Author: IGIHE

Tanzania:Dar goes high-tech, to instal cameras at traffic lights

{The City of Dar es Salaam is set to go high-tech as the Regional Commissioner (RC), Paul Makonda, plans to instal closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras at traffic lights junctions and police stations to increase efficiency and curb corruption.}

Mr Makonda will also instal 100 computers at police stations where offenders’ information will be stored, instead of writing on paper as is the case currently.

The Dar es Salaam RC made the remarks yesterday at Oysterbay Police Station when sending off 26 out of 56 police patrol vehicles for major repairs and revamping in Moshi, Kilimanjaro Region, aboard Tanzania People’s Defence Forces (TPDF) trucks.

He said that the video surveillance at traffic lights will address challenges faced by police officers in apprehending offenders who fail to comply with traffic light signs, through photographic evidence.

According to Mr Makonda, the driver whose personal details including telephone contacts will be under their vehicle number plate in a new system to be launched soon will be required to pay the penalty.

“I am in discussions with the Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA), the Surface and Marine Transport Regulatory Authority (SUMATRA) and the police so of the offender,” he explained.

In a move that will help end corruption of filing of false charges in police stations, Mr Makonda is also overseeing the installation of 20 video surveillance cameras in 20 police stations in the region.

The CCTV cameras will be linked to the RC’s office who is also the region’s chairperson for security and safety committee; the Officer Commanding District (OCD); Regional Police Commander (RPC) and Special Zone Police Commander.

“This will make it possible for any of us to see what is hap pening at any of the charge room offices (CRO) of any of the 20 police stations installed with CCTV cameras and follow it up. There is a major challenge of innocent people being arrested without being charged and are coerced to pay bribes for their release, we want this to stop,” he explained.

Mr Makonda added: “We want to see everyone working and adhering to their work ethics. Those who had been asking for bribes, this should end now.” On the same note, of the 100 computers the RC is installing at 20 police stations, each will receive eight computers.

We can have details of all owners including pictures included with the registered vehicle number plate for ease identification

Source:Daily News

June 15, 2017
MKUR commemorates

{On 12th June 2017, residents of Kicukiro District and High Hills Academy pupils joined Mount Kenya University Rwanda (MKUR) fraternity in marking the 23rd commemoration of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi.}

The commemoration which started with a walk to remember from MKUR to Nyanza Genocide memorial site was graced by the Vice Mayor in charge of social affairs, Kicukiro District, Bayigana Emmanuel. Also present were: a representative from Commission Nationale de luttecontre le Genocide (CNLG), Gatabaz iClaver, Mwesigye Robert, the Executive Secretary of National Youth Council and other Government officials.

In his speech to mark the commemoration, the Vice Chancellor of MKUR, Prof Edwin Odhuno gratified Kicukiro District and the Government for providing an enabling environment for education to flourish and said the University will continue supporting worthy causes that positively impact society.

“We thank the leadership of Rwanda for national unity and putting in place policies and laws to ensure genocide does not happen again. Rwanda is now on the right track for sustainable development and MKUR will be supportive of government programmes that promote peace and unity in society,” he said.

Quoting His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Rwanda, Paul Kagame in his own words, ‘Rwanda cannot turn back the clock, but we have the power to determine the future.’ Prof Odhuno urged Rwandans to embark on continuing re-building the nation for the betterment of the young generation.

June 15, 2017
Experimental cancer drug shows promise

A collaboration between Saïd M. Sebti, Ph.D., chair of Moffitt Cancer Center’s Drug Discovery Department, and Michele Pagano, M.D., chair of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology at New York University’s Langone Medical Center, led to the publication of an important study in the latest issue of Nature. The investigation found that the drug, geranylgeranyltransferase inhibitor GGTI-2418 suppresses a new defective PTEN cancer pathway discovered by Pagano’s group.

