City, Police refute dirty vehicles restriction claims

The City of Kigali has denied allegations that it issued directives banning dirty vehicles on the city streets.

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

The City of Kigali has denied allegations that it issued directives banning dirty vehicles on the city streets. This denial comes in the wake of the recent claims by the media and some individuals that city officials, in collaboration with the Police, are arresting and fining motorists with dirty vehicles."There is no legal instrument that punishes dirty vehicles right now. The allegations that we are stopping any vehicles, or as they say, imposing a hefty fine on people whose tyres are dirty and the sort are completely false,”  said the City Director of Communication, Bruno Rangira.He said the only such law in place applies to trucks or other vehicles that transport bricks or rubbish or any other material that litter the city. "These are called upon to cover their vehicles to avoid unnecessary littering of the city,” Rangira said.The Rwanda National Police also refuted the claims, saying no Police officer has been given orders to even reprimand any one on account of their dirty vehicles."Maybe it was a joke that someone took too seriously, or maybe a policeman pointed it out when they were doing routine checks on a vehicle, but there is no such law,” Police Spokesman Theos Badege said.He said the allegations were made by people who had no idea of the law and just wanted to alarm the public.