................................... 42
6.0 ANNEXES ............................................................................................................................................... 43
Annex 1: Terms of Reference .............................................................................................................. 43
Annex 2: Checklist for Interviews/Focus Group Discussion ........................................................ 46
Annex 3: Districts Visited and List of Persons Interviewed .......................................................... 51

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5

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

1.0 Study Context
Some studies have been carried out to explore citizen perceptions and satisfaction on service
delivery in Rwanda. Most specifically, those studies carried out in Local Governments (see
CRC/CSC 2006, 2009) studied service delivery in Local Governments from the community
perspective and highlighted some service areas that are performing poorly. However, these
studies did not explore causes of inadequate service delivery from the viewpoint of the
service providers. This study, therefore, serves that purpose.

2.0 Study Objectives
The main objectives of the study were:
To identify the service providing units in Local Governments as well as the kind of
services required by local communities;
To determine whether there are guidelines/rules for service delivery and the degree
of compliance with those rules;
To identify which services are poorly provided;
To establish the causes of poor, inadequate or lack of service provision by category of
service delivered by Local Governments and highlight the gaps;
To make an in depth analysis and compare with issues and recommendations from
the Rwanda Citizen Report and Community Score Cards of 2009 and the study of
IPAR on Developing Customer service delivery Policy within the framework of
services delivered by Local Governments.
To recommend precise actions to be implemented to improve service delivery by
Local Governments, i.e. propose a plan of action.

3.0 Methodology

This study was carried out in the four provinces of Rwanda plus the City of Kigali but two
Districts were sampled from each Province and the City of Kigali, totaling to ten Districts in
the sample. Sampling was done on the basis of the complaints submitted to the District by
various citizens (see the Ombudsmans Activity Report, 2008). These complaints were
6

related to poor service delivery in general by the Local Governments personnel. A District
that received fewer complaints was presumably considered as the best in service delivery,
while the one with the highest number of complaints was considered as the worst. This
consideration was made to ensure representativeness of the Districts in the sample.

4.0 Major Findings

4.1 Service Providing Units and Categories of Services Delivered in Local Governments
In particular, the District has three main administrative levels, i.e. the District elected
council; the Executive Committee composed of the Mayor, 2 Vice Mayors and the Executive
Secretary; and the technical staff. The technical staff level comprises different service
providing units. The following service providing units were identified in the Districts:
Lands; Education; Health; Environment, Hygiene and Sanitation; Agriculture;
Infrastructure; Justice; Good Governance; Administration and HR.
Evidence shows that there are still issues that need to be addressed in the whole process of
service delivery in the Local Governments. For example, it was found out that there are still
long queues at the Districts especially to get land related services and notary services.

It was found out that except the Districts of Kigali City where land related services and
notary services are mostly demanded by the population, all other visited districts had land
and social assistance as the most demanded services by the population while at the sector
level, civil registration has been found to be the most demanded service.

Policy implication of the above findings is that since decentralization is a gradual process,
decisions to decentralize some of the services delivered at the District to the lower
administrative levels needs to be taken based on the services that are most demanded by the
population in a particular district so as to shed off some demanding duties from the District.

4.2 Availability of Service Delivery Guidelines/Rules and Compliance to those
Guidelines
Findings revealed that most of the Districts visited have service delivery guidelines. The
guidelines are categorized into two:
i. Those guidelines provided at the national level (e.g. National Standards for School
Construction, Health Facility Construction, Pharmacies, Environmental
7

Management, Law N
o
08/2006 of 26/02/2006 determining the organization and
functioning of the District, Organic Law N
o
37/2006 of 12/09/2006 on State Finances
and Property, N
o
12/2007 of 27/03/2007 on Public Procurement, etc

ii. Guidelines related to internal organization of the District and service delivery units
in particular and how services should be delivered to the end user (e.g. District
Executive Committee minutes and District Council resolutions, list of requirements
to get a specific service, time taken to deliver a service, feedback mechanisms, etc)

The first category of guidelines is readily available since these are the basic documents
guiding service delivery at the national level. However, though these documents are readily
available for public consumption, there is a feel that they are rarely consulted since no single
District was able to provide physical evidence of the existence of some of these documents in
the units visited. The second category was under evidence found to exist in some Districts
(e.g. Rulindo, Musanze, Rutsiro, Rubavu, Gisagara, Kicukiro and Gasabo), while others were
claimed to exist but no evidence was provided.

Nevertheless, it was not easy to ascertain the degree of compliance to these guidelines by the
Districts visited since this can only be inferred through a comprehensive customer
satisfaction survey on certain specific issues.

4.3 Services that Are Poorly Provided
Evidence shows that the services highlighted to be poorly provided are related to those that
are most demanded by the population. Land related issues, notary services and social
assistance (financial support to vulnerable groups) were mentioned to be poorly provided.
Poor delivery in the above service areas may be inter alia associated with lack of capacity in
terms of human and financial resources. For example, lands bureau is one of the most visited
service areas in the Districts and the staff in the lands bureau are always overwhelmed by
the work load such that they in most cases fail to meet customer expectations. However,
Kicukiro and Gasabo Districts have subcontracted some of the services (e.g. land surveying,
deed plans and cleaning services) and according to the interviews conducted; this has had a
very great impact in terms of service volume and the speed of delivery.

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4.4 Monitoring and Evaluation
Though reports from village level (Umudugudu), Cells and Sectors are regularly transmitted
to the Districts and field visits are regularly organized by both the Districts and Sectors, they
are, however, still handicapped by lack of data base system that guides planning,
monitoring and evaluation. To ensure that services are delivered as planned, monitoring
and evaluation mechanisms are to be in place. Local Governments need a system that allows
them to follow up and evaluate the effectiveness of services delivered to the general
population in order to undertake corrective measures where need arises.

4.5 Causes of Poor, Inadequate or Lack of Service Provision in the Local Governments
Findings show that lack of staff; insufficient financial means; lack of database to facilitate
planning, monitoring and evaluation; lack of motivation among staff due to low salaries, job
instability and high work load; and means of transport and communication for supervision
of activities are the most pressing factors influencing service delivery in Local Governments
The factors highlighted above have been presented according to the order of importance.
This will help the policy makers to determine areas of priority where resources should be
focused in a bid to address issues that impact on the quality and quantity of services
delivered to the population.

4.6 Conclusion
Factors affecting service delivery in local governments as identified during the course of this
study are mainly capacity issues and may not have been exhaustively mentioned by the
respondents contacted. Capacity issues in this respect are, inter alia, related to resources
(financial, human mainly in terms of quantity, equipment, information, time, etc).
However, these are the most pressing ones that seriously influence the quantity and quality
of services provided by the local governments. It is, therefore, important to find a
mechanism for addressing each of the issues identified in a bid to improve service delivery
in local governments.

4.7 Recommendations
i. Insufficient staff affects significantly the quality and quantity of services provided.
Staff turnover in Local Governments has been overwhelming due to low salaries, job
insecurity, heavy work load, etcThe Central Government should find mechanisms
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of addressing these issues. Retention strategies (e.g. revising salary structures and
other work-related benefits, initiating staff development programs, etc) should be
instituted to reduce staff turnover.
ii. The Local Governments should stock-take the services that may possibly be
delivered through subcontracts while the Local Government remains with a
supervisory role. This has already proved to be one of the effective ways of ensuring
effectiveness in service delivery.
iii. Due to high demand of some services offered at the District level while there is
limited staff, it is important to accelerate the process of decentralizing more services
to the sectors. However, the effectiveness of this will greatly depend on the degree of
financial autonomy given to the sectors so as to be able to provide these services.
iv. Local Governments should explore other sources of funding
v. The local governments should explore other sources of funding to be able to
supplement the funds provided by the central government and other donors. For
example, negotiate with the Government to increase more tax sources for the Local
Governments.
vi. More negotiations should be made between the Local Governments and the donors
on the urgency of making timely disbursements to the Local Governments. However,
it is important that the Local Governments revisit their compliance to the donor
requirements prior to making any disbursements, for example, timely planning,
reporting and presentation of clear justifications on the uses of funds.
vii. As many and unplanned meetings interrupt the normal activity plans in the Local
Governments, hence, affecting effectiveness in the achievement of intended goals, a
meeting should be organized for the Local Governments, Provinces and MINALOC
to discuss the above issue and set up mechanisms for the Province to coordinate the
Local Governments without necessarily interrupting in their normal working
schedules. For example, identify kinds of meetings to take place in the year (e.g.
planning, coordination, evaluation) and allocate them either monthly, or quarterly so
as to allow the Local Governments to integrate them in their annual plans.
viii. It is important to conduct a customer satisfaction survey so as to assess the issue of
customer care in the Local Governments. This needs to be spearheaded by the
Central Government since it is not in RALGAs mandate. However, the findings
from this study may help RALGA to further understand the status of customer care
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in the Local Governments and areas that need its intervention for more
improvement.
ix. As staff in different service units in the Local Governments lack trainings in their
core areas of responsibility, training needs assessment should be done to identify key
training areas and build their capacities needed for them to improve their skills
necessary to improve service delivery.
x. Possibility of initiating or strengthening long term twinning arrangements with other
Local Governments in other countries should be explored. This will benefit the
Rwandan Local Governments in terms of technical expertise where staff may be
going to those countries for job shadowing and learn best practices that may be
replicated in the Rwandan situation.
xi. There is a need to bring together all the Local Governments units to thoroughly
discuss the issue of service delivery in their respective units, develop service delivery
commitment or charter with service standards that should be adhered to. This should
be subject to annual review and upgrading overtime.
xii. Planning, monitoring and evaluation need to be informed by facts and figures to
achieve better results. In light of this, the following need to be done:
(a) Trainings on Result Based Management (RBM) should be organized for the staff both
of the districts and the sectors so as to equip them with necessary skills required in
planning, monitoring and evaluation
(b) Conduct a baseline study to document information on different service areas (e.g.
education, health, environment, agriculture, land related issues, etc) and develop a
database that will be continuously updated overtime as need arises.

