Makamba : district offices transformed into propaganda cells for the CNDD-FDD

SOS Médias Burundi

Makamba, June 2, 2025 – A viral video highlights a worrying trend : district officials are using public premises to campaign for the ruling party. A blatant violation of the administration’s neutrality, denounced by angry citizens.

The scene, filmed in an official office in Makamba district, shows Zuena Irakiza, a district administrator, explaining to citizens how to vote for the leader, clearly referring to the CNDD-FDD. The space, supposedly used to receive citizens’ grievances, has been transformed into a propaganda room.

In this now-viral sequence, there is no ambiguity : this is a political instruction delivered from a public space, in the presence of state agents. Several witnesses claim that this meeting was held with the complicity of the district’s permanent executive secretary, Gad Ntunzwenayo, who allegedly oversaw the distribution of voter cards by district employees.

Outraged residents

This partisan use of public resources outrages a portion of the population.

“We come here for documents or services, not to hear voting instructions,” laments one resident, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Citizens denounce the blatant manipulation of the administration, fueled by personal ambitions, according to them:

“These officials aren’t on any candidate list. They just want to impress the party so they can be selected later.”

A climate of mistrust as elections approach

Three days before the legislative and district elections, such practices cast doubt on the fairness of the electoral process. Urgent calls are being made to electoral institutions and oversight bodies to put an end to the misuse of state infrastructure.

“The transparency of the process is at stake. We cannot talk about free elections if administrative offices become campaign centers,” worryingly says a local observer.