Author: IGIHE

Held at the Expo Ground in Gikondo, Kicukiro District, Kigali City in its 4th edition, the expo is running from 28th November to 4th December.

As she officially launched the ‘Made in Rwanda Expo 2018’ yesterday, November 30th, the Minister of Trade and Industry, Soraya Hakuziyaremye attributed the increase to different campaigns which were conducted by different public institutions sensitizing Rwandans to love products made in Rwanda.

“Since the Made in Rwanda’ expo started in 2015, the number of manufacturers in local industries as exhibitors has increased a lot. We ask Rwandans to come and participate in this exposition and witness the capacity our enterprises have reached so far,” Minister Hakuziyaremye urged.

She said that the Ministry chose to give free exposition stands in order to let Rwandans showcase what they produce in a more visible way in this year’s edition.

Minister Hakuziyaremye added that in the last three years when the Government launched a campaign to support products made in Rwanda, the local industrial sector has contributed to GDP by 16% from 14% in 2015.

This also has seen exports increase by 69% and a 4% decrease in imports.

The PSF Deputy Chairman Eric Gishoma said that an increase of exhibitors in Made in Rwanda expo from 260 in 2015 to 479 in 2018 is highly commendable.

Gishoma also said that there is still a long journey to improve mindsets of some Rwandan residents who still think products made in Rwanda do not comply with international standards and can’t compete at an international market.

“So far, we have seized 5,606 assorted pieces of banned bleaching products including lotions, oils, toilet soaps and sprays,” Commissioner of Police (CP) John Bosco Kabera, the RNP spokesperson said Thursday.

“The illegal products were seized from beauty shops in the City of Kigali, Eastern, Northern and Western provinces where the operations have been conducted so far,” he added.

Majority 4,470 pieces were seized in Kigali, 574 in the Northern while 445 and 117 were confiscated from shops in Eastern and Western regions, respectively, according to the report.

Among the products taken from shelves include Maxi-White, Skin White, Fair light, Secret White, Fair light, Secret White and Diamond White.

Others include Carotene, Diproson, Caro Light, Clear Men and Epiderm Crème.

These bleaching creams are on the list of 1,342 prohibited brands in Rwanda.

They contain hydroquinone often described as the ‘biological equivalent of paint remover’ in construction, and causing skin cancer.

If it enters the bloodstream it also results into fatal liver and kidney damage, although medics say the most immediate visible side effect is skin scarring.

Police said similar joint operations will also be extended in the Southern Province and across the country.

“This is a continuous operation that will not only get these illegal and harmful products from the market but also to fight trafficking of such,” the spokesperson said.

“Right now the focus is getting them off the shelves and educating the people both on the law and dangers they pose to users, but at the same time strengthening operations on traffickers of these toxic skin whitening substances,” he explained.

The skin bleaching products are labelled illegal under the ministerial order determining the list of cosmetics whose use is prohibited in Rwanda; law on organisation, functioning and competence of the Council of Pharmacists; law governing narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and precursors in Rwanda; and the law relating to the regulation and inspection of food and pharmaceutical products.

CP Kabera warned traders against flouting the law and “poisoning people.”

He also appealed to the general public to facilitate the fight by both desisting from buying these harmful products and reporting traffickers and sellers.

The training started in Muhanga District in the Southern Province on Monday which is in RDB’s two-week programme to train people all over the country.

When he launched the training program, the head of customer care and regulation division at RDB Emmanuel Nsabimana, said that Rwanda has already realized that good service delivery is a channel of tourism and economic development in general.

“We have the goal to double tourism revenues to $800 million in 2024, from $404 million in 2016, and the only way to achieve this is to ensure that services are provided to at best,” he said.

He further said that the training will be conducted in six districts to assist leaders, service providers, suppliers of meals and beverages, cooks and hygiene personnel, to increase their knowledge of their clients’ needs, their expectations and what can be done to achieve it.

It is scheduled to be concluded on December 7, 2018, in Muhanga, Huye, Nyamagabe, Rusizi, Rubavu and Musanze districts where over 200 people will be trained in each district.

The Abahuzamibiri followers say that their prohibition of sex is based on the genesis incident between Adam and Eve when they had sex which has haunted the entire human race till now.

Instead, when you become a congregant, the church gives you a man or a woman that they consider a ‘spiritual mate’, with whom you will be having sex.

They are not allowed to own a mobile phone and paying for health insurance is unacceptable, let alone possessing an ID card.

The church originates from Ngoma District, Gashanda Sector, Giseri Cell where it was born in 1992. It relocated to Nyagatare District after its leaders’ disagreements.