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1.0 GENERAL INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background
Rwandese Association of Local Government Authorities abbreviated as RALGA is a legally
registered Non Profit Organization at a national level representing all Local Government
authorities of Rwanda. It has a mandate of representing all its members at all levels. In
addition to that, it carries out lobbying and advocacy activities to cater for the interests of the
members. Further, RALGA is charged with the responsibility of ensuring its members get
the most relevant, quality, and needed capacity for both the political leadership and
technical management of the districts. In brief, RALGAs mandate is lobbying/advocacy,
capacity building, and representation.
Within the scope of that mandate, RALGA commissioned a study on service delivery in
Local Governments subsequent to the general observation of poor service provision in
Rwanda, that included services provided by Local Governments.

1.2 Rationale of the Study
A number of studies have been carried out to explore citizen perception and satisfaction on
service delivery in Rwanda including services provided in the Local Governments.

The Rwanda Citizen Report and Community Score Cards study was conducted in 2006 with
the aim to gather data and information on a pilot scale regarding how citizens rate the
quantity and quality of services delivered in the health and education sectors.
1
This study
shed light on the need for strengthening policy instruments and interventions in relation to
service delivery. Except some differences between urban and rural service facilities the score
cards presented a clearer picture of weak spots that needed to be focused on. For example,
lack of laboratories and equipment in schools; dilapidated school buildings; short supply of
furniture and books, congested classes, lack of school lunches, and delays in transfers to the
schools accounts among others. The study indicated that health facilities were generally
good especially in towns despite overcrowding of the people needing health services. Lack
of ambulatory services, health insurance, and low salaries were also reported to be a
common issue of concern.

1
OSSREA Rwanda Chapter: Citizen Reports and Community Score Cards (2006)

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On the other hand, the Citizen Report and Community Score Cards conducted in 2009
analyzed service delivery in the eight service areas in the Local Governments; namely,
Administration sector, Education, Health, Hygiene and Sanitation, Infrastructure, Justice,
and Water. Conclusions from this study indicate high appreciation of the service into which
the community participation is high. According to the study, this phenomenon signifies the
positive results of effective decentralization,
2
and it underscores the relevance of providing
more support to the decentralised levels and empowering the Local Government personnel
to get closer to the population at grass root levels to ensure more community participation in
the decision making process. However, though citizens noted a significant improvement in
service delivery by Local Governments, they also highlighted the following shortfalls:
Inadequate information sharing among various levels of administration
Accessibility to agriculture credits and related benefits
Participation by males in reproductive health
The public awareness and understanding of laws and regulations

For those service delivery areas that were perceived by the communities to be poorly
provided, the main reason for poor delivery was linked to limited capacity of service
providers, for example, health workers, agricultural extension staff, teachers, the community
volunteers, etc Low satisfaction level by the communities was expressed for public offices,
market facilities, access to energy and other infrastructures like water supply and protection
of sources, and maintenance of the public infrastructure.

In January 2010, the Institute of Policy Analysis and Research in Rwanda published the
findings on the study entitled Developing Customer Service Delivery Policy. Findings
from this study show that poor service delivery is endemic in Rwanda. Though the study
focused much on service delivery in the private sector and customer care in particular, its
findings are relevant also in improving service delivery in the public sector, most specifically
improving how the Local Governments deal or relate to the general citizenry during the
service delivery process. This study also highlights the experiences and lessons learnt from
elsewhere in the world in regard to how service delivery may be improved. It shows a
number of initiatives taken by Governments to improve customer service delivery. Most
interesting is the initiative undertaken by the South African Government to transform public
service delivery, recognising the citizen as a central unit in this process (Batho Pele-People

2
MINALOC: The Rwanda Citizen Report and Community Score Cards Reports, 2009
13

First). This, according to the study, was introduced in 2004 and the aim is to make a better life
for South Africans by putting people first and together beating the drum for service delivery. Eight
Batho Pele principles were developed to serve as acceptable policy and legislative
framework regarding service delivery in the public service.
3

Box 1: The Batho Pele Principles
1. Consultation
There are many ways to consult users of services including conducting customer
surveys, interviews with individual users, consultation with groups, and holding
meetings with consumer representative bodies, NGOs and CBOs. Often, more than
one method of consultation will be necessary to ensure comprehensiveness and
representativeness. Consultation is a powerful tool that enriches and shapes
government policies such as the Integrated Development Plans (IDPs) and its
implementation in Local Government sphere.
2. Setting service standards
This principle reinforces the need for benchmarks to constantly measure the extent to
which citizens are satisfied with the service or products they receive from
departments. It also plays a critical role in the development of service delivery
improvement plans to ensure a better life for all South Africans. Citizens should be
involved in the development of service standards.
Required are standards that are precise and measurable so that users can judge for
themselves whether or not they are receiving what was promised. Some standards
will cover processes, such as the length of time taken to authorize a housing claim, to
issue a passport or identity document,
or even to respond to letters.
To achieve the goal of making South Africa globally competitive, standards should
be benchmarked (where applicable) against those used internationally, taking into
account South Africa's current level of development.
3. Increasing access
One of the prime aims of Batho Pele is to provide a framework for making decisions
about delivering public services to the many South Africans who do not have access
to them. Batho Pele also aims to rectify the inequalities in the distribution of existing
services. Examples of initiatives by government to improve access to services include
such platforms as the Gateway, Multi-Purpose Community Centers and Call Centers.
Access to information and services empowers citizens and creates value for money,
quality services. It reduces unnecessary expenditure for the citizens.

3
http://www.dpsa.gov.za/batho-pele/Principles.asp; accessed on 22
nd
June 2010
14

4. Ensuring courtesy
This goes beyond a polite smile, 'please' and 'thank you'. It requires service providers
to empathize with the citizens and treat them with as much consideration and
respect, as they would like for themselves.
The public service is committed to continuous, honest and transparent
communication with the citizens. This involves communication of services, products,
information and problems, which may hamper or delay the efficient delivery of
services to promised standards. If applied properly, the principle will help demystify
the negative perceptions that the citizens in general have about the attitude of the
public servants.
5. Providing information
As a requirement, available information about services should be at the point of
delivery, but for users who are far from the point of delivery, other arrangements
will be needed. In line with the definition of customer in this document, managers
and employees should regularly seek to make information about the organization,
and all other service delivery related matters available to fellow staff members.
6. Openness and transparency
A key aspect of openness and transparency is that the public should know more
about the way national, provincial and local government institutions operate, how
well they utilize the resources they consume, and who is in charge. It is anticipated
that the public will take advantage of this principle and make suggestions for
improvement of service delivery mechanisms, and to even make government
employees accountable and responsible by raising queries with them.

7. Redress
This principle emphasizes a need to identify quickly and accurately when services
are falling below the promised standard and to have procedures in place to remedy
the situation. This should be done at the individual transactional level with the
public, as well as at the organizational level, in relation to the entire service delivery
program.
Public servants are encouraged to welcome complaints as an opportunity to improve
service, and to deal with complaints so that weaknesses can be remedied quickly for
the good of the citizen.
8. Value for money
Many improvements that the public would like to see often require no additional
resources and can sometimes even reduce costs. Failure to give a member of the
public a simple, satisfactory explanation to an enquiry may for example, result in an
incorrectly completed application form, which will cost time to rectify.
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Source: Extracted from http://www.dpsa.gov.za/batho-pele/Principles.asp

Ombudsmans activity report (2008) presented findings on a study carried out in a cross
section of Local Government units in Rwanda. This report presents perceptions of the
population regarding the general conduct of the business in Local Governments. It
documents the number of complaints submitted to each of the district by the general
citizenry. These complaints were related to corruption practices, unfair treatment and/or
poor service delivery by the District personnel.
The review of Rwanda Decentralization Policy was done in 2006. This was subsequent to the
challenges identified by various studies on Rwandas decentralization process (e.g. National
Unity and Reconciliation Commission (NURC) surveys on decentralization in 2003; the
Impact Evaluation of Decentralization of 2003; the 2004 study on Fiscal Capacities and
Potentials; a study on Harmonization of Interventions and Approaches in Decentralization
(2005); the MINALOC Institutional Study, 2005; and the MINALOC study on the Situation
Analysis of Decentralized Service Delivery, 2005). See box 2.

