Rwanda National Police

The Traffic Police  and  Road  safety  Department is charged with the duty  to  ensure  road  safety as stipulated  in  article  3 of Law no 46/2010 of 14/12/2010 determining the powers, responsibilities, organization and functioning of the Rwanda National Police, as modified to date.

In the year 2000 when Traffic Police was formed, it was staffed with a few dozens of officers. Most of Rwanda’s roads were not  tarmacked;  there were fewer road-side signs, few traffic lights and vehicles were fewer. 

Needless to mention, there was no system in place to enforce traffic rules and regulations: adherence to road rules was often a choice for vehicle operators.

17 years after, Rwanda has  a  vehicle  population of around 200,000 which include 80,000 motorcycles. The number of tarmacked roads has increased; and there are more and clearer road signs. The population living in cities and towns has increased.

The city of Kigali for example, has doubled from 500,000 in 2000 to about 1,000,000 in 2017- meaning crowded roads. Therefore, the road safety policing landscape has tremendously changed and Traffic Police has had to adapt in order to fulfil its mandated duties.

Modern systems

Today, Rwanda National Police has two fixed vehicle technical control units in Remera and in Gishali and one mobile technical control equipment all together with the capacity to examine 700 vehicles per day. 

These systems help to ensure that vehicles moving in Rwanda are road-worthy and, therefore, less prone to mechanically induced accidents.

The Traffic Department has been equipped with a fleet of motor-vehicles and high-speed motorcycles for quick intervention.

The department has acquired state-of-the-art equipment including breathalysers for alcohol detection, speedometers and speed governors for vehicle speed control, a Hand Held Terminals (HHT) cashless system that requires penalised traffic offenders to pay the fine using smart card (i.e. Visa), and an Automated Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) machine that automatically checks the status of vehicles in relation to vehicle inspection, insurance, and traffic offence record. Moreover, traffic cameras have also helped to bring drivers under control.

Further, the Traffic Department has been equipped with a fleet of motor-vehicles and high- speed motorcycles for quick intervention.

Similarly, Traffic Police has introduced smart driver’s licences and about 300,000 have been issued so far. Looking ahead, a One-Stop Center for Drivers License exams shall be introduced; it will improve efficiency in exams.

The Rwanda National Police aspires for the safest roads possible. This will involve a combination of measures including enhanced sensitisation of drivers, closer collaboration with driving schools, and more acquisition of modern road security policing equipment