Nine of the 10 victims of a recent maize drying shelter collapse were on Sunday, February 5, laid to rest at Rusororo Cemetery.
During the burial, Government reassuring mourners of firm and standard facilities to prevent similar incidents.
One of the deceased, Venancie Murerwa’s family opted to bury her later.
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Overall, the 10 victims of the incident are Emmanuel Ndababonye, Theoneste Ibyiyisi, Alphonsine Tuyisenge and her baby Eric Mugisha, Venantie Murerwa, Akingeneye Valentine, Venantie Mukamfizi, Elias Twagiramungu, Emmanuel Gakuru, and Donatien Vuguziga.
"They were the force of the country, some were parents to children and had a lot they would do for them, but they are no longer alive,” he said Emmanuel Rutabandama, who spoke on behalf of the bereaved families at the funeral.
He expressed that the decent burial to the victims was possible because of the support from the Government.
"After the accident occurred, some families were wondering how they will manage the situation and bury their loved ones, but the Government offered them support. The support we were offered by the leadership gave us hope for welfare and love for citizens. We are grateful for that,” Rutabandama said.
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However, he requested the authorities to ensure standards and safety of facilities used by citizens, to ensure that such incidents to not reoccur.
"The concerned entities should help residents to assess facilities so as to prevent an incident like this one we had. They should carry out inspection such that they offer authorisation for the use of facilities after ascertaining their safety, and carry out follow-up evaluations to ensure that they are still safe for use,” he said.
Earlier, Telesphore Gashugi, president of Abaharanira Ubukire Gasagara farmers’ cooperative attributed the collapse of the shelter in question to the heavy weight of the maize on its wooden structure, as well as wind that shook it. He indicated that it was in use for three years.
The Minister of State in Charge of Social Affairs at the Ministry of Local Government, Ingabire Assumpta comforted the bereaved families, indicating that the death of their members was a loss for both the families and the Government.
"It’s heavy on everyone especially the fact that the deceased were working tirelessly to feed their families. Its an accident that could even be prevented earlier,” she said.
"But, as the Government, we promise you that such will not happen again,” she told the hundreds of mourners who had gathered to pay their final respects to the deceased. She also pledged greater attention on standard and safety assurance for facilities used by citizens as requested by the representative of the deceased’s families.
Meanwhile, she also said that "the deceased leave a good legacy of work”, adding that: "the Government we will continue to help you the affected families and the cooperative that lost members because of the incident in order to improve their livelihoods.”