The other day, I found myself strolling along the Peaceful Stadium here in Kigali. Oh my God – all those huge powerful vehicles that were assembled at the stadium. Yes – these were vehicles that were to be used for the African Development Bank (AfDB) summit!

All the vehicles were clean and looking really good. This sight took me back many years ago when Kigali was still in a backward state. Most of the vehicles on the streets during the mid-90s were in a sorry state.

One of the very proud owners of the old junk of a car was Mr. Tuyishime. He owned a whitish Toyota Corona. Tuyishime was our supervisor at work where Aggrey and I had been recruited as clerks. Tuyishime was so proud of his vehicle that he always insisted on giving us free rides. He also fancied the ladies but lacked the courage to kwibwiriza to the chicks. So, in order to gain the Dutch courage, he always relied on the hot potent local wine to make him tick.

The nearest place that he could find this hot spirit was at the Gatuna boarder. If he failed to find it at Gatuna, then he would be forced to cross over to Katuna side. He had to be careful to distinguish the "G” factor from the "K” one.

You would not simply boast around that you are in Gatuna, when you are actually in Katuna. They happen to be two different names and places. Anyways, Bwana Tuyishime had to visit this place occasionally and that is why he was obliged to import his ram shackled Corona, right hand vehicle.

When the Corona crossed the border, onlookers could not figure out whether it was a wheel barrow or a tricycle that was rolling from the left lane to the right one. Behind the wheel was Tuyishime himself, negotiating the wheels at a snail’s pace. It took him approximately 3 hours instead of the usual 45 minutes from the boarder to the capital city.

As he guided it around the sharp corners, the Corona left behind a cloud of black smoke that polluted the whole village. Those days, the traffic police were not as strict as they are today. That is why they always failed to discover the several bottles of local wine hidden under the seats of the Corona.

When the vehicle finally pulled up in his compound, we never got bothered by its looks. For us, we knew that this was more than welcome as it would probably solve our transport problems.

However, it was going to be a case of tit for tat. We had to scratch Tuyishime’s back so that he could in turn scratch ours. What I mean here is that if we were to get a daily free lift from office to town, we had to sacrifice a bit of our muscle power. You see, every evening, the Corona would complain about fatigue and thirst. That is why we had to refill its radiator with several liters of tap water from the office in order to resurrect it. In addition, Aggrey and I had to position ourselves behind the car and give it our very strongest push up and out of the office compound.

If we were lucky, the car would start by coughing, spitting, sneezing and then croak out as the engine burst into life. In most cases, the car would cough; spit, sneeze and then snore back to sleep. That would imply that Aggrey and I had to push it once again. No wonder, we never needed the Gymnasium for body building. Tuyishime’s junk vehicle was sufficient enough for that purpose.

How time flies – now just looking at these posh Kigali vehicles at the Stadium, I feel a sense of pride. We have come a long way. It i s not only the vehicles but also world class paved streets and huge buildings everywhere. Who would have ever imagined that Kigali would one day host such a mega function such as the AfDB summit? Kudos!