We must reduce road accidents – Kagame

President Paul Kagame has told government officials to devise measures against the increasing level of road accidents. Kagame said this today while addressing Parliament, shortly after the swearing-in ceremony for officials who had missed the July session. After urging the sworn-in ministers to honor their oaths, Kagame said that he was incensed with the increasing number of road accidents that have claimed many lives. “Car accidents have become too rampant. We cant continue to lose people one weekend after another. The life of every individual is too valuable to be lost in accidents (that) we have seen over the last weeks,” Kagame said. “We have to come up with realistic measures to prevent this scourge of road accidents. The number of people who have fallen victims to road accidents is unacceptable and we need to put an end to it.” At the beginning of this month, about 20 people died and several others were injured in separate road accidents in the country. Last month, 15 passengers died in another tragic road accident along Kigali-Kagitumba highway in Kizuguro, Gatsibo District, while 24 others were injured. The government recently announced plans to increase penalties for traffic offenders to up to Rwf 150,000. Kagame also brought to light the issue of human trafficking, saying that many young Rwanda girls were being sold across borders “like any other merchandise in a market.” “Ending trafficking of girls goes beyond law enforcement authorities. It should not be left to police alone to handle. Every Rwandan should take a stance against the trafficking of young girls,” he said. The Rwanda National Police has over the years cracked human trafficking rings, notably, in April 2012 when two people were arrested on suspicion of being part of a ring trafficking girls to Asian countries for commercial sex. In July last year, Uganda Police rescued six Rwandan victims of sex exploitation after a brothel raid in western Uganda.