IGIHE

Author: IGIHE

  • Minister highlights ‘Isaka-Kigali’ railway project implementation plan

    The project is much anticipated between both countries especially for Rwanda as a landlocked nation.

    The railway on Rwandan side will follow the lowland through Ngoma, Kirehe, Bugesera and Kicukuro districts.

    On Tuesday this week, Jean de Dieu Uwihanganye the Minister of State in charge of Transport in the Ministry of Infrastructure (MININFRA) requested parliamentarians to pass the draft law approving agreements between Rwanda and Tanzania concerning the implementation of the railway project ‘Isaka-Kigali’ signed in Kigali on 09 March 2018.

    Uwihanganye explained that the project will greatly contribute to Rwanda’s development when completed.

    He revealed that Rwanda has already designed the master plan waiting for approval.

    “Rwanda has already made the master plan to be approved by the cabinet meeting in May this year. As you know, Rwanda promotes private investors. That is why we feel the Isaka-Kigali railway project should be executed under public –private partnerships. On the other hand, Tanzania seeks to get financing from the government only. This is how the situation is,” said Uwihanganye.

    The 532 km railway will pass through Rusumo border to Kigali city. There will be an extra part of the railway leading to Bugesera International Airport.

    The railway on the side of Rwanda will be 138 km with the rest of 394 being on Tanzania side.

    It is estimated to cost USD $3.6 billion on completion. Tanzania shall meet USD $ 2.3 billion while USD $ 1.3 billion is required on Rwanda side.

    Minister Uwihanganye said there should be no assumptions to have fixed everything by next year because Rwanda and Tanzania have not yet agreed on the source of funds.

    “It was realized that it would be hard for the government to opt for loans. It is clear how difficult it is obtaining a loan of USD $ 3.6 billion or USD $ 1.3 billion on the side of Rwanda unless other activities are halted. What is possible is to bring in private investors to reduce the debt burden for the country. This is what we are still discussing to reach consensus,” he explained.

    Uwihanganye explained that the implementation of the project will reduce transport costs by 40% hence positively impacting on Rwanda’s imports and exports.

  • MINISANTE launches Rwanda Public Health Bulletin

    The Magazine was launched on Tuesday in the name of ‘Rwanda Public Health Bulletin’.

    It will be released twice a year in March and September to be distributed in health centers, hospitals, and offices for free.

    It will feature contributions from medical practitioners, experts, and researchers in the health sector.

    The first issue of Rwanda Public Health Bulletin has 38 pages including stories on family planning, citizens’ health, Malaria among others.

    It is written in English but the ministry is seeking how to double with production in Kinyarwanda version.

    The Minister of Health Dr. Diane Gashumba has said that the medium will help Rwandans and foreigners to access investigative and credible health information helping to tackle rumors.

    “It will feature stories we believe Rwandans are hungry for. It will show the implementation of different programs hence tackling rumors so that we impart credible information and healthy habits to Rwandans,” she said.

    “This is the channel that will help hospitals, Rwanda Biomedical Center, universities and the ministry do that whoever wants to make publications in health sector do it after reviewing of different people so that Rwandans become informed,” added Dr. Gashumba.

    Minister Gashumba said the book will be released twice a year because it will feature many stories requiring enough time for preparation and editing.

    Medical practitioners and lecturer at the University of Rwanda who is the Chief Editor, Prof. Mutesa Leon said that Rwandans and foreigners can obtain credible information on the current status of diseases or particular outbreak in Rwanda from the medium.

    The Magazine will complement existing communication platforms of the Ministry of Health.

    Minisante already has ‘Rwanda Medical Journal’ which focuses on research but Rwanda Public Health Bulletin will draw attention on public health, outbreaks and communicating health policies among others.

  • Rwandans in Burkina Faso remember genocide victims

    The commemoration that took place in Ouagadougou city at Hotel Laïco Ouaga 2000, this week was attended by over 100 participants including Rwandans in Burkina Faso, officials, envoys representing their countries to Burkina Faso and friends of Rwanda.

