Giharo: agricultural cooperatives expropriated from their properties denounce corruption mixed with political motives

Farmers and agricultural cooperatives from Giharo commune, Rutana province (south-eastern Burundi) accuse the head of the provincial directorate of environment, agriculture and livestock (BPEAE) of distributing land in the developed Mukazye marsh on the basis of political motives and corruption.

This director, Pierre Claver Bagorikunda, communicated a list of cooperatives and farmers authorized to cultivate in the developed Mukazye marsh mid last May.

According to the cooperatives and farmers who already exploited this marsh, the new distribution of land in this 32 ha seed center was marred by several irregularities.

They accuse Pierre Claver Bagorikunda of having expropriated cooperatives and farmers who operated the seed center set up in the Mukazye marsh without any form of explanation and this on the basis of undefined criteria.

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The most telling case is the expropriation of the cooperative “Kora tugwize umwimbu” which brings together 35 shareholders of its 6 ha land which it has been operating since 2018.

According to local sources, this expropriation of agricultural cooperatives is for the benefit of CNDD-FDD officials and administrative authorities.

“Among the new purchasers of land after the expropriation of the old ones are the secretary of the CNDD-FDD in Burunga province Sylvain Nzikoruriho, who received 1 ha, Lydie Nihimbazwe administrator of Giharo 0.5 ha, Lazare Bafuri, permanent secretary of the commune of Giharo, 0.5 ha and other people and cooperatives close to the CNDD-FDD,” specifies a source close to the municipal office.

Members of the “Kora tugwize umwimbu” cooperative say they are victims of the fact that their cooperative helped recover 8 hectares that Léonidas Bahati, in complicity with Pierre Claver Bagorikunda, the director of BPEAE, had embezzled seven years ago.

This land was rented at 400,000 francs per ha per year, or a sum of 3,200,000 francs each year and therefore nearly 23,000,000 francs during these seven years.

This sum was shared by the two accomplices even though it should have been paid into Rutana’s BPEAE account, according to the same sources.

The exposure of this misappropriation of public funds did not please Pierre Claver Bagorikunda, which pushed him to sanction this cooperative “Kora tugwize umwimbu” by withdrawing, last year, 4 of the 6 ha of its land and this without warning it, while it had already paid into the BPEAE account opened at the BBCI (Burundian Bank of Commerce and Investment) -Rutana, a sum of 2,400,000 francs at the rate of 400,000 francs per ha, required to exploit this part of the seed center.

In addition to this sum, the members of this cooperative had already purchased selected corn seeds.

The 2 ha that remained were withdrawn from the cooperative “Kora tugwize umwimbu” on Monday, May 13, again without having notified the cooperative concerned and still under the same conditions as last year.

To his great surprise, Léonidas Bahati, already accused of having misappropriated state land for seven years, benefited from the allocation of an area of ​​15 ha in favor of the director of the BPEAE of Rutana, Pierre Claver Bagorikunda, of his cooperative “Turashoboye mu Kumoso”, made up mainly of CNDD-FDD activists and 1 ha on his own account by expropriating the old cooperative.

Those who were expropriated say that the administration of the Giharo commune, led by Lydie Nihimbazwe and the leaders of the CNDD-FDD, have sworn that this cooperative ”Kora tugwize umwimbu” can no longer benefit from land in this seed center in the approach of the elections, because its members are predominantly from the opposition.

The latter say they are victims of unfounded motives because their cooperative is made up of activists from various political parties.

The members of the agricultural cooperative “Kora tugwize umwimbu” ask the competent authorities to ensure that their cooperative is restored to its rights.

They ask the anti-corruption brigade to carry out investigations so that the embezzled money is returned to the state coffers.

The administration and the Provincial directorate of the Environment, Agriculture and Livestock have not yet commented on this subject

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Illustrative photo: a Burundian woman in a rice field in a marsh in northern Burundi