KIGALI - The Office of the President in partnership with Rwanda Information Technology authority (RITA) has drafted a project to install security cameras along the country’s major highways.

According to the reliable sources, the project is planned to kick-off mid this year and a survey which is expected to take two to three months is already underway.

The project is being piloted by the Ministry in the President’s Office in charge of Research, Science and Technology and its implementation will be carried out by RITA.

However, details of the project are being kept out of the media.

When contacted, officials in RITA confirmed the development saying that the technology to install the Closed Circuit Televisions (CCTV) technology will be one of the most advanced in the world.

"Kigali will be the first place where the CCTV will be installed, then the whole country will follow systematically, but I can only tell you the details when you first get permission from Police,” Nkubito Bakuramutsa, the RITA Executive Secretary said on phone.

Asked if any foreign country was helping in the project he declined to comment insisting that RITA’s role in the project is only technical, he instead referred this reporter to the Internal Security Minister.

"I think I have given you enough. You can speak to minister Fazil (Harerimana of Internal Security) or (Romain) Murenzi,” Bakuramutsa added. 

When contacted, the acting Commissioner General of Police, Mary Gahonzire declined to comment and instead referred The New Times to Murenzi.

"I don’t think I have any information on the project, you can call the President’s Office for comment,” Gahonzire said.

Efforts to contact both ministers were futile as they could not pick their phones by press time.

CCTV systems will help the police to fight crime since most of the urban places will be monitored 24 hours thus the security manpower will be reduced.

The whole project is shrouded in secrecy that even when Kigali City director in charge infrastructure Egide Mugwiza,  was consulted, all said he could say was that the project is going on well but for other information we should contact the director of traffic police who is on the committee. But here again we hit a dead end.

"The project is going on well but for further information you can contact the director of RITA,” Sup. Robert Niyonshuti, the director of Traffic Police.

According to Niyonshuti, the camera should be set up at the junctions such as Rubangura main bus terminal in town and other areas that are sensitive to the security of many people.

Many western countries have CCTV systems in their cities but it’s rare on the African continent.

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