Author: IGIHE

The PSU composed of 140 Police officers, is one of the three Rwandan Police contingents deployed in CAR. Two others serve as Formed Police Units (FPU).
The PSU-4 safely arrived home at about 4:30 pm aboard the national carrier—RwandAir—after successfully completing their year-long tour-of-duty. Their arrival came a few hours after they were replaced by PSU-5 commanded by Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) Valence Muhabwa.

Commissioner of Police (CP) Robert Niyonshuti, Commissioner for Training and development in RNP, saluted the rotated contingents at KigaliInternational Airport.

Superintendent of Police (SP) Dieudonne Binombe Mwiseneza, who guided PSU-4 back home, said that “we are happy to come back home safely.”

“The whole contingent has come back home unharmed and safe with UN medals of service excellence,” SP Binombe said.

“Our country believed in us and entrusted us with this duty of restoring peace in CAR, we have accomplished our duty. Now that we are here, the mission of ensuring safety and security continues back home.”

Prior to their departure, PSU-5 commander, CSP Valence Muhabwa said that “we are taking up a challenging national duty but which we have been trained enough and equipped to face positively.”

“Our colleagues whom we are replacing got the same training as all those that have been there before, so we are taking up peacekeeping responsibilities that we have been prepared to face as a team with discipline and professionalism,” said CSP Muhabwa.

“Discipline, partnership with other peacekeepers and professional services, which were also part of our five-month pre-deployment training, are our pillars to a successful tour-of-duty.”

Whereas the PSU undertakes special duties assigned by the Joint Task-Force Commander and protection of high profile government and UN officials including CAR Prime Minister and MINUSCA Special Representative of the UN Secretary General; FPU contingents are charged with public order management, protection of internally displaced persons, key installations and infrastructures, patrols and escort duties, among others.

The outpatient first aid and ambulance services was started by the Government of Rwanda 11 years ago, with a mission of providing free medical phone advice and in some cases pre-hospital treatment or optimised hospital orientation especially during disaster situations or emergencies.

SAMU mainly operates in Kigali but also works with different hospitals across the country. Reports show that most patients request for SAMU services through their free toll line, 912.

Among those patients, 60% suffer from fatal injuries with 80-90% of them being victims of road accidents, 20% of SAMU of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and high blood pressure among others.

Between 10 and 15% of SAMU patients are pregnant women while the remaining 4% are children with different conditions.

Dr. Theophile Dushime, the Division Manager for Emergency Medical Services (EMS) in the Ministry of Health told IGIHE that the first priority is caring for the patient before requesting for payment.

“Our objective is ensuring first that the patient’s life is not at risk then proceed with insurance and payment requirements. Between 50 and 55% of SAMU patients are not subscribed to any insurance. 40% use Mutuelle de Santé while 5% use Rwanda Social Security Board (RSSB) insurance.”

It is a major challenge for SAMU which besides caring for the patients, spends on expensive medical equipment and drugs with patients rarely paying back.

“We pay all the expenses incurred during the treatment of a patient. Those with Mutuelle de Santé are expected to only pay back 10% of the total cost but only 2 to 3% of patients payback after they recover. That leaves us with 97% of expenses unpaid for.”

Dr. Dushime urged patients to always carry their medical insurance and call 912 only in emergency cases as it has been reported that some people call the toll number with no significant issue.

SAMU reported that in December 2019, 597 patients received first aid services costing up to Rwf 12.8 million. Only Rwf 180,000 has been repaid back.

Statistics from the World Health Organization (WHO) show that one ambulance provides first aid to 200,000 patients in cities and up to 300,000 patients in rural areas.

In November 2017, the City of Kigali released the Nyabugogo Catchment Plan which aimed at promoting sustainable development of the Nyabugogo area through improved land use, traffic conditions, and better protection against the effects of floods.

The first phase of the project included the construction of Nyabugogo Bus Terminus which was estimated to cost Rwf 45 billion.

The preliminary project design plans by the Rwanda Federation of Transport Cooperatives (RFTC) were to construct a 66,000 square meters five-storied complex to accommodate the new bus station.

The project was expected to start in 2018 but until now it has not yet started despite the City of Kigali constant promises that it will soon be underway.

Dr. Nsabimana Ernest, City of Kigali Vice Mayor in charge of Urbanization and Infrastructure told IGIHE that the first Master Plan was flawed but is currently being corrected.

“River Nyabarongo snakes its way through the project site further providing challenges in design and construction of structures needed to transition Nyabugogo into a modern hub. We have made a few modifications and we are confident the Master Plan will be implemented within the shortest delay.”

Redesigning Nyabugogo Bus Station aims at developing a profitable, modern and well-organized infrastructure with complement facilities where travelers can meet everything, they need during their requirement to transit to, within, around and from Kigali city in line with the Kigali conceptual master plan. The redesigned plan will incorporate a floodwater management project in the Nyabugogo catchment.

