The National Electoral Commission (NEC) has called upon people working in beauty salons within Kigali City to actively participate in the forthcoming presidential elections.

The call was made yesterday by the Executive Secretary of NEC, Charles Munyaneza, while addressing the hair stylists commonly known as coiffeurs in a sensitization campaign that will see the electoral body meet various groups of Rwandans ahead of the August polls.

"I encourage you people in the salon business in Kigali City to work closely with NEC in mobilizing all your clients on a daily basis to participate in the upcoming presidential elections,” Munyaneza told them.

He met them separately at Blessing and Ihoho beauty salons located in downtown Kigali City when he gave them NEC-branded aprons on which a message was written calling upon people to participate in the election.

Munyaneza called upon them not to stop at sensitizing their clients, but also include neighbours in their respective localities.

Speaking to The New Times shortly after the occasion, Jafari Munyaneza, who heads the hair stylists cooperative in the country (CCR), said that they will act as ambassadors, urging participation in the elections.

"From today, we are going to act as ambassadors for NEC, advising all Rwandans who come to our salons, and even others, to participate in the elections because we have been equipped with basic knowledge about the process,” he said.

In a subsequent interview, NEC’s Munyaneza said that the sensitization that started from Nyarugenge District would today extend to other parts of the country, adding that they are targeting to distribute at least 500 aprons to members of this profession.

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