Chief Inspector of Police (CIP) Marie-Gorette Umutesi, the Police spokesperson for the City of Kigali said that the suspect identified as Nsabimana Olivier, 30, was at the time found with a consignment of cannabis.
“Residents reported Nsabimana to local leaders that he sells cannabis,” she said.
“On August 18, Police, DASSO and Irondo personnel raided Nsabimana’s home in Murindi, Ndera Sector where they recovered a consignment of cannabis and took the suspect into custody over the criminal act,” added CIP Umutesi.
It is said that Nsabimana was a retailer of cannabis in Ndera and is connected to a ring of drug traffickers, some of them have been arrested and others still at large.
“There is a group of cannabis traffickers and retailers, some of whose particulars have been ascertained through information sharing with the public, and Nsabimana was among them,” the spokesperson said.
She warned that operations are continuous for any drug dealer to “face the wrath of the law.”
“The law is very clear and the punishment for engaging in drug-related crimes is severe. We appeal to the public to maintain the spirit of information sharing so as to prevent such people from poisoning Rwandans and the young people in particular, who are the majority of victims,” CIP Umutesi warned.
Anyone convicted of trafficking and selling narcotic drugs faces a sentence of between 20 years and life in prison, and a fine of up to Rwf30 million, as stipulated under article 263 of the penal code.
According to a communiqué from the Angolan presidency, the two leaders will be part of the second quadripartite summit that will bring them together with President Joao Lourenco of Angola and Felix Tshisekedi of DR Congo.
According to the communiqué, the meeting between the four African Heads of State follows the Luanda Summit on 12 July.
The four heads of state will on August 21 witness the signing of the instruments that enshrine the understandings reached.
At the last meeting, Rwanda and Uganda reached understanding to resolve tensions that have erupted between their two countries in recent months, after contacts undertaken by Angola with DR Congo’s assistance.
The statement after the meeting said that “the summit welcomed the political will of (Rwanda and Uganda) to continue dialogue with a view to finding a solution to existing problems.”
The August 21 event is a follow up of the July 12 summit also held in Angola’s Luanda which brought together the heads of state of the four countries.
The State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Amb Olivier Nduhungirehe has told IGIHE that Angola requested the signing of agreements between Rwanda and Uganda.
The July meeting convened by the Angolan president was devoted to regional security, cooperation and strengthening of ties among the four countries.
It also reviewed the regional situation and reinforced coordination within the framework of multilateral concertation mechanisms.
In the July summit’s final communiqué, the heads of state stressed the importance of a permanent, frank and open dialogue that should be strengthened both bilaterally between the states of the region and multilaterally, for the consolidation of peace and security as a fundamental premise for economic integration.
It has been two years since Rwanda, Uganda relations worsened.
Uganda has been deporting different Rwandans who accuse it of inhumane imprisonment and torture on false accusations by Uganda’s Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence and rebel groups against the Government of Rwanda.
Over 900 Rwandans have been reportedly detained in Uganda.
This saw the Government of Rwanda advising Rwandans not to travel to Uganda for their security until the situation gets back to normal.
Rwanda also accuses Uganda of conspiracy with rebel groups intending to destabilize state security.
The handover took place yesterday at the headquarters of Kigali city located in Nyarugenge district where outgoing Kigali city councilors also handed duties to the new committee.
Athanase Rutabingwa, the former chairperson of the Kigali city council handed over duties to his successor Jeannette Bayisenge.
Elections of Kigali city’s new leaders took place on Saturday. Pudence Rubingisa was elected the mayor of Kigali city for 5-year tenure deputized by Dr. Erneste Nsabimana in charge of Urban Planning and Infrastructure and Nadine Umutoni Gatsinzi in charge of social affairs and economic development.
Kigali city councilors were also elected on the same day where Jeannette Bayisenge was elected the chairperson deputized by Didas Kayihura Muganga while Rose Baguma became the executive secretary.
Other elected councilors include Didas Kayihura Muganga and Rutera Rose representing Kicukiro district; Pudence Rubingisa and Rose Baguma representing Gasabo; Nadine Umutoni Gatsinzi and Mutsinzi Antoine representing Nyarugenge district.
They joined five councilors appointed by President Paul Kagame including Dr. Jeannette Bayisenge, Gentille Musengimana, Gilbert Muhutu, Regis Rugemanshuro, and Dr. Ernest Nsabimana.
The statement released by the world follows recent the article published by the British financial magazine, Financial Times which reported that poverty figures in Rwanda are spin doctored to maintain a good reputation.
The Financial Times claimed to have conducted an analysis of the survey’s more than 14,000 data points and interviews with academics show that rising prices for Rwandan families meant poverty most likely increased between 2010 and 2014.
