Author: IGIHE

The suspects identified as Jean Pierre Munyuzangando, 39, and Sekoma Bigirimana, 43, were arrested on Monday in Ikora commercial centre, Jenda Sector.

According to Chief Inspector of Police (CIP), Emmanuel Kayigi, the Police Spokesperson for Western region, Bigirimana was arrested red-handed trying to bribe a Police officer.

“Bigirimana intended to bribe a police officer with Rwf10, 000 on behalf of Munyuzangando after being caught illegally transporting raw pork in a bus from Hindiro Sector of Ngororero District to Nyabihu District,” CIP Kayigi said.

He added that earlier Munyuzangando managed to escape but showed up after his accomplice was arrested.

The spokesperson said that the arrest followed the information provided by passengers who were in the same bus with the suspect.

“He was in the bus carrying the bag full of meat. Passengers thought that it might be drugs and called the police. When they reached the check-point, Munyuzangando escaped but left behind his luggage, which was intercepted by the Police and found to be raw pork,” explained CIP Kayigi.

He added: “after the suspect sent Bigirimana to bribe a police officer with Rwf10, 000 and negotiate to retrieve the imponded pork. The Police arrested him immediately and Munyuzangabo later showed up and joined his colleague.”

CIP Kayigi warned that bribery or corruption will never be accepted neither in Rwanda National Police (RNP) nor in the country.

“RNP has embraced no tolerance towards bribery and corruption. The public should take that into account and abide by the laws instead of taking illegal shortcuts using money or any other form of bribes,” he said.

CIP Kayigi also emphasized that fighting corruption tendencies should be everyone’s responsibility, the general public should stand up to fight against this act by reporting those involved in communities.

According to article 4 of the law on corruption, any person who solicits, accepts or receives, by any means, an illegal benefit for himself/herself or another person or accepts a promise in order to render or omit a service under his or her mandate or uses his or her position to render or omit a service, commits an offense.

Upon conviction, the offender is liable to imprisonment for a term of more than five years but not more than seven years with a fine of three to five times the value of the illegal benefit solicited received.

Penalties provided under this Article also apply to a person who offers or promises to offer a benefit, by any means, an illegal benefit for him/her or another person to have a service rendered or omitted.

The program was launched on Tuesday, December 10th, 2019 and will also give a chance to the youth to learn various practices in cattle farming that can be profitable.

Some of the products that will be expected to bear profit apart from dairy include horns, hides and other parts that are usually thrown away after slaughter.

It is expected that hides will from now on be used in making car seats for locally assembled Volkswagen vehicles while horns and bones will be used to decorate the vehicles’ dashboards.
Cow fat will be used to make tires and lubricants and the cattle’s bile will be used in making diabetes medicines.

Kampeta Sayinzoga, NIRDA Director General says that the new program aims at helping farmers diversify cattle production through technology.

“The program will include competitions that will grant winners loans with no interest in order to support them in diversifying cattle production.”

Minister of Trade and Industry, Soraya Hakuziyaremye who attended the launch of ‘CowInTheCar’ says that the program comes to support the already existing Made in Rwanda initiative.

“For slaughter houses owners, more profit will be deducted from hides and this will allow Rwanda to stop importing hides from abroad.”

The program also comes as a solution to leather manufacturers who had to order hides from abroad given that hides from Rwanda are not well tanned and processed.

Registration to the program will end on February 10th, 2019.

The program was launched in partnership with the Trade and Development Bank and OCP Africa.

The decision pleased a lot of people given the fact that a lot of girls and women particularly in rural areas had difficulties accessing sanitary pads due to poverty.

It is a debate that has been ongoing for a very long time in social circles and that has for a long time been a subject of advocacy by feminist groups.

Economic expert, Teddy Kaberuka says this is a wonderful decision for the target market because it will ease the affordability of sanitary pads deducting 18% on the total cost.

“Waving VAT on sanitary pads will benefit women and girls but given the current economic situation the cost might not considerably reduce. If for example, one woman bought a pack of sanitary pads per month on Rwf 1000, with the 18% off, it will now cost Rwf 820.”

WaterAid recently commended the Government of Rwanda efforts in supporting young girls during their periods and mentioned a program dubbed ‘Icyumba cy’umukobwa’ that was launched by the Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion in schools around the country.

As part of this program, schools offer a room equipped with a bed, sanitary pads, towels, soap, water and painkillers to girls who unexpectedly have their periods at school.

Girls from disadvantaged households also receive free sanitary pads from the school until their periods are over.