Fully functional PTEN is well known to suppress tumor growth by antagonizing the PI3K/Akt tumor survival pathway. Pagano’s group discovered a novel mechanism by which PTEN protects cells from cancer by preventing the geranylgeranylated protein FBXL2 from binding and degrading IP3R3. IP3R3 is an important anti-cancer “sensor” recognizing hyper-proliferating cells that use abnormally high levels of energy, and targeting them to self-destruct as an anti-cancer safety mechanism. The PTEN gene binds to IP3R3, protecting its cancer-sensing function. However PTEN is defective in many cancers, and as such, FBXL2 is left unchecked; too much IP3R3 is degraded and fast-multiplying cells are less able to self-destruct.

“FXBL2 may be partially responsible for cancer growth in the many patients with genetic changes that happen to disable PTEN,” said Pagano. The drug GGTI-2418 blocks this cancer-causing activity of FBXL2 by inhibiting its geranylgeranylation which is required for FBXL2 to bind and degrade IP3R3. GGTI-2418 was co-discovered and developed by Sebti and NYU President Andrew Hamilton, Ph.D., while he was at Yale University. .

Another fascinating consequence of this discovery is that cancers with defective PTEN activate two tumor survival circuits to evade cell death, the PI3K/Akt and the FBXL2 pathways. “These findings have important translational implications as patients whose tumors harbor defective PTEN may benefit greatly from a combination of inhibitors of FBXL2 geranylgeranylation, such as GGTI-2418, and inhibitors of Akt, such as TCN-P,” said Sebti. Both GGTI-2418 and TCN-P were co-discovered by Sebti and are now developed by the clinical-stage oncology company Prescient Therapeutics Ltd.

The researchers also found that using GGTI-2418 to block FBXL2 from degrading IP3R3 made the tumors in mice more vulnerable to photodynamic therapy (PDT).”This experimental drug, by itself and with a form of light therapy, countered FBXL2 to let abnormal cells self-destruct,” said Pagano “We will be looking to collaborate with Dr. Sebti on clinical studies combining GGTI-2418 with PDT or TCN-P in patients with low PTEN.”

Source:Science Daily

June 15, 2017
New face-aging technique could boost search for missing people

{The method maps out the key features, such as the shape of the cheek, mouth and forehead, of a face at a certain age. This information is fed to a computer algorithm which then synthesises new features for the face to produce photographic quality images of the face at different ages.}

A key feature of the method is that it teaches the machine how humans age by feeding the algorithm facial feature data from a large database of individuals at various ages. Consequently, the method improves on existing techniques, achieving greater level of accuracy.

The findings will be presented at the International Conference on Missing Children and Adults at Abertay University, Dundee in June, and have been published in the Journal of Forensic Sciences.

Professor Hassan Ugail, of Bradford’s Centre for Visual Computing, is leading the research. He said: “Each year around 300,000 missing person cases are recorded in the UK alone. This has been part of our motivation in endeavouring to improve current techniques of searching for missing people, particularly those who have been missing for some considerable time.”

The technique developed by the team uses a method of predictive modelling and applies it to age progression. The model is further strengthened by incorporating facial data from a large database of individuals at different ages thus teaching the machine how humans actually age. In order to test their results the researchers use a method called de-aging whereby they take an individual’s picture and run their algorithm backwards to de-age that person to a younger age. The result is then compared with an actual photograph of the individual taken at the young age.

As a test case, the researchers chose to work on the case of Ben Needham. Ben disappeared on the Greek island of Kos on 24th July 1991, when he was only 21 months old. He has never been found, but several images have been produced by investigators showing how Ben might look at ages 11-14 years, 17-20 years, and 20-22 years. The team used their method to progress the image of Ben Needham to the ages of 6, 14 and 22 years. The resulting images show very different results, which the researchers believe more closely resemble what Ben might look like today.

An effective method needs to do two things: the synthesized images need to fit the intended age; and they need to retain the identity of the subject in age-progressed images. The results were evaluated using both machine and human methods, and in both, the images of Ben produced using this method were found to be more like the original picture of Ben than the images created as part of previous investigations.

