CIVIL SOCIETY IN KWANGO WARNS OF “INSTITUTIONAL JUNGLE” AMID POLITICAL INFIGHTING AND POVERTY
In the heart of Bandundu, frustration is boiling over. The Kwango provincial civil society consultation framework, backed by local leaders, has issued a grave warning about the province’s deepening political and socioeconomic crisis — one that, they say, has brought development to a complete standstill.
Meeting in an extraordinary assembly on Friday, October 17, 2025, members of the civil society coalition denounced what they called an “institutional jungle” — a chaotic power struggle between the provincial assembly and Governor Willy Bitwisila that has left governance in paralysis.
For months, Kwango has been consumed by leadership conflicts, with endless motions, petitions, and counter-petitions shaking the provincial assembly. The result has been a province trapped in dysfunction, where the voices of the poor are drowned out by the noise of political bickering.
“The population has nothing to gain from these disputes,” said George Kilunga, the secretary and spokesperson of the consultation framework. “It is time for our elected officials to focus on the real priorities of development and on improving the living conditions of citizens.”
His tone was calm but laced with disappointment — the kind born of watching politicians trade accusations while roads crumble, hospitals run out of medicine, and schools go months without salaries.
Kilunga’s message was clear: the political class is failing the people. “These quarrels in no way reflect the interests of the population,” he said. “We urge provincial deputies to show responsibility, respect the law, act ethically, and seek unity so that Kwango can finally move forward.”
The statement comes at a time of rising institutional tension and economic stagnation. Critics say Governor Bitwisila’s administration has struggled to deliver basic services, while provincial deputies have turned the assembly into a battlefield for personal and political rivalries. The infighting has delayed projects, frozen local budgets, and scared away potential investors who once saw Kwango as a province with untapped agricultural potential.
Ordinary citizens, meanwhile, continue to bear the brunt of the crisis. Prices for essentials have surged, public salaries are delayed, and infrastructure projects remain abandoned. Local observers describe a province adrift — a place where leaders talk of governance, but governance itself is nowhere to be found.
For civil society, the stakes could not be higher. They warn that if this “institutional jungle” continues unchecked, it could erode what little trust remains between the population and their leaders.
Kwango, one of the provinces with the richest farmlands in western Congo, has long struggled with poverty despite its natural potential. The ongoing political deadlock threatens to make that potential nothing more than a dream deferred.
As the meeting concluded, the message from civil society was echoed by local chiefs and religious leaders in attendance: enough politics — the people want progress.