Burundi’s Minister of the Interior has suspended the administrator of Ntahangwa Commune in Bujumbura Province, Alexis Havyarimana, following accusations of incompetence and the alleged misappropriation of public funds.
The ministerial order, signed on July 20, 2026, was made public on Tuesday. It states that Havyarimana is suspended from his duties for violating Article 45(6) of Organic Law No. 1/18 of June 7, 2024, which governs the reorganization of communal administration.
The cited provision outlines the circumstances under which a commune administrator’s mandate may end before the expiration of the term. It provides that an administrator may be removed by the competent authority in cases including corruption, incompetence, duly established embezzlement of public funds, or scandalous conduct.
The suspension comes just weeks after Ntahangwa’s Communal Council levelled a series of accusations against Havyarimana and the commune’s executive secretary. Among the allegations were opaque management of communal finances and failure to comply with decisions and directives issued by both the council and the provincial governor.
When previously contacted for comment on the allegations, Havyarimana declined to respond, saying he was too busy to provide a reaction.
The Communal Council had also accused the administrator of failing to implement council resolutions, recommendations and policy guidance, as well as instructions from the provincial governor.
Council members further criticized delays in the bicycle registration programme and the failure to update operating contracts and revise rental fees for businesses using state-owned property. They said the status of those contracts should have been presented to the council for review.
Havyarimana was introduced to residents of Ntahangwa in August 2025 by President Évariste Ndayishimiye during a nationwide tour to present newly appointed commune administrators following the 2025 communal elections.
He is the first commune administrator to be removed from office since Burundi implemented its administrative restructuring in 2025, which reduced the number of communes from 119 to 42.