Professor Ugail added: “No criticism is implied of existing age progression work. Instead we are presenting our work as a development and improvement that could make a contribution to this important area of police work. We are currently working with the relevant parties to further test our method. We are also developing further research plans in order to develop this method so it can be incorporated as a biometric feature, in face recognition systems, for example.”

“Our method generates more individualised results and hence is more accurate for a given face. This is because we have used large datasets of faces from different ethnicities as well as gender in order to train our algorithm. Furthermore, our model can take data from an individual’s relatives, if available, such as parents, grandparents and siblings. This enables us to generate more accurate and individualised ageing results. Current methods that exist use linear or one-dimensional methods whereas ours is non-linear, which means it is better suited for the individual in question.”

Source:Science Daily

June 15, 2017
Anti-GBV campaign goes to Rulindo District

{Officers of Rwanda National Police met with residents of Base Sector of Rulindo district recently and challenged them to be ambassadors in fighting and reporting cases of gender based violence as well as amplify their voice against the vice in order to harness public safety and security.}

The call was made during a meeting that brought together several families which were marred in wrangles to ensure that such misunderstandings are brought to an end with erupting into violence.

In his address to the families, the District Community Liaison Officer (DCLO) Inspector of Police (IP) Fidele Mbonimana told any form of family wrangles is likely to result in violence and related cases of GBV to drug abuse.

“GBV and drug abuse pose a serious security and that why RNP stringent measures like establishing a Gender Desk Directorate and Isange One Stop Centre for medical and legal service for the victims at no cost” he said.

Isange One Stop Centre provides free psycho, socio-medical and legal services to adults and child survivors of GBV and child abuse and currently operates in almost all corners of the country.

“If we want to have a GBV-free society, it is paramount that we take a collective measure to protect the victims. GBV has diverse negative consequences including unplanned pregnancies, unsafe abortion, sexually transmitted diseases, psychological trauma, family conflicts, death and physical disabilities; and is an obstacle to peaceful relations in families and communities,” said the DCLO.

He called for enhanced partnership in preventing and reporting GBV and reminded attendants that, “Rwanda has shown a strong political will to prevent and fight GBV. The constitution highlights a gender dimension that covers GBV among other issues. Ratified, domesticated and popularized regional and international conventions and implemented, legal and policy frameworks are also in place to serve as a foundation to better tackle the challenges of gender-based violence.”

The international and regional conventions include the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) (1979), and the Platform for Action adopted at the UN World Conference on Women in Beijing (1995). Rwanda’s legal reforms, in 1999, also gave women and girls property rights, including the right to inherit land from their parents, which was treated like a taboo previously.

IP Mbonimana said institutions like Rwanda National Police have been at the forefront in implementing these national and international laws and protocols.

Fiacre Nkunzinezayimana, the executive secretary of Base sector, commended RNP’s continued efforts in maintaining security in the country and fighting gender based violence in particular.

“If these acts are to be dealt with effectively, everyone has to be active too. These are crimes that happen within before us in communities, by our neighbours, and we can prevent them if we decide to do so by reporting them to the nearest authorities,” Nkunzinezayimana said, calling upon the general public to also be active in community development activities where these issues are also discussed.

Source:Police

June 15, 2017
Jupiter is one old-timer, scientist finds

{An international group of scientists has found that Jupiter is the oldest planet in our solar system.}

By looking at tungsten and molybdenum isotopes on iron meteorites, the team, made up of scientists from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Institut für Planetologie at the University of Münsterin Germany, found that meteorites are made up from two genetically distinct nebular reservoirs that coexisted but remained separated between 1 million and 3-4 million years after the solar system formed.

“The most plausible mechanism for this efficient separation is the formation of Jupiter, opening a gap in the disc (a plane of gas and dust from stars) and preventing the exchange of material between the two reservoirs,” said Thomas Kruijer, lead author of the paper appearing in the June 12 online issue of, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Formerly at the University of Münster, Kruijer, is now at LLNL. “Jupiter is the oldest planet of the solar system, and its solid core formed well before the solar nebula gas dissipated, consistent with the core accretion model for giant planet formation.”

