Editor,

I am a huge fan of how the Kigali City Council (KCC) has transformed the city and turned into one of the mostgreen, clean and ordely  cities in the world.

However, I have an office down town and I have been a witness to the scuffles that go on between the Police and vendors, and I feel as a responsible citizen, I am obliged to comment.

I have seen women who vend, and others who beg alongside their children, running up and down being chased by policemen whose duty is to keep law and order.

Unfortunately, though, it has been years since  KCC outlawed vending in the city centre, the issue of vendors has not stopped. Women carrying baskets of fruits and tomatoes, young men carrying shoes and second hand clothes, are still a common sight in town.

The continued chase by the police, not only pose danger to both the chasers and the chased, but also to us, the pedestrians in the city centre.

I would like to implore the City authorities to find a solution to this issue, by, maybe, designating specific vending areas in the city centre and giving these people a place for their work, since most of them say that they vend because they do not have money to pay for stalls in the country’s different markets.

The city should find a lasting solution because this hide and seek in town is quite an embarassment to our city

Shema Claver
Nyamirambo