Gatsibo District authorities have promised to clear arrears owed to AIRIF Group Ltd, a supplier of vegetables to ten schools in the district. The district's Mayor, Gasana Richard, said an audit is being conducted to ascertain the exact quantities of vegetables supplied by the company. The audit aims to establish facts and ensure fairness in the payment process. Gasana made the statement in response to concerns raised by Karire Honette, Deputy Managing Director of AIRIF Group Ltd.
Karire Honette had expressed frustration with district authorities over the handling of the matter, stating that her company has been chasing payments for two years. She claimed that arrears have accumulated to about Rwf14million and that project workers need to be paid. Karire also mentioned that the schools continue to harvest vegetables from the gardens established by her company. However, district authorities say they are handling the matter through an audit process to verify the quantities of vegetables supplied.
According to Mayor Gasana, Karire's company entered into agreements with some schools and fulfilled some obligations but not others. The district has put in place an audit team to reconcile the agreements, assess what was delivered, and determine what should and should not be paid. Gasana emphasized that the involvement of auditors will ensure fairness and establish facts of the matter. The audit process is expected to be completed within a week.
Karire Honette told Taarifa that she has been blocked from entering the ten schools where her company operates vegetable gardens. She claimed that in some schools, the gardens have collapsed because nobody is tending to them. In other schools, Karire said that they are harvesting vegetables without her company's presence, which is not reflected in delivery records. This has led to discrepancies in the payment process.
The district's audit process aims to resolve the dispute between Gatsibo District and AIRIF Group Ltd. Mayor Gasana said that Karire's company is requesting payments for all contracted activities, including those that were not delivered. The district authorities cannot accept this without verification, Gasana added. The audit team will assess the situation and determine the rightful payments.
The schools' nutrition project has been affected by the dispute between Gatsibo District and AIRIF Group Ltd. The project's workers need to be paid, and the schools continue to benefit from the vegetable gardens. However, the arrears dispute has caused delays in the payment process. The district authorities' decision to conduct an audit is expected to resolve the matter and ensure fairness.
The Gatsibo District administration has assured stakeholders that the matter will be resolved soon. The district is committed to clearing the arrears owed to AIRIF Group Ltd once the audit process is completed. The verification process will establish the exact quantities of vegetables supplied and ensure that payments are made accordingly.
Key points
- Gatsibo District in Rwanda owes AIRIF Group Ltd Rwf14million in arrears for supplying vegetables to ten schools.
- The district is conducting an audit to verify quantities of vegetables supplied by AIRIF Group Ltd.
- The audit process aims to ensure fairness and resolve the dispute between Gatsibo District and AIRIF Group Ltd.
