Rwanda’s new Auditor General, Claudette Mukashyaka, has identified continuous capacity-building for auditors and stronger cooperation with stakeholders as key priorities for improving the quality of public audits and effectively fulfilling the institution’s mandate.
She made the remarks on Monday, November 2, 2026, during the handover ceremony with Alexis Kamuhire, who completed his five-year term as Auditor General.
Mukashyaka was appointed to the position by President Paul Kagame on October 27 and sworn in on October 30. She will be deputised by Gratien Kubwimana.
She said auditors need continuous professional development, relevant qualifications and specialised skills, while staff working in the sector should be given the independence necessary to carry out effective audits.
“An auditor who lacks the necessary capacity cannot help you achieve anything,” she said.
Mukashyaka also stressed the importance of constructive engagement with different stakeholders in strengthening the oversight of public finances and assets.
She cited Parliament as one of the institution’s key partners, saying cooperation with it and other stakeholders, both within Rwanda and abroad, would continue to support capacity-building and improve performance.
“We have Parliament as a partner that provides oversight, and we will continue working together. We should also engage other partners in the country and abroad who can help us build capacity. We have expectations of them, and they also have expectations of us. Dialogue is important,” she said.
Kamuhire, who served as Auditor General for five years, said the Office of the Auditor General had worked to ensure that all government institutions receiving public funds were held accountable for how they used their budgets in accordance with the law.
Among the achievements he highlighted was an increase in the proportion of the national budget and government activities audited, from 87 per cent at the beginning of his term to 96.4 per cent.
“We do not know of anywhere else in the world that has managed to reach that level of 96 per cent,” he said.
Kamuhire added that the institution produced 1,318 reports during his tenure, which he said had made a significant contribution to the country.
These included 1,210 reports on compliance with laws governing public finance and asset management, 76 investigative reports identifying problems and proposing solutions, and 32 reports assessing the institution’s information technology systems.
He thanked President Kagame for appointing him to the position and acknowledged the support of various institutions that helped him fulfil his five-year mandate.
