Nyabugogo: Where idlers lurk!

Anybody who has ever been there will agree that Nyabugogo is one busy area. One of Kigali’s busiest places, Nyabugogo is home to the biggest taxi/bus park with hundreds of people walking around and buses moving in and out of the park. Well, as you can imagine, when you get to Nyabugogo, you’re welcomed by a multitude of taxis and motos scattered around the place. I hadn’t been there in a while so I noticed a lot of changes. The park that used to have almost every colour painted on the walls is now entirely yellow. It also has some well designed light stands and if it wasn’t for the many shabbily dressed people in the park and the old taxis, I could have sworn I was in the city! There is music blaring all around. At first I thought it was one rowdy taxi man who decided to play his music too loud but then I noticed that the music was everywhere. People actually sit and relax and enjoy the music. Alphonse Ndayambaje, one of the authorities in charge of the music says it’s been a great success and has been of great help too. “We don’t just play music. Should someone lose their property, we make an announcement and some Good Samaritan often responds to it. However, a few others ignore the announcement. When a child goes missing they are also easily found. That is of course together with the Rwandan music we play,” he said. The park is full of forex bureaus and bus companies. There are hordes of people entering and exiting the park, people booking tickets to travel and many struggling to enter the buses in order to get comfortable seats. While some spend the day trying to make some money, others just sit and engage in gossip the whole day, and the number is quite alarming. Gilbert Butare, a barber in one of the salons in the park says it’s the lounge for idle people. “A good number of the people in the park just come to gossip and hang around. Many do nothing all day and even the ones who come seeking for jobs end up joining the idle lot. However, there are several businesses here and many hard working people,” he said. From corner to corner, there are people selling goods at very affordable prices. The park also has many restaurants and meals ranging from Rwf600 to Rwf2000. There is also a street where people sell secondhand phones, watches and other gadgets, of course with the idle fellows close by. When you walk along the road, vendors can’t help but try to accost you to buy something. And when they see a police man, they quickly run off and clear the street. There are many shops and commercial buildings outside the park too. It’s a very busy street with almost every bank branch situated there. Another thing Nyabugogo is known for is the clothing market. Many of the smart people you see walking around town are bonafide customers of this market. It has quality clothes at very tempting prices. Nyabugogo feels like a beehive, with men carrying loads on their backs so huge and heavy that you can’t even see them! If you need something, Nyabugogo is the place to get it. It gets really dusty and noisy so only go there when you know exactly what you are going for, and not just to hang around! Transport from anywhere in Kigali to Nyabugogo is about Rwf200 and all taxi parks have taxis heading to this busy place.