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A day in clean, secure Rwanda
Driving
in Kigali last February, from Kimihurura heading to downtown in Nyarugenge
district, I met people walking solitarily and fearlessly as early as 1 o’clock.
You will only find this in a peaceful country.
Rwanda is a safe and secure country.
The National
Police-public partnership has been one of the backbones of the current safety
and security in the country. Effective community policing presented a positive
impact in reducing neighborhood crime, enhanced quality of life and there is less
fear of crime.
Businesses
like pharmacies, supermarkets, bars and restaurants were operating as usual.
Movements of cargo trucks, motorcycles and cabs were continuous.
Law
enforcement personnel were monitoring traffic. On some road corners you could also
see cameras which capture the number plates of vehicles that violate traffic
rules.
The
city was shining in all colors of lights. No single leaf could you find
throughout all city roads though trees are seen on every side of the city. In
2015, Rwanda was ranked the 3rd greenest country globally by an international
travel guide for adventurous travelers, the World Travel Guide.
Talking
to police officers when I was not sure of which road I was supposed to pass
through, they helped calmly, telling me: “mugereyo amahoro [reach safely]”.
Surprisingly,
my hand was in the pocket while I stopped, thinking of giving them ‘something’
if they would happen to ask for it. None of the two police officers said
anything related to money.
Rwanda
was ranked the fourth least corrupt country in Africa in 2022, according to a
report by Transparency International (T.I), a global movement working in over
100 countries to end the injustice of corruption.
Rwanda,
after the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi during which one million people were
killed and infrastructure destroyed as the international community and UN
peacekeepers stood by, had its capital Kigali ranked first in cities with
highest safety index in Africa in 2022.
Security
is on top of President Paul Kagame’s pillars in rebuilding the country which
was next to totally destroyed nearly three decades ago.
Kagame
put considerable efforts into ensuring the security and safety of the country's
territory by building competent and professional security organs.
In
2018, Rwanda was ranked the second safest country in Africa by the Gallup
Global Law and Order report, with 83 per cent of residents expressing
confidence in the local police force.
The
previous year, Gallup's Law and Order Index also ranked the country among the
safest countries globally that provide a conducive atmosphere to people who
walk alone at night.
The
2022 survey by Usebounce.com ranked Rwanda as the safest country in Africa and
the sixth globally for solo travelers, based on the score of the crime index,
and the score of the security index.
Rwanda
is also ranked first in Africa and 42nd globally in adherence to rule of law,
according to the World Justice Project (WJP)'s Rule of Law Index 2022.
Kigali
is today the cleanest city in Africa.
The
efforts and discipline of the general public as well as major cleaning
companies operating 24 hours a day help to keep the city clean.
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