Maurice Kwizera, WaterAid Country Manager in Rwanda says that girls who live in poor families should be provided with free sanitary pads, the same way poor families are offered free medical insurance, especially if they are registered in the first ‘Ubudehe’ category.

A 2014 UN report showed that at least 1 in 10 girls living in Sub-Saharan countries has missed school because of menstruations.

A lot of families in Sub-Saharan Africa have no means to purchase sanitary pads and it explains why young girls miss school.

It is estimated that those girls miss 20% of their education and some even drop out of school completely.

Moving to the right direction,from now onwards, the Government of Rwanda has added Sanitary Pads to a list of goods that are VAT exempted in a bid to ease their affordability.@RwandaFinance, @rrainfo@RwandaLocalGov@RwandaHealth,@rbarwanda,@NewTimesRwanda,@IGIHE,@ktpressrwanda

— Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion-Rwanda (@RwandaGender) December 10, 2019

According to Chief Inspector of Police (CIP) Emmanuel Kayigi, the Police spokesperson for Western region a vehicle Toyota corolla, RAC148P heading to Nyamasheke from Rusizi was intercepted and to be carrying the contraband. The interception took place at a check-point that was mounted in Ntendezi Cell, Ruharambuga Sector.

CIP Kayigi said that the driver of the vehicle identified as Benjamin Rwarahoze, who was also the owner of those illegal goods was arrested following a tip-off from local residents.

“Residents of Kagano Sector, where the suspect has a shop, shared information of his wrongdoings, which is selling both skin bleaching cosmetics and polythene bags, items that are banned in the country. Reacting on the information, we arrested Rwarahoze in possession of those goods,” CIP Kayigi explained.

He added: “Rwarahoze used tactics of concealment; he transported legal goods mixed with illegal ones.”

CIP Kayigi emphasized that fighting against selling and use of plastic bags is a national policy that Rwanda National Police (RNP) implements jointly with other responsible institutions like Rwanda Environmental Management Authority (REMA) with support of the public, who are the source of information on traffickers.

He also noted that all lotions, oils, and soaps with hydroquinone are banned in Rwanda after being scientifically proven to cause skin irritation and skin cancer, among other diseases.

“Rwanda National Police (RNP), Ministry of Health as the lead agency, Rwanda Food and Drug Authority, Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB) and Rwanda Standards Board (RSB), launched the joint operation against skin bleaching creams, oils, and soaps, last year. We continue doing such operations to make sure all those involved in the said illegal businesses stop,” said CIP Kayigi.

The skin bleaching products are labeled illegal under the ministerial order determining the list of cosmetics whose use is prohibited in Rwanda; the law on organization, functioning, and competence of the Council of Pharmacists; law governing narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances, and precursors in Rwanda; and the law relating to the regulation and inspection of food and pharmaceutical products.

Also, article seven of the law relating to the prohibition of manufacturing, importation, use, and sale of polythene bags in Rwanda, states that industries which manufacture polythene bags, commercial companies or any person found in possession of prohibited polythene bags without authorization in their stores, manufacturing or using them, shall be punished by an imprisonment of six to twelve months and a fine of Rwf100, 000 to Rwf500, 000 or one of the two penalties.

Dr. Francois Xavier Ngarambe is also the ambassador of Rwanda to Italy, Portugal, Spain and Monaco.

On Tuesday, December 10th, 2019, the President of France, Emmanuel Macron received the letters of credence from Dr. Francois Xavier.

Dr. Francois Xavier says he is pleased to have been trusted with new responsibilities and will contribute to strengthening the relations between Rwanda and France.

“I am pleased to present my diplomatic credentials to represent Rwanda in France and I believe there is ground for a stronger relations between France and Rwanda.”

Apart from representing Rwanda in five countries, Ambassador Xavier also oversees the interests of Rwanda in different organizations including Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), World Food Programme (WFP) and World Trade Organization (WTO).

In May 2018, President Paul Kagame went on a state visit in France where he held discussions with the President of France, Emmanuel Macron on trade, investment, technology and health projects between the two countries.

The visit eased the tension that has characterized the two countries because of the role France played in the 1994 genocide against Tutsi and how the country has for years sheltered genocide fugitives.

In April this year, President Emmanuel Macron announced his government would put much more effort in bringing to justice genocide convicts living in France and that a commission that would study the role of France in the genocide against Tutsi would be established.

In July 2019, France appointed Jérémie Blin as the Chargé d’Affaires of the Embassy of France in Kigali.

