Transformation story of former deviant youths of Nyabugogo

They were once branded notorious thieves who used to survive through pick-pocketing and coning people, especially in wee hours. Back in 2012, the Nyabugogo-Gatsata stretch was marked as one of the most insecure area in the city. Today’s story is different. The former street children, who had turned deviant, are the same that have since made Nyabugogo and Gatsata secure. “It was mainly through education and sensitising them, rather than arrest and prosecution, although in other insistences arrest become part of the strategy but to a lesser extent,” says Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Rogers Rutikanga, the Central Regional Police Commander. Today, the youths are key partners in crime prevention through their association – Hinduka Uhindure Abandi. Today, the association, loosely translated as “Change and change others,” has 0ver 150 members. Besides small income generating activities they have since started, with the support of Gatsata Sector of Gasabo District, the group is now involved in crime prevention and working with security organs in community policing activities and sharing information with the police on wrongdoers and criminal activities. “I was a conman who could use all tricks to successfully steal from people, and never slept in the same place. I was always moving thinking someone is going to arrest me, basically life was a risk,” said Pierrot Uwihaye who now heads the group of the former street kids. Jean Damascene Niyonzima, another former member of the deviant group, keeps apologising for the wrongs he may have committed previously. “I could jump onto any truck, offload valuables as it moved and I made sure I disappeared before the driver or anyone else could see me; I regret my actions, I slept in the wetland,” says Niyonzima. “In 2014, local leaders, together with the Police, called me and enlightened me on the dangers of what I was doing, and that was my turning point. That’s something that I will forever be grateful for because of the heart of humanity that I gained,” he adds. Nyabugogo bridge, which used to one of the ambushing and hideout areas for the former notorious group. Niyonzima was at the time told to call his colleagues for a follow up meeting with local security personnel which he did. “The more I met and interacted with security personnel, the more I also interested more of my colleagues – a move that resulted into the formation of Hinduka Uhindure Abandi association,” Niyonzima narrates. He adds: “Since then, we committed to bring everyone on board and facilitate security organs in tracking criminals and recovering stolen items…remember we used to be part of these crimes so we can easily know who did what and that’s how we partly give back to the people and our country,” he said. Today, the youthful group has made business project proposals and the authorities are helping them to secure funds. They believe their lives are slowly being transformed. “The national policy is to help the disadvantaged like these young people, who unfortunately find themselves in such bad things thinking that that’s where they will find survival, that’s why rehabilitation centres were established, that’s why vocational training centres like Iwawa and the National Employment Programme, were initiated,” says ACP Rutikanga. Local authorities in the area speak highly of these young men since they denounced their bad acts. According to the Executive Secretary of Nyamabuye Cell in Gatsata Sector, Jean Nepo Bizinde, a Sector security meeting back in 2014 resolved to find a final solution to get them off the street. “At first, we got 20 of them but the number kept on growing. Today they are the members of local night patrols (Irondo) and are active members of society,” says Bizinde. Bizinde noted that it is the same process they are using, together with Rwanda National Police and those who reformed, to get the rest off the streets and show them the right way to a bright future. editorial@newtimes.co.rw

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Transformation story of former deviant youths of Nyabugogo