The analysis of the National Institute of Statistics (NISR) on findings of the 4th Integrated Household Living Conditions Survey (EICV4) and (EICV3) indicated that poverty reduced by 6.9% between 2011 and 2014.
The FT analysis of the same data contradicts that finding, suggesting there has been a consistent attempt to misrepresent the results.
According to the Financial Times (FT) calculations, it is only possible to show a poverty decline of 6.9 percentage points if the mean value of the NISR’s cost of living index was 4.7 percent.
The Financial Times explained that poverty could only have fallen by such a large margin if average prices for the poorest 40 percent of households increased by 4.7 percent or less between January 2011 and January 2014.
The magazine consulted Diane Rwigara, David Himbara, a dissident who fled the country, a Belgian Fillip Reyntjens among others.
Sam Desiere, a senior researcher at Belgium’s University of Leuven who has studied Rwanda’s poverty statistics, says average prices probably increased by at least 30 percent between 2011 and 2014 based on his analysis of price data included in Rwanda’s household survey.
That conclusion would imply that poverty increased by about 6.6 percentage points, according to the FT analysis. “The higher the inflation rate,” said Mr. Desiere, “the more poverty increases.”
The new statement released by the World Bank, indicates that the bank’s staff weighed in publicly, clearly, and with commensurate technical rigor on the Rwanda poverty measurement debate in a working paper (Revisiting the Poverty Trend in Rwanda: 2010/11 to 2013/14) published in September 2018.
“The National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (NISR) shared the underlying survey data and engaged in constructive discussions to elaborate in detail on the methodology used to measure and monitor poverty in Rwanda. The published technical paper was based on careful and clearly set-out analysis, with a finding that supported the official trend published in NISR (2016),” reads in part the statement released by the World Bank.
The statement further reads that Consistent comparisons of monetary poverty measures over time, just like consumer prices or GDP, require the use of a deflator.
However, the World Bank clarifies that the appropriate deflator for measuring poverty is not the Consumer Price Index or GDP deflator, but rather a composite “cost-of-living” index that is representative of the food and non-food consumption choices of poor households as well as the unit prices they face in the markets where they purchase goods and services.
“Poor households consume a diet that is less diverse and relies more on self-produced (especially in rural areas), basic, and cheaper staples. The consumption choices and prices faced by the poor, be it in informal urban or rural markets, differ from those informal retail stores and supermarkets. A comparison between populated areas of Kigali and the country’s rural towns and villages shows wide variances in consumption choices and prices faced by households,” reads the statement in part.
“Differences over methodologies for poverty estimation are common in all countries, including developed ones, given the complexity of the subject matter. There is no single “best way” to estimate poverty that is appropriate for all contexts and all times. Methodology adjustments may be necessary to better capture the position of the poor, so that policy adjustments can be targeted to address their needs,” adds the statement.
According to the World Bank, the official NISR poverty measures are calculated using appropriate deflators that are computed based on the prices faced and consumption choices made by poor households in different regions of Rwanda.
The bank further explains that it has a strong track record of producing reliable analytical work.
“We continue to work on this topic in Rwanda, and we welcome critical views of our technical work and methodology. We support constructive debate aimed at improving the measurement and monitoring of poverty, as its elimination is at the core of our mission,” reads the statement.
The 5th Integrated Household Living Conditions Survey (EICV5) in October 2018 indicated that Rwanda had 11.8 million population in 2016/2017 of whom 38.2% were poor while 16.0% were under the line of extreme poverty.
President Paul Kagame recently criticized the article by the Financial Times which claimed that poverty figures in Rwanda are manipulated.
The President made the critics last week in a conversation dubbed ‘Meet The President’ held at Intare Conference Arena in Rusororo where he affirmed that nothing is fabricated about the progress Rwanda is making.
Commenting On the report Kagame said: “I will bet with anyone that there is actually nothing fake or fabricated or doctored about the progress we are making. If anyone is saying we still have problems to deal with, then they are right because there are still many challenges we have to deal with. We are dealing with them and we will deal with them. There is nothing new about Rwanda having problems, and all of us working together to make a difference for ourselves.”
Claiming the report false, the President also referred to the reports of the World Bank report, International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Economic Forum and Standard & Poor’s (S&P) which recently upgraded Rwanda’s economy from “B” to “B+”.
“The S&P agency rated Rwanda from B to B+, the same week Rwanda is said to fake data about poverty levels. There is such a thing as western propaganda. That is why I really want us to be together in this fight because it is a fight for who we are and who we want to be. It is a fight about ourselves, about Rwandans, about Africans,” he said.