    The representative of the Rwandan community in Burkina Faso, Fulgence Habiyaremye highlighted that commemorating genocide should be the responsibilities of all countries.

    He reminded that remembering the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi should go hand in hand with supporting genocide survivors to nurture their resilience.

    Rwanda’s ambassador in Burkina Faso, Stanislas Kamanzi with residence in Nigeria took participants through the history of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi which took lives of over 1 million victims killed of torture.

    He said preparation and execution of genocide were made possible by bad leadership and politics that promoted discrimination.
    Amb Kamanzi said that Rwanda has overcome the dark past and gained strength to rebuild and experience unity as a community striving for common progress.

    “Offended survivors willingly forgave killers who repented. Rwanda is led by visionary leadership offering equal sharing of opportunities to all Rwandans from wherever,” he noted.

    Amb Kamanzi highlighted that Rwanda promotes inclusive development respecting stakeholders in all areas.

    Burkina Faso Minister of State for Energy, Porgo Mamadou commended Rwandans for their efforts to rebuild the country after the genocide.

  • King Faisal Hospital gets new management

    In 2017, Oshen Healthcare reached an agreement with the Rwandan government to take over the management of King Faisal hospital.

    The agreement was a Public-Private Partnership to implement an innovative programme guided to improve the healthcare assistance of the Rwandan population and to turn King Faisal Hospital into an international reference healthcare institution.

    IGIHE has learned that Dr. Edgar Kalimba, Director, Maternal, Child and women health at Oshen-KFH was on 26th April 2019 appointed the Acting CEO of KFH.

    When Oshen Healthcare Rwanda Limited, a division of Oshen Healthcare from Angola took over the hospital, it changed the management replacing the then CEO Dr. Emile Rwamasirabo with Dr. Joaquin Bielsa.

    According to credible sources, the agreements didn’t bear fruits as expected which pushed the government of Rwanda to cancel the contract.

    Under the signed agreements, Oshen Health Care had to expand KFH, and invest 21 million Euros within the first five years and promote the hospital to an international level.

    The partnership was also expected to reduce expenses spent on specialists doctors and health tourism services from abroad.

    Dr. Kalimba Edgar appointed as the Acting CEO started working at KFH in 2016.

  • Rwandan tortured in Uganda accused of working with Gen Kayihura narrates ordeal

    Arrests of Rwandans in Uganda began in 2017. Some of them were arrested and tortured while others were illegally deported to Rwanda.

    Statistics from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the beginning of March 2019 revealed that over 900 Rwandans were illegally expelled from Uganda.

    Hakorimana Venant Musoni is among those expelled from Uganda recently after torture from Uganda’s security officials.

    He went to Uganda to work for a project of Save the Children, later married a Ugandan woman and got nationality in the country.

    His job contract from the project of Save the Children ended in 2012, and afterward got another job in the country.

    Hakorimana later went to Ethiopia for a job of teaching from where he used to return to Uganda to visit his family, friends and follow up his agriculture projects, among others.

    Talking to the media, Hakorimana has said that he was arrested on 12th July 2018 by Uganda’s security officials at Seb International Hotel in Kampala city where he had spent a night expecting to return to Mbarara the next morning.

    “Security officials came and knocked on the door of my room early in the morning. I thought they were hotel workers bringing breakfast as we had agreed the previous evening,” he said.

    “I opened and saw people in military uniforms with some wearing civilian clothes but they all had guns. They immediately beat and wounded me. I had USD11, 000, 700 and some balance of Ugandan shillings that I kept after paying the hotel,” adds Hakorimana.

    He narrated that all his possessions were taken along with his two phones and laptop.

    “They hit me in the head with the gun’s butt and I started bleeding. I tried to raise the alarm, I was seeing a security guard at the hotel but he never intervened. No one came to my rescue until they took me in their car. I didn’t identify who they were immediate, for I was blindfolded until they took me to an office where I have informed the reason of my arrest and asked to tell the truth,” narrates Hakorimana.

