The City of Kigali has finally decided to make true of its threats to apply heavy sanctions to deal with hawkers and their clients. Both hawkers and anyone buying from them will face a fine of Rwf 10,000. The logic is that if there are no willing buyers, the hawkers would disappear off the streets. Hawking has reduced considerably in town and the once common sight of women with basketfuls of fruits and vegetables hurtling between traffic is no more. The reason is that the city discovered that the continued cat-and-mouse game with the street vendors was not paying off. In fact, it was more of a source of criticism. How could city authorities be so heartless to the extent of removing food from some poor woman’s table? Where did the confiscated goods end up since most were perishable and their shelf life very short? There was little communication from the City Council and they came out as trying to solve a problem by creating another. But the underlying factor is streamlining businesses and creating opportunities for small scale traders. The idea of creating mini-markets around the city to house the former street hawkers is a sound idea, including the waiver of taxes and rent for a year. That should be enough incentive to lure the traders in designated areas. Hawkers come in two species: some work for established businesses who give them trinkets to sell on the streets and earn a commission. Most of them will be peddling cheap electronics and plastic toys. The others are those who genuinely cannot afford rent in established markets or have no patience sitting and waiting for customers and opt to carry their mobile markets on their heads. But as long as the small scale traders work unilaterally, they will not reach far and will always end up on the wrong side of the law. Their only option is to form cooperatives because, through their pooled resources, they will be able to afford rent and attract funding from relevant institutions.
