Author: Abou-Shadadi

Infrastructure Minister briefs international community on Rwanda’s solar energy use status

Gatete made the briefing on September 8, during the World Solar Technology Summit organized by the International Solar Alliance (ISA).

It is a technology conference attended by participants from India, France, and other members of the ISA.

In his remarks, the Minister thanked ISA for the idea of organizing the meeting and highlighted how the solar power program is contributing to the delivery of electricity to Rwandans.

“The establishment of a solar-powered coalition is a good idea because it provides a platform for more innovation through the use of solar power,” he said.

Gatete further briefed participants on Rwanda’s progress in delivering electricity to the people.

“In Rwanda, we have always valued the importance of innovation and the use of renewable energy to accelerate the use of solar energy, through the National Strategy for Transformation (NST1), which we have set up to be accessible to all electricity in 2024. ”

He added that in the electrification program, solar energy will take a high-table position.

September 10, 2020
Civil Society question legalities of some COVID-19 prevention guidelines

The letter is based on recent measures aimed at preventing the spread of Covid-19, especially regarding how people should behave and the penalties imposed on those who violate Covid-19 prevention guidelines.

The Civil Society Organizations say that some measures are contrary to the decisions of the cabinet.

The cabinet meeting on August 26 passed resolutions to further strengthen measures for the prevention of the spread of Covid-19.

Among them was the resolution that “private (private) travels between the City of Kigali and other districts will continue to be carried out but in accordance with the regulations of the health authorities”.

Another resolution was that “public gatherings are prohibited, except for those who have permission and have not more than 30 people.”

The resolution further states that “the permission to host such meetings will be issued by the relevant authorities in collaboration with the RDB, and shall be based on the guidelines of the health authorities.”

The next day, Rwanda Development Board, RDB, issued a statement on August 27 aimed at implementing the directives issued by the Cabinet Decisions.

The statement said that the “applicants for the meeting permission should go through info@rcb.rw and inform the relevant authorities.” Also the reception area does not exceed 30% of the capacity of the reception hall.

The organizers of the meeting also should make sure that the participants should have a Covid-19 tests of not more than 72 hours, and pay a fee of $ 50 (Rwf48,442).

Shortly afterwards, on August 31, the City of Kigali also issued a directive, imposing sanctions on those who violate Covid-19’s proposed measures.

This also came after the Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Authority, RURA, on August 28, declared that “no public buses or motorcycle are allowed to transport anyone to or from Kigali City”.

Non-governmental organizations say that these regulations are contrary to cabinet decisions, because, for example, RURA’s directive that private travels between the City of Kigali and other areas are prohibited, contrary to the Cabinet decision.

The organizations also say that some of these regulations are unclear, making implementation difficult.

Currently, it is alleged that the RDB’s regulations do not clearly define the meaning of “general meetings” or “necessary meetings” which must request for permission from the RDB and tests for COVID19 for all the participants.

They point out that the meetings and conferences referred to are only happening in hotels, rather than in public places such as in markets, in bus stations, and so on.

They also noted that the cost of Covid-19 testing, set at Rwf 48,442, is too expensive and Rwandans could not manage it every time they go to a meeting.

The organizations and their partners say they are also affected by the decision because they have suspended various meetings and activities due to lack of capacity to test each invitee.

They also observed the fines imposed by the City of Kigali on violators of the Covid-19 prevention guidelines are quite high, considering it is at a time when the pandemic has had a devastating economic impact.

They added that testing measures for each participant at a meeting or wedding is not the best way to deal with Covid-19, but that standard measures such as frequent hand washing, social distance and wearing masks would be the best solution.

Human rights are threatened

The NGOs said a directive that requires people to meet after getting permission is contrary to the Constitution and other international laws to which Rwanda is a signatory, especially Article 39 of Rwanda constitution, defining the right of assembly as passed in 2003, and amended in 2015.

They also said that measures for children under the age of two to wear masks were contrary to the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines.

They also emphasized the need to focus on business, especially in hotels, as meetings and conferences are one of the main sources of income, of which ban will have devastating effects on post-Covid-19 recovery.

To address all these issues, these organizations have called for the establishment of a system to monitor all regulations in place to prevent the spread of Covid-19, to comply with national and international law, and not to violate human rights principles.

They also said that regulations that violate human rights and should be removed, or revised. They requested that the guidelines set out in the RDB’s announcement and applying for permit at public meetings and testing the participants within 72 hours should be revised.

