EASTERN PROVINCE

NGOMA — Convicts serving their sentences in community service commonly known as TIG have been warned against escaping to avoid being imprisoned again.

Sauda Ntamukiza, an official of TIG development programmes told TIG committees to ensure that all the convicts stay at the camps that were set up to serve their sentences.

"These people are supposed to be in camps like others,” Ntamukiza said.

She added: "It’s your role as people who make up TIG committee at sector level to identify these people and have them brought into camps.” 

Ntamukiza said this Wednesday while meeting Sector and Cell Executive Secretaries, agronomists, and police officers who make up TIG committee s in sectors.

The meeting aimed at laying strategies on how to track and bring to camp all those who were sentenced to community service. It also aimed at finding ways of following up on TIG activities to ensure positive output.

Ntamukiza observed that there were many people who were sentenced by Gacaca courts to community service but are still in their homes.

"You should know that these are people who are serving their sentences for the offences they committed,” she said urging leaders to be close to them.

Holding monthly meetings, inspecting TIG activities and having lessons with the convicts are some of the things Ntamukiza said should be done to ensure the programme yields positive results.

She advised the leaders to routinely sensitise the group on other government programmes during their interaction, saying it would foster unity and reconciliation the main objective of the whole programme. 

There are 1,646 TIG convicts living in four separate camps in the whole district. Since 2007 when it started in the district, they have prepared about 350 hectares of terraces and constructed 165km of roads.

They have also built about 120 houses for Genocide survivors and other vulnerable residents. Ngoma district was recently ranked the best for having made good use of TIG in the whole country.

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