RUBIRIZI – Authorities in Rubirizi District struggled over the weekend to contain the situation after traders staged a loud protest, refusing to participate in the National General Cleaning Exercise.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Visibly angry and frustrated traders from Ndekye and Nyakasharu markets staged a protest citing deplorable market conditions, rampant uncollected garbage, and a severe lack of sanitation facilities.
The protest highlights a growing rift between local authorities and vendors who feel they are being taxed without receiving basic services in return.
Speaking to our reporter, a visibly frustrated contingent of aggrieved traders expressed deep and bitter outrage over the squalid, deteriorating state of their daily working environment.
They described the markets as veritable hubs of filth, characterized by towering heaps of garbage, thick mud, foul smells, and a complete, unacceptable absence of proper toilets.
The vendors accused the market tenderer and Rubirizi Town Council officials of failing to provide basic services, claiming the tender holder for Ndekye and Nyakasharu markets collects taxes without keeping the areas clean.
“We pay our taxes faithfully, yet our markets have become veritable hubs of filth, with towering heaps of garbage, thick mud, foul smells, and not a single proper toilet. The tender holder for Ndekye and Nyakasharu markets simply collects our money, while Rubirizi Town Council officials look on and fail to provide the basic services we deserve,” a frustrated trader noted.
Residents and traders declared they would no longer participate in government community work, arguing that since they pay market dues, hiring professionals to collect garbage is the government’s responsibility, not theirs.
The traders also highlighted a critical safety issue, noting that while they are willing to clean, the absence of gloves, slashers, brooms, face masks, and gumboots has exposed them to numerous diseases.
“We are being forced to collect garbage with bare hands. If the government fails to provide tools like gloves and masks, traders will continue paying dues but will not come for the cleaning exercise. We want to work and stay healthy,” a female vendor said on condition of anonymity.
The protesters have since demanded the immediate removal of the current tender holder, whom they accuse of transparency and accountability failures and of charging high taxes for zero service delivery.
Traders further called upon the President and local authorities to urgently intervene, warning that if nothing is done, they will continue to suffer from hygiene-related diseases.
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