Box 2: Challenges Faced by the Local Governments in Implementing Rwandas
Decentralization Process
Lack of capacity at District levels to develop well integrated development and action
plans.
Weak awareness of national laws and bylaws among Local Government leadership.
Inadequate financial resources and lack of budget discipline leading to budget
deficits.
Low capacity and inadequate resources in Local Governments to meet their
obligations to the citizens.
Inadequate coordination of interventions; nonintegrated plans at all levels and
absence of effective monitoring and evaluation systems.
Tendency for externally funded projects to operate in tandem with decentralized
structures, thus denying the districts an opportunity to build on synergies and
eroding the already weak capacities in Local Governments.
Lack of ownership of community development plans by citizens. Low access to basic
services.
Source: Republic of Rwanda: Making Decentralized Service Delivery Work in Rwanda. Putting People at the
Center of Service Provision, 2006.

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However, notwithstanding the relevance of the findings from the studies highlighted in this
section, for example, Citizen and Community Score Cards (2006, 2009); Ombudsmans
activity report (2008); Developing Customer Service Delivery Policy (2010), etc, it is also
important to note that the findings and conclusions presented in these reports are only
based at a great extent on the data collected from the users of the services provided by the
Local Governments. Though there has been generally a remarkable improvement in the local
governments service delivery over the last 16 years, issues highlighted in the
aforementioned study findings cannot be overemphasized.
The challenges in the Local Governments mentioned in the previous studies (Box 2), needed
to be validated during the conduct of citizen satisfaction surveys on service delivery in the
Local Governments so as to ascertain whether some of the challenges that could possibly
affect quality and quantity of service delivery were still holding. The reports mark a very
clear information gap, where issues are highlighted with regard to how services are
delivered, and nothing has hitherto been done to analyze, from the service provider
perspective, the causes for poor service delivery in certain areas of service provision in the
Local Governments. This calls for a need to conduct this study.

The main objectives of the study are presented below:
a) To identify the service providing units in local governments as well as the kind of
b) To determine whether there are guidelines/rules for service delivery and the degree of
compliance with those rules;
c) To identify which services are poorly provided;
d) To establish the causes of poor, inadequate or lack of service provision by category of
service delivered by Local Governments and highlight the gaps;
e) To make an in depth analysis and compare with issues and recommendations from the
Rwanda Citizen Report and Community Score Cards of 2009 and the study of IPAR on
Developing Customer service delivery Policy within the framework of services
delivered by Local Governments.
f) To recommend precise actions to be implemented to improve service delivery by Local
Governments, i.e. propose a plan of action.
17

2.0 STUDY METHODOLOGY

The study methodology was rigorous enough to ensure a sound analysis of service delivery
in the Local Governments. The assessment tools were developed for effectively carrying out
the assignment and these tools were the same for all the units of inquiry in the Districts.

2.1 Study Approach
The study approach in this assignment was mainly at ensuring that:
There is adequate stakeholder participation during the data collection
There is clear understanding of the issues involved in this study on service delivery

2.2 Sampling
We carried out a study on service delivery in the four Provinces of Rwanda plus the City of
Kigali. However, two Districts were sampled from each Province and the City of Kigali.

2.2.1 Basis of Sampling
Sampling was done on the basis of the complaints submitted to the district by various
citizens (see the Ombudsmans Activity Report, 2008). These complaints were related to
poor service delivery in general by the Local Governments personnel. A District that
received fewer complaints was presumably considered as the best in service delivery, while
the one with the highest number of complaints was considered as the worst.
Table 1: Complaints Received in Writing by the Districts
Province District Frequency Percent Ranking
West

Karongi 39 15 4
Ngororero 27 10 2
Nyabihu 43 16 6
Nyamasheke 42 16 5
Rubavu 65 24 7
Rusizi 31 12 3
Rutsiro 19 7 1
Total 266 100
East

Bugesera 34 11 2
Gatsibo 55 19 6
Kayonza 36 12 3
Kirehe 19 6 1
Ngoma 36 12 3
Nyagatare 53 18 5
Rwamagana 64 22 7
Total 297 100
South

Gisagara 20 8 1
Huye 38 15 6
18

Kamonyi 55 21 8
Muhanga 38 15 6
Nyamagabe 27 10 4
Nyanza 26 10 3
Nyaruguru 21 8 2
Ruhango 37 14 5
Total 262 100
North

Burera 33 16 2
Gakenke 48 23 4
Gicumbi 44 21 3
Musanze 54 26 5
Rulindo 27 13 1
Total 206 100
Kigali City Gasabo 238 44 3
Kicukiro 141 26 1
Nyarugenge 159 30 2
Total 538 100
Source: Ombudsmans Activity Report, 2008

Table 2: Sample of the Districts According to the Ranking in Service Delivery
Province District Rank
West Rutsiro 1
Rubavu 7
East Kirehe 1
Rwamagana 7
South Gisagara 1
Kamonyi 8
North Musanze 5
Rulindo 1
Kigali City Gasabo 3
Kicukiro 1
Total sampled districts 10
Note: West: 1=best; 7=worst; East: 1=best; 7=worst; South: 1=best; 8=worst; North: 1=best; 5=worst
Kigali City: 1=best; 3=worst

2.3 Sources of data
Major sources of data were the district authorities and different heads of department at the
district. Various documents/reports were also useful source of data.

2.4 Data collection methods
Data collection methods included: document review; interviews with key informants; and
focus group discussions.

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3.0 MAJOR FINDINGS

3.1 Framework Conditions Facilitating Service Delivery in Local Governments

The Government of Rwanda has recognized the need to create conducive environment to
accommodate sustainable development process. It is in this context that various policy
documents have either been adopted or developed to guide the country into this process.
These documents create favorable framework conditions that facilitate service delivery in
the Local Governments. At the macro level, the following policy documents are inter alia
considered: Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), Vision 2020, National Decentralization
Policy, Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy (EDPRS), Community
Development Policy, the 7-year National Political Program (2003-2010), and National
Strategy Framework on Strengthening Good Governance for Poverty Reduction in Rwanda.
At micro level, there are District Development Plans and Performance Contracts.

3.1.1 Macro Level

3.1.1.1 Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are eight international development goals that
all 192 United Nations member states and at least 23 international organizations have agreed
to achieve by the year 2015. These include eradication of extreme poverty and hunger;
promotion of gender; reducing child mortality; improving maternal health, combat AIDS,
malaria and other diseases; ensure environmental sustainability; and global partnerships.
4

3.1.1.2 Vision 2020
Vision 2020 is the long term framework for Rwanda's development. It seeks to transform
Rwanda into a middle-income country by the year 2020. This will require achieving annual
per capita income of US$ 900 (US$ 220 in 2000), a poverty rate of 30% (60.4% in 2000) and an
average life expectancy of 55 years (49 years in 2000). The pillars of Vision 2020 are:
i) the reconstruction of the nation and its social capital; ii) the development of a credible and
efficient state governed by the rule of law; iii) human resource development in line with the
objective of turning Rwanda into a prosperous knowledge-based economy; iv) development

4
MINECOFIN, Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy (2008-2012), September 2007.

20

of basic infrastructure, including urban planning; v) development of entrepreneurship and
the private sector; and vi) development of agriculture and animal husbandry.
Implementation targets for these pillars have been developed.

3.1.1.3 National Decentralization Policy
The National Decentralization Policy was adopted in May 2000 to achieve three main goals:
good governance, pro-poor service delivery and sustainable socio-economic development.
Bad governance, extreme poverty and exclusive political processes were identified as some
of the main underlying causes of the genocide. In this context, decentralization is taken as an
instrument for peoples political empowerment, reconciliation, social integration and well
being. It is intended to give the power to the people and enable them execute their
development.

3.1.1.4 Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy (EDPRS)
The Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy (EDPRS) is a medium-term
framework for achieving Rwandas Vision 2020. It was launched in 2007 and provides a
comprehensive analysis of the causes of poverty and focuses on three flagship programs for
cross-sectoral coordination: i) Growth for jobs and exports; ii) Vision 2020 Umurenge; and
iii) Governance.

3.1.1.5 Community Development Policy
The Community Development Policy offers a framework for how the development goals of
the EDPRS can be attained with the community as the major stakeholder (Ministry of Local
Government, 2008). It has been formulated with the aim of empowering the Rwandan
community to exercise its powers in decision making in order to promote its development.
The main guiding principles for this policy implementation are grass roots community
participation, exploitation of local potential, promotion of commerce, continuous
improvement, enhancing a culture of transparency and accountability and common benefit.

