Police in Bugesera District, on May 28, intercepted a vehicle loaded with over 720, 000 pieces of plastic bags. Two people identified as Alphonse Uwihanganye, 43, and Emmanuel Kangaroho, 31, residents of Ruhuha in Bugesera were also arrested in connection with the illegal act. They are currently detained at Nyamata Police Station as investigations continue. The vehicle, registration number RAA 982 T, Toyota-hiace was intercepted in Nyamata along Nyamata-Kigali highway. Sell or use of plastic bags is illegal in Rwanda and is considered an act of environmental degradation. One of the suspects, Uwihanganye, who confessed to the act, argued that he had no knowledge that plastic bags are illegal in Rwanda. “I have just known that what I was doing was wrong,” he argued. The District Police Commander, Supt. Victor Vandama, said the arrest followed a tip-off from members of the public who knew the duo’s illegal business. Supt. Vandama said the polythene bags are sneaked into the country through porous borders. “Polythene bags destroy the environment and have direct impact on the ecosystem,” he observed. He warned all those indulging in this unlawful business and appealed to the public to fight such acts by reporting those involved.