Jupiter is the most massive planet of the solar system and its presence had an immense effect on the dynamics of the solar accretion disk. Knowing the age of Jupiter is key for understanding how the solar system evolved toward its present-day architecture. Although models predict that Jupiter formed relatively early, until now, its formation has never been dated.

“We do not have any samples from Jupiter (in contrast to other bodies like the Earth, Mars, the moon and asteroids),” Kruijer said. “In our study, we use isotope signatures of meteorites (which are derived from asteroids) to infer Jupiter’s age.”

The team showed through isotope analyses of meteorites that Jupiter’s solid core formed within only about 1 million years after the start of the solar system history, making it the oldest planet. Through its rapid formation, Jupiter acted as an effective barrier against inward transport of material across the disk, potentially explaining why our solar system lacks any super-Earths (an extrasolar planet with a mass higher than Earth’s).

The team found that Jupiter’s core grew to about 20 Earth masses within 1 million years, followed by a more prolonged growth to 50 Earth masses until at least 3-4 million years after the solar system formed.

The earlier theories proposed that gas-giant planets such as Jupiter and Saturn involved the growth of large solid cores of about 10 to 20 Earth masses, followed by the accumulation of gas onto these cores. So the conclusion was the gas-giant cores must have formed before dissipation of the solar nebula — the gaseous circumstellar disk surrounding the young sun — which likely occurred between 1 million years and 10 million years after the solar system formed.

In the work, the team confirmed the earlier theories but we’re able to date Jupiter much more precisely within 1 million years using the isotopic signatures of meteorites.

Although this rapid accretion of the cores has been modeled, it had not been possible to date their formation.

“Our measurements show that the growth of Jupiter can be dated using the distinct genetic heritage and formation times of meteorites,” Kruijer said.

Most meteorites derive from small bodies located in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Originally these bodies probably formed at a much wider range of heliocentric distances, as suggested by the distinct chemical and isotopic compositions of meteorites and by dynamical models indicating that the gravitational influence of the gas giants led to scattering of small bodies into the asteroid belt.

Source:Science Daily

June 15, 2017
RwandAir to start flights to Brussels Airport

{RwandAir, the national carrier of the Republic of Rwanda has unveiled a plan to begin non-stop flights from Kigali to Brussels, in Belgium effective next month while all return flights from Brussels to Kigali will be via London.}

Chance Ndagano, the Acting Chief Executive Officer of RwandAir has said the flight is anticipated to expand connections and widen business opportunities.

“Adding Brussels to our fast growing network, reaffirms our commitment to create new opportunities for both continents with smooth connections from cities with high demand and will go a long way in boosting trade and tourism, ” he said.

The launch of flights to Brussels comes after the airline’s successful entry into the London market last month (May). The new route takes RwandAir’s network to twenty-three (23) destinations.

With the new three flights a week between Brussels and Kigali, which will be operated by the airline’s Airbus A330 fleet configured in a triple class cabin and equipped with in-flight connectivity, RwandAir offers a differentiated product in terms of passenger comfort and convenience.

Brussels, Belgium’s fascinating capital and the administrative capital of the European Union, is mainly known for centuries of history, renaissance architecture and monuments. The city’s main attractions include the Grand-Place, an UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Bronzed Manneken-Pis and admirable green spaces such as the “Parc du Cinquantenaire”, Belgian Independence Monument.

From its hub at the heart of Africa at Kigali International Airport, RwandAir is reputed for its Excellency in on-time performance, customer service and safety, and has one of the youngest fleet on the African continent. RwandAir, an IATA member airline renewed its IOSA certification in 2016 and has been ISAGO and EASA certified the same year.

With a fleet of twelve aircraft including two wide-body Airbus A330 acquired last year (2016), the airline currently reaches out twenty-two destinations across East, Central, West and Southern Africa, the Middle East, Europe and Asia.