3.1.1.6 The 7-Year National Political Program (2003-2010)
The 7-year National Political Program (2003-2010) is geared towards improving the welfare
of the population through community mobilization, strengthening of governance, improved
justice and economic development.

21

3.1.1.7 National Strategy Framework on Strengthening Good Governance for Poverty
Reduction in Rwanda
The government, having recognized good governance as a cornerstone to fighting poverty,
developed a national strategy framework on good governance for poverty reduction. This
strategy framework is articulated around institutional strengthening and coordination, unity
and reconciliation, peace and security, social welfare of the population, civil society and
private sector, and economic planning and management. The respective program was
drafted in 2002. It presents the way the Government of Rwanda envisions good governance,
poverty and the linkages between the two.

3.1.2 Micro Level

3.1.2.1 District Development Plans
These are medium term development plans of the Districts that are developed to
operationalize the national plans (Vision 2020, EDPRS, MDGs, etc).

3.1.2.2 Imihigo (Performance Contracts)
IMIHIGO as an aspect of good governance directly relates to Government effectiveness as
well as administrative accountability. It refers to contractual engagement whereby
performance contracts are signed between the Mayors of Districts and the President of the
Republic on the basis of measurable indicators. This enhances efficiency and effectiveness in
services delivery and helps keep development initiatives on track. It also ensures
accountability in relation to performance.
5

3.2 Local Government Structure

In the spirit of ensuring good governance in Rwanda, various reforms have persistently
been instituted. Improvement of service delivery in the Local Governments necessitated
reworking out a new administrative structure to facilitate decentralization process to take
place as one of the key stepping stones to achieving good governance in the public
administration.

5
Rwanda: Joint Governance Assessment Report, 2008
22

Table 3: Local Government Administrative Structure

Entity Number of units Responsibilities Administrative
Structure
Province/Kigali City
Council (KCC)
4/1 Coordination of
local development
plans
Strategic planning
for urban
development;
monitoring and
evaluation;
provision of
complex services
and those cutting
across district
governments

Governor for
Provinces/Mayor
for CC
Administrative
Units
District 30 Economic
development
coordination
Planning and
coordination of
services
Elected Council
Executive
Committee
Technical staff
Sector 416 Administration of
basic services
(plan, implement
and monitor
service delivery)
Management of
community
development
Collection of
statistical data
Collection of taxes
(50% of taxes
collected by the
sectors is handed
over to the
Districts
Elected council
Technical staff
Cell 2,148 Community
mobilization
Council (all adult
population)
Executive
Committee
Source: Republic of Rwanda: Making Decentralized Service Delivery Work in Rwanda. Putting
People at the Center of Service Provision, 2006.

23

3.2.1 Service Providing Units and Categories of Services Delivered in Local Governments
The decentralized administrative structure as shown in table 3 provides for different levels
of responsibilities and accountability from the Province down to the Cell level. In particular,
the District has three main administrative levels, i.e. the District Elected Council; Executive
Committee composed of the Mayor, 2 Vice Mayors and the Executive Secretary; and the
technical staff. The technical staff level comprises different service areas. For example,
Lands; Education; Health; Environment, Hygiene and Sanitation; Agriculture;
Infrastructure; Justice; Good Governance; Administration and HR. Table 4 presents different
service areas and District responsibilities in each sector to ensure adequate service delivery
to the population.

Table 4: Categories of Services Provided in the Local Governments (Districts)
Service Area District responsibility
Land sector Land
Protect natural resources and environment; Ensure
proper use and maintenance of land; Ensure land is
surveyed and registered; Take stock of and compensate
private property appropriated in public interest at
district level; Participate in land conflict resolution ;
Prepare and implement land use program; Submit
monthly reports on land to higher authorities; Inform
the ministry about projects involving land use before
implementing them
Agriculture sector Draw up and implement district action plan
harmonizing peoples aspirations and strategies with the
national agricultural and livestock policy; Coordinate
farmers activities in the district with institutions
affiliated to the MINAGRI, projects or NGOs; Build
sectors capacity to deliver better services; Coordinate
and analyze basic statistics showing socio-economic
development of the population; Mobilize funds and
resources to develop investments in the district; Proper
management of natural resources and protection of the
environment; Sign and monitor the implementation of
contracts; Monitor the functioning of associations,
cooperatives, farmers cooperatives, etc; Draw up an
action plan to distribute fertilizers and monitor their
use; Issue permits to transport farm animals; Build
capacities of different levels
Education sector Nursery Schools
Coordinate activities, mobilize resources, build capacity
and evaluate subject content of nursery schools
Primary Schools
Prepare planning and budget, train teachers, coordinate
activities, employ and prepare teachers salaries and
other staff, mobilize funds, analyze basic education data
and statistics, determine school distribution
24

Alphabetical education
Determine, coordinate and evaluate library activities at
Sector level
Vocational schools
Prepare planning and budget, mobilize the population
to receive vocational training, coordinate vocational
training activities, monitor and analyze various
activities
Secondary education
Prepare planning and budget, give employment,
implement policies, collect and analyze basic
educational data, transfer students, prepare schools
budget and execute it
Health sector Basic Health
Put in place executive council for hospitals; Monitor the
functioning of hospitals through these executive
committees; Mobilize resources for hospitals; Sign
contracts with hospitals and approve those of health
centers; Monitor the functioning of health centers at
technical level.
Fight against AIDS and other pandemics
Train employees of health centers in AIDS related
programs and monitor their work; Give support to
health centers, employees/nurses to implement AIDS
prevention activities; Give special attention to AIDS
patients transferred from health centers
Promotion of basic hygiene
Designate special zone for waste products
Promotion of health nutrition
Train employees of health centers; monitor how they
work; mobilize equipment
Medical insurance scheme
Recruit and train employees; mobilize equipment;
ensure there is office space and other related work
places; install executive committee; install leaders;
monitor the development of health centers and
insurance schemes
Environment, Hygiene and sanitation
sector
Environment
Protect natural resources and the environment; ensure
swamps are used in accordance with existing laws;
Ensure ecological zones, tourist sites, animals, fauna
and flora are protected; Analyze statistics on natural
resources and environment; Ensure CDF projects take
environmental protection into consideration; Submit
monthly reports to higher authorities; Inform the
ministry about projects that might impact on the land
before implementing them; Evaluate environmental
impact on land by some projects; Prepare environment
protection projects
Water and hygiene
Monitor water management and use; Explain laws and
decrees governing water and hygiene and ensure they
are implemented; Ensure proper management of lakes,
springs and underground water; Ensure proper
management of pipes carrying drinking water and
water taps; Ensure proper management of drinking
25

piped water, springs; Construct toilets and ensure
hygienic conditions exist around public places and near
roads; Collect and dispose of waste products
Infrastructure sector Infrastructure
Sensitize the population on the policy of settling in the
Imidugudu; Coordinate the selection of
Imidugudu sites in all sectors; Draw up town master
plans; Ensure the adherence of population to the urban
and housing laws and regulations; Select zones for
housing projects; Draw up special housing plans and
for specially selected zones in towns; Construct houses
for the vulnerable section of society
Roads
Construct and maintain roads connecting sectors;
monitor road activities in the sectors; construct,
maintain roads connecting sectors; Maintain
Government houses in the Districts
Transport
Improve transport services in the District; Implement
District transport policy and laws; Put in place and
monitor the functioning of bus stops and ports of
District bordering lakes; Issue licenses to transport
people and goods in the District; Install traffic lights in
the District
Meteorology
Collect meteorological data and statistics in the country
Energy
Construct dams; Interest the population to use
environment friendly energy, e.g. solar, wind, methane
gas and new energy sources like coal; Interest the
population to use energy saving stoves
ICT
Maintain ICT infrastructure in the District and install
tele-centers at sector level; Sensitize the population to
use ICT
Justice sector Preparation of laws
Disseminate laws
Justice and institutional relations
Solve the problem of finishing court cases; Assist the
district notary to authenticate documents; Prepare
sector budget and planning
State attorney
Create awareness among the population about
administrative laws; Create awareness among the
population about institutions which can solve their
problems
TIG
Prepare projects which can be executed using TIG;
Mobilize funds; Create awareness among the
population about TIG
GACACA
Monitor the functioning of the District Gacaca Courts;
Mobilize equipment for Gacaca Courts; Evaluate
Gacaca activities at sector level
Good Governance, Community Local administration
26

