Author: IGIHE

  • Nyarugenge, Chinese firm sign hospital construction agreement

    Worth Rwf6 billion, construction works for the first phase will start by January next year.

    The hospital will be constructed in Kivugiza Cell, Nyamirabo Sector of Nyarugenge District on 2.2 hectares of land.

    Nyarugenge District Executive Secretary, Fred Hategekimana said that the hospital will provide quick medical services to district residents.

    “Though we have University Teaching Hospital of Kigali (CHUK) and Muhima Hospital in this district, none of them is a District Hospital. So, this one will be the hospital for the district. Muhima hospital is for child and maternal services but this hospital will provide all services. CHUK is a referral hospital that receives patients from District hospitals, not from health centers. So, this hospital will provide all these services,” he said.

    The construction works for the hospital was jointly financed by the government of Rwanda and Belgium through Belgium Technical Cooperation’s Programme Ubuzima Burambye.

    The construction works will be conducted in two phases and the first phase will be completed in the next 16 months.

  • Police officers, RDF reservists in joint training on environmental protection

    The two-day training underway at the Rwanda National Police (RNP) General Headquarters in Kacyiru was officially opened by the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Emmanuel K. Gasana.

    The joint exercises that include 80 judicial police officers and 20 reservists looks to enhance their understanding on environmental matters, laws and investigation of related crimes.

    It falls under the existing framework between RNP and Rwanda Environmental Management Authority (REMA) to fight all sorts of environmental crimes.

    The IGP noted that effective response to challenges to human security and eliminating threats to environment necessitated collective approach at all levels.

    He further said that environment protection is a crosscutting matter adding that if not tackled at an early stage can greatly threaten human security.

    “Protection of the environment is vital to the country’s development; always remain vigilant to ensure that pollution of any nature is avoided, and this is a critical role that requires understanding to fight threats like man made pollution and other crimes,” said IGP Gasana.

    He noted that “some human activities are endangering the very survival of the environment on which we live” and called for sustainable management of natural resources.

    He cited poor and hazardous extraction of minerals and poor garbage disposal, littering habits that should be shunned and fought by all stakeholders.

    The Police Chief challenged participants to strictly follow the environment protection laws and hold accountable whoever is involved.

    RNP established an Environmental Protection Unit (EPU) which has been instrumental in enforcing the law, preservation of environment through environmental education, practical interpretation of the environmental laws to citizens and engaging in the public environment management awareness campaign.

    The IGP also hinted on the issue of corruption, warning of dire consequences to any person either in or outside the force, that will be caught emphasing the zero stance approach against the vice.

    {{Source:RNP News}}

  • Police hands over recovered electronics to owners

    The items returned to rightful owners include four computer laptops and a flat television screen.

    The handover was held at Kigali metropolitan offices in Remera, where other other recovered electronics are displayed for owners’ identification and collection.

    “Operations are continuous to recover equipment reportedly stolen, but to also crackdown on electronic shops which deal in stolen items,” Supt. Emmanuel Hitayezu, the Police spokesperson for the City of Kigali, said.

    “So far, a number of criminals have been arrested and were either prosecuted or still under judicial process,” he added.

    “The established strong community policing relationship with the public is facilitating the whole operation process in tracking suspects but also locating and recovering stolen items,” he noted.

    He urged members of the public whose electronics were stolen, to go to the metropolitan in Remera to check if they are among those recovered.

    Majority recovered items are computers, television screens, home theatres, DVD decks and decoders, among others.

    “Claimants are required to have proof of ownership like purchase receipt, corresponding property markings or any believable and convincing evidence proving that indeed the property belongs to that person,” said Supt. Hitayezu.

    He advised people to always buy from recognized shops to avoid buying stolen items, keep receipts or mark their equipment, and always report to police whenever anything is lost or stolen, to facilitate timely response to recover.

    Meanwhile, Aloys Rurangwa, who received his television screen, thanked the police for quick response, when he reported the theft in Kimironko recently.

    The suspected thief, who was also arrested, had sold the TV at Rwf65, 000, according to investigations.

    {{Source:RNP News}}

  • Strawtec avails new housing units ready for sale

    The current phase of the Gisozi Heights project development offers 26 spacious, modern two and three-storey homes having separate maids’ quarters, a fully-enclosed plot and master double bedroom with luxury en-suite shower room.

    The housing units also present excellent access to public transportation services, shops, schools, and health services and a colourful neighbourhood. For those favouring a different kind of model to the pre-fabricated ones, they can contact Strawtec Ltd so to have their housing unit made as they wish.

