Is Burundi’s National Assembly becoming a family affair? How can it be explained that the Speaker of the National Assembly’s son has been placed in charge of logistics and supplies? Why would Daniel Gélase Ndabirabe have doubled the logistics budget before assigning his own son to oversee it? How is this institution being administered today? What future awaits the country’s highest legislative institution?
These are the key questions that the King Umurundi Freedom Organization seeks to answer through a series of investigations into the functioning and governance of Burundi’s National Assembly. The information gathered during our investigation points to practices which, in our assessment, raise serious concerns regarding transparency, good governance, and compliance with administrative rules.
The first installment of this investigation, published on 30 June 2026, focuses on an appointment that has generated significant concern. According to information collected by our organization, the Speaker of the National Assembly, Daniel Gélase Ndabirabe, allegedly arranged for his own son, Hangama God-Aël Jemy, who is reportedly still a minor and a secondary school student, to be recruited as an employee of the National Assembly and appointed Head of Logistics and Supplies. These allegations, if accurate, would constitute a troubling situation in light of the principles of neutrality, merit, and transparency that are expected to govern public institutions.
The individual concerned is Hangama God-Aël Jemy, who is currently a student at SOS High School in Bujumbura, where he is in his second year of upper secondary education, specializing in Economics.
Responsibilities of the Logistics and Supplies Department
Within the National Assembly, the Head of Logistics and Supplies occupies a particularly sensitive position. The office is responsible for preparing expenditures related to the operation of the Speaker’s Office and ensuring the administrative monitoring of the funds allocated for that purpose.
The expenditures prepared by the Logistics and Supplies Department are subsequently transmitted to the Secretary General before being forwarded to the Directorate of Administration and Finance (DAF), which is responsible for executing the expenditures in accordance with established administrative procedures.
In principle, this position is held by a permanent civil servant who works on a daily basis alongside the Speaker of the National Assembly and accompanies him on official missions. However, according to our findings, the individual currently entrusted with this responsibility is reportedly still pursuing his secondary education.
A Logistics Budget Doubled
Our investigation indicates that during the previous fiscal year, the annual budget allocated to the Speaker’s logistics and supplies department amounted to 180 million Burundian francs, or approximately 500,000 Burundian francs per day.
According to the information gathered, this budget has recently been increased to 360 million Burundian francs per year, or nearly one million Burundian francs per day, effectively doubling the funds allocated to the department.
At the same time, the former Head of Logistics and Supplies was reportedly replaced by the Speaker’s son. Several internal sources claim that this decision caused considerable unease among some Members of Parliament, although they reportedly refrained from expressing their concerns publicly.
According to these same sources, the appointment was intended to facilitate the management of the substantial funds allocated to the logistics department. They further note that the allocated budget is not necessarily spent in its entirety during a given fiscal year.
Our investigation also raises another important question: to date, no official appointment decree or administrative act has reportedly been made public confirming the appointment of Hangama God-Aël Jemy to this position, further fueling concerns about the legality and regularity of the appointment.
In light of these findings, our organization considers that the alleged practices are incompatible with the principles of good governance, transparency, and equal access to public employment. We therefore call upon the competent authorities to thoroughly investigate these allegations and to ensure full compliance with the legal and administrative rules governing the functioning of the institutions of the Republic.
This publication constitutes the first installment of a broader investigative series devoted to the governance of Burundi’s National Assembly. Future reports will examine the institution’s internal organization and other practices that our organization considers equally concerning.