Development and Social Affairs Build sectors capacity to give the population better
services; Coordinate and analyze vital statistics on
population increase; Coordinate activities which deliver
better services; Coordinate sector activities; Improve
and promote the twinning process; Receive and resolve
the population complaints which could not be solved at
the sector level; Establish and coordinate programs and
activities which promote laws and order; Promote the
culture of democracy.
Good governance
Build district capacity; Monitor and analyze the
operations of NGOs and political parties; Improve the
working method of civil society and NGOs; Coordinate
activities of specific programs such as gacaca and TIG,
communal work (umuganda), reconciliation
committees, etc; Promote good governance, culture of
patriotism and democracy
Resource mobilization
Design better taxation procedures; Design better district
financial management procedures; Coordinate and
analyze statistics of income and expenditure of
revenues; Design and implement district and sector
personnel capacity building programs in revenue
collection and expenditure
Community Development
Pay special attention to urban development, building
and settlement trends, and promote poles of
development; Design and implement District
development programs; Coordinate and analyze
essential development statistics; Coordinate district
development programs (PDC) and prepare projects to
be presented to donors; Monitor projects operating in
the district; Establish working mechanisms with the
donors community
Social affairs
Coordinate and analyze statistics of vulnerable
members of the society, and provide them assistance in
general but specifically those assisted by FARG;
Establish programs and coordinate activities which
mobilize the population and specifically the vulnerable
segment of society, to engage in self-help activities;
Establish programs and coordinate activities which
mobilize the population to join the health insurance
schemes and write down those who wish to join;
Receive and resolve citizen social complaints which
could not be solved at the sector level; Coordinate and
monitor social activities in the Sector
Source: Republic of Rwanda: The Matrix of Roles and Responsibilities for Decentralized Service Delivery:
Making Decentralized Service Delivery Work in Rwanda: A Policy Note, November, 2006.

The above table highlights different service areas and the district responsibilities in each
area. Findings from the field show that all the services are provided to the communities as
27

highlighted in the table. However, evidence shows that there are still issues that need to be
addressed in the whole process of service delivery in the Local Governments. For example, it
was found out that there are still long queues at the districts especially to get land related
services and notary services.

It was found out that except the Districts of Kigali City where land related services and
notary services are mostly demanded by the population, all other visited Districts had land
and social assistance as the most demanded services by the population while at the Sector
level, civil registration has been found to be the most demanded service. Notary services
were found to be the most needed in the Districts based in Kigali and other urban areas
because most of the services demanding notarized documents are mostly found in the city
and other urban settings and people demanding these services also stay in these areas.
Policy implication of the above findings is that since decentralization is a gradual process,
decisions to decentralize some of the services delivered at the District to the lower
administrative levels needs to be taken based on the services that are most demanded by the
population in a particular district so as to shed off some demanding duties from the District.

3.3 Availability of Service Delivery Guidelines/Rules and Compliance to those
Guidelines

The Government of Rwanda has made a tremendous achievement in setting up systems to
accommodate various initiatives geared at social, political and economic development (e.g.
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), Vision 2020, National Decentralization Policy,
Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy (EDPRS), Community
Development Policy, etc). These systems, as earlier noted, have created very good
framework conditions facilitating the Local Governments to improve service delivery. These
basic documents have guided the Local Governments during the planning process for their
specific District development plans from which annual plans/performance contracts are
developed.

It is important to note that though improvement in service delivery is evident in the Local
Governments compared to some previous years before undertaking reforms in the Public
Administration, Local Governments still have a problem of lack of proper internal
organization in a bid to provide good services to the people in terms of quality and quantity.
28

Findings revealed that most of the Districts visited have service delivery guidelines. The
guidelines are categorized into two:
i. Those guidelines provided at the national level (e.g. National Standards for School
Construction, Health Facility Construction, Pharmacies, Environmental
Management, Law No 08/2006 of 26/02/2006 determining the organization and
functioning of the District, Organic Law No 37/2006 of 12/09/2006 on State Finances
and Property, N
o
12/2007 of 27/03/2007 on Public Procurement, etc
ii. Guidelines related to internal organization of the District and service delivery units
in particular and how services should be delivered to the end user (e.g. District
Executive Committee minutes and District Council resolutions, list of requirements
to get a specific service, time taken to deliver a service, feedback mechanisms, etc)

The first category of guidelines is readily available since these are the basic documents
guiding service delivery at the national level. However, though these documents are readily
available for public consumption, there is a feel that they are rarely consulted since no single
District was able to provide physical evidence of the existence of some of these documents in
the units visited. The second category was under evidence found to exist in some Districts
(e.g. Rulindo, Musanze, Rutsiro, Rubavu, Gisagara, Kicukiro and Gasabo), while others were
claimed to exist but no evidence was provided. These guidelines were mainly related to land
issues. No evidence was provided to show that other service providing units have service
delivery guidelines though they were claimed to exist.

Nonetheless, it was not easy to ascertain the degree of compliance to these guidelines by the
Districts visited since this can only be inferred through a comprehensive customer
satisfaction survey on certain specific issues.

It is important to note that guidelines that serve as instructions to the people demanding
service were found to be well communicated to the general public through notice boards
and meetings during communal activities (Umuganda). However, since this makes part of
different dimensions explaining customer care aspect, it is still important to analyze
customer care on its own since it plays a central role in the whole package required to
improve service delivery process in any business both in the public and private sector. There
is a need to bring together all the Local Government units to thoroughly discuss the issue of
service delivery in their respective units, develop service delivery commitment or charter
with service standards that should be adhered to.
29

3.4 Monitoring and Evaluation of Service Delivery in Local Governments

Monitoring and Evaluation is a very important aspect in ensuring that services are delivered
as intended. Though reports from village level (Umudugudu), Cells and Sectors are
regularly transmitted to the Districts and field visits are organized by both the Districts and
Sectors, they are, however, still handicapped by lack of data base system that guides
planning, monitoring and evaluation. To ensure that services are delivered as planned,
monitoring and evaluation mechanisms are to be put in place. Local Governments need a
system that allows them to follow up and evaluate the effectiveness of services delivered to
the general population in order to undertake corrective measures where need arises. . In this
case, need for the Local Governments to undertake field data collection and development of
a database system is evident. This will be useful during planning, monitoring and
evaluation.

3.5 Services that are poorly provided

During the course of the study, an attempt was made to identify service areas that the
service providers felt are poorly provided at the District level. Three service areas were
highlighted to be unsatisfactorily delivered at the District level. Evidence shows that the
services highlighted to be poorly provided are related to those that are most demanded by
the population. Land related issues, notary services and social assistance were mentioned to
be poorly provided.

Table 5: Services that were identified to be poorly provided in the Districts
Service provided Service Sector Frequency District
1. Land related
issues
Lands 9 Gasabo, Rwamagana, Kirehe,
Kamonyi, Gisagara, Rulindo,
Musanze, Rutsiro, Rubavu
2. Social
Assistance
Good Governance,
Community
Development and Social
Affairs
7 Gisagara, Gasabo, Kicukiro,
Rulindo, Musanze, Rutsiro,
Rubavu
3. Notary
Services
Justice 3 Gasabo, Kicukiro, Gisagara

30

Figure 1: Services identified to be poorly provided in the Districts

Poor delivery in the above service areas is inter alia mainly associated with lack of capacity in
terms of human and financial resources. For example, lands bureau is one of the most visited
service areas in the Districts and the staff in the lands bureau are always overwhelmed by
the work load such that they in most cases fail to meet customer expectations. However,
Kicukiro and Gasabo Districts have subcontracted some of the services (e.g. land surveying,
deed plans and cleaning services) and according to the interviews conducted; this has had a
very great impact in terms of service volume and the speed of delivery. This practice should
be replicated in other Local Government units for those services that may not require direct
intervention of the district or sector (e.g. land-related services; water, hygiene and sanitation,
etc). The Local Governments should stock-take the services that may possibly be delivered
through subcontracts while the Local Government remains with a supervisory role.

On the other hand, notary services as mentioned earlier are most demanded in Kigali City
and other urban districts. The challenge related to this service area is still the high demand
by the population. Another challenge is related to language. Some notary officers reiterated
the difficulty they face especially when reading documents that are in English and they are
supposed to notarize them. This, according to them leads to the delay in service delivery as
it requires more time to concentrate and analyze the documents carefully.

Social assistance being another highly demanded service has been constrained mainly by
insufficient and delayed funding to cater for the needs of the vulnerable groups. Social
assistance needs have been reported to be highly demanded in seven out of ten Districts
studied. Though the information on this issue was not available from the Districts of
Kamonyi, Rwamagana and Kirehe, it may be generally inferred that this service area is one
of the most demanded services in the majority if not all of the Districts in Rwanda.
0
2
4
6
8
10
Land related
issues
Social
assistance
Notary
services
31

The Citizen Report and Community Score Cards study carried out in 2009 ranked the
service sectors according to the level of satisfaction of the communities with regard to
service delivery in those sectors. Service sectors assessed were Administration, Education,
Health, Justice, Hygiene and Sanitation, Infrastructure, Agriculture, and Water. Service
sectors highlighted to perform better than others were Administration, Education and
Health sectors, while the level of satisfaction towards Justice, Hygiene and Sanitation sectors
was average with a need for improvement. Infrastructure, Agriculture and Water sectors
were ranked low in regard to the level of performance as seen from community perspective.
These are the services that have a direct impact on the day-to-day lives of the population
and are provided at the community level under supervision of the District.

