President Paul Kagame has promised motorists in Rwanda that soon they will find a solution to growing concerns towards new traffic penalties set in the City of Kigali and around the country. This follows a public outcry in different media where motorists have complained of the over-speeding fines which many have said are unfair. The head of state made the remarks on Friday, November 19 during this year’s Taxpayers’ Appreciation Day held at Intare Arena in Gasabo District. Rwanda National Police earlier this week intensified the campaign to reign in on over-speeding motorists by heavily deploying mobile cameras in different parts of Kigali and on major highways in the country, where the speed limit is set at as low as 40 kilometres per hour. Other motorists complained that some of the cameras are deployed in areas where there are no clear signposts leaving them more vulnerable to penalties which range from Rwf25,000 to Rwf50,000. “I have seen people on social media complaining about the traffic penalties. People are paying all the time for going beyond 40 kilometres per hour,” yet, Kagame went on to joke, “That speed is for some of us who walk.” He said that while the government has a duty to ensure safety of all road users, there was need to strike a balance. “Here are two things we need to understand; I am not advocating for over speeding because we understand the risky implications, but then again we don’t want to inconvenience people’s movement,” he asserted. Kagame highlighted that he has personally engaged concerned authorities as the parties mull ways of attaining a permanent solution. The head of state observed that some concerns raised by the public should be addressed, including having signposts on all roads so that motorists are not victimized.