    The factory worth 10 million U$ (Rwf7.2 billion) is owned by German investors. It manufactures high-quality modular prefabricated wall panels from wheat and rice straw.

    These housing units are perfectly mobile and can last for over 50 years; in fact those constructed before the second World War (1945) in Germany are still standing firm.

    One of the completed housing Units worth Rwf170 million
    How modular pre-fabricated wall housing Units from Strawtec Building Solutions Ltd look like
  • We do things the way we believe is good for us-Kagame

    Kagame was speaking Friday in RPF’s Congress in Kigali ahead of 30 year anniversary main event slated on Saturday

    He said about 23 years ago, Rwanda was being looked as a failed state or just on the way to be the state.

    “When they were proven wrong, they changed the narrative that we would be a failed state in the distant future,” he said.

    “We must not be strayed by misguided theories of so-called governance experts. We do things the way we believe the way is better for us,” he said.

    Speaking on human capital to drive Rwanda’s journey of transformation, Kagame said that “it is not that we don’t have the human resource, we just do not have enough to drive this going by our pace,”

    Kagame said that Rwandans should not be shy in their interests.

    “As long as we have looked into it and its implications, we cannot look for approval from anywhere else,” he noted.

    Kagame was speaking after the panel discussion of former African Development Bank Group President, Dr. Donald kaberuka, Rwanda Mining and Petroleum Board Chief Executive Officer, Francis Gatare; the US based Lifting and Empowering All Families Pharmaceuticals CEO, Dr. Clet Niyikiza and the Minister for Foreign Affairs and East African Community, Louise Mushikiwabo.

    Their discussions revolved around the topic ‘Shaping Rwanda for Global Challenges’.

    On the panel, Kaberuka urged the youth to find solutions for their own problems within Africa, rather than looking for greener pastures outside the continent.

  • UGANDA: Police Arrest 40 Rwanda National Congress Recruits Headed for DRC Camps

    Highly placed sources said the group, comprising only young men, were travelling on forged Ugandan temporary travel documents that were given to them by Uganda’s Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI) to enable the group cross into Tanzania, then Burundi, and to eventually reach their final destination in Minebwe, South Kivu, DRC.

    The recruits were travelling in a Ugandan bus with yellow and green colors registration number UAD374B and lied that they were going to Burundi for a religious crusade. In the process of questioning the young men, sources at the Uganda’s Kikagati border post say, the immigration officials came under immense pressure from “above” instructing them to immediately release the group and allow it to proceed with their journey. The border post officials readily obliged. However after the immigration officials alerted police of this big group crossing with forged documents, Uganda Police immediately alerted their counterparts in Tanzania to block and return the group to Uganda. All the 40 young men are now being held in Isingiro Police station.

    Uganda’s police with support from their Tanzanian counterparts intercepted and arrested a group of 40 Rwandan refugees headed for Rwanda National Congress (RNC) training camps in Eastern DRC, a source told The Standard on Monday evening.

    Highly placed sources said the group, comprising only young men, were travelling on forged Ugandan temporary travel documents that were given to them by Uganda’s Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI) to enable the group cross into Tanzania, then Burundi, and to eventually reach their final destination in Minebwe, South Kivu, DRC.

    The recruits were travelling in a Ugandan bus with yellow and green colors registration number UAD374B and lied that they were going to Burundi for a religious crusade.

    However, when the group initially reached Kikagati border post, Uganda’s immigration department blocked them suspecting the authenticity of their travel documents. Immigration officials were also suspicious why such a big number of young Rwandan men would be travelling with Ugandan documents in one single group.

    In the process of questioning the young men, sources at the Uganda’s Kikagati border post say, the immigration officials came under immense pressure from “above” instructing them to immediately release the group and allow it to proceed with their journey.

    The border post officials readily obliged. However after the immigration officials alerted police of this big group crossing with forged documents, Uganda Police immediately alerted their counterparts in Tanzania to block and return the group to Uganda.

    Upon their return to the border, sources say, the immigration officials were again instructed to release the recruits and facilitate their travel into Tanzania with immediate effect.

    It is at that moment that Uganda’s Police intervened once again, and with help from their Tanzanian counterparts intercepted the group and arrested all the 40. They are now being held in Isingiro Police station.

    “It was total drama this morning–the scuffle lasted almost three hours,” the immigration official who preferred to speak on condition of anonymity told this website. “When we released them the second time, we were shocked to see the Tanzanians working with Uganda Police return them.”