    They started accusing him of working with former Uganda Police Chief Gen. Kale Kayihura and for being a Rwandan spy.

    “I told them that I don’t know Kayihura that I never met him but they insisted and forced me to accept that I used to meet him in the office, “said Bikorimana.

    In March 2018, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni sacked Kale Kayihura as police chief after he had served for 13 years.

    On 13th June 2018, Kayihura was arrested, accused of failure to manage war materiel, facilitating abductions and deportation of Rwandan refugees to Rwanda.

    Hakorimana narrated that he was taken to Uganda’s Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence upon his arrest and jailed in a cave where he was seriously beaten into comatose.

    He was taken in a room the next day where he was accused of working with Gen. Kayihura.

    Hakorimana was repeatedly beaten with sticks, shocked with electricity whenever he was on an interrogation.

    “They used to beat us every day from morning until evening. One could breathe only when they were interrogating others,” he narrated.

    “I got chronic backache because they held me for three weeks in a facility letting the air blow inside so that I could confess what they imposed on me. I was incarcerated near the office of people who interrogated me,” added Hakorimana.

    He spent almost a year in the facility where other Rwandans were jailed on different accusations including working with Kayihura.

    Hakorimana said he was once asked to write a will before they kill him.

    “They told me, ‘Write how your children will share your properties because you must die today since you are concealing the truth’. Realizing that the man was serious with the threats, I asked him a moment to pray before killing me,” he narrated.

    Hakorimana was not taken to court but was handed a two-year sentence.

    On 25th March 2019, the court informed him that he was being accused of illegal entry and stay in Uganda and was taken to Luzira prison.

    On 29th March 2019, he was taken to court and informed that he was discharged of illegal entry case. He returned to court on 4th April when he explained that he always crossed to Uganda legally.

    Hakorimana also told the judge that he was tortured and detained for nine months illegally that he has a family to look after.

    The court rejected his request and handed him a two-year sentence or to pay a fine of 1 million Ugandan shillings. He was taken back to Ruzira prison.

    He later found a person who was released from the same prison who helped him to pay the fine on 24th April 2019. He was then released and went to Rwanda’s embassy which provided transport that brought him to Rwanda.

    He never received all his properties that were taken when he was arrested.

    The Government of Rwanda has recently advised Rwandans not to travel to Uganda for their security until the situation was back to normal.

  • Our problems with Uganda do not require military power –Minister Sezibera

    He revealed this in a press conference held on Tuesday.

    “Firstly, the support of Uganda to rebel groups whose leaders including Sankara Callixte and FDLR have been arrested, won’t take them farther because Rwanda has the potential to deal with those problems internally. It doesn’t need military operations,” he said.

    “Secondly, Rwandans were arrested and they are increasingly arrested and killed or deported by Uganda. This is a problem we discussed with Uganda and we hope it may fix it. For us, the answer is informing Rwandans their lives are on risk if they go there (Uganda),” added Dr. Sezibera.

    Recently in March 2019, the Government of Rwanda officially advised citizens not to travel to Uganda for their security following testimonies of over 800 Rwandans tortured and deported from Uganda.

    Some of the deportees testified that they were forced to join the rebel group of Kayumba Nyamwasa which pins Uganda to be supporting rebel groups against Rwanda.

    It has been two years since Rwanda, Uganda relations worsened. Rwanda expressed concerns over Rwandans who travel to Uganda for business purposes but are abducted, imprisoned and tortured accused of being Rwanda’s spies.

    Uganda media recently announced that Rwanda has increased soldiers on the border which Rwanda said is not true.

  • Musanze meat traders count losses as lack of modern butchery bites

    The farmers’ loss is attributed to buying meat from far distant butcheries in Gakenke district which also resulted in the increase of meat price rising to Rwf 2000 from 1600.

