President Ndayishimiye sacks the Head of Public Transport Office in front of cameras
RegionWeek Newsletter Vol IV, Issue #182 |Tuesday, June 29, 2021
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Dear Readers,
Due to "non-compliance with the instructions relating to the delivery of '' Technical control '' documents by the agencies of Gitega, Ngozi and Bururi of OTRACO" President Ndayishimiye suspended this Tuesday in Gitega Mr. Albert Maniratunga, the head of the OTRACO (Office des Transport en Commun), a public agency that delivers licenses to ensure that cars and motorcycles meet the requirements for traffic on Burundi's roads.
While he was visiting OTRACO’s headquarters in Gitega, President Evariste Ndayishimiye found that the licenses had not yet been issued as provided for in the agreement signed by GST Global Smart Technologies, an Indian company responsible for issuing the licenses using modern technology.
“As of today, the CEO of Otraco and representatives of this company [Global Society Technical] are no longer allowed to enter the Otraco offices. In three days, I plan to organize the work. You will return to these offices when the "Technical Control" documents can be delivered in Gitega, Bururi and Ngozi. The Director General of the Police will take care of the implementation of these measures " He instructed
The deadlines set and announced were not honored.
The head of state also said that he had warned the OTRACO leader on February 21, 2021 that within two months licenses confirming the importance of vehicles and motorcycles would be launched in Gitega, Ngozi and Bururi in less than two months. It's been four months now.
President Ndayishimiye said there was corruption in OTRACO. "I know bribery is underway. All the chaos is out of it," he said.
Everyone had to go to Bujumbura to get these documents. “And as a representative of the citizens, you did nothing to urge this company to honor its contract within the agreed timeframe,” he added.
About Albert Maniratunga
Albert MANIRATUNGA was born on 06/24/1963 in the province of Bujumbura, son of Augustin NURWAMASO and Thérèse NTIBAKUNDA. After the 1972 genocide, he moved to Rwanda as a refugee supported by the UNHCR then moved to Morocco and France where he spent over 25 years.
He graduated in transport and logistics (global logistics chain) with a specialty in multi-modal transport i.e. Air transport, Airport Management, sea and road transport from University of Orléans in France. He worked at Roissy Charles-de-Gaulle Paris airport but decided to return to Burundi at the end of 2005. He served initially as Deputy Director, then as Director and Managing Director of Bujumbura International Airport, before his appointment at OTRACO.
In November 202o, according to a local media report, Mr Albert was arrested by intelligence services, accused of embezzlement of public funds. He was realised days after
About OTRACO
The Public Transport Office, OTRACO, succeeded in 1991, the OTRABU (Burundi Transport Office) which was created in 1985. OTRACO owned more than 100 buses before the 1993 civil war and provided transport services and operation of buses throughout the country.
Thanks for reading!
Fabrice Iranzi, Editor in Chief | RegionWeek.com