Residents have raised concern over being forced to be declared in a higher economic stratification during the ongoing nationwide exercise of reclassifying households depending on their income under the anti-poverty programme— Ubudehe.

The Ubudehe programme partly aims to identify those in need of social protection from the government.

According to the multiple residents who talked to Rwanda Today, the preliminary classification has been carried out smoothly, with people giving their information regarding living standards.

However, some of the local leaders in charge of the exercise have allegedly later altered the information collected from the ground.

“There are some huge discrepancies between what has happened on the ground and what is set by the classification guidelines,” Athanase Bucyibaruta, a resident of Gashora sector in Bugesera district told Rwanda Today.

Residents who talked to Rwanda Today allege that the information collected on the ground has been altered as the local authorities try to portray an image of developed citizens.

“Within one of the meetings that have been chaired by the executive secretary, the sector's executive secretary told all the cells executive secretary that no need of showing the real you, take all the averagely stable families and class them in the high classes,” noted a resident of Gashora sector who agrees to talk on condition of anonymity.

According to the classification guidelines issued by the government, this year's categorisation, which has been concluded on December 6, has been revamped and households will be divided into five categories, namely A, B, C, D and E.

According to the classification guidelines issued by the Ministry of Local government, the wealthier families whose monthly earning range between at least between Rwf60, 000 and Rwf600, 000, while the E class will encompass the elderly and other needy people.