IGIHE

Author: IGIHE

  • Rwanda votes, massive turn up

    {Rwandans are today exercising their franchise in elections to choose a president from among three candidates.
    }

    The incumbent Paul Kagame leading the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), is facing two other contenders; Frank Habineza of the Democratic Green Party and Philippe Mpanyimana, an independent candidate.

    It is Rwanda’s third presidential election after the 1994 genocide. Kagame has won the previous polls (2003, 2010) with over 95%.

    Over 6.8 million citizens are expected to participate in the elections. There are over 2,340 polling stations set up across the country. Voting started at 7 am and it will close at 3 p.m to pave way for the counting process with over 70% of the primary election results to be released by 11 p.m tomorrow.

    Yesterday, Rwandans in the Diaspora cast their vote at 98 polling stations in different countries. Over 44,000 registered Diaspora are expected to have voted yesterday on August 3rd, 2017.

    NEC officials said about 2000 observers will be closely following the election inside the country.

    Kagame cast his vote from his home area, at APE-Rugunga polling station, in Kigali’s Nyarugenge District, while Mpayimana voted from Camp Kigali Primary School, also in Nyarugenge.

    Habineza voted from Kimironko II Primary School polling station in Kigali’s Gasabo District.

  • NEC explains voting guidelines

    {Few hours left to the presidential elections, NEC has issued directives about the proper procedures that should be followed when casting votes.}

    {{How it is done}}

    The Presidential elections are done directly and in secret, using a ballot paper. The voter uses a thumb or he may tick in a small optional box meant for that, next to that of the candidate’s photo, whom he wants to cast his vote to.
    Methodology of voting

    The NEC guidelines indicate the ballot paper must be having Presidential candidates who were certified by NECin accordance with the period when their candidatures were approved.

    The paper has four small options; the first one includes the names of the candidate, the second one has the Political Party’s Coat of Arms or the Independent candidate, the third has the candidate’s photo, whereas the fourth one is where the finger print is marked or ticked while voting.
    {{
    How to fold a voting paper?
    }}

    The way of folding the voting paper is very important during the Presidential elections because when it is done in an improper way, it renders the vote invalid.

    NEC’s directive stipulates that the polling assistant responsible for issuing out ballot papers must show every voter the way of folding it. However, he must give it to him when it is not furled. After the voter has marked his thumb with ink or ticking in the special small option, he folds the paper the first time, and then vertically folds it for the second time and then horizontally folds it the second time, in order to enable him to place it in the voting box.

    NEC warns that the voter must be careful not to splash ink to the ballot paper, which can also render it invalid.

    A voting paper displaying the three Presidential Candidates

  • Rwandans in New Zealand vote first, polls closed

    {It is mid-winter, August 3, New Zealand and in Auckland, New Zealand’s biggest city there are political billboards on street corners, the sides of buildings, corners of parks.
    The New Zealand general election will be held on 23 September 2017 that is what is on people’s minds, but a small group of Aucklanders, originally from Rwanda, are already voting in another election. }

    It is their first chance to vote from New Zealand in the Rwandan presidential elections and the interest is strong.

    There are 43 registered Rwandan voters in New Zealand, eligible to take part in this year’s presidential elections.

    Alan Hakizimana who is in Auckland has told IGIHE; “The polling station is a room in a community center, that has a team of people headed by the Consul General Clare de Lore, Lady McKinnon,” He goes to say that there are other community leaders including Raymond Serwakira and Ph.D. student Egide Kalisa.

    The ballot papers have three candidates listed in order and all is set.

    Due to the international dateline, Rwandans in New Zealand’s have been the first to cast their votes, and the first voters are said to have arrived shortly after the polls officially opened at 11:00 am Thursday (which is 2:00 pm Wednesday afternoon back in Rwanda.)

    Alan Hakizimana is happy to hold the distinction of being the first Rwandan in the diaspora to mark his ballot paper and then deliver it into the secure ballot box.

