Rwanda National Police

Four men, all in their early twenties have been rescued from the grasp of human trafficking, when Rwanda National Police (RNP) foiled a plan by two suspects who intended to traffic and sell them to another human trafficker in Kenya.

Upon getting information from concerned citizens, Police investigated and found out that two suspects, Silver Nzeyimana, 27, and Marcel Usabimana, 26, were in the habit of luring young Rwandans to Kenya.

These investigations led Police to Nyabugogo bus terminal on May 7, where the two suspects were arrested in a Kenya-bound bus where the victims were also rescued.

Upon their arrest, the suspects disclosed that they were being paid by a Rwandan who lives in Kenya, to get him young people .

Police Spokesperson for the Central Region, Superintendent Modeste Mbabazi, said the two suspects lured the four victims with promises of high paying jobs in Kenya – and that their had bared the victims from informing anyone about the whole plan.

"Earlier investigations had discovered that the two suspects were involved in this human rights violation act and when police moved to arrest them, they were found with the four victims as they intended to take them to Kenya. Further investigations have also revealed that the rescued boys are actually not the only ones. The suspects were in the scheme of trafficking more young Rwandans for money,” Supt. Mbabazi said.

“Some of the victims are from Ngororero and Kamonyi District. This is an indication that human traffickers have no boundaries and always go everywhere looking for the most vulnerable people.”

One of the victims, who spoke on condition of anonymity, revealed that he was approached by one of the suspects who told him that there was someone in Kenya offering good jobs and business deals to young people – and told him that they would even cater for their transport and other required costs.

“Like I had been warned, I did not tell my parents where I was going. I was just shocked when Police rescued us and informed us that we were going to be sold into inhuman activities rather than make good money as promised,” he said.

Superintendent Mbabazi called upon the youth to be alert against strangers, and sometimes even relatives and family friends, who may want, for monetary reasons, to lure them into human trafficking for their personal gains.

Human trafficking victims usually end up in  usually despicable acts such as prostitution, sex slavery, hard labor, or even human organ removal.

“Young people should be alert against those who want to promise them heaven on earth. Always collaborate with Police and inform your parents whenever someone approaches you with such promises."

Since 2009, RNP has handled over 36 cases of human trafficking involving 153 victims.

Ninety percent of the victims were female with 82 per cent of them aged between 18 and 35, according to Police statistics.

Human trafficking is punishable under articles 250 to 272 of the penal code.

Article 250 of the penal code defines human trafficking as means by which the individual becomes a commodity consisting in recruitment, transfer of a person to another part of the country or to another country by use of deception, threat, force or coercion, position of authority over the person, in most cases for the purpose of harming his/her life or unlawfully exploiting by indecent assault, prostitution, unlawful practices, practices similar to slavery by torturing and subjecting to cruel treatment or domestic servitude because he/she is vulnerable due to troubles with the authorities, being a single pregnant woman, ill, disabled or due to other situation which impairs a normal person to act.

Under Article 251 any person who participates in any way, personally or through an intermediary, in trafficking a person out of Rwanda to a foreign country shall be liable to a term of imprisonment of one to three years and a fine of Rwf500,000 to Rwf2 million.