Special Guarantee Fund deposits close to Rwf 2bn

Deposits for the Special Guarantee Fund (SGF) have accumulated to Rwf 1.9 billion. SGF is a government guarantee fund put in place to compensate people injured by unidentified or uninsured automobiles.The Fund is also responsible for compensating people whose agricultural fields have been destroyed by wild animals and to compensate families whose relatives lost their lives to wild animals from national parks, rivers and lakes. In an interview with The Sunday Times Thursday, Bernardin Ndashimye, the Director General of SGF, said that in 2006, the institution only had Rwf 100 million in deposits and by 2007, the figure had increased to Rwf 200 million. Ndashimye says due to a strong partnership with insurance companies, contributions have increased to Rwf400 million last year.“We have a target of achieving at least Rwf 1.5bn before the end of this year and the increase in our deposits will enable us reach out to more accidents and wild animal victims,” he said.Ndashimye noted that they have set a target of collecting Rwf 480million from Insurance companies this year, adding that they will also receive Rwf 300million from Rwanda Development Board (RDB).One of the pressing challenges still faced by SGF include receiving claims from victims that are invalid or difficult to verify, but Ndashimye explained that his institution was working with hospitals to compile credible medical records of the victims.He added that hospitals carry out counter-expertise for cases submitted by insurance companies on behalf of their clients.