Rwanda Bureau of Standards (RBS) has confiscated 45 weighing scales in Kimironko market in a clampdown of scales that are adjustable by traders to cheat customers.

"They confiscated old model scales made from China. When they get old, they start cheating,” revealed Innocent Bahizi, president of Kimironko market.

The exercise started in the morning and left traders renting their neighbors’ weighing scales at 100 to Rwf50.
Most traders complained that they could not afford the weighing scales approved by RBS.

"If I am to buy the RBS approved scales I will not be in business. They (confiscated weighing scales) were not used for cheating, they were just old. We buy them at Rwf8000,” said a trader who required anonymity.

The RBS approved weighing scales range between 65,000 to Rwf 75, 000.

Chantal Rukeba, the public relations officer at RBS, said that the move is part of their mandate to ensure that standards are not tempered with.

"We are phasing out the substandard weighing scales,” she said.

An anonymous source at the market revealed that RBS officials had previously tried to confiscate the weighing scales at the same market but were waylaid by the vendors who almost beat them up.

This time backed by the police they were able to ransack the market and comb it of all the substandard scales.

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