Author: IGIHE

Police said Jean Pierre Niyonsaba, 45, was arrested as he smuggled assorted medical drugs into the country from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), through a porous border post.

Chief Inspector of Police (CIP) Emmanuel Kayigi, the Police spokesperson for the Western region, said the suspect was primarily selling pharmaceuticals to local residents.

“Local residents reported Niyonsaba, after suspecting that what he was doing is unlawful. He had turned his house into a pharmacy,” CIP Kayigi said.

“There was also information that on that day, Niyonsaba would bring another consignment of pharmaceuticals. Following a tip-off, Police trailed and arrested him red-handed with assorted drugs, after crossing from DRC,” he explained.

The spokesperson added that Niyonsaba was at the time of his arrest found in possession of over 30 different types of medicines.

They include endoxide, Omiprosole, Coartem, Vitamines, paracetamol, Amoxciline, Ibuprophene, Ampesceline, Calcium, Decaris, Vermox, Coloraxaciline, and Flagile, among others.

Niyonsaba said that he has been selling pharmaceutical drugs for the last eight months and that he works with Congolese, who deliver the medicines to him.

CIP Kayigi emphasized that pharmaceuticals are prescribed by medical practitioners and sold by licensed pharmacists.

“Medications are prescribed by practicing medical personnel and bought at a licensed pharmacy but not in someone’s home like Niyonsaba was doing,” he warned.

“Illegal pharmaceuticals may cost less, but they may not be effective, and in fact, they may have very negative consequences for people’s health because they are prescribed by a layperson, who is likely to give you an overdose, expired or wrong drugs,” CIP Kayigi said.

He thanked those, who provided information that led to the arrest of Niyonsaba, and advised Rwandans to buy drugs from known and licensed pharmacies and subscribe to public health insurance (mutuelle de sante) for cost effective healthcare.

Kagame made the comments Saturday at Intare Conference Arena in Rusororo as he opened RPF Bureau Politique meeting attended by over 2000 RPF Inkotanyi cadres.
“I saw in the news people saying that things are falling apart in Rwanda, because of a few mayors being fired or resigning. People tried to imply that they were resigning as a sign of rebellion. The way I see it and understand it, what went wrong is not that they were fired, it is that they did not deliver on what they should have. Being fired is the logical conclusion,” he said.

“What would be wrong is having a large number of mayors who are not delivering. When you solve that problem, the economy grows and the goals Rwandans have to transform their lives are achieved. Leaders who are not delivering should get out of the way of Rwandans achieving their goals,” added Kagame.

The spate of resignations among high profile officials in over 10 districts across the country circulated over the past two weeks and spread to districts including Muhanga, Musanze, Burera, Ngororero, Gisagara, Karongi, Rutsiro Rubavu, Nyamasheke among others where either vice mayors or mayors resigned citing personal reasons or forced to leave the office.

Commenting on the resignations, the Minister of Local Government, Prof. Anastase Shyaka attributed the resignations to accountability shortfalls and respond to citizens’ needs among others.

“Some local leaders are being dismissed by Districts’ Councils or requesting them to accept their resignation as per the law. Accountability deficits, failure to respond to citizens’ needs and inefficiency in delivery are the underlying causes,” said the Minister in a tweet following the spate of resignations.

Minister Shyaka explained that 2019 is the last year of delivering on Vision 2020 and towards midway to National Strategy for Transformation (NST 1) Delivery in 2024 whereby every day counts.

He said that the resignations should not matter in Rwanda as a country founded on principles of Good governance whereby all districts are eager to have the most effective and conducive leadership to spur rapid local transformation and wellbeing of citizens towards achieving instituted targets.

Police identified the teachers currently detained at Gatsata Police station, as Christine Mukaremera, 29, and Theoneste Niyonshima, 37.

The Police spokesperson for the City of Kigali, Chief Inspector of Police (CIP) Marie-Gorrette Umutesi, said the two teachers committed the offenses separately.

“On September 4, at about 2 pm, Niyonshima assaulted a Primary Six pupil called Eric Iradukunda for disrespecting him and injured him on the eye,” she said.

Although Niyonshima claims that he caned Iradukunda with a stick and in the process, the child fell in a plastic food storage container, which injured him on the eye; the student told Police that the teacher punched and injured him on the face leading to a swollen eye.

In a related scenario, Mukaremera is also accused of seriously assaulting a 10-year old Primary Five pupil at the same school.

On September 11, at about 11 am, Mukaremera slapped Divine Irakoze repeatedly on the face. Irakoze, who was crying and pleading for mercy bit his tongue in the process.

