I am writing in reference to an article in Mondays Business times and letters to the editor concerning the Tuvugane vendors situation.

The Tuvugane business is an initiative that aims to first promote all entrepreneurs with limited capital investment to be able to create a source of much needed income through vending telecommunication services at the most affordable cost.

These services directly establish a livelihood for the owners to be able to cater for individual, family or their dependant’s needs especially in times of increased living costs. Therefore this business is a social positive activity.

Because of the simplistic nature of the business, the demand for the Tuvugane product was very high which eventually led to the very large numbers of subscribers that is now visible in Kigali city.

In an effort to cater for proper organization and orderliness, BCS and MTN kick started an independent and fully legalized vendors association, the Kigali News Paper and communication co-operative (K.N.P.C.C) where the majority of its members are Tuvugane vendors who were legally allowed to continue their services in public. For this reason I clarify why mobile public payphone owners were allowed to continue their services while other un-registered vendors/hawkers were unable to.

The responsibility of managing and keeping Tuvugane vendors in an orderly manner is vested with the vendors association which unfortunately did not have the required capacity. For this reason the Kigali City Council, Police, MTN and BCS agreed to assist in the implementation a socially positive conduct scheme.

The understanding was to have the police assist the removal of wrong doers among the vendor population, the creation of a new internal order system within the association to conduct repetitive checks in conjunction with the police, MTN and BCS which will serve to monitor and keep proper orderliness among Tuvugane vendors at all times.

I beg to point out that for every growing business resistance and negative elements is expected and for this particular case changing the way Tuvugane vendors normally conduct their business is difficult.

I wish to request the general public to help and advice our young Tuvugane vendors on good conducts that is expected of them, monitor wrong doers by reporting control numbers printed on their yellow apron as well as showing support for their businesses.

On the other hand I reach out to all Tuvugane vendors/ owners to adjust to.the new rules and adapt new selling tactics to help improve revenues to which BCS and MTN are finding new innovative solutions to ,be introduced very soon to assist vendors.

Tuvugane Division Manager