On the other hand, the services identified to be poorly delivered under the current study
(see table 5) are those that are delivered at the District level by the District staff. These
service areas complement those identified during the CRC and CSC (2009), and the factors
determining the effectiveness and efficiency of service delivery in general terms both at the
District and at the community level have been found to be the same.

3.6 Causes of Poor, Inadequate or Lack of Service Provision in the Local Governments

Causes of poor, inadequate or lack of service provision in the Local Governments were
analyzed. Findings show that lack of staff; insufficient financial means; lack of database to
facilitate planning, monitoring and evaluation; lack of motivation among staff due to low
salaries, job instability and heavy work load; and means of transport and communication for
supervision of activities are the most pressing factors influencing service delivery in Local
Governments (Table 6).

32

Table 6: Factors Affecting Service Delivery in Local Governments
Factors Frequency
6
Ranking
1. Insufficient staff 10 1
2. Limited financial means and delays in funds disbursements 10 1
3. Lack of data base for planning, M&E of activities 6 3
4. Too many and unplanned meetings at the provincial level 6 3
5. Lack of motivation among staff, staff turnover due to low salary,
job instability and heavy work load
6 3
6. Means of transport and communication for supervision 6 3
7. Geographical locations of some sectors hardly accessible 4 7
8. Lack of trainings in the core areas of responsibility 2 8
9. Language barrier (English) 2 8

Key: Colours represent the extent of severity of factors affecting service delivery
High

Medium
Low

Poor service delivery has been highly associated with the factors presented in red (i.e.
insufficent staff and limited financial resources). They have influenced both quality and
quantity of services provided in the local governments. Factors presented in yellow have
been reported to affect the quality and quantity of service delivery at a medium level; while
those presented in green were cited to have a low influence on how services are provided
both in quality and quantity. The above implies that there is a dire need to address the issues
of insufficient staff and limited financial resources in the local governments. Other
remaining factors are important each in its own right and need to be addressed in their
order of priority as presented in table 6.

6
The frequencies in table 6 represent the number of Districts. The rank has been allocated according to the
number of Districts that highlighted a particular aspect that affects the way services are delivered.
33

Table 7: Categorizing Factors Affecting Service Delivery According to Service Areas
Poorly delivered
service
Factors affecting service delivery
Land related issues

Insufficient staff
Lack of database system
Lack of motivation among staff, staff turnover due to low
salary, job instability and heavy work load
Means of transport and communication for supervision
Geographical locations of some sectors hardly accessible
Lack of training in the core area of responsibility
Unplanned meetings
Social assistance

Limited financial means and delays in funds disbursements
Lack of database system
Means of transport and communication for supervision
Unplanned meetings
Notary services

Insufficient staff
Language barrier
Infrastructure Limited financial means and delays in funds disbursements
Lack of means of transport and communication for supervision
Agriculture Limited financial means and delays in funds disbursements
0
10
Figure 2: Factors Affecting Service Delivery in the
Local Governments
34

Lack of means of transport and communication for supervision
Water Limited financial means and delays in funds disbursements

CRC and CSC report (2009) indicated overall community appreciation of the services
delivered in the Local Governments. This is in no doubt the manifestation of effectiveness of
decentralisation program that is underway. However, on the other hand, the report states
that poor service delivery was and rightly so associated with limited capacity of service
providers, and the observation was made in regard to (i) health workers, (ii) agricultural
extension staff, (iii) teachers and (iv) the community volunteers etc.
7

It is important to note that the above contention was made in reference to the general
viewpoint of the citizens who were involved in the study. Limited capacity referred to here
is related to lack of knowledge and skills of service providers in the areas mentioned. This is
just one factor among others that explains ineffectiveness and inefficiency of service delivery
in Local Governments. Capacity issues identified in the current study (table 6) are more
comprehensive since they were assessed from the viewpoint of the service provider. These
factors were presented in terms of human, financial, material, informational, and time
resources among others. It is important to lay out strategies to address all the issues
hindering service delivery so as to ensure that decentralisation program continues to benefit
the Rwandan population as intended.

7
Republic of Rwanda, MINALOC; The Rwanda Citizen and Community Score Cards; Draft Report (September
2009, p. 69)
35

4.0 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

4.1 Conclusion
The study on service delivery conducted in the Local Governments provides important
insights on the issues confronting the Local Government units in providing better services to
the general population. Majority of the factors affecting service delivery as indicated in table
6 are mainly capacity issues; for example, insufficient staff, insufficient funds, lack of
information resources (database), lack of enough time to execute planned activities due to
unplanned meetings, lack of transport means, lack of trainings in the core areas of
responsibility, language barrier, etc. The challenges identified during the course of this
study may not have been exhaustively mentioned by the respondents contacted. However,
these are the most pressing ones that seriously influence the quantity and quality of services
provided by the Local Governments.

4.2 Recommendations

i. Insufficient staff affects significantly the quality and quantity of services
provided. Staff turnover in Local Governments has been overwhelming due to
low salaries, job insecurity, heavy work load, etcThe Central Government
should find mechanisms of addressing these issues. Retention strategies (e.g.
revising salary structures and other work-related benefits, initiating staff
development programs, etc) should be instituted to reduce staff turnover.

ii. The Local Governments should stock-take the services that may possibly be
delivered through subcontracts while the Local Government remains with a
supervisory role. This has already proved to be one of the effective ways of
ensuring effectiveness in service delivery.

iii. Due to high demand of some services offered at the District level while there is
limited staff, it is important to accelerate the process of decentralizing more
services to the Sectors. However, the effectiveness of this will greatly depend on
the degree of financial autonomy given to the sectors so as to be able to provide
these services.

iv. The Local Governments should explore other sources of funding to be able to
supplement the funds provided by the Central Government and other donors.
For example, negotiate with the Government to increase more tax sources for the
Local Governments. Revenue sharing from local tax collections between the
Central Government and the Local Government need to be further discussed.

36

v. More negotiations should be made between the Local Governments and the
donors on the urgency of making timely disbursements to the Local
Governments. However, it is important that the Local Governments revisit their
compliance to the donor requirements prior to making any disbursements, for
example, timely planning, reporting and presentation of clear justifications on the
uses of funds.

vi. As many and unplanned meetings interrupt the normal activity plans in the
Local Governments, hence, affecting effectiveness in the achievement of intended
goals, a meeting should be organized for the Local Governments, Provinces and
MINALOC to discuss the above issue and set up mechanisms for the Province to
coordinate the Local Governments without necessarily interrupting in their
normal working schedules. For example, identify kinds of meetings to take place
in the year (e.g. planning, coordination, evaluation) and allocate them either
monthly, or quarterly so as to allow the Local Governments to integrate them in
their annual plans.

vii. It is important to conduct a customer satisfaction survey so as to assess the issue
of customer care in the Local Governments. This needs to be spearheaded by the
Central Government. However, the findings from this study may help RALGA to
further understand the status of customer care in the Local Governments and
areas that need its intervention for more improvement.

viii. As staff in different service units in the Local Governments lack trainings in their
core areas of responsibility, training needs assessment should be done to identify
key training areas needed for them to improve their skills necessary to improve
service delivery.

ix. Possibility of initiating or strengthening long term twinning arrangements with
other Local Governments in other countries should be explored. This will benefit
the Rwandan Local Governments in terms of technical expertise where staff may
be going to those countries for job shadowing and learn best practices that may
be replicated in the Rwandan situation.

x. There is a need to bring together all the Local Government units to thoroughly
discuss the issue of service delivery in their respective units, develop service
delivery commitment or charter with service standards that should be adhered
to. This should be subject to annual review and upgrading overtime.

xi. Planning, monitoring and evaluation need to be informed by facts and figures to
achieve better results. In light of this, the following need to be done:
37

(a) Trainings on Result Based Management (RBM) should be organized for the staff both
of the Districts and the Sectors so as to equip them with necessary skills required in
planning, monitoring and evaluation
(b) Conduct a baseline study to document information on different service areas (e.g.
education, health, environment, agriculture, land related issues, etc) and develop a
database that will be continuously updated overtime as need arises.