In April and May 2017, RwandAir started flying to Mumbai in India, Harare in Zimbabwe and London, in the United Kingdom. In the third quarter of 2017, RwandAir plans to spread its wings to Bamako (Mali), Conakry (Guinea) and Dakar (Senegal). Later this year, RwandAir’s ever growing network will spread to Guangzhou (China). In 2018, RwandAir plans to enter the American market with flights to New York, in the United States of America.

June 15, 2017
Made in Rwanda food products penetrate Ugandan market

{Africa Improved Foods, a manufacturer of high quality and nutritious complementary foods operating in Rwanda is set to launch its commercial products at Metroplex Mall -Naalya, Kampala, Uganda in two different events bringing together the media and mothers today.}

Nootri Mama and Nootri Toto are specifically designed to address nutritional needs of a child in its first 1,000 days of development.

In 2013, an alarming study entitled ‘The Cost of Hunger in Africa’ showed that Uganda loses US $899 million (approx. 1.5 trillion Uganda Shillings) annually which is equivalent to 5.6 per cent of its Gross Domestic Product due to the adverse effects of malnutrition.

Today, about 33 percent of children under the age of 5 are stunted and almost half (49 percent) suffer from anaemia, according to the 2011 Uganda Demographic and Health Survey (UDHS 2011) which makes AIF’s intervention timely.

“It is our responsibility to make sure that children are not deprived of a bright future because of malnutrition,” the AIF Country Manager Prosper Ndayiragije said.

The production of Nootri is inspired by solid evidence that the first 1,000 days, from conception to a child’s second birthday, are critical for its physical and mental development. It is widely proven and acknowledged that offering the right nutrition during this window is essential for a child’s healthy growth and cognitive development.

AIF, however,recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of a child’s life and continued breastfeeding until the child is two years of age to achieve optimal growth, development and long-term health.

The products are now available in different retail outlets at a cost of Shs13,000 for a 500g pack.

Besides Nootri products, AIF’s $60m state of the art facility also produces relief foods ‘Super Cereal Plus’ for the World Food Programme as well as ‘Shisha Kibondo’ for the Government of Rwanda.

{{About Africa Improved Foods:}}

AIF is a joint venture between the Government of Rwanda and a consortium of Royal DSM (a €12.9billion global science based company), IFC, Dutch development bank (FMO) and DFID Impact Acceleration Facility managed by CDC Group plc. The objective of AIF is to address malnutrition and stunting in the East-African region by manufacturing high -quality nutritious complementary foods. These foods are produced with locally grown maize and soya beans, which are then milled and blended with micronutrient pre-mix, skim milk powder and soy oil. The primary beneficiaries of these complementary nutritious foods are pregnant and breastfeeding mothers, older infants above six months as well as young children. AIF is based at the Kigali Special Economic Zone.

June 15, 2017
London fire: Six killed as Grenfell Tower engulfed

{At least six people have died after a huge fire raged through the night at a west London 24-storey tower block, and police expect that number to rise.}

Eyewitnesses described people trapped in the burning Grenfell Tower, in north Kensington, screaming for help and yelling for their children to be saved.

Firefighters, who rescued many people, were called at 00:54 BST and are still trying to put out the fire.

Police say there may still be people in the building who are unaccounted for.

During the night, eyewitnesses said they saw lights – thought to be mobile phones or torches – flashing at the top of the block of flats, and trapped residents coming to their windows – some holding children.

It is understood that “several hundred” people would have been in the block when the fire broke out shortly after midnight, most of them sleeping.

Commander Stuart Cundy, of the Metropolitan Police, said the recovery operation would be “complex and lengthy”, and the number of fatalities was expected to rise.

He declined to give any details of the number of people who may be missing.

He said it was likely to be some time before police could identify the victims, adding that it was too early to speculate on the cause of the fire.

An emergency number – 0800 0961 233 – has been set up for anyone concerned about friends or family.

