PRESS RELEASE N° 026/P.S. IMB/012
Taxi cab owners in Kigali City are crying fool especially since the RPF Inkotanyi operatives hijacked all the network roads in Rwanda, installing laws and directives against the general interests of the public and this through the governmental organs such as MINIFRA, RURA, Kigali city and Traffic Police.
In that context, taxicab owners have to sign an agreement with the Rwanda Federation of Transport Cooperative (RTFC), where only directives binding them are stated while there is no word about RTFC obligations.
As detailed to the Social Party P.S. IMBERAKURI, these public transportation operators are very concerned by the fee they have to pay to the association on a daily basis and the way the routes are assigned.
Regarding the daily fees, the payees as don’t understand how these fees are installed as there is no law or other explanation on how this money will be used even though they are supposed to be association’s members. They wonder as well about the purpose of these taxes especially as they have never held meeting on any work plan or any report of realizations. For example, for those who operate in Kigali City, every day, one who operates in Kigali pays FRW 2.000 at the beginning of the shift and an additional FRW 500 for each turn. Out of these FRW 500, the FRW 400 are paid to the bus station, and the remaining FRW 100 goes to Agaciro Development Fund. For somebody working on the route Nyenyeli – Remera for example, he can make one trip per hour, which means fourteen (14) trips a day because he has to work from six o’clock in the morning (06:00 am) to ten o’clock in the evening (10:00 pm) and then pay an additional fee of seven thousands (500 frw x 14 = 7.000 frw), which means he pays in average FRW 9.000 every single day.
In additional to this daily taxes, one has to pay for all the required document for a taxi to operate such: authorization, government taxes, insurance, decay (FRW 10.500), uniform (FRW 8.500), driver aid’s uniform, gasoil, technical control of the car, maintenance of the vehicle, driver and his aide’s salaries, etc..
The transporters are crying fool because they find out that these fees are installed to enrich the ruling party RPF through the RTFC. This despicable action has several bad consequences, including:
1. Impossible working hours : Fourteen hours (14) on a daily basis all week along including Sundays as stated in the agreement. The fatigue of the drivers and their aides is in most part the origin of many accidents and other traffic violations, then severely sanctioned by the TRAFFIC POLICE. In addition, they don’t have the possibility to enjoy time with their families.
2. It appears that the more profitable routes are assigned to the militants of the ruling party RPF such as KBS (Kigali Bus Service) or ROYAL even though they don’t have enough vehicles to cover the schedules. It is in that way that in morning or evening hours long line of passengers are formed while drivers to other routes are idling. The situation has negative consequences both for the taxi owners and patrons.
This is one of the tangible examples that the RPF Inkotanyi misuses the so called self employment and privatization policies to take over people property through its leaders labeled private economic actors. Obvious evidence is that the policy is aimed to enrich a small clique of people. How can you explain that a mother gives birth in the hospital but when she has nobody to care of her, and can’t pay hospital fees she is taken in hostage by the hospital while the RPF is one of the richest political party in the world?
The Social Party P.S. IMBERAKURI finds out that Rwandan people should have a say in their project so they can choose ones that really contribute to the improvement of their daily lives.
Done in Kigali November 14, 2012
Immaculate UWIZEYE KANSIIME
Secretary General
