KIGALI - Motorists still using old driving licences might face a Rwf 10, 000 fine effective next month when they are phased out. Chief Superintendent Vincent Sano, the Traffic Commanding Officer, revealed this yesterday in an interview with The New Times.

"They were given enough time to process and acquire new licences, but some of them have stubbornly refused to abide by the new directives,” Sano said in a telephone interview.

He said that others have not turned up to collect their new licences after they had paid for them. About 6000 licences are still at police posts all over the country, waiting for their owners to collect them. A communiqué to that effect was posted on the Ministry of Local Government, RNP and Immigration websites informing drivers about the deadline.

According to statistics from the Rwanda National police (RNP), 54,470 people have so far acquired the new licences.  About 70,000 drivers are registered in the country.

The deadline for using old driving licences had been set for December 31 last year but later extended up to the end of February this year. Following the low turn-up of drivers to acquire new licences coupled with other shortcomings that arouse in the process, the deadline was later postponed and set for September 30.

Sano further said that drivers who have paid but their licences are not yet processed, "will have to justify it”.

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