Rwanda National Police

In 2011, Venant Gatera, 35, a resident of Muhika Cell of Gatore Sector in Kirehe District enrolled in dealing narcotic drugs, especially cannabis trafficking it from neighboring countries.

For about two years in this illegal business, Gatera hardly made the best out of it, save for the sleepless nights, loss of his money buying the drugs that would later be seized and arrests.

“I can say that I spent two years messing up and putting my life in danger. I can’t recall how many times I was arrested, the money I lost buying cannabis, which in many occasions would be seized,” says Gatera.

“The two years were a misery to my family, especially my wife that I would beat up every night for boldly telling me to refrain from this act and we invest the money in a small legal business. I understood the values that my wife was boldly standing for after I could not even afford to get what to eat, leave alone the family I had abandoned. ”

According to Gatera, at one point he survived an animal attack at night as he crossed river Akagera from Tanzania with sacks of narcotics.

Gatera, who has since denounced the act and followed the wife’s advice to start a small business, is among former drug dealers and users in Gatore, who have taken up the mantle against vice in the area using their past bad experiences in sensitization programmes.

Recently, while meeting the reformed drug dealers and residents of Gatore, AIP Gahigi Harerimana, the District Community Liaison Officer (DCLO) of Kirehe thanked them for the voluntary work.

He noted that Gatore is one of the sectors in the districts that have high cases of drug-related crimes due to its strategic location.

Gatore borders River Akagera, Karehero and Muhika lakes, which are most cases used as trafficking routes.

During the meeting, residents recommended and instituted a team of area residents to join former drug users, to monitor and fight drug trafficking especially through the water bodies.

One of the residents, Sylvestre Hakizimana said fighting drug abuse in the area is in their interest as parents because their children are the first victims if they stay loose.

“Gatore being a transit route, it has made our children be the first victims of drug abuse, so it remains our responsibility to break that tendency. By establishing an active team to break this tendency, we will be breaking the supply chain, our children and community but also others in other parts of the country where the drugs are taken,” said Hakizimana.