Police on Tuesday cracked down on school buses.
Rwanda National Police (RNP) on Tuesday began a crackdown on all school buses following a fatal clash on Monday that claimed the life of a student at Path To Success International and injured 26 others.
The crackdown by police follows complaints by parents and social media users who say buses used by schools are old and in poor mechanical condition, which endangers the lives of children.
The spokesperson of the Police Department for Traffic Safety, SSP René Irere, on Monday, January 9, 2023, said the Police is aware of the problem that there are old vehicles that transport students while others load more people than their capacity.
“It is a problem that we have been discussing with the relevant authorities, both the Ministry of Education and the agencies involved, as well as RURA, as the agency responsible for transportation and issuing licenses,” SSP Irere said.
On Tuesday, police officers stopped most school buses in an operation to check the documents and requirements for the buses, calling for cooperation from bus owners and parents.
Irere emphasized that the lives of children cannot be in peril yet parents pay a lot of money for the bus service, where in some cases parents pay up to Rwf80, 000 a month, per child.
The operation followed the Monday accident where the bus lost control, skidding off into a forest downhill coming down from Rebero as it headed to the school located in Kigarama sector, Kicukiro district.
One of the children involved in the accident, identified as Kenny Mugabo, who was in Grade 5, succumbed to his injuries on Monday evening. President Paul Kagame consoled the children and affected families and promised that the government will do everything in its means to accord the victims necessary care.