More than 70 people have received treatment in hospital. At least 20 are known to be in a critical condition.

At 13:00 BST, Fire Commissioner Dany Cotton said firefighters expected to be on the scene for at least another 24 hours and she would not speculate about the cause of the blaze.

She said there were concerns that people were still inside the tower and she urged all residents to make sure they had reported themselves to police so that the authorities know they are safe.

Prime Minister Theresa May is “deeply saddened by the tragic loss of life”, said Downing Street.

Meanwhile, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is to demand a government statement in Parliament on Thursday on the tragedy, the BBC understands.

Later, police and fire minister Nick Hurd will chair a cross-party meeting to look at how the government can assist the emergency services and local authorities.

Paul Munakr, who lives on the seventh floor, managed to escape.

“As I was going down the stairs, there were firefighters, truly amazing firefighters that were actually going upstairs, to the fire, trying to get as many people out the building as possible,” he told the BBC.

He said he was alerted to the fire not by fire alarms but by people on the street below, shouting “don’t jump, don’t jump”.

Eyewitness Jody Martin said: “I watched one person falling out, I watched another woman holding her baby out the window… hearing screams.

“I was yelling at everyone to get down and they were saying ‘We can’t leave our apartments, the smoke is too bad on the corridors.’”

Michael Paramasivan, who lives on the seventh floor with his girlfriend and young daughter, said he ignored official advice to stay in your home.

“If we had stayed in that flat, we would’ve perished. My gut instinct told me just to get the girls out. I wrapped the little one up because of the smoke and I just got them out.”

Another resident, Zoe, who lives on the fourth floor, said she was woken by a neighbour banging on her door.

“The whole landing was thick with smoke. The smoke alarms weren’t going off but the way it spread so quickly from the fourth floor, all the way up to the 23rd floor was scary.”

They have lost their homes and for some, tragically their relatives.

At times there is the sound of sobbing as the word goes round that someone is missing, someone is feared dead.

I’ve spent the day inside the community centre where survivors have gathered.

Downstairs in the hall families sit at tables and wait for news.

One family told me they hadn’t heard from their brother, sister and three children – Mirna, Fatima and Zainnb. Other relatives were out searching hospitals. There was still no news.

Outside the centre, Sawsan was with a group of women. For one it was too much, she was on the floor crying. Sawsan hasn’t heard from her mum, sister, brother-in-law and nieces. She spoke to them when the fire started but nothing since.

Inside the centre, families are being helped with food, housing and medical treatment. It’s busy and everyone is helping. Just not with the one thing they need – information about whether their relatives are safe.

Christabel told me how lucky her father had been. He tried to fight the fire but made it out alive.

Ed was saved when a friend called him to tell him to get out the building. “I’m lucky” he says. But they have lost everything.

Grenfell Tower, built in 1974, is part of the Lancaster West Estate, a sprawling inner-city social housing complex of almost 1,000 homes.

Robert Black, chief executive of the tower’s management company, the Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation, said: “The fire at Grenfell Tower is devastating and the reports of injury and losses of life absolutely heartbreaking.

“Along with my colleagues, I have been supporting residents since the early hours, working with the emergency services and the community.”

The BBC’s Andy Moore, who was at the scene through the night, described watching debris falling from the building, and hearing explosions and breaking glass.

The London Fire Brigade said a structural engineer had checked the building and determined it was not in danger of collapse and that rescue teams were safe to be inside.

Initially, it was feared that the building, which appears to be gutted, could collapse.
Mayor Sadiq Khan said he was devastated by the horrific scenes, attended by more than 250 firefighters and 100 ambulance medics.

Questions will need to be answered over the safety of tower blocks, he told BBC Radio.

“We can’t have a situation where people’s safety is put at risk because of bad advice being given or if it is the case, as has been alleged, of tower blocks not being properly serviced or maintained,” he said.

Matt Wrack, of the Fire Brigades Union said something had clearly gone badly wrong with fire prevention procedures at the building.

