Just after the Nyabugogo bridge, on the Gatsata-Karuruma-Gatuna road is a stretch of land of about 300 meters occupied by garages. The strip is located between the main road and the Nyabugogo river, which is the main drain of the entire Nyabugogo wetland.

The space of operations for each of these garages starts from the main road and practically ends in the Nyabugogo stream. Indeed, some of the garages have iron sheet fences at the back to separate them from the stream but others don’t, and you can actually see scrap cars and other car parts perched on the stream bank.

It is not hard to imagine how the activities of these garages affect not only the stream but the entire ecosystem of the Nyabugogo wetland area. When it rains, run-off water ensures that the chemicals associated with garage activities flow into the wetland, not to mention the solid waste generated by the garages.

In short, the garages are an environmental hazard to the wetland. Not only is it not allowed to pollute the environment the way they do, but it is also against the law to put any building within 20 meters from the bank of a wetland. The garages have not even 2 meters left.

The question is who should take care of this issue? The organic law No.04/2005 of 08/04/2005, determining the modalities of protection, conservation and promotion of the environment in Rwanda, provides an answer to that. Article 60 of this law stipulates that in general, local administrative entities are charged with implementing the laws, policies, strategies and programs of protection, conservation and promotion of the environment in Rwanda.