    Over the course of the next ten hours, Hakizimana says that voters turned up in ones or twos.

    Once it was 6:00 pm and work was over for most of the day, some voters were reported to have arrived with their children, and there is laughter as well as serious intent.

    As the clock ticked towards 9:00 pm, the last voters trickled in, to make their choice, before the ballot box was secured.

  • RITCO to import 50 more buses to boost transport

    {The management of Rwanda Federation of Transport Cooperative (RFTC) has disclosed that it has placed an order for 50 more buses in order boost transportation in the country.
    }

    This will the second fleet following 50 buses imported earlier this year.
    One of RITCO top managers Julius Rukundo has told IGIHE that the buses are expected to arrive in Rwanda before the end of this year.

    “We expect them to be in the country before the year ends, as part of the second phase of expansion,” Rukundo said.

    RITCO was formed after a cabinet order on December 6th, 2015 to replace ONATRACOM, a former public company.

    Rukundo further admitted that the transport company has not yet reached the expected 100% target set to solve the transport challenges in the country but for now they have managed to sort out the issue especially since the buses are appreciated by the passengers given their good standards.

    “The main objective is to make sure that we can reach out to remote villages so that passengers’ mobility is ensured.”

    In the first phase, 50 big buses were imported from China in February2016. The transport company was tasked to have imported at least 165 buses, on top of investing over Rwf 11 billion francs in the next two years. The government owns 52% shares in RITCO while RFTC cooperative owns 48% shares in RITCO transport company.

  • Rwanda Diaspora vote

    {As elections campaigns come to a climax on Thursday, Rwandan diaspora began casting their votes in an effort to elect the president.}

    Diaspora in Asia were the first to cast their votes that kicked-off August 3rd, 2017, according to the National Electoral Commission.

    Rwandans eligible to vote who are based overseas descended to different polling stations located at embassies and consulates to vote the next president who will lead the country for the next seven years.

    Because of global time zone differences, Rwandan in Japan and China were the first to cast their votes while it was night in Kigali.

    RPF-Inkontanyi candidate President Paul Kagame is in the race with Democratic Green Party Candidate Dr. Frank Habineza and independent candidate Phillippe Mpayimana.

    Over 6.8 Rwandans will participate in the poll, 25 per cent of whom are first-time voters. Women constitute 54 per cent of the electorate, while 45 per cent are youth.

    NEC mapped 2,323 polling stations across the country and diaspora ahead of the August 4 presidential polls, the Commission has said the election material and equipment is already moved to polling stations. In the Diaspora’s there over 93 polling stations.

  • RNP hands over recovered €300,000 to owner

    {Rwanda National Police (RNP), on August 1, handed over Euros 300, 000 (Approx. Rwf291m) to rightful owners – UAE Exchange Rwanda LTD, after it was recovered from two suspected thieves over the weekend.}

    The money was handed over to UAE Exchange Country Head, Naghoor Riyaz by the Police spokesperson for the City of Kigali, Supt. Emmanuel Hitayezu in an event held at Kigali Metropolitan Police Headquarters in Remera.

    Speaking shortly after receiving the money, Naghoor said he was “overwhelmed by the swiftness and professionalism exhibited by RNP officers from the time the case was reported to the time we were informed that our money has been recovered.”

    “In just six hours from the time we reported the case to the time the money was recovered; this sends a strong message that police will always be there and watching your back. It is a strong assurance to investors,” Naghoor said.

    “Any investor would want to operate in a country like Rwanda where security is guaranteed, and when such an incident happened you are assured the police will fix it.”

    The money was allegedly stolen last week by Alexis Nkubito, a company employee while parking the money that would later be airlifted to Dubai.

    Nkubito, who was supposed to send Euros 3 million, but he instead packed and sent only 2.7 million Euros.

    The alleged theft was reported by the recipients in Dubai, who reported having received less the expected amount.

