Rwanda’s Ministry of Health has fined a number of companies engaging in price gouging in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic and the attendant race to stock food and get some critical items.

Forty-four companies and business people in Kigali alone have been fined to the tune of 3.81 million Rwandan Francs.

The Ministry along with the Kigali City authorities said the fines related to raising prices of some food products, intentional use of unapproved weighing scales, issuance of illegal invoices, substandard and/or poorly manufactured items.

Asked if the current action related to items that had their prices set and controlled by government, the Ministry clarified: “Only for essential crops. However, in these particular times fighting the spread of Covid-19, we have decided to control prices of basic food items to avoid speculation.”

Africa News