Irakoze, who can hardly eat, is currently getting medical treatment. It is said that Irakoze entered in the class where Mukaremera was teaching, to pick a bloom. Mukaremera then charged at Irakoze with slaps for entering her class.

“Disciplining a child is different from assaulting a child; the latter is a crime punishable under article 121 of the penal code,” CIP Umutesi said.

The article states that “any person, who willfully injures, beats or commits any serious violence against another person, commits an offense.” It further specifies that if the offense is committed against a child or a person unable to protect himself or herself because of his or her physical or mental state, the offender is liable to imprisonment for a term of more than five years and not more than eight years and a fine of between Rwf1 million and Rwf2 million.

If assault or battery has caused illness or non-permanent incapacity to work, the penalty increases to between 10 and 15 years, and a fine of between Rwf3 million and Rwf5 million.

Having spent months in Uganda’s prisons, the Rwandans were deported by Uganda’s Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI) yesterday around 8pm and dropped at Rwanda, Uganda border.

One of them, Augustin Maboko who went to Uganda in 2007 was an ADEPR pastor in Kibale region. He told the media that they were arrested on 23rd July 2019 during a meeting at ADEPR premises in Uganda.

“We were arrested from the church in Kibuye, Kampala. We were 40 people attending the church’s meeting when we saw armed soldiers with handcuffs storming the church. We were put into a bus and took us to prison,” he said.

Two days later, they were asked what they did in the church and why they went to Uganda.
Maboko explained that they were blindfolded with masks during interrogations.

“We were a large number of prisoners from different countries,” he said.

Maboko explained that three of 40 colleagues arrested together stayed in prison while others were released shortly because they either had Ugandan identifications or were born in Uganda.
He said ADEPR leaders were hunted since February 2019 saying Ugandan officials were frustrated with the church’s presence in the country.

Jean de la Paix Bareke, 28, hailing from Mulindi sector in Gicumbi district was arrested on 12th June 2019 as he went to buy clothes in Uganda.

Shortly after buying clothes, he was asked to present identification and taken to Kisoro prison realizing that he was a Rwandan.

He spent one night at Kisoro along with other Rwandans arrested before. They were all transferred to Mbarara and later to headquarters of Uganda’s CMI.

“They asked me whether I never served in the military which I denied. They told me that I will face tougher punishment if investigations confirm that I was a soldier,” Bareke narrated.

Two months later, Bareke explained, came two people speaking Kinyarwanda who interrogated them and made records in a statement.

Deportees advised Rwandans not to travel to the country considering colleagues left in Uganda without consular access.

The Rwandans are released a few days ahead of scheduled meeting between Rwanda and Uganda’s officials to discuss implementation of recently signed agreements to put an end to political fallout.

Resigned officials at the district level include the advisor to the board committee, Emmanuel Zigirumugabe and Masabo Martin, Public Relations and Communication’s Officer.

At the sector level are the executive secretary of Mugano sector, Emmanuel Hakizimana and his colleague of Kibumbwe sector, Faustin Gahizi.

Others include the executive secretary of Nyanzoga cell in the Cyanika sector, Nyamiyaga in the Kaduha sector, Kizimyamuriro in the Buruhukiro sector, Munyege in Uwinkingi sector and Manwari cell in Mbazi sector.

The mayor of Nyamagabe district, Boneventure Uwamahoro said that resigned leaders had poor performance.

“We are going to give them feedback on their resignation letters. I am certain that their requests will be approved. They also mentioned their weakness disregarding duties and underperformance,” he said.

Uwamahoro explained that sectors like Mugano and Kibumbwe occupy back seats in several development and citizens’ wellbeing programs.

He said that the district’s assessment last month pointed out stalling development programs attributed to grass-root leaders failure to deliver.

Apart from resigned officials, the executive secretaries of Kitabi, Kaduha, Kibirizi and Cyanika sectors received a warning to improve performance.

The resignations come two days after the visit of the Minister of Local Government (MINALOC), Prof Anastase Shyaka who expressed dissatisfaction with how Nyamagabe district is addressing problems related to citizens’ wellbeing. He advised that leaders failing to deliver should be held accountable.

This has been revealed by the Director-General of CHUB, Dr. Augustin Sendegeya during a Corporate Social Responsibility activity in which the hospital donated cows to 10 vulnerable families of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Mukura sector of Huye district.

“We have so far donated 138 cows including today’s donations in different sectors of Huye,” said Dr. Sendegeya.