    “We immediately informed the police; officers came and reviewed all our security systems and CCTV cameras. It’s from the camera recording that the police singled out Nkubito as a prime suspect,” said Riyaz.

    Police followed the money up to Gatsibo where it was recovered from Nkubito’s young brother. The two siblings are currently in Police custody.

    Meanwhile, Supt. Hitayezu thanked the company for having filed the complaint in the quickest time possible to facilitate successful investigations.

  • How can you teach us democracy when you are contesting your own? -Kagame quips

    {The RPF-Inkontanyi candidate President Paul Kagame has said that the people of Rwanda are making their choices and are ready to face their consequences.
    }

    Kagame said this on Wednesday during his final rally of the 2017 Presidential campaigns that saw him traverse the country to all districts, twice in some, selling the RPF Inkotanyi manifesto as its flag bearer in the 4th August elections due on Friday.

    The final rally was held at an expansive field in Bumbogo Sector, Gasabo District, bringing together over half a million supporters.

    “We are making our own choices. We will face their consequences the same way we faced and overcame the tragedy they caused,” the Chairman said.

    To the critics, he said that they ask if without Kagame Rwanda would still have peace, “my question is did we have peace before Kagame?”

    He queried: “How can you teach us democracy when you are contesting your own and blaming election fraud for what it has given you. We have surmounted many challenges and we will not waste any lessons.”

    According to the Chairman, by now the critics should know that Rwandans are a people who do not get dictated to, people that choose their own path.

    “Some call our clean cities the result of dictatorship. This shows the disdain they have for Africans. They believe Africans and Rwandans deserve to live in dirty cities. It is this mentality they apply to our politics,” he said.

    The campaign season, which was largely characterized by celebrations of achievements under the leadership of RPF Inkotanyi, officially ended yesterday and the elections will be held Thursday for Rwandans living in the Diaspora, while those in the country will cast their ballot on Friday.

  • Comesa rejects holding summit in Burundi

    {The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa) withdrew Burundi’s right to host the summit of heads of member states scheduled for October.
    }

    In a letter sent to the Burundian government, Comesa secretary general Sindiso Ngwenya said Burundi did not fulfil the required conditions to host the summit.

    Among reasons provided was that Burundi did not have an adequate vehicle pool to ensure the transportation of VIPs, including heads of state.

    This had been concluded after a visit by a delegation evaluating Burundi’s capacity to receive guests and reception conditions.

    Ngwenya added that the Burundian government had not allowed the delegation to visit hotels to check whether there were enough rooms for all the delegations. “The government did not allow such a visit, whereas it pretended to have reserved 1,000 rooms and 31 retinues in a secure place.” Burundi did not even have relevant infrastructure, nor a reliable internet connection, he said.

    Another factor counting against Burundi was the absence of Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza at the secretariat meeting in 2016. Attending this meeting was one of the preconditions for a country to be elected to host a summit.

    Burundi has fallen back into deep crisis since Nkurunziza announced he would run for a third term of office in 2015. This led to popular protests which culminated in a failed coup in May 2015. Since then, Nkurunziza has not left the country.

    Now Burundi is suffering the consequences of European Union (EU) economic sanctions. The EU accuses Burundian authorities of having not done enough to negotiate with the opposition to restore peace.

    “In 1984, Burundi had successfully hosted the 11th Franco-African summit, but today it is deemed unfit to host a Comesa summit,” an unidentified diplomat said.

    Comesa was formed in 1994 to replace the preferential trade agreement in existence since 1981. It comprises 20 member states, stretching from Libya to Swaziland.

    The summit has been rescheduled to be held in Lusaka, Zambia. The Burundi proposal to host the summit had been made and accepted during a previous Comesa summit in 2015 in Addis-Ababa, Ethiopia.