The new schedule follows the previous communiqué signed by the State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Olivier Nduhungirehe which indicated that Rwanda Day 2019 was postponed due to unforeseen circumstances that another schedule would be communicated.
Rwanda Day 2019 is a gathering that brings together Rwandans living abroad and their friends.
It was previously set for Saturday 24th August 2019 but has been postponed to 5th October 2019 in Bonn city, Germany as announced by Rwanda’s embassy in Germany.
Rwanda Day has been held since 2010 and serves as a platform for bringing together all Rwandans from the diaspora and their friends to discuss how to further advance the development of the country and get up to speed on the current progress.
The latest Rwanda Day took place on 10th August 2017 in Flanders Expo, a multipurpose hall in Ghent town, Belgium.
Rwanda Day presents opportunities for attracting foreign investments and networking.
Participants are given the floor to address their questions directly to the Head of State, share ideas and express their wishes as well.
At the occasion, Rwandans get insights into Rwanda’s progress and share ideas on ways forward.
Since 2011, Rwanda Day has been taking place in Chicago, Boston, and Atlanta in the United States of America, Paris in France, Toronto in Canada, London in the United Kingdom, Amsterdam in the Netherlands, San Francisco in USA (Rwanda Cultural Day), and Ghent in Belgium.
The narcotics were recovered on Thursday in her house located in Kigabiro Sector, Cyanya cell.
Police said the arrest of Ngendakumana followed a tip-off from members of the public, who suspected her to be a drug trafficker.
Chief Inspector of Police (CIP) Hamdum Twizeyimana, the Eastern region police spokesperson, said that after police received information about the suspected illegal conduct, they made a search at her home where the drugs were recovered.
She was soon after taken into custody for the criminal act.
“Her accomplice, a man, who was at home, fled on seeing Police officers. Residents said he is a stranger in the community. He is suspected of being one of Ngendakumana’s customers and had come from Kigali to purchase cannabis from her,” said CIP Twizeyimana.
He explained that police have strengthened the crackdown on drug trafficking and distillers of unhygienic and harmful alcoholic drinks but commended the role of the public through credible information sharing.
If convicted, she faces between 20 years and life imprisonment and a fine of up to Rwf20 million, according to article 263 of the penal code.
The support will be channeled through Japan’s Sector Policy Loan for Nutrition Improvement through Agricultural Transformation.
The agreement has been signed by the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning (MINECOFIN), Dr. Uzzile Ndagijimana, Mr. Takayuki Miyashita, Ambassador of Japan to Rwanda and Mr. Shin Maruo, the Chief Representative of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Rwanda office.
Since 2012, Rwanda has seen a decline of stunting among children of age between 6 months and 5 years, however, the decline is still short of Rwanda’s target to reduce stunting below 19% by Rwanda fiscal year 2023/2024.
Despite substantial growth in agricultural production over the past 10 years, food security and nutrition remain concerns, especially when looking at the vulnerability to shocks at the household level.
The Food Consumption Score is 76% by 2018, but a large share of the population remains dependent on rain-fed agriculture and home-consumption.
Primarily, agriculture plays the role of availing food by ensuring that production meets the diverse dietary needs of the population.
Despite the growth in production over the past 10 years, staple food production remains below the targeted demand for domestic consumption and is substituted by importation.
The program will be executed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources (MINAGRI), the National Early Childhood Development Program (NECDP), the Rwanda Agriculture and Animal Resources Development Board (RAB) and the Rwanda Biomedical Center (RBC) under the supervision of MINECOFIN.
The program will focus mainly on two components of Food Security and Multi-Sectoral Coordination.
In regards to agriculture transformation-related activities, the program will help MINAGRI to set up nutrition-sensitive agriculture guidelines, strengthen the availability of protein-rich food through the small livestock distribution program under RAB.
Additionally, it will leverage on the achievement of Smallholder Market-oriented Agriculture Project (SMAP), a JICA Technical Cooperation Project to build the capacity of targeted beneficiaries in terms of nutrition aspects.
At a more decentralized level, the program will fill a food nutrient gap in each district and suitable nutritious crops will be identified and promoted for production.
Other components include making crop calendar for irrigation schemes, nutrition public awareness campaigns.
Minister Ndagijimana said that channeling the funds through Rwanda’s budget reflects how Japan maintains trust in Rwanda’s good governance and efficient use of funds.
Ambassador Miyashita explained that Japan channeled the funds through the budget because of the trust bestowed upon Rwanda’s systems towards the implementation of targeted activities in addition to proper management of funds.
Since malnutrition is a multi-sectoral issue that involves various stakeholders, the program will support the coordination at the national level with the NECDP to the grass root level with the community health workers and farmer promoters’ coordination.
