“We’re being made to pay twice” : anger rises in Muyinga over contributions for the Buhumuza headquarters

SOS Médias Burundi

Muyinga, August 5, 2026 – Anger is rising in the former province of Muyinga. Residents are denouncing new contributions they consider imposed to finance the construction of the Buhumuza provincial headquarters, located in the center of the Cankuzo district in eastern Burundi. They claim they were already heavily solicited for several years to build the former provincial office in Muyinga, a modern three-story building now rented to various services and organizations.

They believe they made significant financial sacrifices before the administrative reform that came into effect after the 2025 legislative elections, a reform that reduced the number of provinces from 18 to 5 and the number of districts from 119 to 42.

A new tax collection that is not going down well

For many residents, this new tax collection campaign is difficult to accept. They feel they already contributed for several years to the construction of the former provincial headquarters in Muyinga before the country’s administrative reorganization.

“We spent more than three years contributing for the construction of the Muyinga provincial office. Now, we are being asked to pay for yet another building. We are exhausted,” say teachers from the Mukoni High School, located in the urban center of Muyinga.

According to them, this new contribution comes at a time when many households are already facing economic hardship.

Contributions imposed on all segments of the population

According to several testimonies gathered by SOS Médias Burundi, the contributions affect various categories of citizens.

Lower-level civil servants would be required to pay at least 10,000 Burundian francs per quarter, while those appointed by presidential decree or appointment would be expected to contribute 30,000 Burundian francs or more.

In rural areas, each household would be asked to contribute 3,000 Burundian francs per quarter.

Residents recall that during the construction of the former provincial headquarters in Muyinga, civil servants, merchants, and rural residents were also asked to contribute according to different scales.

Administrative pressure denounced

Beyond the amount demanded, many citizens are denouncing the methods used to obtain these contributions.

Some claim that administrative officials have warned that those who refuse to pay may encounter difficulties accessing certain administrative documents or other public services.

“We are being told that if we don’t contribute, we could have problems obtaining certain administrative documents.” “This worries a lot of people,” confides a resident of Muyinga.

Members of Parliament also dissatisfied

The discontent isn’t limited to the ordinary population. Elected officials from the former Muyinga constituency are also denouncing the amounts demanded of them.

“We are also affected. Each member of parliament has to pay approximately 100,000 Burundian francs per quarter. This situation is causing a lot of frustration,” states a member of parliament elected in the Muyinga constituency.

Faced with these concerns, residents are asking the authorities to review the financing mechanism for this provincial infrastructure. They believe they already made significant sacrifices for the construction of the former provincial headquarters in Muyinga before the administrative reform that came into effect after the 2025 legislative elections.

This reform profoundly transformed Burundi’s territorial organization, reducing the number of provinces from 18 to 5 and the number of districts from 119 to 42.

The province of Buhumuza, created under this new administrative structure, continues to be the subject of debate regarding its financing and the financial burden placed on local populations.

The provincial authorities of Buhumuza had not responded to the accusations of imposed contributions at the time of publication.