To address the problem of floods, the City of Kigali will build a water drainage system in Mpazi area in partnership with Rwanda Water and Forestry Authority (RWFA) and the European Union (EU).

“Nyabugogo area is typically marked by weeds, minimal vegetation, and stagnant water. Towards the completion of the bus transit hub, we will plant more gardens and build bridges to allow pedestrians cross to the bus station without damaging the existing green areas.”

Dr. Nsabimana said that the City of Kigali will dedicate all its efforts to complete the project and that the dates of implementation will be communicated.

Throughout the rehabilitation works, the bus station will be temporarily relocated to another space. He said that the budget will also be modified to incorporate the new changes.

Nyabugogo rehabilitation is meant to cope up with the future needs of Kigali City as a modern metropolis.

Teacher shortage occurred due to various reasons including poor working conditions, lack of support, lack of autonomy, and the changing curriculum.

However, statistics from the Ministry of Education say otherwise.
The number of primary schools teachers has increased from 43558 in 2016 to 44544 in 2018 and primary schools from 2842 to 2909. In secondary schools, the number increased from 28,875 to 30,040 and secondary schools from 1575 to 1728.

Despite the promising statistics, the increasing number of students does not match the available teachers and that will inevitably cause a decline in educational standards.

Overcrowded classrooms affect teacher performance due to more books to mark, more children to monitor, more children’s behavior that needs managing and so on.

During the graduation ceremony of 3859 students in Teacher Training Colleges (TTC)on January 14th, 2020, REB Director General, Ndayambaje Irénée said there was a shortage of 6000 teachers in Rwanda. “This year only, we need up to 6000 teachers in primary and secondary schools to address the shortage but so far, we have 380 pending applications.”

To deal with the shortage, REB has instructed TTC schools to hand over diplomas to graduates within the shortest delay so that the graduates can apply and contribute to filling the teacher shortage gap.

Ngabonziza Joseph, TTC Kabarore Director said there is a problem with fewer students in teacher prep programs but due to sensitization activities more and more students are applying to study in TTCs.

“The number of applicants is much higher compared to before.” He said that issuing diplomas to graduates will help solve the shortage of teachers.

Normally, 1 teacher should not have more than 46 students in a classroom but REB reported that some classrooms have more than 60 students worsening teachers’ workload.

The Protection Support Unit-Five (PSU-5) contingent of 140 Police officers under the command of Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) Valence Muhabwa is set to replace PSU-4 under the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the CAR (MINUSCA) rotation.

During the pre-deployment briefing on Tuesday at the Rwanda National Police (RNP) General Headquarters in Kacyiru, DIGP Namuhoranye said that “preserving and holding the national flag high goes with discipline, professionalism and facing the challenges positively.”

“Your country selected, trained and equipped you to accomplish your mandate. You are not the first to be sent for this national duty, so we expect nothing less; continue setting the bar high and set a challenge for those who will replace you,” DIGP Namuhoranye said.

He urged them to aim for “incident-free mission” which he said is determined by discipline, team spirit, respect and professionalism.

“Be where you are supposed to be in the right time doing what you are required to do. Whatever you do, even when off-duty, the way you speak, walk, dress, stand, and operate; everything should depict the Rwandan values in you.”

“Any error by one Police officer affects the whole contingent, the institution and your country and we can’t afford that.”
Rwanda started deploying Police peacekeepers to CAR in 2014. PSU is one of the three Rwandan Police contingents currently serving under MINUSCA, each composed of 140 officers. Two other contingents serve as Formed Police Units (FPU)s.

The PSU is particularly in charge of security for CAR Prime Minister, MINUSCA Special Representative of the UN Secretary General and other high profile government and UN officials as well as other special duties assigned under Joint Task-Force Commander.

Ron Weiss, the Chief Executive Officer of Rwanda Energy Group (REG) mentioned it on Tuesday, 14th January as he announced new electricity tariffs revising them from Rwf192 per kilowatt-hour (KWh) in 2018 to Rwf 186 per KWh.

Currently, 53% of households (about 1.4 million houses) in Rwanda have access to electricity including 1 million connected to the grid while the remaining 400,000 use off-grid electricity.

“We have up to 2.8 million households with no access to electricity and we have doubled efforts to connect them to the grid. However, we are anticipating that in the next 4 years, a million other houses will be built, meaning we will have to provide electricity to at least 2.4 million households by then. However, the major hindrance we are facing is the large budget required to achieve our objective. We need $850 million to achieve our target.”

Weiss said that with the support of partners in the energy sector, they are confident that 100% of households will have access to electricity by 2024.

Rwanda Development Board (RDB) recently announced that in 2019, Rwanda banked new investments worth $2.46 billion (Rwf 2300 billion). The energy sector accounts for 45% of new investments including the construction of the Rusizi III dam worth $613 million, the Gasmeth Energy Project worth $442 million and the Nots Solar Lamps project worth $72 million.

