Some of Nyungwe National park employees say they might seek court intervention when Rwanda Development Board fails to respect their requests for payment of delayed salaries.
They say it has been pending since long as unpaid salaries they didn’t get when they were from ORTPN to RDB. Besides, unpaid salaries, they are also some who have not been paid for other additional works done hence the request to be paid before joining the new institution.
In an interview with some of workers said that they first worked with ORTPN, and then in 2009 joined RDB till now when it’s dedicated to African Parks. They say that after joining RDB, they continued to be paid ORTPN salary for 8months instead of getting paid by RDB, as they further revealed that some of their workmates in high positions started with the RDB salary for their first month there , it’s now 11yrs while waiting to be paid but in vain.
Since we reached RDB, we would start to be paid new RDB salaries as we were all changed from ORTPN to RDB but only those who work from Kigali and a few of us. Othes who asked for it, were responded that it would be better not to be asked as it would create some disturbances to those working in Nyungwe and in ibirunga park. by then Gishwati was not yet registered as a park, after it was registered they are some who joined it with those problems from the two parks.” One of them said
He further noticed that they didn’t submit a written request copy as they knew that even in some RDB’s high personnel have such problem. After realising that it’s has taken long, they started asking for it but they were asked to stop asking for it because the case got expired.
He further said that, after 8 months, in RDB it’s when we started a pay of RDB, we continued with that problem, whenever RDB officials could come in a meeting we could ask for it but in vain till now when we are going to join African parks unsolved.
In the meeting held here in November 2020, we were told that we should stop asking about it because it got expired. We are now asking ourselves how it expired is while those in charge who should have solved it for us got all their money? They add that RDB should give us all it owes a worker after terminating his/her contract as it’s not a mandate for everyone from RDB will join African parks because despite the interview expected before joining, some may adapt to other fields.
” We have been government workers under MIFOTRA, and we are soon joining private institution, above all we won’t go there us all, we should be given what we are owed by RDB, then one will take his/her own choice.” He observed
There are those who did additional works like the one who was a guard and later a driver, for a period of 5-6years, he wasn’t paid for it nor the mission for all those years so we are told that in February next year, we will be in African parks so who shall be asked this then? a new employer? they should really solve our problems before for our good.
November 2020 meeting between Nyungwe national park workers, and RDB officials chaired by Olive Mushonganono, the meeting ended with misunderstandings on both sides. Both in the first and in the second meeting, did not bear fruit.
BWIZA talking to in charge of the Nyungwe national park Mr. Ntihemuka Pierre, he said that this shouldn’t be asked to him as he is a worker as others. he referred us to ask the high officials in charge not him as he is a worker too. The effort to talk to RDB officials was futile.
Nyungwe national park has been recently dedicated to African parks which ‘s said to hire 200 where over 170 of them will be guards where there will be found many species of birds, animals, trees, herbs for medicinal researches and of course a Canopy which is admired by many tourists these days.