He explained that the CSR is organized annually and will be extended to other districts after serving all sectors of Huye.

Dr. Sendegeya commended medics for their commitment to support genocide survivors.

“As employees of the hospital, we have committed to donating 2% of our salary every year to support genocide survivors,” he said.

Christine Mukamurera, one of the beneficiaries said he last had a cow before the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi. She said the cow will help her to get rid of isolation, provide compost manure and milk.

In 2016, CHUB committed to providing free medical check-up and treatment to residents in their communities aligning with existing CSR.

On 7th September 2019, CHUB treated 306 residents of the Mukura sector for free.

CHUB has 543 employees excluding casual workers.

The body was discovered on Sunday night 8th September 2019 around 9 pm in a footpath usually used by students studying at the college with injuries on the head.

RIB has tweeted the two suspects have been arrested in connection with the murder.

“RIB has arrested two suspects for planning the murder of Sandrine Imanishimwe including her former boyfriend. Imanishimwe was a student at the College of Science and Technology and was murdered on 8th September 2019,” reads the tweet.

According to sources, Sandrine Imanishimwe, 21, hailing from Huye district was a first-year female student at UR- CST in Biochemistry.

#RIB yafashe babiri bakekwaho gucura umugambi no kwica Imanishimwe Sandrine, barimo uwahoze ari umukunzi we. Imanishimwe yari umunyeshuri muri Kaminuza y'u Rwanda – Ishami ry'ubumenyi n'ikoranabuhanga, akaba yarishwe ku itariki ya 8 Nzeri 2019.@urcst

— Rwanda Investigation Bureau (@RIB_Rw) September 12, 2019

Aloysia Vuganeza, 36, was arrested Saturday in a joint operation conducted by the Police and local leaders of Nyundo Cell following residents’ reports about Vuganeza’s alleged criminal dealings.

The matron was caught red-handed with 86 pellets of cannabis recovered from the kitchen and the pigsty.

“Following the arrest of Aloysie Vuganeza, a matron at St. Raphael Secondary School in Rambura in connection with selling narcotic drugs, her files have been transferred to Mukamira primary prosecution,” reads a RIB statement in a tweet.

“RIB commends citizens and local leaders for providing information to deter crime,” adds the statement.

Anyone convicted of selling narcotics to children or teens faces life imprisonment.

Transporting, making and selling narcotic drugs attracts a sentence of between seven years and life in prison, under article 263 of the penal code.

Kagame was flanked by the State Minister for Foreign Affairs and East African Community, Amb. Olivier Nduhungirehe, Lieutenant Colonel Patrick Karuretwa, the personal secretary of the president and the Minister of Defense, Maj Gen Albert Murasira.

Huang Xia, 57, of the People’s Republic of China was appointed as Special Envoy of the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres for the Great Lakes Region 22nd January 2019.

He succeeded Said Djinnit of Algeria.

At the time of his appointment, Guterres said that Mr. Xia brings over 30 years of diplomatic experience from across the world, with experience in Africa, having served in several high-level positions.

He was the Ambassador of China to Niger (2009-2012), Senegal (2012-2015) and the Republic of Congo (2015-2018).

He also served as the Ambassador at large of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China.

He served in the Embassy of China to Gabon, in the Embassy of China to France, and as Deputy Mayor of the People’s Government of Jiamusi, Helongjiang Province in China.

The Great Lakes Region comprises 12 member states including Angola, Burundi, Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Congo Brazaville, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, and Zambia.

Huang visits Rwanda at a time when relations with Uganda are frail. Both countries recently signed agreements to end the political row during a tripartite summit held in Angola on 21st August 2019.

A delegation of Uganda’s officials is awaited in Kigali next week in a meeting where they will discuss the implementation of signed Memorandum of Understandings.

A Paris court ruled that his death was an industrial accident and that the family was entitled to compensation.

The firm had argued the man was not carrying out professional duties when he joined a guest in her hotel room.

But under French law an employer is responsible for any accident occurring during a business trip, judges said.

The man, named as Xavier X, was working as an engineer for TSO, a railway services company based near Paris.

He died at a hotel during a trip to central France in 2013, as a result of what the employer called “an extramarital relationship with a perfect stranger”.

The company challenged a decision by the state health insurance provider to regard the death as a workplace accident.

The provider defended its position by insisting that sexual activity was normal, “like taking a shower or a meal”.

In its ruling, the Paris appeals court upheld this view.

An employee on a business trip is entitled to social protection “over the whole time of his mission” and regardless of the circumstances, it said.