    In a desperate attempt to cover up the scandal, a Ugandan website that is linked to the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence immediately put out a story claiming the arrested Rwandan young men were “refugees on a missionary journey to Tanzania.”

    Instead of explaining why a large group of Rwandan young men were given Ugandan travel documents, the story chose to castigate Uganda Police for arresting them, alleging they fear the group could be taken to Rwanda.

    Nonetheless, credible security sources confirmed that the group was part of RNC recruitment drive happening in different refugee camps across Uganda and firmly supported by the Brig Gen Abel Kandiho of Uganda’s Military intelligence, CMI.

    As recently exposed, a parallel scheme exists of covering up this recruitment drive for RNC by claiming that Rwandans who go missing in these camps are instead kidnapped by Kigali. The scheme is run from Kampala by renegades Rugema Kayumba, Cpl Mulindwa aka Mukombozi and Sande Mugisha coordinated by Kayumba Nyamwasa from South Africa with facilitation from Uganda’s CMI.

    “This incident in Kikagati today should raise serious questions,” a security source in Kampala said. “It is shameful that this recruitment is happening in broad day light and instead of questioning the culprits behind it, they are instead rewarded with promotion.”

    Observers expect immense pressure on the Uganda Police to release the RNC recruits because those who helped to recruit them fear the young men represent damning evidence CMI’s sponsored recruitment for the terrorist group RNC.

    Moreover, these developments come a day after news reports exposed the on-going illegal detention of Rwandans visiting Kampala.

    Over the weekend, plain clothed security operatives suspected to be CMI – RNC agents arrested a Rwandan named Fidele Gatsinzi in Kampala as he went to visit his son in school in Mukono Christian University.

    Since September, dozens of Rwandans have been illegally detained by CMI under unclear circumstances and subjected to torture to induce false confessions that they are Rwanda spies. These innocent Rwandans are usually pointed out by Kayumba Nyamwasa’s agents operating in Kampala.

    As these arrests increase, a general fear of safety for Rwandans travelling to Uganda is growing by the day. Many of them now tend to alert family members, friends, and officials, whenever they travel to Uganda, asking them to keep keen ‘eye’ out just incase they suddenly disappear.

    Most of the young men intercepted on Monday by Uganda Police were taken from Refugee camps of Nyakivala, Kibale, and Mubende where RNC fugitives, Maj. (rtd) Habib Mudathir and Capt (rtd) Sibo Charles undertake most of the recruitment.

  • Kaberuka urges youth to find in Africa solutions for their problems

    Dr Kaberuka was speaking Friday at the Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF)-Inkotanyi Congress in Kigali.

    He was in the panel with the Rwanda Mining and Petroleum Board Chief Executive Officer, Francis Gatare; the US based Lifting and Empowering All Families Pharmaceuticals CEO, Dr. Clet Niyikiza and the Minister for Foreign Affairs and East African Community, Louise Mushikiwabo. Their discussions revolved around the topic ‘Shaping Rwanda for Global Challenges’.

    Dr Kaberuka said the global circumstances, that prevailed at the time former Rwanda Patriotic Army (RPA) launched the liberation struggle, marked what was called Afro-pessimism. ‘The global order was: what can we do for Africa?’

    “The RPF then has major role to play in changing the narrative. We did not want to be objects of pity,” he said.

    He said one thing that has shaped Rwanda after the RPF assumed leadership is the determination to deliver on what is set out to do.

    “Very few countries have managed to do that and I witnessed that during my time at African Development Bank Group as president,” he said adding that the RPF has demystified the biblical tale of David versus Goliath concept on the Worldview of Africa.

    Kaberuka reminded the youth to find solutions for their own problems in Africa.

    “To the youth here, I want to tell you that Africa should wake up to the reality that the solution to our problems is here on the continent. We should stop looking elsewhere,” he urged youth.

    Mushikiwabo said that Rwandans must not waste their energy on roadside politics. She said Africa must put her efforts together.

    Niyikiza noted that to be able to navigate the unpredictable global challenges, Africans must instill into their children the culture of thinking big, innovate and have strategies in place to protect the innovations.

    Kaberuka urged the youth to find solutions for own problems in Africa.
  • Chief Justice tasks Law students on armed conflict laws

    Rugege was, on Thursday, closing moot court competition on armed conflict crimes and children rights protection during war and conflicts period.

    The four-day competition had attracted 48 students and their 24 lecturers from 24 universities in the Great Lakes Region countries.

