The opposition party UPRONA is urging Burundi’s President Évariste Ndayishimiye to reject the appointment of certain newly elected communal administrators who have previously been accused of serious misconduct, including corruption and economic malpractice.
This call comes just a day after the election of 42 new communal administrators across the country. UPRONA’s president, Olivier Nkurunziza, told local media on Friday that some of those elected have troubling pasts.
“I have indeed heard that some of the elected administrators were publicly accused by the head of state of being involved in economic wrongdoing and serious misconduct,” said Nkurunziza.
He stressed that while communal councils are responsible for proposing administrators, it is the president who has the final say through official appointment by decree. “If the president finds that a proposed administrator has been imposed or pushed through despite a problematic past, he can simply refuse to sign the appointment decree,” Nkurunziza explained.
He went further, warning that if the president proceeds with such appointments, it could contradict his own previous statements. “If he signs off on these nominations, it raises the question of whether he was too quick to accuse these people in the first place,” he added.
Nkurunziza also argued that appointing individuals previously accused of economic crimes would effectively serve to rehabilitate them without explanation to the public. “If that is the case, then the president must clearly inform the people of Burundi that these individuals have been pardoned. Otherwise, it will be very concerning,” he said. “We need people of integrity who will contribute to the development of the communes and the country. This is not a position for just anyone.”
Among those elected but not yet officially appointed is Consolateur Nitunga, chosen to lead the new commune of Muhuta in Bujumbura province. Nitunga was previously the governor of Rumonge province in 2022 when President Ndayishimiye publicly accused him of being complicit in a fuel smuggling scheme to the Democratic Republic of Congo. At the time, Burundi was facing an unprecedented fuel shortage, which severely impacted daily life.
“There are those who think that because they collaborate with administrators or governors, they are untouchable. This group must be dismantled,” President Ndayishimiye said during a public speech in Rumonge’s Ivyizigiro Stadium. “If I hear about this group again, the governor and the administrator will be dismissed.”
The president was particularly critical of Nitunga’s handling of a case involving eight loads of fuel allegedly destined for illegal sale across the border. Dissatisfied with Nitunga’s explanation, the president declared, “When someone starts giving answers that are not convincing, there must be a reason behind it.”
Despite such serious accusations, this wouldn’t be the first time President Ndayishimiye has appointed individuals previously implicated in misconduct. In July 2025, Aloys Ndayikengurukiye — the former director of the state-owned sugar company, SOSUMO — was appointed as the governor of the new Bujumbura Province, despite the President’s public condemnation of SOSUMO leadership for failing the company and prioritizing personal wealth over national development.
“In SOSUMO, I was told they operate at a loss,” President Ndayishimiye said during a public moralization session in Cankuzo in September 2024. “I told them: you have failed. There is no value you’ve added to the country. You only work for your own stomachs.”
Given these past events, UPRONA is calling for a more cautious and transparent approach.
“We appeal to the president to carefully analyze these nominations,” said Nkurunziza. “It is about the future of our communes and the credibility of our leadership.”
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