Author: Alain Jules Hirwa

The development was announced on January 3, 2020, by the Commissioner of Police for Traffic and Road Safety Department, CP Rafiki Mujiji, in a press conference where he gave an insight of 2019 performance and the agenda for 2020.

The 2019 police report shows that 309,970 drivers violated different traffic laws.

Among the police’s main measures are putting more effort into its Gerayo Amahoro campaign that aims at increasing awareness of traffic laws and using technology to control the violation of traffic laws.

He said, “With technology, we are reaching a level at which we won’t need to stop the driver. We will record his vehicle’s plate number and text him the fines to pay.”

This technology is still in the trial and is set to fight bribes given to police officers and the injustice that might be faced by drivers when being fined.

CP Mujiji said, “No one will be treated unjustly. With the cameras, we will have recorded proof, a video. We are still trying it using tablets, but we will reach a time when we will use a camera that will record everything happening in traffic.”

This technology adds up to some cameras installed on highways to record those who over speed.

The police show that the number of road accidents in 2019 reduced by 17% from 5611 in 2018 to 4661 in 2019, and that since August 2019, the number of people killed in road accidents reduced a lot in comparison to other months as it moved from 72 to 50 in September, to 47 in October, and to 43 in November.

CAX is a pan-African summit for the creative ecosystem devoted to creativity in the fields of music, art, design, fashion, literature, culture, publishing, film and television.
Present will be different public figures from around Africa and the whole world.

Idris Elba, one of the most famous actors all over the world, will give a talk. He is best known for such films as “American Gangster”, “Daddy’s Little Girls”, and “Pacific Rim”. In Rwanda, he is specifically known for the film “Some time in April” which is based on the Rwandan 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

Among other celebrities expected at the summit is the Senegalese-American singer, songwriter, record producer, entrepreneur, philanthropist and actor Akon who also co-founded the Akon Lighting Africa project which aims to provide solar electricity in Africa.

The Nigerian music video director, filmmaker and cinematographer Clarence Peters (family name: Clarence Abiodun Peters) too will give a talk in the summit. Aged 36, he is the founder and CEO of Capital Dream Pictures some of whose most popular songs include such songs as Burna Boy’s “Gbona”, Wizkid’s “Soco”, Runtown’s “Mad Over You”, Simi and Falz’s “Soldier”, Simi’s “Love Don’t Care”, Patoranking’s “Available”, Tiwa Savage’s “Eminado”, and many more.

Among other speakers of the summit is Djimon Hounsou, a Beninese-American actor, and model who rose to prominence with his roles in films such as “Without You I’m Nothing”, “Amistad”, “Gladiator”, “Blood Diamond”, and others.

The Nigerian musician, entrepreneur, and television personality D’banj (born Oladapo Daniel Oyebanjo) too will give a talk at the summit. Aged 39, D’banj became popular in Rwanda in 2008 for his song “Fall in Love”.

The French musical duo Les Nubians, composed of sisters Hélène and Célia Faussart, will perform at the summit. They are best known for their Billboard R&B Single “Makeda”.

on January 2, 2020 Rayon Sports had announced that the team, Changchun Yatai Fc, wanted to buy Sarpong at $650,000.

According to Nkurunziza Jean Paul, Rayon Sports’ spokesperson, the Ghanaian 23 years-old Sarpong has left for China for football medical tests.

He said, “ He has gone to China. We are done with talks with the team. He is going to do a medical test.”

Nkurunziza told IGIHE that Rayon Sports will get $150,000 for the transfer.
Michael Sarpong started playing for Rayon Sports in September 2018, coming from Dreams FC, Ghana.

In the last Rwanda National Football League tournament, he scored 16 goals and had already scored 6 goals in the first season of the league in its year 2019/20.

After the Burundian Jules Ulimwengu who was transferred in the last football year, he becomes the second to be transferred by Rayon Sports to China.

On Monday, December 30, 2019, Rwanda Education Board (REB) released results for national Primary Leaving Exams, the Ordinary Level, and Teacher Training Courses, showing that boys have excelled than girls in the exams.

All inmates of the juvenile correctional facility who sat for the exams performed well.

Among the 13 who sat for Primary School Leaving Examinations, 8 are in the first division while the remaining 5 are in the second. The only girl among them is in the first division too.

Among the 6 children who took the Ordinary Level Leaving Examinations, 5 came in the first division, and only one is in the second division.

Meanwhile, one inmate who sat for Secondary School Leaving Examinations is still waiting for results.

In a press conference a short time before the results were announced, RCS said that among its achievements in 2019 is that 20 inmates of Nyagatare Juvenile Prison sat for national examinations.

The Commissioner-General of RCS, George Rwigamba said, “As you know, at the prison, we teach the inmates, and those who pass are given a chance to continue their studies, another way to correct and rehabilitate them.”

Child inmates of Nyagatare Juvenile Prison have built a reputation of performing excellently well in national examinations, and have oftentimes been granted a presidential pardon to continue their studies in ordinary schools.

Last year, 2018, 16 juveniles who passed the exams were pardoned and released.

On hosting President Kagame on RBA news channels, the Director-General of the agency, Arthur Asiimwe said, “As a citizens’ news media, it gives us pride when the president comes and chats with citizens, as they will have time to send in their questions through different platforms including phone-in or social media.”

