IGIHE

Author: IGIHE

  • Rwandans in US celebrate Umuganura

    {As the National Harvest Day was being celebrated over the weekend, Rwandans in Sacramento, California, USA also marked the day on Saturday, August 26th, 2017.}

    Umuganura is a traditional feast of the first harvest that was widely observed in ancient Rwanda, a celebration that is resurfacing in Rwanda’s customs today. The goal for this celebration was to assess the harvest and encourage social cohesion in communities through hard work.

    This year’s Umuganura festivities were held under the theme “Umuganura, a source of unity and foundation of self-reliance.”

    During the celebrations in Sacramento, California, H.E. Ambassador MathildeMukantabana explained the historical context of Umuganura and talked about its significance in Rwanda’s nation building, unity, and reconciliation. “Umuganura goes beyond economic aspiration, it is also a moment to reflect on what we have to invest as Rwandans in our daily lives, to ensure that we are a dignified people, striving to always be better today than we were yesterday,” said Ambassador Mukantabana.

    In a symbolic gesture, Ambassador Mukantabana and the Sacramento community leader YehoyadaMbangukira gave milk to children and shared traditional Rwandan foods with those present. In true Rwandan fashion, the evening was also graced with traditional music and poetry.

  • Rwanda confirms FIFA U-17 World Cup 2019 bid

    {Local football body FERWAFA President, Vincent Nzamwita, has re-confirmed that Rwanda has submitted a formal request to FIFA to join the bid to host the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup by submitting to FIFA the signed terms and conditions of the bidding process.
    }

    As requested by FIFA, the signed terms and conditions of the bidding process for the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup were sent to the FIFA Competitions Division mid last week before the deadline set on August 25th.

    FERWAFA President Nzamwita Vincent Degaule said, “In July, we submitted a formal request to FIFA to host the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup and later FIFA sent us bid documents.”

    Last week (Wednesday), FERWAFA confirmed that they sent the signed terms and conditions for the bidding process to FIFA.

    “By sending the terms and conditions to FIFA, it means that we have re-confirmed our bid to host the tournament hence abide by all requirements of hosting the tournament,” Nzamwita said

    “In the upcoming months, we will sit with all our major stakeholders to prepare the bidding and hosting documents which will have to be sent to FIFA by mid-November,” he added.

    The definitive bid book which will be submitted to FIFA by mid-November and will consist of all signed bidding and hosting documents (Hosting Agreement, Host City, Agreements, Government Guarantees, ticketing rights agreement and hospitality rights agreement among others).

    After the submission of the definitive bid, the appointment of the FIFA U-17 World Cup 2019 host is scheduled to be done in the last quarter of 2017 or the first quarter of 2018 by the FIFA Council.

    Rwanda believes hosting the tournament like the World Cup will its profile of not only Rwanda but Cecafa and CAF as well. Rwanda’s plan is not only to host the event but to win the trophy.

    Last year, Rwanda hosted a successful Africa Nations Championship (CHAN), which saw an influx of football fans travel to the country from across the African continent to cheer their teams on.

    Rwanda has steadily worked hard to try and improve their football profile, with President Paul Kagame financially supporting the regional CecafaKagame Cup.
    This year the FIFA U-17 World Cup will be hosted in India in October, with a total of 52 games to be played.

    The FIFA U-17 World Cup is one of the FIFA’s oldest competitions, dating back to 1985 respectively. Since its inception, the competition has grown in size and stature and has produced some of the world top players in different countries and clubs.

  • Harnessing tourism sector requires continued focus, says President Kagame

    {
    President Paul Kagame has said that harnessing the full potential of the tourism industry will require continued focus as well as investments on several fronts.}

    The Head of State made the remarks this morning as he gave a key-note address during the official opening of the 41st Annual World Tourism Conference that opened August 28, running up to 31st , 2017 at Kigali Convention Centre.

    Hosted by the Africa Travel Association (ATA), a division of the Corporate Council on Africa (CCA), and the Rwanda Development Board (RDB), the conference is aimed at highlighting the economic and job opportunities being fuelled by the sector’s continued growth and job creation through innovative business models, new technologies, and strategic partnerships.

    The conference is also expected to provide a platform to network and explore new tourism markets and products including the promotion and preservation of Africa’s rich cultural heritage and wildlife.

    In his speech, Kagame said that Rwanda, like other countries on the African continent, is keen to convert the favorable demographics into economic growth and prosperity. Services sector, tourism in particular, provides some of the best opportunities for young people.

    Kagame pointed out that; “tourism sector is Rwanda’s biggest foreign exchange earner, but we can and should do better; harnessing the full potential of the tourism industry will require continued focus on investment on several fronts.”