As for the City of Kigali’s prohibitive fines for Covid-19 prevention regulations violators, they demanded that they be removed forthwith.

They said the fines should be carried out to the fullest extent of the capacity of the citizens, and be approved after discussions with everyone concerned, including the public. Once approved, it must be announced through legal channels.

They stressed the need for the government to work with its partners as they learn about strategies to prevent the Covid-19 pandemic, and to encourage them to step up their efforts to prevent the Covid-19 pandemic, including hand washing, wearing face masks and observing social distance.

September 10, 2020
Kayonza District hands over 271 houses to needy families

The Mayor of Kayonza District, Murenzi Jean Claude, told IGIHE that during the 2019/2020 financial year, they decided to build 271 houses for families that had been listed as vulnerable and homeless.

He also said that this year they have started building for other 397 families who are living in dilapidated houses that could cause problems at any time.

Mayor Murenzi urged residents to take good care of the houses they were given because they belong to them not the district.

Solange, a 46-year-old woman living with her three children in Nyamirama Sector, said she is happy to receive the house because she had been living a bad life for a long time.

She said that currently, she is fighting to get out of poverty and raising her children well and change their lives.

Mukambuguje Leocadie, 65, a resident of Mukarange Sector where she had been renting for eight years, said she is grateful to the authorities who took care of her until the house was built for her.

Sacca’s director, Valentine Mukamuyenzi, said helping the District accommodate the needy it is an activity they have embarked on to help the vulnerable people.

“Sacca is already doing a lot of work to help street children and their families, especially the needy. This year we have started a program to help more people who are homeless, working with the district to help them. ”

Each residential building, built at a cost of Rwf3 million, has at least three rooms, it includes house chairs, beds, bathroom, toilet, and kitchen.

September 9, 2020
SKOL boosts ‘Kiss Summer Awards’ with 20 beer crates

The Kiss Summer Awards are organized by Radio Kiss FM, one of the famous radio stations in Kigali City and Rwanda. The Kiss Summer Awards20 is given to artists who have made popular songs during the year.

The Kiss Summer Awards are accorded in four categories: Most popular song of the year, Most popular artist, Most popular rising artist as well as the Best Producer of the Year.

SKOL, as the sponsor of these awards, has created a way to win 20 crates of Skol 100% Malt beverages for fans who will vote for the song or artist who will be awarded the prize.

The Head of Media Relations at Skol, Tuyishime Karim, told IGIHE that the winner of each of the five categories would be the one who voted for the award-winning artist and had a lot of likes for his idea of posting on SKOL’s social networking site after voting on KISS FM’s website.

“That is, when you select an artist or song on the KISS FM website, you will immediately come to SKOL’s Facebook page or SKOL’s Instagram, then write in the comment why you believe the artist [or song] has to win that award.”

“If people give you a lot of likes for that reason in the comments, the idea will have many likes, if the wins, you will win five SKOL Malt crates. Five crates are planned for each category, if you have equal likes then you will share those crates. ”

Tuyishime added that “If you pick a song from a certain artist and win the award in a particular category, and you also have a lot of likes, you will win your five crate prizes.”

“It’s the likes from the day you vote until the end [of September 13] as the artist also has to win, they will count his votes from the time they publish until the last day.”

The awards will be presented on September 13, 2020.

September 9, 2020
Rwandan diplomat says e-commerce to bolster cooperation with China

In an interview with Xinhua, a Chinese newspaper, Kimonyo said: “We are enjoying the best balance of cooperation with China in our history.”

Two years before the services trade fair, Rwanda and China’s e-commerce giant Alibaba signed an agreement over the Electronic World Trade Platform (EWTP) that helps small and medium enterprises to digitally transact.

Through the agreement, Rwandan products such as pepper and coffee are sold on various Alibaba sites such as Tmall, Taobao, and others.

Rwandan coffee was recently sold to the Chinese market through a joint venture, where 1.5 tones were sold online in a few minutes. The event took place in a 10-minute talk entitled “National Treasure” on May 14, 2020.

Kimonyo added that Rwandan coffee makers and marketers say they continue to receive requests from Chinese companies that want Rwandan coffee.

He went on to say that small and medium enterprises have benefited from setting up a platform that enables them carry out e-commerce, reaching reach large and affordable markets.