The program is scheduled to run from 2019 to 2021, with the expectation to have a big impact in eradicating the undernutrition and fighting against the stunting.
He made the promise on Saturday 10th August 2019 during his visit to Gakenke district where he visited different development projects and held discussions with staff and management of Ruli Hospital in the aforementioned district that were given the floor to raise their concerns.
Premier Ngirente was accompanied by other Government officials including the Minister of Health, Dr. Diane Gashumba; the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Dr. Ndagijimana Uzziel; the Minister of Cabinet Affairs, Kayisire Marie Solange; the Governor of Northern Province, Jean Marie Vianney Gatabazi among others.
Ruli Hospital works with 9 health centers and 764 community-based health workers. The hospital also offers congenital malformations services.
It has 121 workers of whom 41% are contracted employees while the salary for the rest is catered by Ruli Hospital.
The Director-General of Ruli Hospital, Dr. Deogratias Kaneza said that inadequate personnel and lack of contracts for approximately 40% of them (receiving Rwf 12 million) are among the faced challenges.
“It is a common problem also experienced by health centers yet 20% of 40% of employees without contracts meet requirements qualifying them to be paid by the Government,” he said.
Dr. Kaneza explained that the hospital has only 2 ambulances while roads in the area are poor hence making the transfer of patients from health centers difficult.
Lacking a specialist doctor and Rwf 180 million Mutuelle de Santé arrears were among other problems reported to Premier Ngirente.
Theophila Niyonsenga, a midwife at Ruli Hospital also raised the concern of healthcare practitioners who don’t get promotions and an inadequate motivational fee.
Premier Ngirente told the staff and management of the hospital that the Government is holding discussions with relevant institutions including the Ministry of Health to address some of the raised concerns.
“Province officials, the Ministry of Health and other relevant institutions will keep holding discussions to seek a durable solution to improve health practitioners’ wellbeing and address problems related to motivational fee, inadequate ambulances, and water among other infrastructures,” he said.
During his visit to Gakenke district, Premier Ngirente also visited Ruli Higher Institute of Health where students and the management requested the introduction of a bachelor’s degree in midwifery and nursing courses.
He advised the management of the school to keep in touch with the Ministry of Health and Higher Education Council for an inspection that might lead to approving the request if requirements are met.
The artiste who arrived at Kigali International Airport today morning has been welcomed by Joseph Mushyoma, events manager at East African Promoters which organized Iwacu Muzika Festival.
Diamond told the media that he expects an exciting concert as he performs to Rwanda.
A press conference with Diamond is scheduled before heading to Bujumbura where he is set to hold a concert before returning to Kigali for Iwacu Muzika Festival.
The concert will take place at the parking of Amahoro Stadium tomorrow on 17th August 2019. It is the fifth concert of the Iwacu Muzika Festival 2019 following previous concerts held in Musanze, Rubavu, Huye and Ngoma towns.
Many local artists got the opportunity to promote their talents and were joined by François Nsengiyumva’s upcoming star known for his hit ‘Igisupusupu’.
Singers released by the East African Promoters Ltd to feature in the final concert that will be graced by Diamond include Intore Masamba, Senderi International Hit, Safi Madiba and Marina who performed in Ngoma concert, Queen Cha and Amalon who recently performed in Rubavu concert, Bull Dogg who performed in Huye and Bruce Melody who sang in the first Iwacu Muzika Concert held in Musanze.
Sintex and Bushali are upcoming artistes selected to feature in the grand finale.
The entrance ticket is Rwf 15,000 in VIP seats booked earlier while the price will increase to Rwf 20,000 on the same day of the concert. A ticket for an ordinary seat is sold at Rwf 5,000.
It will be the third concert graced by Diamond Platnumz in Rwanda following the previous one held in 2017 in Nyamata featuring Morgan Heritage.
The agreement was signed by the Chief Executive Officer of the Rwanda Development Board (RDB), Clare Akamanzi and the German Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, Dr. Gerd Müller; according to a statement from RDB.
They also discussed how to increase the level of German investments in Rwanda.
The MoU outlined the planned partnership with RDB under Germany’s new “Special Initiative on Training and Job Creation”, which intends to support the Rwandan government in its efforts to implement its reform agenda set out in its National Strategy for Transformation (2017-2024).
The initiative is expected to foster economic development in Rwanda and create training and job opportunities, especially for young people, with a view of driving the Rwandan economy towards middle-income status.
Rwanda’s National Strategy for Transformation aims at creating 1.5 million decent jobs by 2024, which is slightly over 200,000 off-farm jobs per annum.
