OLUCOME asks the government to fight the security fees scam

Gabriel Rufyiri, OLUCOME president

The Observatory for the Fight against Corruption and Economic Embezzlement (OLUCOME) says it is deeply concerned about the illegal collection of what the perpetrators, presumed to be the Imbonerakure, call security fees in Buterere, Kamenge and Kinama areas in the urban district of Ntahangwa in the Capital Bujumbura since January 2016.

The press release estimates that the con men have received BIF 375 million so far. Parcel owners pay BIF 1000 and every tenant pays BIF 500 each month. Sometimes, people who earn their living by carrying others on their bicycles pay BIF 2000.The statement deplores the fact that such money is not sent to any public revenue office and that the practice comes to worsen the living conditions of the impoverished residents of the areas. OLUCOME requests the government “to stop that collection of security fees in the areas of Ntahangwa district”.

Though the district administrator Eddy Paul Hakizimana denies being aware of the fraud, the receipts that victims are given carry the district seal. “The district administration is not aware of that practice and has neither commanded nor allowed it”, says Hakizimana.

Inhabitants of those areas testify that they pay the fees to Imbonerakure youth of CNDD-FDD ruling party and ex-combatants. “Imbonerakure and ex-combatants collect the money. We have to pay BIF 1000 each month as security fees”, says a resident of Kamenge. That money goes nowhere else than in the pockets of the collectors as one resident reveals. “They share the money on the spot”, he says.

Residents pay the money because of fear.“We can’t refuse. Sometimes, we are beaten if we don’t pay the fees”, says a source. “If you don’t pay, you put yourself in danger. They beat you when you go home at night, says E. H.

The CNDD-FDD National Information and Communication Secretary “salutes the OLUCOME’s vigilance” but takes issue with the Observatory’s relaying of unverified information about the perpetrators’ identity. “We disapprove of the incrimination of Imbonerakure whenever any youth commit a bad act. We have heard people are paying security fees, but nothing shows that the collectors are Imbonerakure”, says Nancy Ninette Mutoni. She calls the population to contact the police or other officials whenever they see criminals without caring about which political party the latter are affiliated to. For her, the law must be applied.