February 19, 2021

Airtel Rwanda SIM Card Agents Not Paid for Months


Trustworthy and indepth news stories are more important now than ever.
Support our newsroom by MAKING A CONTRIBUTION HERE
Some of Airtel Rwanda agents are not happy with how they are being treated

Agents selling SIM Cards for telecom giant Airtel Rwanda in the western region have been demanding for arrears going back month – a plea they took to the company’s headquarters in Kigali but couldn’t be allowed to go beyond the reception desk.

Airtel Rwanda, one of two telephone providers in the country, operates armies of agents that it uses to flood Airtel SIM Cards on the market. In each district, it has several ‘Team Leaders’, who in term also each control between 30-50 others called ‘Freelancers’.

As payment, the Team Leaders have verbal understanding to be paid a monthly fee of Rwf 102,000 which is payable when they sell SIM Cards set in a specific target. For the Freelancers, they get the SIM cards from the Team Leaders at Rwf 200 and sell it on to clients at Rwf 500 – making an income of Rwf 300 on each SIM card.

In Ngororero district, rural western Rwanda, the nine (9) Team Leaders there, who all say they have been performing beyond the set targets of SIM cards sold, have different unpaid arrears. Some said they had not been paid ever since they were hired. We found out that there are some who had left when their pay didn’t come, and were simply replaced.

Jean Damascene Niyonkuru, 33, began working as Team Leader in July 2020. He had not been paid his monthly paycheck to date. While he was willing to speak out, and be identified as well, others affected couldn’t agree to be interviewed unless we promised them anonymity.

“Our bosses set specific number of SIM cards you have to sell within the coming month. The targets are always changing. For my case, I have met the targets throughout but have not been paid yet,” said Niyonkuru. “I raised my issue with my [superior] since December telling him I was struggling and needed that money. I have a lot of problems to solve. How do they expect me to go to the field everyday when I have not eaten, with unwashed cloths. Clients will think I’m a bandit.”

The Chronicles also found out that there are separate other cases of Airtel Rwanda Agents with other issues against the company in different areas.

In Kigali, there are cases of Agents working in Airtel Money, who claim they received unbalanced payments – less money than they were expected to get.

In Rulindo district, we encountered Jean Chrysostom Nisingizwe, 30. He spent four months working in Ngororero, but wasn’t paid and decided to leave to return to his village. He is now unemployed.

For the case of Jacques Nzabonimpa, who is still working, he didn’t get payment for two months.

Asked why they agree to work without written contracts, the Airtel agents also posed back a rhetorical question; ‘What option do you think we have?’.

The affected agents shared data which showed they had met the required monthly targets, which is a rule to be paid.

When contacted, Airtel head office in Kigali said we write email detailing the issue. By press time, the company had not responded.

Airtel Rwanda is owned by Indian global telecoms giant Bharti Airtel. In 2017, Bharti acquired Tigo Rwanda. Then Airtel Rwanda was merged with Tigo, reducing telecoms in the country from 3 to 2.

Since then Airtel has been struggling to eat away at fierce competitor MTN Rwanda’s market share.

We can't do quality journalism without your support

Perhaps it goes without saying — but producing quality journalism isn't cheap. At a time when newsroom resources and revenue are declining, The Chronicles remains committed to "Serving Your Right To Know The Truth". Stand with us as we document Rwanda's remarkable journey for you and the future generation. Do you value our journalism? We can't do it without you. Show us with your support by CONTRIBUTING HERE.
Email your news TIPS to info@chronicles.rw or WhatsApp +250788351327.
You can also find us on Signal

69 Comments

  1. Greetings, I do think your web site may be having web browser compatibility issues.

    Whenever I take a look at your website in Safari, it looks fine but when opening in Internet Explorer, it’s got some overlapping issues.
    I simply wanted to give you a quick heads up! Besides that, wonderful site!

  2. Hi there i am kavin, its my first occasion to commenting anyplace, when i read
    this post i thought i could also create comment due to this sensible piece of
    writing.

  3. You actually make it appear so easy with your presentation but I to find this matter to be actually one thing that I believe I would by no means understand.
    It seems too complicated and extremely large for me.
    I’m having a look forward on your next submit, I will attempt to get the dangle
    of it!

  4. I am not sure where you’re getting your info, but
    good topic. I needs to spend some time learning
    more or understanding more. Thanks for magnificent info
    I was looking for this info for my mission.

  5. A person necessarily help to make severely posts I would state.

    This is the very first time I frequented your website
    page and up to now? I surprised with the research you made to create this actual put up amazing.
    Magnificent task!

  6. What i do not realize is in reality how you’re no longer actually much more neatly-appreciated than you might be right now.
    You are so intelligent. You already know thus considerably in relation to this subject, produced me personally believe it from so many various angles.
    Its like men and women don’t seem to be involved except
    it’s something to accomplish with Woman gaga!
    Your individual stuffs excellent. At all times deal with it up!

  7. My family every time say that I am wasting my time here at net, except I know I am getting experience all
    the time by reading such nice posts.

  8. I used to be suggested this blog by my cousin. I am
    no longer certain whether or not this publish is written through him as nobody else recognize such precise about my problem.
    You’re wonderful! Thanks!

  9. I absolutely love your blog and find a lot of your post’s to be what precisely
    I’m looking for. can you offer guest writers to write content
    available for you? I wouldn’t mind composing a post or elaborating on a
    few of the subjects you write concerning here. Again, awesome web site!

  10. Proponents of this view suggest that basic moral principles, such as a sense of fairness or empathy, might be hardwired into human beings. Evolutionary psychologists, for instance, posit that certain values could have provided survival advantages to early humans and thus became ingrained in our species over time.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *