Democracy and Good Governance
Senior 6 · General and Religious Studies
Democracy and Good Governance
Lesson 3 of 4
22 min
In pre-colonial Rwanda, a person, often a warrior or a leader, could stand before the community and the king and vow to achieve a feat: guhiga, to make an umuhigo (plural imihigo). Fulfilling the vow brought honour; failing brought public shame. In 2006 the Government revived the practice in a modern form: every year, each district's mayor signs performance contracts, imihigo, with the President of the Republic, listing measurable targets. At the end of the year the results are evaluated and the districts are ranked in public.
The idea is simple: a leader's promises are written down, measured and judged. That is the core of good governance.
Important
Source A: extract from a district's performance contract (illustrative)
| Target for the year | Indicator | Result at evaluation |
|---|---|---|
| Connect households to electricity | 2,000 new connections | 1,840 connected |
| Raise community health insurance coverage | From 85% to 92% of residents | 93% covered |
| Build classrooms to reduce overcrowding | 24 classrooms completed | 24 completed |
| Register land transfers online | Average waiting time under 7 days | Average 11 days |
The figures are invented for practice. Real imihigo are published by the districts and evaluated each year.
Definition
Governance: the way power is exercised in managing a country's public affairs and resources: how decisions are made, carried out and checked.
Good governance: governance that is participatory, follows the rule of law, is transparent, responsive, consensus oriented, equitable and inclusive, effective and efficient, and accountable (UN ESCAP).
Accountability: the duty of those who hold power to explain and justify their decisions and to accept the consequences. Example: districts answer for their imihigo results.
Transparency: decisions and information are open, so that those affected can see how and why they were made. Example: publishing the price and waiting time of every public service.
Corruption: the abuse of entrusted power for private gain, such as demanding a bribe for a service that should be free.
E-governance: delivering public services and information through digital technology. Example: Rwanda's Irembo portal, through which citizens apply online for documents such as birth certificates and driving tests.
Compare each result with its indicator. The electricity target was missed: achieved. Health insurance and classrooms met or beat their targets. The land target was missed: 11 days instead of under 7. A district that publishes such a table is transparent; one that explains the gaps and plans to close them is accountable. Figure 3 shows the cycle that a performance contract is meant to drive.
| Characteristic | Meaning | Rwandan institution or practice |
|---|---|---|
| Participation | Citizens take part in decisions, directly or through institutions | Citizens' assemblies in villages and cells; consultation on district plans and imihigo |
| Rule of law | Fair laws, applied impartially by independent courts | An independent judiciary (Constitution, Article 150) |
| Transparency | Information is open and decisions are explained | Published service charters; reports of the Auditor General made public |
| Responsiveness | Institutions serve people within a reasonable time | The Citizen Report Card survey of the Rwanda Governance Board; complaints to the Ombudsman |
| Consensus oriented | Different interests are reconciled for the common good | The National Dialogue Council (Umushyikirano), held since 2003; the Forum of Political Organisations |
| Equity and inclusiveness | Everyone, including the vulnerable, has a stake | At least 30% of decision-making posts for women (Article 10); seats for youth and persons with disabilities |
| Effectiveness and efficiency | Results that meet needs while using resources well | Imihigo; e-government through Irembo |
| Accountability | Leaders answer for their actions to the public and to oversight bodies | The Office of the Auditor General reports to Parliament; the Office of the Ombudsman receives leaders' declarations of assets |
Independent indices help answer the question. In Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index 2025, Rwanda scored 58 out of 100 (where 100 means very clean) and ranked 41st of 182 countries, among the better results in Africa. Inside the country, the Rwanda Governance Board publishes an annual Rwanda Governance Scorecard. Challenges remain: corruption cases still reach the courts each year; some districts lack the skilled staff to deliver complex projects; and researchers have noted that targets set mainly from above, or measured only by numbers, can push officials to report success rather than achieve it.
Warning
Good governance is not the same as democracy. Democracy is about who holds power and how they are chosen; good governance is about how power is used. The two support each other, but a country can hold elections and still govern badly, and an index of service delivery does not measure political freedom. Keep the two concepts separate in your answers.
Tip
Remember the eight with "PRTR-CEEA". Participation, Rule of law, Transparency, Responsiveness, Consensus, Equity, Effectiveness, Accountability. In an essay, pair each characteristic with a named institution and one piece of evidence.
Important
Discuss. Imihigo makes leaders compete to deliver measurable results. Could the pressure to hit numbers ever harm good governance? Think of a target that is easy to count but does not show whether people's lives improved.
Rwandapedia: interview with James Musoni, then Minister of Local Government, on imihigo (July 2012, about six minutes). Note how he links the modern performance contracts to the pre-colonial practice, and how results are evaluated.
Practice
Sources and credits
Written by Ganzaa: Source A (illustrative), Figure 3, the tables, the analysis and the exercises.
This lesson adapts CC BY-SA material and is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.
