Since July 2008, there has been a series of thefts in Kimironko market in Gasabo district. In a period of three months, the market has registered 14 cases of theft, Sunday Times has learnt.

"We pay Frw800 on a daily basis for the security of our things but what is irritating us is the fact that when we check our things the next morning, we find our goods have been stolen,” lamented Evaliste Ngendahimana.

He claims that goods worth Frw38,000 were stolen from him in August this year.

Grace Sanyu, another vendor, claims to have lost goods worth over Frw200,000 in September, while Christine Mukagasana lost goods worth Frw15,000 in August, Jeannette Ntagatake lost Frw 72,000 and Isae Dusabimana lost Frw165,000.

Steven Nsegiyumva, the head of the Takataka zone where the market is situated, said that all the cases had been brought to his attention and that he had forwarded the matter to the Kigali Veterans Cooperative Society (KVCS) who won the tender to administer the market in May this year.

Retired Major Sam Bigabiro, the Second Vice President of KVCS in charge of administering Gasabo markets under the custodian of KVCS, admitted knowledge of the thefts revealing that investigations were underway.

"It is true that we have got 14 cases of theft since last August but we are investigating them,” he explained.

He added that the contract they have with GARSEC Security stipulates that the security company compensates them for stolen properties.

"Some cases were found to have loopholes as some people who were claiming to have found their things missing; their stalls were found still locked as they had left them. So I think some of these people’s things were being stolen by their neighbours after they had left,” Bigabiro said. 

He explained that they had already finished evaluating five of the 14, two of which have been compensated for their loss.

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