ACP Boniface Rutikanga, the Rwanda National Police spokesperson, speaking on Saturday
KIGALI — Rwanda’s police said Saturday that they will step up monitoring of indecent behavior in public places and on social media, including TikTok, as authorities seek to curb conduct they say violates public standards.
ACP Boniface Rutikanga, the Rwanda National Police spokesperson, said the monitoring would include TikTok Live and other online platforms where people broadcast themselves.
ACP Rutikanga made the comments at a joint news conference with Rwanda Investigation Bureau spokesman Dr. Thierry B. Murangira, where authorities paraded suspects linked to alcohol factories that had been shut down over the production of substandard drinks.
Rutikanga said police would monitor behavior both offline and online, including TikTok Live broadcasts.
“We will start even from social media platforms. TikTok, TikTok, TikTok Live… and they think we don’t see them. We monitor them, we see them,” he said.
He said authorities would pursue people who undress or engage in other indecent acts in public or through social media platforms.
All these pictures were either shared by those in the images on their socials, or they were taken by tabloid media and circulated. All of them, in one way or another, caused heated public debate.
The warning comes amid growing concern over behavior in bars, nightclubs and other entertainment venues, where excessive alcohol consumption has been identified as one of the factors contributing to public indecency, including cases of people stripping naked in places accessible to the public.
Rutikanga also rejected arguments that such conduct should be excused as part of changing youth culture.
“We will not have people of immorality taken by something called ‘gutwika,’ ending up saying it’s how the current youth are,” he said.
He said the authorities would also hold bar and nightclub owners responsible for behavior taking place on their premises.
“Those who run bars, clubs… the bad behavior of people there will also be their responsibility,” Rutikanga said.
He said police would work with event organizers and DJs to prevent indecent conduct during entertainment events.
Rutikanga also dismissed the idea that Rwanda should tolerate more provocative entertainment to make its nightlife more exciting.
People who want to attend venues where such behavior is allowed, he suggested, could go elsewhere. Such conduct would not be accepted in Rwanda.
The comments came as authorities were presenting suspects in a separate crackdown on unsafe alcohol production. The Rwanda Food and Drugs Authority has closed more than 140 alcohol manufacturing facilities over products that failed to meet safety standards.
The crackdown followed a health crisis in which unsafe alcoholic drinks have been linked to at least 50 deaths, about 100 cases of blindness and more than 500 people seeking medical treatment.
The link between alcohol and public behavior has become increasingly prominent in Rwanda’s wider campaign against harmful drinking. Authorities have said excessive consumption can contribute not only to serious health problems but also to disorder, family conflicts and other forms of harmful behavior.
Rutikanga’s remarks suggest that enforcement will increasingly extend into the digital space, where authorities say they are monitoring content and live broadcasts alongside conduct in physical venues.
He did not say that all provocative clothing or entertainment would constitute an offense. His warning focused on behavior the authorities consider indecent, disruptive or unlawful in public spaces and online.
