Rwanda National Police

The Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIP) in charge of Operations, Dan Munyuza has appealed to motorcyclists to value their lives, prioritise their safety and desist from deadly behaviors on roads that continue to cost people of their lives.

The Deputy Police Chief made the call yesterday at Amahoro stadium, where he addressed thousands of motorcyclists operating in the City of Kigali.

Motorcyclists are the second leading cause of road accidents. Between January and October this year, a total of 1765 motorcyclists were involved in road accidents, and they account for 18.5 percent of fatalities recorded in the last three months alone.

“Life of one motorcyclist lost is a loss to the family, the community and the country in general. Priority on the road doesn’t guarantee safety; make safety your priority,” DIGP Munyuza said.

He urged them to “think and act appropriately” and do away with reckless and deadly riding behaviors while respecting traffic guidelines.

“You are in this transport business because you want to live and make your lives better; it supports the country’s economic growth. So, regulate your speed, respect safety signposts; don’t ride when you are tired or drunk because that would be a death wish that will also kill others,” he said, urging them to always wear helmets to protect them and their passengers in case of accident.

He said that the force will continue to reinforce current mechanisms to ensure that roads are safe for all.

If accidents persist, he observed, the menace can be a big barrier to development in terms of lost manpower, orphans, expenditure on medical rather than development activities, among others.

Police to investigate theft in motorcycle cooperatives 

Meanwhile, the DIGP hinted on the issue of embezzlement in motorcycle cooperatives adding that investigations will be launched to bring to justice anyone responsible for misusing money of their members.

Each motorcyclist pays Rwf60, 000 membership fees and Rwf7000 monthly contribution, which members say is never accounted for.

There are about 20000 commercial motorcyclists operating in Kigali alone.