Persons with disabilities are among the common faces in Nyabugogo- the busiest trading area in Kigali city
Persons with disabilities are the most vulnerable to poor hygiene, lack of relevant sanitary equipment, access to clean water, and lack of support by the community to improve their hygiene.
In Nyabugogo- Kigali’s busiest public bus park and trading area you find people of all walks of life trying to make ends meet. Among these are the physically disabled persons- most of them begging on the streets for money to buy something to eat and drink.
Tuyishime taking a bottle of water which cost him Rwf50
Depending on the day’s luck, a disabled beggar can collect a minimum of Rwf1,500 to a maximum of Rwf3,000 which they use for food and drinks but also have to go to the washrooms (toilets) to answer the natural call.
KTPress followed one of them- Patrick Tuyishime, 15, an amputee who dropped out of school because of financial reasons is seen near Rubis gas station paying Rwf50 to take a bottle of tap water that a lady is pouring from a jerrican to serve many clients.
Tuyishime (in white) hunting for good samaritans to give him Rwf100 francs
Tuyishime says that after hours of walking around begging for money, he needs to take a toilet but has to pay Rwf100 if he finds himself in an area where the toilet managers don’t know him.
“In most cases I don’t have to pay for a short or long call because I am known around here as a needy person. But I have to take stairways to reach the facilities and that is hard for me but I have no choice,” Tuyishime said as he looked around for any good Samaritan.
Tuyishime struggles to reach a public toilet at ‘Kwa Genderari’ building in Nyabugogo
His fellow beggars can visibly see him speaking to the media and when KTPress approaches a young man pushing his brother (who can only crawl on the ground because of his crippled limbs) the duo decides to walk away.
Asked how others without limbs find their way to the public toilets, Tuyishime willingly explains, though an unsettled mind as he tries to make his next begging move.
“In most cases, his brother carries him to the bushes around to take a short call, but most times he pees where he is,” Tuyishime says as he clutches off to find persons of goodwill.
While most disabled persons say that they are generally not charged for toilet fees (per entrance), they find it hard, depending on their physical disabilities, to take a short or long call because of the shapes, and models of infrastructure inside public toilets.
Jean Bosco Muraniyishaka (seated) waiting for a good samaritan to come along
Jean Bosco Muraniyishaka, 45, a former moto taxi rider who was involved in a road accident that fractured his left leg is seated at the entrance of Nyabugogo taxi park, just next to a public toilet that has lavatory equipment meant for abled persons.
He says that it is hard for him to squat on a normal toilet, and he has to stand leaning backward to ease his body, however, also makes sure he doesn’t slide and fall down.
“The tiles in these toilets are tiring if you have to stand to take a long call. If they can build for us (disabled persons) separate toilets with floor cast with just cement, this can reduce the risks we face,” Muraniyishaka said.
Joshua Nsengimana demostrates how he use a public toilet
His colleague, Joshua Nsengimana, 25, a former mechanic who was knocked by a car in Huye district, was forced to move to Kigali to beg for a living after the accident that crashed his right leg leaving a bone protruding out of his skin.
“We have no choice but to use these toilets, however, it would make a difference if we have our own designated toilets where someone can hang on as they ease their bodies, just as we see in hotels,”
KTPress tried to reach city of Kigali officials for information about these concerns but officials did not get back to us until press time.
The former City of Kigali Mayor, Pudence Rubingisa, said on November 22, 2023, that the 80 new public toilets will be completed by 2025 and there are 27 public toilets in the main corridors, markets, and taxi parks.
However, a meeting that brought together the city of Kigali and WASHNET RWANDA, a coalition of 13 NGOs working on water, sanitation, and hygiene showed that the WASH services should be available, accessible, and affordable for all in the public.
The National Council of Persons with Disabilities (NCPD) says that it recognizes the critical issue of inadequate inclusive toilet facilities and acknowledges its impact on service delivery.
“This challenge hinders many Persons with Disabilities from accessing quality services, exercising their citizenship rights, upholding their dignity, and fully participating in society,” NCPD said.
To address this, the NCPD, in collaboration with the Rwanda Housing Authority, has conducted accessibility audits in numerous public buildings over the years.
These efforts aim to raise awareness about eliminating barriers and enforce compliance with Ministerial Order N° 03/CAB.M/019 of 15/04/2019, which outlines urban planning and building regulations in alignment with the Rwanda Building Code.
A public toilet where Joshua and Jean Bosco go for their toilet needs just like other abled persons
Rwanda has also adopted a national policy to help ensure that persons with disabilities enjoy full inclusion in society and equal participation in Rwanda’s transformation agenda.
For the country’s more than 446,000 persons with disabilities, it was a milestone—but it is not enough.
Along with Rwanda’s legal framework, the new national policy affirms the inherent dignity, worth, and human rights of persons with disabilities, and aligns with the Constitution of Rwanda and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), which Rwanda ratified in 2008.
Gertie Steukers, a social and political scientist who leads the UNDP Rwanda program to expand the social inclusion of persons with disabilities and strengthen civil society organizations says that the implementation of the policy will go a long way in setting standards and regulations for the inclusion of persons with disabilities and ensuring equal access to opportunities.
“It is not only the responsibility of persons with disabilities to adjust, but also the responsibility of society, and each of us, to include persons with disabilities in everyday life. We can and must do better. Even if only one life unfolds differently because of our actions, it would have been worth the effort,” Steukers says.
Public toilet managers offering services to clients in Nyabugogo