    The problems started following the closure of the modern butchery in Musanze town in 2017 over poor hygiene and sub-standard building of the former butchery.
    Some meat traders said it has taken long without a butchery in Musanze district.

    “It is sad to see a big town like Musanze without a single butchery; we are currently buying meat from Gakenke district,” said Kazungu Faustin, a trader.

    “We incur losses because we spend a lot of money on transporting meat from Gakenke. Indeed the price of meat increased from Rwf 1600 and 1800 to Rwf 2000. Clients reduced because the price went up,” added Kazungu.

    Another meat trader Kabera Vianney said: “We wake up early at 4 am to take a cow to Gakenke butchery for slaughter. When the cow costs Rwf 300,000, I return from Gakenke with extra expenses of Rwf 35,000 for transport and other costs.”

    Kabera says that extra they cannot increase the price as they wish to note that such losses would be tackled if they get another local butchery.

    “If district builds a decent butchery in this town, there would be no more losses” he appealed.

    The mayor of Musanze district, Jean Damascène Habyarimana said that the construction of a new butchery will commence next month.

    “A plot of land is available but there was lack of partners to build the butchery but we have found one and construction will start in June this year,” he revealed.

    Habyarimana assured citizens that the district will have a modern butchery by next year.

    Meat traders in Musaze district, Northern Province are crying foul over losses emanating from lack of modern butchery for two years

  • Africa has its own needs and interests -Kagame

    President Kagame who was delivering a talk at Milken Global Conference on “Global Overview: Measuring the Winds of Change” panel moderated by The New York Times writer, Nicholas Kristof explained that the question should be what Africa has been doing with this debt.

    Other participants that featured on the same panel include the CEO of Wilson Center, Jane Harman; the Director of China Strategy, Michael Pillsbury and former UK minister Lord Peter Mandelson.

    Commenting on China involvement in Africa, President Kagame said; “Africa has its own needs and interests whether you want to see it that way or not.”

    The competition between the USA and the industrialized world with China finds Africa caught between China and the West. The USA said that its military and security operations in Africa are hampered by China dominance on the African continent.

    “Africa has not had debt from China only. Debt forgiveness was there because there was debt. The question is what Africa has been doing with this debt. Saying we are worried Africa will be trapped in debt with China, sounds like concern for Africa by outsiders rather than Africa being concerned for its own wellbeing,” said Kagame.

    President Kagame also talked on the claim that China is sponsoring corruption in Africa. He highlighted that the assumption is that corruption is confined to China and Africa and that the west does not get involved in corruption, which is not true.

    He said that nobody should give an excuse for corruption but should be fought wherever it comes from that ‘it is what we have been trying to do in our countries and in other African countries”

    “Africa, my own country, look to the west as partners of choice, or investors of choice in Africa. If the west was doing investments that are required in Africa the way they should be, then Africa will stop being caught in this trap or competition,” highlighted Kagame.

    He emphasized that Africa needs to get its act together and be a place that can raise its stakes higher than where it is and as much as possible to be one of the players on the global scene instead of being caught up in power games seen across the world.

    President Paul Kagame has talked on west countries’ concern over the China debt trap on Africa

  • National budget increases by Rwf 291.7 billion in 2019/2020 fiscal year

    This saw an increase of Rwf 291.7 billion (11%) compared to the previous year.

    The minister presented the draft yesterday to both chambers of Parliament as he presented the Budget Framework Paper (BFP) and the midterm budget estimated for 2019/20-2021/22.

    Minister Ndagijimana noted that the budget for the fiscal year 2019/20 will reflect the medium-term fiscal path which allows for increased spending to reach the NST1 goals while maintaining public debt at sustainable levels.

    In this regard, the budget envelope is projected to increase from Rwf 2,585.2 billion in the revised budget for Financial Year 2018/19 to FRW 2,876.9 billion, in Financial Year 2019/2020 an increase of FRW 291.7 billion and to reach to more than 3,560.5 billion in FY 2021/22.

