Members of Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF-Inkotanyi) in Kayonza District have been urged to each play their respective role to completely uproot all forms of child labour in the district and also be at the forefront in solving other human security issues. The call was made over the weekend by the chairperson of RPF-Inkotanyi in Kayonza District, Jean-Claude Murenzi to party members who had gathered to vote for party representatives in the upcoming parliamentary elections. Speaking to hundreds of cadres, Murenzi, who is also the district mayor, said that it is incumbent upon them as cadres to seek solutions to social issues like school dropout, saying that children are kept away from school to work on rice plantations and in mining quarries. “We have cooperatives, especially the rice farmers’ and those in mining which employ children that should be in school and this will not be accepted,” he told the RPF members. He said this should not be tolerated because all children with no exception are supposed to be in school and as members of the party, each must take upon themselves to stop it. “If you have rice plantations, it means that you are in business, you should hire mature enough people eligible to do the job, if it is mining, it is business too, hire mature people. Let children go to school,” he advised. “Let alone fines, if you are caught employing minors, you deserve more than just fines,” he said. Kayonza district vice mayor in charge of social affairs, Jean-Damascene Harelimana, said that if found employing a minor in a legally registered entity, the company is fined between Rwf500,000 and 1,000,000. For those in the informal sector, such as employing children as house helps, the employer is fined between Rwf100,000 and 500,000. This Tuesday, June 12, the world will mark ‘World Day Against Child Labour’ that has been celebrated since 2002. The primaries Meanwhile, among four candidates who were elected as the RPF flagbearers from Kayonza were two incumbent MPs—Theoneste Safari and Anita Mutesi. The other successful candidates from the district are Jean-Damascene Nshimyumukiza and Christine Mukeshimana. Hiring children is contradicting government policy that wants all children to be educated, he said. They will be forwarded to the party and the final list to be submitted to the National Electoral Commission will be determined by the party congress, which is the biggest decision-making organ. The parliamentary election will be held on September 2 for Rwandans in diaspora while the general election will be held the following day on September 3. editorial@newtimes.co.rw
