NYARUGENGE - Traders in Kigali City have called upon the management of City of Kigali to address the problem of street hawkers whom they allege are stifling their businesses.

Speaking to The New Times yesterday, Laurent Mwenzangu, the president of traders in Nyarugenge District said that they should be relocated once and for all.

"Hawkers hinder the growth of the business sector in the city; authorities should come up with a concrete solution to this,” Mwenzangu said, pointing out that they kill their businesses by selling goods cheaply yet they do not pay taxes nor rent business premises.

He added the hawkers sometimes operate in front of their shops, selling similar products especially around Quartier Matheus.

In an interview, Bruno Rangira, the city Director of Media and Communication, said a recent census established that there were 6,300 street hawkers across the city.

"The city of Kigali will soon come up with the means to help all hawkers shift from the informal to the formal sector,” Rangira said.

He pointed that in the first phase, 1,000 hawkers were trained and equipped with various business managerial skills including how to form cooperatives.

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