There are also several other energy projects including Gisagara Peat Power Plant that is expected to provide 80 Megawatts, Rusumo high dam which will provide 80 Megawatts as well and Rusizi IV high dam expected to provide 287 Megawatts that will be shared between Burundi, DRC, and Rwanda.

Wess said that by 2024, Rwanda will have 556 Megawatts which will be enough to supply electricity to all households and industries in Rwanda. To achieve this, he said REG plans on building more transmission lines to ease access to electricity.

On Tuesday, January 14th, 2020, Kamariza Olive, the victim, and wife of Ndabereye wrote a message on her Twitter account showing a picture of herself after Ndabereye violently beat her injuring a large part of her scalp.

She also mentioned several other instances where her husband abused her despite continuous mediation where both her husband’s family and hers tried to mend their relationship. She tagged President Paul Kagame, Rwanda National Police, Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB) and several media houses in Rwanda pleading for help and protection from her husband.

Ndabereye was scheduled to appear in court today at 2:30 PM to negotiate potential release while his case is being investigated.

The trial of Ndabereye will be open. Open trials educate the public about the criminal justice system, give legitimacy to it, and have the effect of enabling the public to see justice done.

Gatabazi Jean Marie Vianney, Northern Province Governor replied to her that his trial had been postponed and postponed to January 29th, 2020 at Stade Ubworoherane in Musanze district.

“We are assuring you that with the collaboration of Rwanda National Police, you and your children are safe and justice will be served. Your husband’s trial which was scheduled today has been postponed to January 29th, 2020 at Stade Ubworoherane.”

3)Arafungwa @ProsecutionRw @Rwanda_Justice irabizi nuku itariki 09/10/2020 yaburanye gukurikiranwa ari hanze urubanza ruzasomwa ejo 14/01/2020 nkaba nishinganisha,ngutabariza kuko ejo azanyica ashyire mu bikorwa umugambi yahoranye wo kunyica nkuko yabimbwira

— KAMARIZA Olive (@KamarizaOlive) January 13, 2020

His death was announced by the state-run Oman News Agency via its official Twitter account. The royal court immediately declared three days of mourning.

The exhibition was to be held at the Kigali Convention Centre bringing together food and beverage vendors, clothes brands, aluminum, and asphalt manufacturing companies and construction companies from Oman.

The exhibition was organized by The Public Authority for Investment Promotion & Export Development (Ithraa) in partnership with The Public Establishment for Industrial Estates (Madayn).

The organizing committee of the OPEX exhibition announced that due to the sudden death of the Sultan and after discussion with Oman government authorities, the OPEX will be cancelled until further notice.

However, the OPEX organizing committee announced that new dates for the exhibition will be announced within the shortest delay.

The OPEX is expected to attract up to 250 vendors and serve as a discussion platform for investors from Rwanda and Oman.

Omani Products Exhibition was launched in 2012 and Kigali will host the 10th exhibition that will showcase a variety of products and services manufactured in Oman and that are exported in more than 140 countries around the world.

Maymuna al Adawi, Ithraa’s Director of Export Facilitation had previously said that Rwanda’s economic performance is impressive given that most income does not provide from agricultural exports but from impeccable service provision that contributes to a continuously improving economy.

“We see great investment potential in Rwanda and we are confident the Omani Products Exhibition will be successful.”

Oman News Agency mourned the death of the 79-year old Sultan in a Twitter message which read “His balanced policy of mediating between rival camps in a volatile region had earned the world’s respect.”

As part of the mourning, Oman flags will be taken down in homage of the late Sultan for 40 days.

The course, the second of its kind, was organized as a requirement and condition by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) for all officers working at the airports.

Commissioner of Police (CP) Robert Niyonshuti, Commissioner for Training and Development in RNP, while officially opening the course, said that the aviation industry provides the only rapid worldwide transportation network, which makes it essential for global business and sensitive for security.

“It generates economic growth, creates jobs, and facilitates international trade and tourism; commercial aviation remains an attractive target for terrorists, active shooters… airports are vulnerable to various luggage filled with explosives and weaponized drones,” CP Niyonshuti said.
He added: “Terrorist groups or criminals may recruit airport employees to commit terror acts, to facilitate smuggling of drugs, weapons, and contraband; all these equally make addressing insider threats a priority. Aviation safety and security call for our constant vigilance, and strategic anticipation at all levels, to stay ahead of the threat.”
CP Niyonshuti noted that criminals are developing new concealment techniques and looking at non-conventional weapons to commit crimes, which calls for professionalism and further upgrading skills of security organs.

“Securing our airports requires continuous training of staff and a high level of professionalism. It has come at the right time when our countries are on the right track in the development of the aviation industry.”

The training, he said, will provide added knowledge, technical know-how, and capabilities for airport security.

During the three weeks, participants will cover civil aviation skills, an overview of international civil aviation security, access control of people and vehicles, recognition of explosives and other restricted articles; search procedures; patrol and guarding airport, screening and searching passengers; luggage and protection of aircraft, among others.