Two Decades of Dedication: Twagirimana’s Journey to Keeping Kigali Clean

The City of Kigali is admired by people from around the world. Visitors who come to the city prais

e it for its remarkable beauty and exceptional cleanliness, which has earned it recognition and led many to consider it a model city when it comes to hygiene and cleanliness.

The cleanliness seen in the city did not happen by chance. It required a strong government policy aimed at promoting the well-being and improving the living conditions of Rwandans.

More importantly, it involved a journey of changing citizens’ mindsets so that they could understand the importance of cleanliness and recognize that they have a role to play in maintaining it.

The good cleanliness of the City of Kigali does not happen automatically, as there are people who work every day, waking up early to ensure that the city remains beautiful and continues to serve as an example to others.

Among them is Twagirimana Jean Claude, a man who cannot rest when Kigali does not look clean. He has dedicated his entire day to keeping the city clean.

Living in Nyarugenge District, Twagirimana has been working since 2004 collecting waste from people’s homes in the City of Kigali.

In an interview i had with him, he said he started this work in 2004 and has been able to improve his life through this job. Today, he supports a family of six people.

During a conversation with him, he explains how much he loves his work. Besides being proud of the contribution he makes to keeping the City of Kigali clean, he is also grateful that the job supports his family’s daily needs.

Before joining this work, Twagirimana was living on the streets after coming to Kigali following the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

He made the decision to leave behind a life without purpose, started working, and has now raised five children. Through this work, he has gained the ability to pay for their education. He started his own family in 2008.

He said: “This job enabled me to build a family. You can understand why I do it with love, and it is difficult for me to leave it and move to another job because I consider it my life.”

He left that difficult life in 2004 after a well-wisher helped him by giving him a job cleaning the City of Kigali, where he was initially paid with basic necessities.

Later, he started receiving a salary, although he was only paid 400 Rwandan francs.

He said he continued earning that amount until 2006, when his pay increased to 700 Rwandan francs.

In 2011, the associations they worked under were dissolved, and private contractors took over. These contractors won tenders to collect waste from people’s homes in the City of Kigali.

Twagirimana says that throughout the years he has spent doing this work, one of the things that continues to challenge him is people’s lack of attention to cleanliness.

He points to people who still mix biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste, explaining that this makes waste separation difficult. He also mentions those who have not yet valued cleanliness and continue throwing waste wherever they find a place.

He said: “Sometimes we enter a particular household and find that a resident has mixed all the waste instead of separating it. We do not simply collect waste and leave because we have a lot of work that includes collecting it and separating it.”

Twagirimana says he is proud to be among the people who contribute to ensuring that the City of Kigali remains clean and that it continues to be an example of cleanliness for other countries around the world.

In the early morning that's when Twagirimana goes to his work while also checking on his smartphones current trending news in Rwanda (Aperture: F4, ISO: 200, Shutter Speed: 1/500)

Before the city wakes up, Twagirimana begins another day dedicated to keeping Kigali clean (Aperture:f/2.8 | ISO 200 | 1/500s)

Protective equipment has become an essential part of Twagirimana’s daily routine as he handles waste across the city (f/2.8 | ISO 200 | 1/250s)

One of the things that Twagirimana cares more about is his safety that's why  before he start his work he wears safety item include mask and gloves (f/2.8 | ISO 200 | 1/320s)

Carrying a heavy bag of waste, Twagirimana continues his daily routine of collecting garbage, a job he has done for more than 20 years (f/3.2 | ISO 160 | 1/400s)

Together with his colleagues, Twagirimana moves through Kigali’s streets, collecting waste from households and helping maintain the city’s cleanliness (f/4.5 | ISO 200 | 1/320s)

Garbage collectors load bags of garbage into the truck as part of their daily effort to keep Kigali’s streets and neighborhoods clean. (f/5 | ISO 200 | 1/320s)

The work requires strength and dedication as Garbage collectors lift heavy bags and load them onto trucks (f/5 | ISO 200 | 1/500s)

When Twagirimana with his collegues are putting the bags of garbage into the truck (f/5 | ISO 160 | 1/500s)
 

The success of his journey is reflected in the family he has supported through years of hard work (f/3.2 | ISO 640 | 1/160s)

The success of his journey is reflected in the family he has supported through years of hard work ( f/4.5 | ISO 640 | 1/160s)

Twagirimana Jean Claude has spent more than two decades collecting waste in Kigali, a job he says has become part of his life.(f/2.8 | ISO 160 | 1/320s)

My Reflection on this story

I chose this story to highlight the people behind Kigali’s cleanliness and show how Twagirimana Jean Claude’s hard work has contributed to making the city cleaner while improving his own life and supporting his family. Initially, I planned to cover a community sports story, but I faced challenges with time and accessing the right moments and images. I therefore changed my topic to a story I could capture effectively. During the reporting process, I respected Twagirimana’s dignity and privacy by seeking his consent before the interview and photographs. I presented his past struggles and achievements in a respectful and truthful way.