Firefighters would normally fight a fire in a tower block from the inside, going up the fire escape, and fighting using the internal dry-rising mains, he said, but that’s not been possible in this case.

Construction firm Rydon said recent building work which it carried out on the block “met all required building control, fire regulation and health and safety standards”.

Appeals are being made on social media for news of missing friends and relatives, who might have been caught in the blaze.

Emergency rest centres have opened for those now homeless at Latymer Community Centre, St Clement’s Church, Harrow Club and Rugby Portobello Trust. There are also local collections under way for spare clothes, toys, blankets and toiletries.

People are being advised by police to stay away from the area, where roads remain closed and nearby residents have been evacuated as a precaution.

{{Safety concerns}}

Grenfell Tower underwent a two-year £10m refurbishment as part of a wider transformation of the estate, that was completed last year.

Work included new exterior cladding and a communal heating system.

The 24-storey tower, containing about 120 flats, is managed by the Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation (KCTMO) on behalf of the council.

Before and during the refurbishment, the local Grenfell Action Group claimed that the block constituted a fire risk and residents warned that site access for emergency vehicles was “severely restricted”.

Construction firm Rydon, which carried out the refurbishment, said it was “shocked to hear of the devastating fire” and added that the work “met all required building control, fire regulation and health and safety standards”.

Council leader Nick Paget-Brown said the buildings were regularly inspected, but a “thorough investigation” was needed.

Source:BBC

June 14, 2017
Cocobean club refutes discrimination accusations

The issue went viral as the lady who goes by the name Uyauya on twitter, showed great distress after she had been allegedly denied entry because of her skin disorder [albino].

She tweeted, “I had a lovely Saturday. Until @CocobeanKgl denied me entry into the club because I am albino. Apparently a person with albinism “causes a scene”, and a “no albinos” policy was placed.”

{{This has been strongly refuted by the nightclub officials}}

Speaking to IGIHE, Cocobean’s proprietor, Eugène Habimana [popularly known as Cobra] said that Ncomanzi’s accusations and testimony were very different from what actually happened—a reality supported by the footage from the club’s video cameras.

The footage shows Ncomanzi with her three friends at Cocobean, staying a long time outside the club, while smoking. It also shows one of her friends talking to the bouncer who claims that he refused them entry because they were drunk—a policy of the club that is applied to everyone.

“In our club, everyone is treated equally. If a patron is sober and has money, why would we refuse him/her entry? It doesn’t make sense” Cobra countered. “But if our bouncers notice that the patron in question shows some signs of drunkenness, it is in everyone’s interest that the patron is denied entry, as most times they are the ones who are most prone to causing scenes and fights,” Cobra explained.

“We reserve the right to refuse entry for various reasons, but racism or discrimination over skin color is never one of them.” He added

Cobra who has been in the business for 27 years said that it was the first time he encountered such an issue in his entire career.

{{Testimony of the Bouncer accused of ‘Social Discrimination’}}

The security guard of the club [Bouncer], Ishimwe Arnold who was accused of social discrimination, says that his actions were informed by the club policy of denying entry.

Ishimwe says that he did not hold any discussions with the Zimbabwean woman who accused him of social discrimination. He further added that if he had to send her away because she was Albino, he would’ve said it straight to her rather than address the matter to her friend.

“The female Zimbabwean came with her three friends around 12:30 and 2am; they stayed out for a long time; at first, I thought they were waiting for someone, but I came to find that they were only smoking joints.”

“I and some other bouncers started wondering why these people were standing outside for such a long time and we finally decided to question one of the male friends. As he was responding, I caught a whiff of booze on him, which is why I denied him entry,” he explains.

Ishimwe added that all patrons were subjected to the same rules and that the club had absolutely nothing against Albinism as it was being accused.

Cocobean’s front entry is adorned with a notice board that show that the club does not allow a patron wearing shorts; a patron who has been drinking too much and may be prone to causing a scene; if the patron is underage; and other various reasons.

June 14, 2017