Civics and Governance
Primary 4 · Social and Religious Studies
Civics and Governance
Lesson 4 of 5
14 min
Today the district mayor is coming to open three new classrooms at Umutoni's school. The pupils sing, and the mayor cuts a ribbon. Afterwards, she sits with the parents and listens to their ideas for the school. "Leaders are here to serve you," she says. Umutoni wonders: who else leads our district, and what makes a leader good?
A leader is a person who guides a group of people towards a shared goal. In a family, the parents lead. In a class, the teacher and the class monitor lead. In a district, many leaders work together.
Outside the City of Kigali, each district is led by:
| Leaders | What they do |
|---|---|
| The District Council (Inama Njyanama y'Akarere) | Councillors chosen to represent the people, including women, young people and people with disabilities. The council approves the district's plans and budget and checks the work of the district's leaders. |
| The Executive Committee | Three elected leaders: the Mayor (Umuyobozi w'Akarere), who heads the district, the Vice Mayor in charge of Economic Development, and the Vice Mayor in charge of Social Affairs. They run the district and carry out its plans. |
| The Executive Secretary | Heads the district's staff and makes sure the offices do their work every day. |
Below the district, the sector and the cell each have an Executive Secretary, and every village has a village leader (umukuru w'umudugudu).
Good to know: the three districts of the City of Kigali are organised differently. Their leaders are appointed, and the City of Kigali has its own council and mayor.
| Quality | What it looks like |
|---|---|
| Honest | Tells the truth and never steals public money. |
| Fair | Treats everyone equally, with no favourites. |
| A good listener | Listens to people's ideas and problems. |
| Hardworking | Keeps promises and gets things done. |
| Humble | Serves people instead of showing off. |
| Responsible | Admits mistakes and explains what they did. |
| A good example | Obeys the law and does what they ask others to do. |
Tip
A good leader is a good servant. The best leaders do not ask, "What can people do for me?" They ask, "What can I do for the people?"
Answer: The Mayor.
Answer: The Vice Mayor in charge of Economic Development and the Vice Mayor in charge of Social Affairs.
Answer: It represents the people, approves the district's plans and budget, and checks the work of the leaders.
Answer: Any three of: plan development, collect and use taxes well, keep security, listen to people, carry out government programmes, organise umuganda, protect the environment.
Answer: Any two of: honest, fair, a good listener, hardworking, humble, responsible, a good example.
What you learned today
Sources and credits
The rest of the lesson is written by Ganzaa.
Quick check
Which leaders form a district's Executive Committee?
