For years Rwanda has maintained its status as the cleanest country in Africa. This status was achieved in 2008 when Rwanda put a ban on the production, importation, use and sale of plastic bags and non biodegradable plastics, becoming the first country on the African continent to do so.
As the saying goes ; “Rome was not built in a day,” achieving and maintaining this status has been a joint effort of the president, law enforcement and citizens at large. During and shortly after the genocide, all you could see in the streets was dead bodies, loot, and ruined buildings.
For years after the genocide, Rwanda embarked on a mission to rebuild and this was possible with the help of the various organisations like the UN. The moment you step out of Kigali Airport, you’ll be mesmerised by the level of hygiene and cleanliness that the city portrays and this is not only in Kigali but throughout the major cities and countryside. The real question here remains, Why is Rwanda is so clean? Well, let’s talk about how that is even possible for a developing country in this article
Strict laws and policies
Rwanda is a country of laws and everyone there follows the law. Nevertheless, Rwandans are proud of their clean status and could frown at any attempt of Littering or causing chaos. In fact, they are such law abiding citizens that they make the work of law enforcers easy. The Rwanda police force (RPF) in accordance with the environmental legislation imposed a fine ranging between 10,000 to 100,000 RWF for anyone found guilty of Littering.
Also, a garbage collecting policy was recently put in place where garbage is collected every Tuesday. Each family is mandated to contribute 2000 RWF and businesses 10,000 RWF in form of public cleaning tax to maintain the cleanliness of the city and the country as a whole.
Plastic ban
In an effort to protect the environment and stop littering, Rwanda became the first country in Africa to ban the manufacture, importation, sale and use of plastic bags in 2008. Later in 2019, the ban was expanded to include single use plastics such as bottles, straws and food containers.
The Rwanda Environmental Management Authority (REMA) and RPF have worked tirelessly to enforce this ban. In fact, a fine of 150USD and 6-12 months jail time was put in place for anyone found smuggling and selling plastic bags., if you fly into Rwanda with any plastic bags, they are confiscated at the airport.
Waste Management system
As much as Rwanda is still facing significant challenges with the disposal of solid waste with only 24% of Kigali’s solid waste legally disposed of in Nyanza landfill, the country has tried within its means to put in place waste collection points across the cities and country side. There is
Infrastructural development
A lot of property was damaged during the genocide in 1994. Rwanda has heavily invested in the rehabilitation of public structures such as roads. Rwanda takes the third position for having the best roads on the African planet. Of course, it is natural that when you have something beautiful, you’ll do whatever it takes to maintain its beauty.
Community Effort
Rwanda is the only country in Africa where communities consistently gather to clean up the environment. This can be witnessed by Umuganda, (coming together in common purpose) which is a community service programme held every last Saturday of the month to clean the environment. This has become a tradition among Rwandans and also, foreigners have been seen to participate in this programme.
Reconciliation and forgiveness were the agenda after the 1994 genocide and Umuganda has played a important role in uniting Rwandans regardless of their tribe. Umuganda is compulsory for all Rwandans and businesses are closed till noon for this and there’s also a fine for every Rwandan Citizen that doesn’t participate in Umuganda.
Solid Leadership
Rwanda has been under the leadership of President Paul Kagame since 2000. His leadership is rooted in the stoic philosophy that emphasises self awareness, openness to learning and careful planning. He is known among critics as the Iron fist president that stifles dissent and opposition yet he is so popular among Rwandans. Kagame has played a key role in the development of Rwanda with his strict policies
Rwanda’s commitment to cleanliness serves as an inspiration to other African Countries. Due to the joint efforts of both the government and citizens, Rwanda is often referred to as the Switzerland of Africa.
