Motor cyclists in Kigali City have been evading security and transport operators over limited parking space and accusations of unlawful conduct.

Motorcyclist operators in Kigali who talked to Rwanda Today said they were working under stress because of security operators looking to seize their motorbikes.

Kigali City accounts for over 60 per cent of motorcyclists in the country, with the number of registered operators under the Rwanda Federation of Taxi-moto Riders totalling around 35,000.

However, despite paying the monthly parking fees of Rwf2,000, the parking spaces are getting fewer due to the increasing number of motorcyclists year-on-year. The federation blamed the city planning for not factoring motorcyclists.

“Parking space for motorcyclists in Kigali is insufficient given the growing number of operators. It looks like motorcyclistsare not accommodated foe in the City’s transport framework,” said Daniel Ngarambe, the chairperson of Rwanda Federation of Taxi-moto Riders.

“We have appealed to the city of Kigali and all concerned parties to accommodate motorcyclists in the revision of the Kigali master plan and factor their parking space,” said Esdras Ndengeyimana, a motorcyclist in Kigali.

Currently, parking fees for private cars ranges between Rwf100 and Rwf200. However, in some places prices go up based on the amount of time spent in the parking bay.

“Under the ongoing revision of the City master plan, we are looking to incorporate all means of transport; and based on the growing number of motorcyclists, there is a possibility of increasing parking spaces for them,” said Jean D'amour Rwunguko, the director of Infrastructure in the City of Kigali.