Rwanda National Police

Eight drivers are detained at Mageragere Police Station in Nyarugenge district after they were arrested for allegedly attempting to bribe officers.

The suspects, who include drivers of public vehicles and heavy trucks, were apprehended separately on various highways recently.

Police spokesperson, Assistant Commissioner of Police Damas Gatare said the suspects were arrested after they tried to offer money to officers to drop penalties after they were found breaching road traffic rules.

Some of them had been found with no driver’s licence, vehicles operating on expired mechanical inspection certificates and lack of transport authorization normally issued by the national utility agency, RURA.

The bribes range between Rwf1, 000 and Rwf5, 000.
ACP Gatare warned drivers against violating traffic rules and trying to bail themselves out through illegal channels.

“You don’t correct a mistake with a mistake; we have time and again appealed to road users to respect traffic rules to avoid likely accidents and some of them have defied these repeated calls which continue to cost people of their lives,” ACP Gatare noted.

“If you are caught, accepted penalties as stipulated because if you try other illegal means like bribes, you will also be arrested; corruption is zero tolerance in Rwanda National Police and certainly in Rwanda,” he added.

He observed that “services are for free” and that no one should neither be charged nor buy such freely given services. He instead appealed to everyone to strive for quality services and report those who try to solicit bribes.

Penalties for anyone convicted of corruption range between two and seven years and a fine of up to ten times the value of illegal benefit demanded as stipulated under articles 633 to 651 of the Rwanda penal code.