    One way of doing that, the President said, is to strengthen good governance which enables effective management of the environment that supports tourist attractions and revenue y generation. Rwandans, especially those living around parks and other attractions, have become indispensable to conservation.

    “The responsibility of government players in the industry is to continuously provide quality education and professional training. We are investing heavily in services and infrastructure to support the development of the sector. Our national carrier, RwandAir, continues to expand to destinations within Africa and beyond.”

    This year is the first time ATA’s Tourism Conference is hosted in Rwanda, one of East Africa’s premier tourism destinations and one whose sector continues to grow.
    According to the RDB, Rwanda’s tourism sector generated US$303 million in revenue,
    in 2014 up three percent in the previous year.

    Kagame explained that Rwanda will soon have a more modern, efficient base when the new airport in Bugesera is completed to strengthen collaboration within the region and across the continent.

    President Kagame noted, “The single tourist visa and passport-free travel with Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda is already a reality. We need more cooperation on the continent to increase the numbers of visitors, facilitate trade and investment within Africa.”
    In less than 15 years Africa’s travel and hospitality industries have quadrupled in size, and the continent remains one of the world’s fastest-growing tourist destinations, second only to Southeast Asia.

    President and CEO of the Corporate Council of Africa, Florizelle Liser, says CCA aims to use the conference to encourage investments and policies that contribute to the sector’s growth.

    On the sidelines of what was a packed agenda, ATA together with Facebook worked to deliver training to SMEs in Kigali.

    The ‘Boost Your Business’ is a training initiative, developed by Facebook and facilitated by Digify Africa, designed to train and up-skill small business owners on how to leverage digital tools to grow their businesses. The training was held on August 26 at the Kigali Serena Hotel.

    The tourism conference also aligns with Kwita Izina, Rwanda’s annual gorilla naming ceremony, a national celebration creating awareness of the country’s efforts to protect the jewel of Rwanda’s tourism crown: the mountain gorillas and their habit.

  • Public-holiday craze strains businessmen

    {The business community and some of the traders are calling for a complete rethink over the country’s public holiday schedule, following the Umuganura holiday that was shifted on Monday, August 28th on top of the upcoming Friday Muslim holiday in space of one week.}

    Some of the traders in Kigali that have been interviewed by IGIHE are calling for a rethink on public holiday schedules. One of them is Moses Kalisa a trader in Kigali who thinks those concerned need to rethink about the holiday schedules because it is impacting on the private sector.

    “To me as a businessman, public holidays cost me in lost sales and productivity. I believe that authorities need to rethink so that people go to work because the economy suffers if people don’t work.”

    Kalisa personally disagrees with the issue of shifting a public holidays from weekends to another working day. He proposed that if a public holiday falls on a Sunday, it should be celebrated thus without shifting.

    “Losing two days of business – as is the case for this week – can put added strain on many businesses. We all need a break from work, but not incessantly,” another businessman who prefers not to be named said.

    “We’re seeing an increasing number of holidays altogether –some of our companies now don’t give our staff the extra days off in lieu. However, this might now work for some of us because, at the end of it all, we have to pay them when the month ends.”
    Over 17 public holidays are scheduled.

    -* List of official Holidays in Rwanda this year:

    -* Sunday 1-Jan News Years Day
    -* Monday 2-Jan Day after New Years Day Holiday by Presidential Order
    -* Wednesday 1-Feb National Heroes Day
    -* Friday 7-Apr Genocide against the Tutsi Memorial Day
    -* Friday 14-Apr Good Friday Friday before Easter Sunday
    -* Monday 17-Apr Easter Monday
    -* Monday 1-May Labor Dya
    -* Sunday 25-Jun Eid UI Fitr End of Ramadhan
    -* Monday 26-Jun Eid UI Fitr Holiday
    -* Saturday 1-Jul Independence Day Holiday
    -* Friday 4-Aug Umuganura Day First Friday in August
    -* Tuesday 15-Aug Assumption of Mary Sacrifice Feast
    -* Friday 1-Sep Eid El Haj
    -* Monday 25-Dec Christmas Day
    -* Tuesday 26-Dec Boxing Day

  • Trade Minister urges youth on conservation

    {The Minister of Trade, Industry, and East African Affairs, Francois Kanimba, has appealed to the youth to take a tough stance towards conserving biodiversity to enable Rwandans sustainably benefit from the opportunities and wealth presented by natural resources.
    }

    The Minister made the appeal over the weekend during the official opening of two-day conservation activities in honour of the 13th Kwita Izina that include Conservation and Tourism exhibition at Kigali Conference and Exhibition Village.

    The exhibition, held for the second time, was aimed at showcasing Rwanda’s achievements in conservation interventions and tourism related products and services.
    It is also meant to serve as a trading platform for B2B and other networking opportunities specifically for tourism operations. It attracted youth, as well as other official from Ugandan, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Kenya and Ethiopia among other countries
    It is among the preliminary activities taking place before Kwita Izina scheduled for 1st September 2017 in Musanze district.