President Kagame had last appeared on Rwanda Television on such discussions in June of 2017. Back then, he was hosted by Cléophas Barore and Novella Nikwigize, reflecting on the approaches and secrets behind the country’s countries’ seemingly insurmountable tasks and accomplishments.

Aged 23, Armanie has been in Canada for four years, for his university studies since 2016. He completed secondary school studies at Glory Secondary School. He is from Kimironko, Kigali.

In a conversation with IGIHE, Armanie said that he has been a lover of music for a long time but never finding time to join the industry.

He says, “My love for music began in the 2000s. However, as a child, I did not have capacity to do music.” He says when he arrived in Canada, he tried to do music but studies stood in the way of his passion.

As he has temporarily completed studies, Armanie says that he is going to devote himself fully to his dreams.

On the question of doing music while in the diaspora, he said, “I have a team in Rwanda that helps me. They do for me what I need to do in Rwanda. When time comes, I will move home, but even working while here, having a team in Rwanda facilitates me.”

At the Kanombe International Airport, he was overwhelmed by the love and passion demonstrated by fans and journalists which made him shade some tears of joy. He then entered his car and left the airport even before he could finish talking to journalists.

Fabien who got a collabo deal with The Ben said, “It’s my first time to sing together with a celebrity I stan.”

The East African Party that will take place for the 12th time and, for this year, will be held in Kigali Arena, on January 1, 2020.

The entrance fee will be Rwf 20,000 for table seats, Rwf 15,000 for VIP seats, and Rwf 5,000 for regular seats. For early birds, it will be Rwf 15,000, Rwf 10,000, and Rwf 3,000 respectively.

Now, tickets are already out. They can be bought on www.ticket.rw or at Mirror Hotel (0788978001), Kigali Arena (0735060071, 0781866276), Kabash House in UTC building (0785379494), Sawa Citi (0786686056), and at the EAP office (0735060071, 0781866276).

In order to allow convicts to enjoy Christmas with their beloved ones, visitors will be allowed to bring in food and non-alcoholic drinks among others.

RCS Spokesperson, Sengabo Hillary told IGIHE that the activity was thought of in a bid to allow convicts to share the joy of Christmas with their families. It will be conducted in all the prisons of the country.

“Usually, those who are allowed to receive food from outside are those on diets prescribed by a doctor but on Christmas, visitors will be allowed to bring in food.”

SSP Sengabo said that alcoholic beverages will not be allowed inside prisons as it goes against prison regulations.

RCS administration recalled that the activity will not remove the usual visits scheduled every Friday of the week.

Apart from the visit day on Tuesday, prison regulations will remain the same.

It is expected that convicts who will not receive any visitor will get a meal on behalf of the prison as a way of sharing the spirit of Christmas with everyone.

It is the first time that convicts are allowed to be with their families for Christmas in Rwanda.

Junior Kamono’s trial started in January 2018 and was concluded on September 30, 2019. He was found guilty after incriminating evidence and sentenced to 25 years in prison, of which he has already served five.

The police arrested Junior Kamono after following Dr. Dusabe’s car that had gone missing too on the day he was murdered.

He also had met Dr. Dusabe in Sea Point, a suburb in Cape Town, a few hours before he was killed.

Dr. Dusabe Raymond was killed while on a vacation in South Africa. He had started working at King Faisal Hospital in April 2017, after completing his Gynecologic oncology studies at Stellenbosch University, South Africa.

After graduating, aged 40, he realized his dream of becoming the first Rwandan Gynecologic oncologist.

He grew up in Burundi, in exile with his family, and returned to Rwanda in 1998 after completing his secondary school studies.

About 4,281 boxes of marijuana were impounded.

Habimana Abdon, aged 33, and Ntawuyirushintege Simon, aged 31, were arrested in Mwulire and Gahengeri sectors, Rwamagana district, with 231 boxes of marijuana. For Habimana, the police searched his house on November 27, 2019, and found 229 boxes. At the time, he escaped but was arrested too on December 18, 2019.

In Bigogwe sector, Nyabihu district, on the night of December 18, 2019, were found 3,821 boxes of marijuana, of whose traffickers escaped and are still at large but police is on their heels.

The Police Spokesperson for the Western province, Chief Inspector of Police (CIP) Emmanuel Kayigi said that citizens’ cooperation in providing information on suspected dealers in drugs has been very instrumental in curbing the vice.

He said, “Residents informed us that there were people smuggling marijuana into the country through Bigogwe sector. We immediately started looking for them that night. In fear of security agents, those with marijuana discarded it and ran away. The security agents found 3,821 boxes of marijuana in the sacks.”

He warned people who still traffic and abuse drugs to stop the habit because all security agents and citizens are set to fight them.

He said, “Strong measures to fight the use of drugs were taken. Each day, we sensitize citizens to the bad effects of drug abuse. A lot of them have understood it. They are the ones giving us tip-offs. In the National Police of Rwanda, there is a department fighting against drug abuse and trafficking, and it works closely with the people.”

CIP Kayigi took that occasion and reminded all Rwandans to keep working with security agents in fighting drugs which cause insecurity and impair people’s health.