4.3 Action Plan for Implementation of Recommendations

Recommendation
Priority
Action
Expected
Output
Performance
Criteria
Source of
Verification
Implementi
ng Agency
1. Address the
issue of
insufficient
staff
Review the
local
government
structure to
identify staff
gaps
Carry out job
analysis
Fill in the
vacant posts
Review salary
structures of
the local
government
staff
Develop staff
development
plan for the
local
government
staff
Existing staff
gaps in the
Local
Government
structure are
identified
Job analysis
is carried out
Vacant posts
are filled
Local
Government
staff
development
plan is
prepared
Number of
staff recruited
to fill in the
new posts
Reduction in
employee
turnover and
absenteeism
Report on
staff gaps
and job
requirements
Recruitment
reports
Report on
Local
Government
salary
structure and
disparities
with the
Central
Government
staff
Report on
Local
Government
staff
development
plan is
available
Central
Government
2. Stock-take the
services that
may be
delivered
through
subcontracts
Organize a
meeting to
discuss pros
and cons of
subcontractin
g and set up a
committee to
steer this
Produce a list
of activities to
be
Pros and
Cons of
subcontractin
g are well
known and a
steering
committee to
stock-take
services to be
subcontracte
List of Pros
and Cons is
available
List of
subcontractor
s and
activities to be
subcontracted
is available
A meeting
report
A steering
committee
report
Districts
38

Recommendation
Priority
Action
Expected
Output
Performance
Criteria
Source of
Verification
Implementi
ng Agency
subcontracted
Identify
potential sub
contractors
Carry out
selection
process of
potential
subcontractor
s
d is set up
Subcontracto
rs and
services to be
subcontracte
d are
identified

3. Accelerate the
process of
decentralizing
more services
to the sectors
Carry out
capacity
assessment in
the sectors,
Build capacity
of the staff at
the sector
level and/or
recruit more
staff basing on
findings of the
assessment
done.
Increase the
financial
autonomy
granted to
sectors
Decentralize
more services
at the grass
root levels
Carry out
public
awareness
campaign for
decentralized
services
Capacity
needs
assessment
in the sectors
is conducted
Sector staff
are equipped
with
necessary
capacities
More
services are
decentralized
Public
awareness
campaigns
conducted
List of
identified
capacity
building
needs in the
sectors
Quantity and
quality of
facilities
available in
the sector
Number of
staff placed in
different units
and their
current skills
Number of
awareness
campaigns in
the
communities
Capacity
building
report
Public
meetings
reports
Central
government
4. Local
Governments
to explore
other sources
of funding
Create a task
force to carry
out financial
capacity
assessment of
the
district/sector
Explore other
revenue
generating
possibilities
Organize
trainings for
local
Financial
capacity
needs
assessment
in the
District/Sect
ors is
conducted
and capacity
gaps are
known
Other
revenue
% gap
between the
existing and
the required
financial
resources
Number of
revenue
generating
possibilities
Number of
District/Secto
r staff trained
Assessment
report
Training
reports
Central
Government
and Districts
39

Recommendation
Priority
Action
Expected
Output
Performance
Criteria
Source of
Verification
Implementi
ng Agency
government
staff in
resource
mobilization
generating
possibilities
are
identified
Resource
mobilization
trainings
done
Increased
knowledge
and skills of
Local
Government
staff to carry
out resource
mobilisation
in resource
mobilization
and able to
apply the
knowledge
5. More
negotiations
between local
governments
and donors on
the urgency of
timely
disbursements
to the local
governments
Conduct a
meeting to
analyze
causes of
delays in
disbursements
Set up a
mechanism to
ensure timely
disbursements
Causes of
delays in
disburseme
nts are
established
and
mechanisms
to address
the issue are
set up
Timely
disburseme
nts are made
Number of
Districts able
to achieve the
allowable
absorption
capacity of
the annual
budgets
Meeting
report
Financial
reports
Central
Government,
Donors and
Districts
6. Organize a
meeting for the
local
governments,
provinces and
MINALOC to
discuss how the
province can
coordinate the
local
governments
without
interrupting in
their normal
working
schedules
Organize a
consultative
meeting to
reflect on how
to address the
working
relationship
issues
between local
governments
and the
provinces

A
consultative
meeting is
organized
Guidelines to
improve
working
relationship
have been
developed
A guideline
document
on the
working
relationship
between the
district and
the province
Meeting
report
Central
Government
7. Build capacity of
local
government
technical staff to
Conduct
training needs
assessment to
identify key
Training
needs
identified
Increased
List of
training
needs
available
Report on
needs
assessment
M&E
Central
Government
40

Recommendation
Priority
Action
Expected
Output
Performance
Criteria
Source of
Verification
Implementi
ng Agency
improve their
skills
training areas
Organize
trainings for
technical staff
in the areas
highlighted
by the
assessment
Organize
trainings on
Result Based
Management
(RBM) for the
staff both of
the districts
and the
sectors
knowledge
and skills of
the local
government
staff in Result
Based
Management
(RBM) and
other service
areas
Improved
Monitoring
and
Evaluation
(M&E) of
activities
Increased
quality of
service
delivery
Extent of
application of
Result Based
Management
approach in
planning
Monitoring
and
Evaluation
framework
available
framework
M&E
reports
Action plans
Annual
reports
8. Initiate or
strengthen long
term twinning
arrangements
with other local
governments in
other countries
Identify areas
for twinning
Identify
potential
twinning local
governments
in other
countries
Sign twinning
agreement
Organize
study tours to
learn service
delivery best
practices in
other local
governments
Twinning
agreements
signed with
other local
governments
in other
countries
Number of
memoranda
of
understandin
g signed for
twinning
arrangements
Signed
memoranda
of
understandi
ng
Central
Governments,
Districts and
RALGA
9. Develop service
delivery
commitment/ch
arter with
service
standards that
should be
adhered to.
Consultancy
to develop a
service
delivery
charter
Develop
mechanisms
to ensure
respect of the
charter,
notably
through
performance
Service
delivery
charter is
available
Local
Government
staff have
been trained
in service
provision
and are able
to apply
Number of
Local
Government
staff trained
in service
delivery
Number of
Districts/Sec
tors
manifesting
effectiveness
and
Training
reports
Service
delivery
evaluation
reports
Central
government
and districts
41

Recommendation
Priority
Action
Expected
Output
Performance
Criteria
Source of
Verification
Implementi
ng Agency
contracts
signed
between the
staff and
district
authorities.
knowledge
gained
efficiency in
service
provision/d
elivery
10. Conduct a
baseline study to
document
statistical
information on
different service
areas and
develop a
database that is
regularly
updated
Resource
mobilization
for the study
Develop
terms of
reference for
the study
Identify who
will carry out
a study
Present the
findings
Develop a
database

Baseline
information
(statistics) on
different
service areas
has been
collected
Data base
containing
relevant
statistical
information
has been
developed
Increased
knowledge
in how to
use the
database
Amount of
disaggregate
d data
collected in
each service
area
Number of
staff trained
in each
service area
on the use of
statistical
data
Quality of
reports
prepared
Baseline
reports
Training
reports
Quarterly
and annual
reports
RALGA,
Districts

42

5.0 REFERENCES
http://www.dpsa.gov.za/batho-pele/Principles.asp; accessed on 22
nd
June 2010.
MINALOC: The Rwanda Citizen Report and Community Score Cards Reports, 2009.
MINECOFIN: Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy (2008-2012), September
2007.
OSSREA Rwanda Chapter: Citizen Reports and Community Score Cards (2006).
Republic of Rwanda: Vision 2020.
Republic of Rwanda: Ombudsmans Activity Report, 2008.
Republic of Rwanda: Making Decentralized Service Delivery Work in Rwanda. Putting People at
the Center of Service Provision, 2006.
Republic of Rwanda: The Matrix of Roles and Responsibilities for Decentralized Service Delivery:
Making Decentralized Service Delivery Work in Rwanda: A Policy Note, November, 2006.
Rwanda: Joint Governance Assessment Report, 2008.

43

6.0 ANNEXES
Annex 1: Terms of Reference

I. Contextual Background

Rwandese Association of Local Government Authorities abbreviated as RALGA is a legally
registered Non Profit Organization at a national level representing all local authorities of
Rwanda. It has a mandate of representing all its members at all levels. Its members in this
case are the local authoritiesdistricts and Kigali City in Rwanda. In addition to that, it
carries out lobbying and advocacy activities to cater for the interests of the members.
Further, RALGA is charged with the responsibility of ensuring its members get the most
relevant, quality, and needed capacity for both the political leadership and technical
management of the districts. In brief, RALGAs mandate is lobbying/advocacy, capacity
building, and representation.

Within the scope of that mandate, RALGA wishes to carry out a qualitative research to
assess the service delivery situation in Local Governments, subsequent to the general
observation of poor service provision in Rwanda, included services provided by Local
Governments. As its mandate stipulates, RALGA would like, if this is verified, to contribute
to the improvement of service provision in Local Governments. For that end, RALGA needs
to establish whether there is no efficient and effective service delivery by Local Governments
and, in case this is established, contribute to its improvement. For that end, RALGA would
like to hire services of a consultant to undertake that study. The selected consultant would
also analyze data collected within the framework of the survey; Assessment of RALGA by
its members. A customer satisfaction survey assessing services provided by RALGA to its
members, the Local Governments), and produce a report.