    Kanimba said that the government of Rwanda allocates resources for conservation and called upon everyone to play a role in making conservation a success.
    He said; “This activity organized before Kwita Izina helps partners in Rwanda and the region to meet in one place and show their activities. It enables them to exchange ideas, experiences, best practices and the best way forward. ”

    Kanimba noted that the development of tourism must base on caring for the basic foundational infrastructures.

    “During this Show, we have received different people including the person who constructed a boat which can be used on lake Kivu, we have examples of the former poachers, who have subsequently formed a cooperative society to become bee farmers and other jobs.”

    The Ethiopian Minister of culture and tourism, Dr. Hirut Weldemariam told IGIHE that they have participated in the show to learn from Rwanda’s development in the sector of Tourism.

    She said; “I Participated in this show as a way of increasing my knowledge, regarding the way Rwanda conserves biodiversity and its beauty in order to attract many tourists while developing the society in general.”

    The Ethiopian Minister of culture and tourism Dr. Hirut Weldemariam
    The representant of the Tourism Department in RDB, Belise Kaliza,

  • Police hands over DRC cop who crossed to Rwanda

    {Rwanda National Police has handed over the arrested Democratic Republic Congo (DRC) policeman, who had illegally crossed over to Rwanda.
    }

    The policeman identified as Sergeant Major Jean Paul Namegabe Ndosa, was detained on Saturday morning at 10:00 am at Kabugoyi Cell, Gisenyi district when he crossed the Rwandan border in Rubavu district illegally.

    He was detained by Rwandan Police at Rubavu, offered medical treatment before handing him over to DRC police under an arrangement made by ICGLR army in-charge of Rwandan and DRC border control, on Monday August 28th.

    Namegabe said that when he crossed the border that separates the two countries, he became dizzy and collapsed only to wake up when he is in the hospital.

    He revealed that he usually suffers from such a problem and disclosed that doctors advised him to go for a medical scan to examine what kind of disease he is suffering from but lacked the $20 fee asked by doctors.

    The head of the DRC Police at border with Rwanda Major Napoleon who received the cop declined to say anything to the press.

  • Wenceslas Munyeshyaka’s genocide case to return to Court

    {The Genocide Survivor’s umbrella and Collectif des Parties Civiles pour le Rwanda (CPCR), has disclosed that the case of Wenceslas Munyeshyaka, a priest accused of genocide and crimes against humanity will be returned to Paris Court. }

    The France-based group dedicated to pursuing justice in relation to the Genocide against the Tutsi, says that it has information Palais de Justice – Law Courts in Paris will re-examine the evidence given about Priest Wenceslas on November 8th, 2017.

    In October 2015, a French court dismissed a case against Wenceslas Munyeshyaka that accuses the priest of genocide and crimes against humanity, citing lack of sufficient evidence.

    Following the dismissal two years ago, CPCR states tha it decided to appeal so that the case should be brought back to court.

    Father Wenceslas Munyeshyaka (born 30 July 1958) is a Rwandan priest working in France who was convicted of genocide by a Rwandan military court.

    Munyeshyaka was pursued in the French courts but in October 2015 the case was not continued because of the quality of the evidence.

    Despite the controversy and his Rwandan conviction, he has been employed as a priest in France since 2001.

    Munyeshyaka was responsible for the Sainte-Famille church and parish in Kigali. A military tribunal in Rwanda found him guilty of rape and involvement in the 1994 genocide and sentenced him in absentia to life in prison.

    It is alleged that he was found to have delivered hundreds of adults and children to the genocidal militias, which brutally slaughtered them. The military tribunal accused Munyeshyaka and found him guilty of rape and of aiding militias in the killing of hundreds of Tutsi at the Holy Family Cathedral in downtown Kigali, where he was the head priest.

    An ICTR arrest warrant was made public on June 21, 2007.

    He was arrested in France on July 20, 2007, but released by a French Appeals Court on 1 August 2007.

    A revised indictment was released by the ICTR on August 13, 2007, upon which he was re-arrested by French authorities on 5 September 2007.

    On November 20, 2007, the ICTR decided to decline jurisdiction over this affair in favour of the French judicial authorities.

    On February 20, 2008, the French authorities agreed to try Wenceslas Munyeshkaya in France.

    On August 26, 2015, French prosecutors asked for the case against Wenceslas Munyeshyaka to be thrown out.

    On October 2, 2015, the investigating French judge ordered the dismissal of the case in accordance with the Prosecutor’s request.