  • Police reassures of peaceful elections

    {The Inspector General of Police, Emmanuel K. Gasana, yesterday received a team of African Union observers whom he reassured that the elections will be conducted in a peaceful, safe and smooth manner. }

    The IGP briefed the African Union observer delegation, led by the former President of Mali, Dioncounda Traore, on the security situation in the country and reassured to them of peaceful, safe, and smooth elections.

    The IGP underscored that the police established a security campaign plan for the entire electoral period – before, during, and after the elections.

    He informed the observers that thus far the campaign period was incident free and reassured them that the elections will be conducted in a secure environment.

    “We drew a whole security plan at the national level to ensure that the whole process is not disrupted,” IGP Gasana said.

    Further, the IGP informed the delegation that the mission of the police during the elections is to secure polling centers and to provide the escort of electoral materials; security to officials of the electoral commission, election observers, and the general public.

    “We have successfully secured all campaign venues, ensured the security of candidates and their entourage, and safety on roads as part of overall mission of homeland security,” the IGP emphasized, adding that this is ensuring overall security is a collaborative effort with other security entities and the public.

    His Excellency Traore, on his part, observed that the AU observer mission in Rwanda is a duty that is informed by African solidarity.

    He acknowledged that the prevailing security situation was satisfactory pointing out that Rwanda offers a great example to other African countries in terms of election preparedness.

    “We know, and the world knows, that Rwanda is safe; Africa has a lot to learn from Rwanda …We all know Rwanda’s past and where you are today” he said.

    Mr. Traore concluded by wishing Rwandans “successful” elections and laid emphasis on the need for other African countries to “emulate this model of preparing and conducting elections” which he said is “proof that Africa can do things on its own.”

  • RDF hands over irrigation pumps to cooperatives in Ngoma District

    {Rwanda Defence Force has officially handed over 15 irrigation pumps (water-motor pumps) to 46 Members of Farmers Cooperative (Cooperative des CultivateursProgressistes URUMURI); farming around Akagera marshland Rukumberi Sector in Ngoma District.}

    The event graced by the Mayor of Ngoma District Mr. Aphrodise Nambaje and the 211 Brigade Commander Col Bertin Cyubahiro Mukasa was held on 31st July in Gituza Cell, Rukumberi Sector.

    The two Officials underscored the importance of the new irrigation systems provided to increase productivity.

    Col Cyubahiro Mukasa said; “The modern irrigation pumps acquired will increase the production for farmers who have been using small-scale watering cans for irrigation.”
    He encouraged farmers to take advantage of the new irrigation pumps to get the intended results

    “I Hope there will be no more unproductive land as you are now equipped with these enablers”, said Col Mukasa.

    According to Ngoma District Mayor, the irrigation pumps will also contribute to uplifting the livelihood of farmers and increase the annual productivity.

    “Initially the Akagera marshland has been producing watermelons, tomatoes, cabbages, onions, carrots and other types of vegetables using traditional means of irrigation. You can imagine the quality and quantity of the harvest that could result from this marshland with these modern irrigation pumps donated by RDF,” Mayor Nambaje told Rukumberi Residents.

    Mechanization farming in Mutenderi Sector

    After Rukumberi Sector, Ngoma District mayor accompanied by 211 Brigade Commander moved to Mutenderi Sector to inaugurate another Quick Impact Project meant to support mechanization farming in Mutenderi Sector, Ngoma District, Eastern Province.

    This Project is a collaborative effort of the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources, the Rwanda Defence Force and Ngoma District, consisting of increasing productivity of maize and other produce by use of farming tractors on an area of 54 Ha in Zaza Sector, Ngoma District.

    Other agricultural activities conducted during 2017 Army week in Eastern Province include hill side and marshland farming on an area of 1,176 Ha, banana pruning on 134 Ha, eradication of banana weevils on 213 Ha, coffee plantation rehabilitation on 252 Ha, nursery bed preparation and maintenance of terraces on 15 Ha.