Nyagatare District Mayor, David Claudien Mushabe confirmed to IGIHE on Thursday that Abahuzamibiri church leaders were arrested in the night of November 28, after they found them having locked themselves in the house.

“That’s true. We arrested them after finding them locked in the house. None of them is from this district and what they are doing doesn’t make sense,” he said.
The church leader, a one Nkunzurwanda told the media that they established it after reading the Bible and discerning its writings, most of which, he said, are disregarded by the Seventh Day Adventists.

He further said that among those arrested, included five men, three girls and one woman, most of whom are from the districts of Ngoma and Bugesera.

Angenie Nyirahabimana from Gashanda Sector told journalists that his husband abandoned the home with six children and immersed himself in church and its teachings.

“One of the children died for lack of health care. The religion apparently bars them from having health insurance. I reported to a police station in Nyagatare District where we had relocated and they told him to go home and look after the household. However, he did not go home but went back to the church,” she said.

There are reports that Nkunzurwanda, the church leader, also separated with his wife of five children for not fulfilling marital obligations including having sex.

HVP Gatagara Center was the first center in Rwanda that was established to cater for children with mental disabilities.

On 29th November 2018, when Ecobank celebrated its Annual Day, the bank’s staff and directors here in Rwanda, visited Brothers of Charity at HVP Gatagara Center and laid a foundation stone at the location where the two-room apartment will be established.

Ecobank’s managing director in Rwanda, Alice Kilonzo-Zulu, said that every year, Ecobank dedicates one day to interact with residents and support them.

Ecobank staff said that it was in that regard that they chose to join children with mental disabilities to show them some love.

This year’s theme is “Supporting young lives in Africa”.

“We are here not just to donate, but to interact, listen and understand the challenges behind,” Kilonzo said at the Ecobank Day event.

She added, “They talked to us and told us many of the challenges they have including lack of money to pay teachers their salaries. They mentioned many problems but we will help them with accommodation,” she added.

Ecobank Day was first launched in 2013. This time around, the day has been celebrated in 33 African countries where the bank operates from. Activities included helping vulnerable populations.

Kilonzo further said that “It is imperative that the institutions in Rwanda contribute to the development of our host countries and help citizens, especially the needy because as a bank, we cannot just invest in doing business, but also continue supporting communities.”
The director of HVP Gatagara, Ndera branch, Elissam Salim Ntibanyendera thanked Ecobank for the support.

Ecobank’s staff also gave foodstuffs and game kits.

IGIHE has learned that Migambi is now in a critical condition, where he has been admitted at Bugesera District Hospital in Nyamata. He is also not able to utter a word because his right cheek is swollen.

It is said that the victim and the woman were caught in Ngeruka Sector but are from Kamabuye Sector.

Bugesera District authorities say the woman’s husband had been tipped off about that plan and tracked them until he caught them red-handed.

Bugesera District Mayor, Richard Mutabazi told IGIHE that “It’s true. That happened. We were informed of the fact that someone had been caught red-handed committing adultery and fought with the husband of the woman with whom they were having sex, who ended up chopping his tongue.’’

He confirmed that the man’s tongue was chopped off, and investigation has begun to identify whether no other people might have been involved, because, he says, it is not clear how one person chopped the other man’s tongue.

He urged residents to be honest and avoid conflicts and other issues that may lead to family conflicts.

The promiscuous woman is in custody at Ruhuha Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB) along with her husband who is allegedly suspected of chopping off his neighbor’s tongue.

Smuggled foodstuff seized include 122,493 kilograms of rice and maize flour, 1,714 boxes of biscuits and 22,823 liters of cooking oil.

From July 2017 to June 2018, RRA seized 11,849 dozens and 4007 liters of alcoholic drinks while the Authority snatched 9086 dozens and 6,787 liters of nonalcoholic beverages.

Second hand clothes, known as chaguwa, seized were 233,300 kilograms and 1,5286 pairs of new kitenge clothes.

August 2017 and June 2018 dominate as months in which most illegal products were seized as each month saw at goods worth Rwf95 million seized while the least quantity of commodities were seized in February and March 2018 with each month having seen smuggled goods less than Rwf25 million seized.

Rwanda Revenue Authority reveals that all smuggled goods seized were found with people carrying them while others were seized being transported on 603 bicycles, 270 motorcycles and 186 cars.

The Acting Head of the Anti-Smuggling Unit at Rwanda Revenue Authority, Faustin Niyigaba said that smuggled products seized include medical products though they rate at less than 5 percent of all smuggled goods seized.

Most of pharmaceuticals seized include Paracetamol and Coartem drugs among others that are smuggled mostly through Rubavu and Rusumo Borders.