Author: IGIHE

Munyakazi was speaking yesterday after touring schools in Kigali as he launched the 2018 academic year.

Among schools he visited include St André, ESSI Nyamirambo, Saint Joseph, APACE andGroupeScholaireKabusunzu among others.

At APACE, Munyakazi was disappointed with learners’ lack of sense of appropriate grooming where students had trendy haircuts and makeup.

He requested the school officials to send back home students who harbour inappropriate behaviors.

“You should take into account students’ hygiene especially their haircuts and makeups; how could a student come to school with such kind of haircuts and perform well in class? They cannot perform well because they spend much of their time in makeups, and when they lack money, they’re bound to drop out of schools to search for money to finance the luxurious lifestyles,” he said.

He cautioned that they will conduct inspections to establish whether the problem has been solved adding that if nothing is done the school will be closed.

He urged the school to fight drugs by checking students’ luggage before they enter school compound.

APACE head teacher, Emile Senkware said that they are going to implement minister’s recommendations.

“We are happy for these recommendations as they will help us provide quality education and enable students’ concentration in classes,” he said.

Ambassador of Japan in Rwanda, Takayuki Miyashita and Saint Joseph Nzuki Vocational Training’s headmaster, Father Gerard Hakizimana, signed the grant contract on 22 January 2018 at the Embassy of Japan.

Under the contract, the Embassy agreed to provide USD81, 857, to Saint Joseph Nzuki Vocational Training Center, to construct a dormitory for 400 students.

Almost half of the students are orphan, who were exempted from their tuitions and dormitory fees.

Ambassador Miyashita expressed his happiness in supporting Saint Joseph Nzuki VTC, “which plays a significant role in vocational trainings for orphans and children from poor households in Ruhango District.”

He expressed his hopes that the students will make good use of the accommodation in order to study hard for their future.

Saint Joseph Nzuki Vocational Training Center provides vocational trainings to about 300 students in Ruhango district. The new dormitory is expected to provide proper accommodation to the students, reduce the number of students who walk along ways to school, and allow the school to accept 100 more students who are put on a wait-list.

For the last 20 years, the embassy of Japan has supported approximately 90 projects in the areas of education, water, and sanitation as well as agricultural development.

In a consultative meeting that attracted the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Youth, Rwanda Governance Board, Police and Religious leaders yesterday, officials discussed the way every institution could contribute towards ending the matter.

Youth Minister, Rosemary Mbabazi called on religious leaders to combine efforts towards teaching youth on ways to avoid involvement in drugs and their effects on health.

“Churches and Mosques are the places where people come without invitation, but with will to hear your advice which could lead to behavior change,” she said.

The Chief Executive Officer of Rwanda Governance Board (RGB), Prof. Anastase Syhaka said that collaboration of institutions and working closely will help end the problem.

“The reason behind this meeting is to create partnership, to increase efforts in our activities as well as maintaining the way we collaborate. If problems inside families were uprooted, issues of drugs would also be weakened,” he said.

The Inspector General of Police, CG Emmanuel Gasana told participants in the meeting that drugs is a matter of concern in Rwanda and the World in general as they ruin the future of youth.

“Keeping quiet when youth are involving in drugs is not good and could bring to us many problems, besides harming lives, they cause insecurity in the country,” he said

The Bishop of Byumba Catholic Diocese, Servilien Nzakamwita said that they should also stand against people who lead youth to using drugs.

“Youth with no occupation are likely to involvein drugs, there are also irresponsible people who lead them in using drugs, we should stand against them,” he urged.

According to Police statistics, since 2013 to 2017, among people who got involved in drugs, 70% were youth between 18 and 35 years old.

“We have found that we could implement the new prices proposed in the study in two phases; we will start by raising premiums by 60% in this year and add the 40% next year,” the ASSAR’s representative, Kanamugire Gaudens told the press on Sunday.

This means that if the insurance of a vehicle was RWF30, 000, its new price will be Rwf50,000 but on a yearly basis, it will be Rwf42,000 based on the revision.

For a taxi that had to pay Rwf44,000 per year will now pay Rwf38, 000; according to the revision.

Kanamugire said those who had already paid their premiums according to the new prices, will either be refunded or receive a credit note based on the revised prices.

It is a decision that the association claims it has taken after receiving complaints of the vehicles’ owners.

The revision follows a premiums hike a fortnight ago that saw motor vehicle insurance premiums and the comprehensive packages increase from 40% to 73%, which attracted complaints among the public.

Kanamugire said that increasing the premiums was necessary because those set in 2008 were outdated and not benefiting insurers.

The Central Bank also asserted that the previous prices were wrecking insurers into losses and were not updated to meet the variable costs of vehicles and spare parts. In 2013, a study showed that the prices were too low and needed to be raised.

NCHR announced this in a statement yesterday following a visit in Nyanza Prison where Mugesera is serving his sentence.

The Commission says that after learning through the media of Mugesera’s human rights concerns, including access to medical care, access to legal counsel, proper nutrition and family visits, NCHR visited and met him physically and discussed on each of the human rights issues he was concerned about in the presence of his lawyer, Felix Rudakemwa.

{{Visit outcomes}}

According to the statement, the Commission established that contrary to the allegation of alleged denial of access to health services, including eight missed appointment with ophthalmologists at King Faysal hospital (between March 2016 to present) as well as other missed appointments with his internal medical doctor, Mugesera received medical treatment at King Faysal on the said date.

“The Commission also established that Mugesera is treated like any other prisoners at the facility health centre; and received medical treatment 8 times between June 2017 to date as it is the practice that all cases are first treated in the facility’s health centre before being referred to hospitals in accordance with referral procedure. This is not based on the patient’s wish but when the service provider finds appropriate based on the case,” the statement reads.

The Statement says that on the allegation of denied contact with his family and lawyer, the Commission established through the prison visit registry of between June 16 and 24 December 2017, Mugesera was visited 13 times by family, relatives and friends.

The same records show that for the period from 4th May 2016 to 29th December 2017 Mugesera had 28 meetings with his lawyer.

“Regarding the frequency and duration of the visits, the Commission found that existing national guidelines that allow one visit per week were properly followed,” the statement reads in part.

“Among other things, the Commission recommended that Rwanda Correctional Services (RCS) avails private facilities that can allow private conversation between inmates and their lawyers; that RCS conduct awareness campaigns to inmates regarding prison rules and guidelines, including visit regulations; to provide Mr Mugesera with dietary nutrition recommended by his doctor and to respect follow up appointments with his medical doctors,” the statement reads.

The visit was also conducted in all prison’s cells where non-Rwandan prisoners and Rwandans transferred from other countries are accommodated where they established that their well-being is maintained.