    The proposed total resources estimated for fiscal year 2019/20 is made up of Rwf 1,726.2 billion of domestic tax and non-tax revenue, domestic borrowing of Rwf 237.6 billion, Rwf 6.4 billion from net lending and payments, external grants of Rwf 409.8 billion and external loans of Rwf 497 billion.

    Total tax revenue collections have been projected to reach Rwf 1,535.8 billion in the fiscal year 2019/20. This amount will exceed the estimated figure of Rwf 1,373.1 billion to be achieved in the fiscal year 2018/19 by Rwf 162.7 billion while Non-tax revenue collections to the Treasury have been estimated at Rwf 190.4 billion; which is 7.9 billion Rwf lower than the projected amount of Rwf 198.4 billion in the fiscal year 2018/19.

    Total expenditures in the fiscal year 2019/20 is projected at Rwf 2,876.9 billion, made up of recurrent expenditure of Rwf 1,424.5 billion, Development expenditures of Rwf 1,152.1 billion, net lending outlays of Rwf 244.1 billion, repayment of arrears amounting to Rwf 30.6 billion and accumulation of deposits of Rwf 25.5 billion.

    The resources allocation for 2019/2020 and in the medium term was guided by the strategic objectives to achieve the transformational goals of NST 1 set out in the three pillars namely: Economic Transformation, Social Transformation, and Transformational Governance. The key interventions and projects under NST 1 pillars have been funded as follows:

    The Budget Framework paper will provide the basis for the preparation of the 2019-20 budget which will be read in June 2019.

    BFP is a document outlining government economic policies over the medium term that helps lay the foundations of the next fiscal budget. It is prepared in accordance with article 32 of the Organic Law on State Property and Finances and outlines the Government’s macroeconomic and fiscal policy stance as well as the budget policy over a 3-year horizon.

    Outlining key priorities for 2019/20 fiscal year and the medium term Minister Ndagijimana told Parliamentarians that policies and strategies over the medium term are built on the Government’s ambition to raise Rwandans high living standards and reach the upper middle-income status by 2035 and high income by 2050.

    This is reflected in the blueprint of the Vision 2050 under development. The National Strategy for Transformation (NST1), which has been developed as implementation instrument of the remainder of Vision 2020 and for the first four years of the Vision 2050, provides the direction of the policy objectives over the medium term.

    Minister Ndagijimana noted that government will continue to promote import substitution and diversify exports with the aim of reducing the exposure to external shocks and imbalances over the medium term.

    “The implementation of Made in Rwanda policy will continue to play a key role in narrowing the current account deficit in the short to the long run and help to consolidate private sector domestic activities, create jobs and boost economic growth,” Minister Ndagijimana said.

    Key targets and interventions will include growing traditional exports, promoting nontraditional exports, growth of the service sector as well as cross-cutting interventions such as the promotion of made in Rwanda, developing of cross border and trade logistics infrastructure and development of industrial parks among others.

  • Rwandans in New York commemorate

    The commemoration took place at the Buffalo State University and attended by over 200 participants including the management of the university.

    Prof Aimable Twagilimana, a lecturer at Buffalo State University reminded how education can be used to tackle genocide ideology and negation of the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi.
    Serving with a video named “words that kill” he reflected how politicians and media before 1994 propagated hatred among citizens mobilizing them to kill Tutsi and urged everyone to play a role so that genocide never happens again.

    The chancellor of Buffalo State University, Dr. Kate Conway-Turner said he was moved on by what he saw when visiting Kigali Genocide Memorial last year and thanked the milestone achieved by Rwandans in reconciliation and unity to rebuild the country after the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

    Chantal Mudahogora, a survivor of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi gave testimonies of her painful survival losing relatives and thanked RPF Inkotanyi soldiers for rescuing her.
    She also commended Rwandans and the country for their efforts towards rebuilding the country.