    Rugege said the competition brings out the best among students and shows their potential to be great lawyers, politicians or judges in the future.

    “Moot Courts are beneficial in themselves. They strengthen knowledge and skills of participating students in particular area of law as well as sharpening their professional skills in terms of disputes handling, advocacy, persuasive arguments or in drafting courts submissions,” he said adding that they are important life skills for any future lawyer.

    Rugege said the focus of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights was a very important area for the region.

    “Considering that the Great Lakes Region has been ravaged by conflicts, breach of International Humanitarian Law and gross abuses of human rights have been common in the area with the most notable being the Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda,” he said.

    Citing South Sudan and Central African Republic as examples, Rugege said that conflicts caused much suffering to victims including children.

    “It is also crucial that young people like you should learn about rights of citizens and what you can do to protect them by means of representation as lawyers, as prosecutors of those who violate international laws and human rights, as judges who decide the cases or as advocates for peace and security in your countries and the region,” he said.

    He said the competition has provided vital knowledge in the area of law and contributed to peace building, providing youth as leaders of tomorrow with an opportunity to spend time and work together on these issues.

    Rugege asked them to protect children saying that they are the valuable resources and future of countries.

    “We should struggle for them to live in peace and prosperity instead of war, displacement, retroaction and misery,” he said.

    He urged lecturers not to focus on theories while teaching international laws, rather to think of approaches that give more time for discussing real conflict situations in the region with their students.

    Angela Mnao, a student from Kenya, said that they learnt a lot in the competetion especially in laws governing armed conflicts. Mnao said the lessons will help in her studies and future career.

    Rwandan Élysée Rugundana emerged the winner in men category while Angela Mnao emerged the best winner as good advocate in women category.

  • Amb. Kimonyo speaks of Rwandans taken to Kenya by colonialists

    Speaking to IGIHE on the sidelines of the Rwanda Patriotic Front (FPR)-Inkotanyi Congress in Kigali on Thursday, Kimonyo said the talks consider giving Kenyan nationality to those Rwandans or repatriated them to Rwanda.

    In 1940, a number of Rwandans were taken as slaves by British colonialists to Kenya to work in tea plantation in different parts of the country. As a result, currently there are about 500 descendants from those slaves living in Kenya.

    In 1945, these Rwandans were given Kenyan nationality and identity cards but their IDs were confiscated 30years later, depriving them rights to nationality. They were, then, given temporary IDs that are renewable every three months.

    Over 40 years in Kenya now, they are denied equal rights with Kenyans.

    Among these rights include government education scholarships, opening bank accounts among other rights that a stateless person cannot access.

    They have always applied for the nationality but they are still in ambiguity.

    “We are discussing so that those who wish to live in Kenya can be given nationality and those willing to come back to Rwanda will be repatriated. They have spent several years in that country as they went there before Kenyan independence,” he said.

    In 1980, Kenyan government had decided to repatriate them but then Rwandan government rejected them saying that they were Kenyans.

    According to Kimonyo, Rwanda has embarked on bringing back her nationals and this is why the country welcomes all those who wish to come back home.

    “All Rwandans living abroad are free to go back to their country and those who wish to stay there are also free to do so,” he said.

    Article 7 of Rwandan Constitution stipulates that every person has a right to nationality and dual nationality is permitted. The Constitution states that no Rwandan may be deprived of Rwandan nationality of origin.

    According to the Constitution, Rwandans or their descendants who were deprived of their nationality between 1st November 1959 and 31st December 1994 by reason of acquisition of foreign nationalities automatically reacquire Rwandan nationality if they return to settle in Rwanda

    Amb. Kimonyo in  an interview with IGIHE
  • Rwanda bans Shisha Tobacco

    According to MINISANTE, the World Health Organisation (WHO) released advisory note concerning water-pipe tobacco smoking, stating that they cause health effects and recommended actions for regulators.

    The note by the WHO expressed that Shisha Tobacco smoking is damaging, addictive and dangerous on human lives.

    The note says that the smoke that emerges from water-pipe contains numerous toxicants known to cause lung cancer and heart diseases among others.

    “Accordingly, the Ministry of Health informs general public that the use, advertisement and import of water-pipe tobacco smoking known as Shisha Tobacco is banned on Rwandan territory effective from 15th December, 2017,” reads the ministry’s statement released on Thursday.

    The statement cautions the public that failure to comply with the notice, sanctions as provided by the law will be applied.