Matana : millions squandered, ghost offices — the scandal of abandoned construction sites

SOS Médias Burundi

Burundi, March 29, 2026 — In the district of Matana, in Burunga province, in the south of the small east African nation, the unfinished construction of several zonal offices is fueling a heated controversy. While the funds allocated for these infrastructures have reportedly already been fully disbursed by the government, some construction sites remain at a standstill or are experiencing unexplained delays.

According to local administrative sources, the national program for the construction of zonal offices allocated a budget of approximately 200 million Burundi francs per building across the country. The contracts were awarded to various construction companies, under the supervision of the National District Investment Fund (FONIC), the project owner under the authority of the Ministry of the Interior.

In the district of Matana, which comprises 15 zones, work is complete in 11 of them. However, four zonal offices remain unfinished.

Of these, two are in the final stages of completion, while two others—specifically in the Ndago and Gasibe zones—have been stalled for nearly a year, without significant progress.

Public services paralyzed

This situation is having significant consequences for the local administration. According to several officials, staff in some zones are forced to work in precarious conditions due to a lack of functional offices.

“We are having difficulty carrying out our duties properly. It is difficult to serve the population without adequate infrastructure,” a local administrative source confided.

Funds already disbursed, but construction sites stalled

The stalled construction raises even more questions given that, according to President Évariste Ndayishimiye, the funds allocated for these projects have already been released.

The government, however, plans to proceed with the handover of the completed buildings, while the furniture intended to equip these offices has already been delivered.

Recently, the Head of State publicly criticized the lack of oversight by certain local administrative officials in the execution of these projects.

Suspicions of corruption and shared responsibility

But for several observers, the responsibility cannot be limited to the local level. FONIC, responsible for supervising the work and the companies awarded the contracts, is also being criticized.

According to some employees of companies involved in these projects, corrupt practices within this institution are the cause of the delays and the poor execution of some of the construction sites.

These accusations, if confirmed, would reinforce concerns about the management of public funds in a program intended to bring the administration closer to citizens.

A spokesperson for FONIC was unavailable to comment on these allegations at the time of publication.