  • Four Cooperative officials arrested over embezzlement in Rubavu

    {At least four heads of KOADU Dukundumurimo, a cooperative that runs abattoirs in Gisenyi town of Rubavu District have been arrested in connection with embezzling over Rwf 29 million.}

    Faustin Mbanjimbere, the cooperative president, Theophile Ndagijimana, 45, Jean Claude Rwango, 42, and Justin Uwimana Nyagahunde, 37, all members of the internal supervisory committee were taken into custody last Friday.

    The arrest is part of the police response and investigations into an audit conducted by Rwanda Cooperative Agency (RCA), which indicates that over Rwf29 million cooperative funds were unaccounted for, according to Chief Inspector of Police (CIP) Theobald Kanamugire, the Police spokesperson for the Western region.

    Nyagahunde alone is suspected to have embezzled over Frw25 million according to investigations.

    “As soon as we received the copy of the audit from Rwanda Cooperative Agency, we started investigations. Preliminary investigations indicate that the quartet has links with the missing money. Some of them actually admitted to the crime,” CIP Kanamugire said.

    They are currently detained at Gisenyi Police Station pending further investigations, he added.

    The quartet is facing charges of embezzlement, mismanagement of the cooperative funds and bad governance, the spokesperson said.

    “Cooperatives are one of the government strategies to improve the welfare of the people through concerted efforts and combining their little resources, which in the long run make a direct impact on the country’s economic progress.”

    “It is unfortunate that such people who entrusted with promoting public interests are the very ones that are involved in the theft,” said CIP Kanamugire.

    “The arrest should send a signal to whoever has such thoughts of embezzling and mismanaging public funds that they will face the wrath of the law,” the spokesperson warned.

    Jean Damascene Hamisi, the Chief Inspector of Cooperatives in the Western Province, lauded the Police “immediate response to hold responsible all those that had a hand in the misuse and embezzlement of the members’ money.”

    “After realizing that the cooperative had so many issues relating to bad governance, mismanagement of resources, which signaled a possible collapse of the cooperative, we intervened and at first, we sensitized the leadership and members of KOADU on the urgent need to settle down all the issues to allow flourishing of the cooperative, Hamisi said.

    “The audit found that a total of Rwf29, 043, 000 was not accounted for, and the four members were in one way or another responsible, but we have no doubt, police investigations will prove that and ensure that the money is recovered through legal processes,” Hamisi added.

    He echoed the same message on the key role cooperatives play in economic development, warning that anyone, who attempts to misuse the publicfunds will be brought to book.

    Hamisi urged members of cooperatives to always report such malpractices to facilitate police investigations and ensure that cooperatives fulfill their purpose for the well being of the members.

  • Ubumwe newspaper owner passes on

    {John Sendanyoye the proprietor and managing editor of a local Ubumwe magazine passed away on August 25th, 2017.}

    Sendanyoye passed away on Friday at University Teaching Hospital Kigali where he had been admitted for treatment.

    His son Emmanuel Ishimwe told IGIHE that his father passed away on Friday at CHUK hospital.

    Ubumwe Magazine was founded on August 14th, 1992. The last edition of Ubumwe was published on August 20th, 2017 after the presidential elections.

    Jean GualbertBurasa the owner of Rushyashya newspaper a friend to the deceased told IGIHE that; “John Sendanyoye is a journalist who worked long in the profession because I got to know him in 1992 as a person who sold newspapers that were published at that time during former Habyarimana’s regime.”

    Prayers will take place on Monday, August 28th, at Dominican Church at Kachyiru at 8:00 pm before burial takes place at Nyamirambo cemetery.

  • ‘Kwita Izina’ Gala Dinner raises funds for conservation efforts

    {With less than three days to this year’s Kwita Izina ceremony, Rwanda Development Board on Saturday hosted ‘KwitaIzina’ Gala Dinner at Kigali Convention Centre to raise funds for Gorilla conservation efforts ahead of the 13th Gorilla naming event due on September 1 in Musanze District.}

    Attended by government officials, diplomats, conservationists and private individuals, over 500 tickets were sold for the ‘Gala Dinner’ with each ticket costing $120 (estimated Rwf 101,194), while ten guests paid over $1,000 (Rwf 843,284).

    The night of dinner and wine, also included a spectacular music performance from local artist Ben.

    The night also involved a successfully bidding action for Rwandair tickets to the UK, where the best two bidders accepted to pay $2,500 to $4,000 to spend a night in Bisate and Songa Lodge respectively.

    BeliseKaliza, head of RDB-Tourism said the fundraising is meant to support conservation efforts in the country. “The target is not business oriented but to raise funds to support mountain gorilla conservation efforts and other related projects.”

    This was the second edition of the ‘KwitaIzina’ Gala Dinner. Last year RDB raised funds for three projects; Imisambi Sanctuary ($101,000), Mountain Gorilla Skeletal Project ($180,000) and Community Eco-Lodge ($250,000).