He said the creation of a total African market would be made up of over 1.2 billion people, which means that the African continent has opened its markets once and for all.

He also said that China has quickly recovered from this (COVID-19) pandemic, which gives them hope, but also to the world, adding that, the more China grows, the more Africa become prosperous.

September 9, 2020
RwandAir fills gap left by Kenyan flights to Tanzania

RwandAir now operates three weekly flights to Tanzania in Dar es Salaam.

For travelers who want to travel to Tanzania, crossing Rwanda is one of the easiest ways rather than Ethiopia or the Western Hemisphere.

Tanzania has recently banned Kenyan companies including Kenya Airways, AirKenya Express, Fly540, and Safarilink Aviation, from flights to Dar es Salaam, Zanzibar, and Kilimanjaro after Kenya decided to remove the population of these cities among those who are allowed to enter the country without going to the quarantine for 14 days.

The news came after Tanzanian airline Precision Air announced it was suspending flights to Nairobi, although it had resumed a few days ago.

The plane was scheduled to fly from Dar es Salaam to Zanzibar before flying to Nairobi. Zanzibar is one of the most popular destinations in the region because it is a tourist hub.

Kenya Airways CEO Allan Kilavuka said the Tanzania route was one of the most important they have, he hopes the problem that prevents travel in the area will be resolved soon.

Before the ban, Kenya Airways used to fly from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport 14 times to Dar es Salaam every week, three times to Kilimanjaro and two times to Zanzibar.

September 8, 2020
Egypt donates COVID-19 protective gear to Rwanda

The Minister of Health, Dr. Daniel Ngamije, said the aid included masks, equipment worn by doctors on the body and head and shoes for medical staff.

He said the equipment received by Rwanda was going to help Covid-19 clinics, especially as Rwanda is expanding its clinics outside Kigali, which will also help protect medical staff and patients.

“This capacity allows us to make our referrals to district and provincial hospitals, especially in areas where there has been an increase in COVID-19 cases,” he said.

Dr. Ngamije called on Rwandans to be more vigilant about COVID-19, as the number of patients is high, including those with other health problems such as obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, respiratory diseases, cancer, and more, leading to the risk of death.

Ambassador Ahmed El Ansary said the donation from the Arab Republic of Egypt to Rwanda came at a time when his country’s recent representative had recently approved a $ 4 million grant to the African Union for a fund set up to combat COVID-19.

He said the grant was in line with their commitments to the fund, which would help “prevent men and women working in the health sector, who are doing a great job” in preventing the spread of Coronavirus.

“I think this is a difficult time for the world, so it is time to show that we are united as Africans, which is why we are determined to send this support to our brothers and sisters in Rwanda,” he said.

Egypt is one of the countries in Africa with high COVID-19 cases, with a total of 99,863 infected people, of who 5,530 have succumbed.

September 8, 2020
COVID-19: Rwanda FDA bans use of Purell-instant, Guard- hand sanitizers

These drugs have been discontinued under the guidelines that hand sanitizers should contain ethanol alcohol at a rate of between 70% and 80% or isopropyl alcohol at 75%.

The Rwanda FDA said that based on laboratory tests conducted by the agency, it was found that the Guard-Hands sanitizer (30ml) and the purell-instant hand sanitizer (60ml) did not meet the requirements and thus ‘the drugs were discontinued’.

Rwanda FDA warns people that methanol is not used in the manufacture of hand sanitizers because it is used as pesticide and has a detrimental effect on health. The agency requires users of hand sanitizers to check the information on the bottle in which the drug is purchased.

These guidelines are 70% to 80% ethanol or 75% isopropyl and other important ones include glyceline and hydrogen peroxide.

September 8, 2020
Police officers arrested over brutality

There has been a spate of public outcry in recent days criticizing some police officers for breaking the law as they enforce lawful orders that includes shooting civilians and outright.

In an interview with the Rwanda Broadcasting Agency on Sunday, President Paul Kagame said he had heard of the issue, and had instructed the police top administration to address the issue.

CP John Bosco Kabera said it was inappropriate for the police to use excessive force, and that the police are going to make efforts to inform Rwandans of how such people are being prosecuted.

He cited examples of police officers who shot dead civilians in Nyanza District and beat a resident of Rwamagana to death, all of whom were being prosecuted.

“Police officers involved in the recent incidents of brutality have been arrested and investigations are ongoing,” CP Kabera said.