II. Objectives of the research

1. Identify the service providing units in local governments as well as the kind of
2. Determine whether there are guidelines/rules for service delivery and the degree of
compliance with those rules;
3. Identify which services are poorly provided;
4. Establish the causes of poor, inadequate or lack of service provision by category of
service delivered by local governments and highlight the gaps;
5. Make an in depth analysis and compare with issues and recommendations from the
Rwanda Citizen Report and Community Score Cards of 2009 and the study of
IPAR on Developing Customer service delivery Policy within the framework of
services delivered by Local Governments.
6. Recommend precise actions to be implemented to improve service delivery by Local
Governments, i.e. propose a plan of action.

44

Concerning the assessment of RALGA by its members, the objective is to evaluate the
services provided by RALGA to the member districts/Kigali City.

III. Activities

The consultant will undertake the following tasks:
Develop and produce an inception report explaining among other things, the
methodology to be used, the time plan, etc.
Design research tools and collect data
Analyze the data collected and produce a draft report
Facilitate a workshop to present the findings
Produce a final report
Analyze existing data related to the study: Assessment of RALGA by its members. A
customer satisfaction survey and produce a report.

V. Deliverables

1. An inception report
2. A draft report on the findings of the research about the service delivery situation in local
governments and recommendations
3. Facilitation of a restitution workshop
4. A final report
5. A report of the assessment of RALGA by its members.

VI. Period for the consultancy

The period of execution of the consultancy shall be 45 days, starting the day of signature of
the contract.

VII. Qualifications and experience required for the local consultant:

The National Consultant should possess the following qualifications:
Masters degree or its equivalent in social sciences or in a related field;
Experience in undertaking similar assignments, preferably in national context of Local
Governments;
Knowledge of decentralized public administration structures and the key role of local
governments;
A clear understanding of the role of local authorities in service delivery;
Fluency in Kinyarwanda, English and French;
Good reporting skills

45

Interested candidates are invited to submit their application at RALGA offices, Kigali
International Airport Boulevard, 1st Floor Sunrise House, PO Box 7249 Kigali Rwanda, Tel.
0788309471 / 0788309472, E-mail: ralga@ralgarwanda.org, not later than 26
th
of March 2010.
Applications could come from individuals or registered firms; they must include the
following documents:

- A covering letter indicating relevant qualifications and similar experiences for the
assignment
- A Curriculum vitae
- A copy of diplomas for relevant education and/or training
- A Technical Proposal
- In a sealed and separate envelope, a Financial Proposal in local currency.

46

Annex 2: Checklist for Interviews/Focus Group Discussion

SECTION A: INTERVIEW GUIDE (one-to-one)
1. Identify the service providing units in local governments as well as the
kind of services required by local communities;
What service providing units are available in the local governments (district
level/sector level) (Executive Secretary)
What kinds of services are supposed to be provided by these units? (Executive
Secretary)
What kinds of services are actually provided by these units? (Executive Secretary)
What kinds of services are most frequently demanded by the population? (Executive
Secretary, service delivery unit)
What are the reasons for not providing some of the services that in actual sense were
supposed to be provided by the unit? (Executive Secretary, service delivery unit)

2. Determine whether there are guidelines/rules for service delivery and the degree
of compliance with those rules;
Is there service provision charter? (if available, get a copy) (Executive Secretary, service
delivery unit)
Are there documented guidelines/rules for service delivery? (if available get a copy)
(Executive Secretary, service delivery unit)
If service delivery guidelines are there, how does the population demanding service
know about these guidelines? (Executive Secretary, service delivery unit)
How frequent does service delivery come up as an issue for discussion during
management and staff meetings at the district/sector? (Executive Secretary, service
delivery unit)
What monitoring and evaluation mechanisms are in place to ensure that service
delivery guidelines are followed and implemented? (Executive Secretary, service
delivery unit)
Are there services that are subcontracted? (Executive Secretary, service delivery unit)
Mention the services that are subcontracted and names of subcontractors (Executive
Are there any changes noted in service delivery for those services that were
subcontracted? What are those changes? (Executive Secretary, service delivery unit)
What changes have been noted in the services that have been subcontracted
Is quality of service delivery an issue in the district/sectors? (Executive Secretary,
service delivery unit)
What are the basic standards followed to ensure quality service is provided to the
population? (Executive Secretary, service delivery unit)
3. Identify which services are poorly provided
In which service areas, quality of service delivery is an issue of concern? (Executive
What are the reasons for poor service delivery in those areas? (Executive Secretary,
service delivery unit)
How could different service areas be ranked in terms of performance effectiveness?
47

Area of service delivery 1=high; 2=medium; 3=low Justification of the answer
Administration sector
Agriculture sector
Education sector
Health sector
Hygiene and sanitation
sector

Infrastructure sector
Justice sector
Water sector
Land distribution and
provision of land-related
documents

Factors affecting service delivery (Executive Secretary, service delivery unit)
Area of service
delivery
Type of
services
delivered
Main
service(s)
demanded
frequently by
the
population
Factors facilitating
delivery of the service
Factors making it
difficult to deliver
the service
Administration
sector

Agriculture
sector

Education sector
Health sector
Hygiene and
sanitation sector

Infrastructure
48

sector
Justice sector
Water sector

How much time is allocated to different service areas in a week? (service delivery unit)
Area of service delivery Out of office/field/week in
hours
In the office/week in hours
Agriculture sector
Education sector
Health sector
Hygiene and sanitation
sector

Justice sector
Water sector
documents

SECTION B: FOCUS GROUP DISCUSSION (staff of different service areas)
4. Establish the causes of poor, inadequate or lack of service provision by category of
service delivered by local governments and highlight the gaps;
What comments would you provide on the population accessibility of the service
according to the service area (e.g. administration sector, agriculture, education
sector, health, etc)?
Which service areas are more accessible to the general population?
What locations of the district/sector are more served and why?
Which service areas in general and what services in particular have the highest
quality standards and why?
Make some comments on the quality of services in each service area, and what
causes?
What is the role of service recipients in service delivery management and how have
they performed? Give examples per service area
How is Public-Private Partnership (PPP) used to support service delivery to the
population in the district/sector?
49

Which service areas are involved in PPP, what are the achievements,
challenges/constraints
Area of service delivery Service area involve
in PPP (put V or X)
Achievements Challenges/Constraints
Agriculture sector
Education sector
Health sector
Hygiene and sanitation sector
Justice sector
Water sector
documents

Assess Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Challenges in the service delivery
system of the district/sector (carry out SWOC analysis)
Service area Strengths in the service delivery
system
Weaknesses in the service
delivery system
Agriculture sector
Education sector
Health sector
Justice sector
Water sector
Land distribution and provision of
land-related documents

Service Area Opportunities in the service
delivery system
Challenges in the service
delivery system
Agriculture sector
Education sector
Health sector
Justice sector
Water sector
Land distribution and provision of
land-related documents

What would be measures to tap into existing strengths and opportunities, and to
address weaknesses and challenges so as to improve service delivery in the local
governments?
50

5. To evaluate the services provided by RALGA to the member districts/Kigali City.
How do local governments work with RALGA?
Is it mandatory for the district to become a member of RALGA?
What is the working relationship between the districts and RALGA
To what extent does RALGA achieve its mandate of lobbying/advocacy, capacity
building, and representation for the local governments?
Are there any benefits arising from being a member of RALGA, give examples of the
benefits that the district has already enjoyed as a result of being a member of
RALGA
What do local governments perceive to be the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities
and challenges of RALGA
What recommendations would be suggested for RALGA to improve its service delivery to
the local governments?

51

Annex 3: Districts Visited and List of Persons Interviewed

District Visited Title of Person Interviewed Telephone Number
Gasabo Director of lands Bureau 0788447993
In charge of Good Governance 0788301531
In charge of Health 0788301325
In charge of Education 0788486948
In charge of Environment and
Hygiene
0788227450
In charge of Infrastructures 0788301408
In charge of Justice and
Notarization
0788844364
Director of IDP 0788861836
In charge of Agriculture 0788356754
Director of Administration and
Finance
0788684558
Kicukiro Director of Lands Bureau 0788867756
In charge of Good governance 0788502133
Human Resource Officer 0788518803
In charge of Notarization 0788524624
In charge of Infrastructure 0788766829
In charge of Environment
In charge of Agriculture 0788469786
Director of Hygiene and Sanitation 0788639779
Executive secretary 0788488979
Director of Finance and
Administration
0788752383
Rwamagana Executive Secretary 0788462645
Kirehe Director of Good Governance 0788591983
Executive Secretary 0788744569
Kamonyi Director of Good Governance 0788531484
Executive secretary
Gisagara

Executive Secretary
Director of Good Governance 0788870778
Rulindo Executive Secretary 078 862 54 76
Musanze Executive Secretary 078 830 50 71
Rubavu Executive Secretary 078 830 20 32
Rutsiro Executive Secretary 078 845 73 77

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