“A police officer who shot people to death on March, in Nyanza on a motorcycle, was arrested, is being prosecuted. He is in prison, but people don’t know what happened next.”

Police officer who recently beat a resident of Rwamagana District, Karenge is in courts litigation. Also, another one who recently shot to death a resident of Zaza in Ngoma is under investigation.

He further added that in addition to legal penalties, police officers are subject to disciplinary action including those that mistreat members of the public, those who harass citizens, those who provide poor services, and those who neglect duty, among others.

September 7, 2020
Stringent measures for COVID-19 prevention-guidelines violators

The new regulations apply to every resident, service provider, public and private institutions living in the City of Kigali and others.

These penalties stipulate that if a person not wearing a mask is a child above two years, the parent or guardian will be fined Rwf10,000. That’s fine for anyone who will not wear the mask.

Traders and service providers who refuse digital payment will be charged Rwf25,000 and possible closure of the business until they establish digital payment system.

For a person who violates curfew time, 7:00 pm will pay Rwf10,000 and 24-hour detention in a reserved space, educated on the measures to prevent Coronavirus infections.

For organizations, which will exceed the 50 percent employees as recommended by the government guidelines, will be fined Rwf150,000. The institution may also be required to close until the effort is enforced.

For a motorcyclist who operates without a hand sanitizer or found carrying a passenger without the mandatory headscarf will be subjected to a fine of Rwf25,000 and his motorcycle will be seized for five days.

Those who will be caught riding a passenger on a bicycle will be fined Rwf3,000 and both wil be put under detention in a reserved space for 24hours, educated on the measures to prevent Coronavirus infections.

A public bus that carries more people than the established number, 50% of the seats, the owner will be fined Rwf25,000 and his vehicle will be seized for not beyond five days.

If the number of participants in mourning exceeds the recommended population, the representative of the family will be fined Rwf10,000 for each person, and if the participation in the funeral exceeds the designated number the cemetery administration will pay Rwf25,000 for each person.

If the wedding ceremony exceeds the number of people required, the recipient of the event [church, religion, receptionist, or registrar] will pay Rwf25,000 for each person who went there.

Organizers and hosts of gatherings deemed unnecessary such as praying in homes, birthday, bridal shower, and baby parties will be fined Rwf200,000 while each attendee will have to pay Rwf25,000.

In addition to that, all the participants in the event will be placed in reserved space for 24-hour detention, educated on the measures to prevent Coronavirus infections. The place where such activities usually take place will be closed for a month.

Congregations services in the church and the mosque which is not allowed to open, the director of the church or mosque will be fined Rwf150,000.

Gathering for church services or mosques without complying with some or all of COVID-19 prevention guidelines, their leader (in the church or mosque) will pay Rwf10,000 and their activities will be suspended for a month.

A person who will leave or go to a place where it is prohibited to prevent the spread of COVID-19 pandemic will be fined Rwf50,000 and 24-hour detention in a reserved space, educated on the measures to prevent Coronavirus infections.

Those who will escape the places which are under the lockdown program, then the fugitive will pay Rwf10,000, and the one who welcomed him will also have to pay Rwf100,00. The fugitive will be returned to his designated place of residence, without prejudice to the possibility of prosecuted for the crime of infecting others willingly.

For those who open bars whether in their normal place, in a hotel, in a restaurant, in a boutique, in a supermarket, at home and elsewhere, the owner of the business or the owner of the bar will be fined Rwf150,000.

The activities will be closed for a month but not less than three months and will be reopened only after demonstrating measures to prevent COVID-19.

A person who is caught in a bar or a place that has been turned into a bar will be fined Rwf25,000 and 24-hour detention in a reserved space, educated on the measures to prevent Coronavirus infections.

Markets and other commercial buildings failing to implement all required measures to help their clients avoid the COVID-19 pandemic including handwashing facilities, temperature screening, signs that show where to stand or sit complying with social distance, and employing those who assist in enforcing those measures will also be fined.

For large markets and retailers, will be fined Rwf300,000 provided by the market administration, bus stations, or commercial buildings. For other traders, working elsewhere, the business owner will have to pay Rwf50,000. Also, the market and other commercial buildings will be closed for three days.

For those who do not comply with the construction contract established by the Executive Committee of the Kigali City, the owner will pay from Rwf100,000 to one million based on the value of the construction work, and activities will be suspended for a month.

September 4, 2020