Among the statistics that were announced on this Tuesday November 10th, the prices of food and non-alcoholic beverages have increased by 16.2% compared to last year and by 3.7% compared to the previous month of October.

Mwizerwa Jean Claude, Ag. Director of Economic Statistics Department at NISR told IGIHE that this increase in prices resulted from an increase in prices of maize, beans and meat given that those are the essential meals consumed in Rwanda.

“The crop yield tends to reduce towards the end of the year and the demand is higher than the supply which explains the continuous increase in prices.”

Mwizerwa added that the increase in prices is not in any way related to the ongoing conflict between Uganda and Rwanda as it is rumored and gave an example on beans which price increased enormously even though it is not a commodity that is imported.

“The beans we consume in Rwanda are grown locally. Linking the increase in the price of beans to the conflict between Rwanda and Uganda is totally unreasonable because we even produce for foreign markets like Congo. Another fact is that food prices are hiking not only in Rwanda but in the Great Lakes region meaning it is not just a problem with Rwanda. For example, maize prices are high across the region and not just in Rwanda.”

NISR shows that the prices of non-alcoholic beverages and cigarettes increased by 17.2% in November 2019 compared to 9.9% in November 2018. Regarding clothes and shoes, the prices increased by 8.3% compared to last year and 0.5% compared to October.

NISR report also shows that internal products prices increased by 7.5% compared to last year and 2.3% compared to October, 2019 while the prices of imports increased by 4.9% compared to last year and 0.7% compared to October 2019.

The prices of fresh produce like beans, vegetables and other increased by 25.3% compared to last year and 6.7% compared to October 2019.

Mwizerwa says this is a pressing issue because an increase in prices should not exceed 5%.
“Whenever an increase in prices is higher than 5% it is an important problem to be immediately dealt with. We are responsible of publishing these statistics but there are other authorities working on solving this issue within the shortest delay.”

NISR also shows that apart from food, energy prices have increased by 1.6% compared to last year and 2% compared to October, 2019.

Koyara who is on a three-day state visit to Rwanda also paid homage to victims of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi whose remains are laid to rest at Kigali Genocide Memorial in Gisozi.

She said that in the near future, military experts from both countries will meet to set plans regarding the implementation of the four pacts signed in October this year in Bangui, particularly in the area of defense.

Koyara added that the Central African Republic has always been Rwanda’s ally particularly due to the way the Government of Rwanda was among the first to send peacekeepers to the Central African Republic in 2014 when the country was facing political turmoil.

She acknowledged the Government of Rwanda continuous efforts in upholding a Pan-African spirit and being a problem-solver in the issues the continent continues to face. “The type of support Rwanda shows to the Central African Republic is unmatched and that spirit of philanthropism and solidarity cannot be taken for granted.”

Rwanda and the Central African Republic maintain very good relationships given that this year an army delegation from the CAR received military training in Rwanda.

Rwanda is third among countries with most deployed peacekeepers in United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) with more than 1370 soldiers and 430 police officers currently in peacekeeping missions.

This year’s campaign involved such activities as; children’s games, Road to Awareness walk and a Christmas lighting at Kigali Marriott Hotel graced by a choir singing Christmas carols.

The Road to Awareness campaign is annual event planned at the end of the year to celebrate with children and this is the second year the hotel has partnered with SOS Children’s Village Rwanda.

Serge Nyirinkwaya, SOS Director of programs told IGIHE that there is a partnership between SOS and Kigali Marriott Hotel and other partners to enhance the campaign of winning more support for the children at SOS Rwanda.

“The participation this year was amazing compared to last year; we are confident that as more year pass, more people will join this road to support children with no advocacy,” he said.

The General Manager of Kigali Marriott Hotel, Rex A.G Nijhof, thanked SOS for their work in educating and caring for the children.

“The lives of these children are in our hands, their future depends on education and how they live today. It is a culture here at Kigali Marriott to support communities where we work. Our founder has cultivated the spirit of blending business with the lives of communities where the Hotel operates,” he said.

He also thanked other partners in the campaign that includes, among others; Legacy Clinics, Rotary Club, Rotaract KIE and Journalists.

After the walk, the hotel invited guests and all that came to support the cause to enjoy food delights and refreshments as they celebrated the beginning of the festive season with Christmas carols by the Saint Michael choir and lighting different parts of the hotel to spread the holiday cheer.

In November 2018, Kigali Marriott Hotel management donated to SOS Rwf 1,000,000 as a Christmas package.

In 1979 SOS started its operations in Rwanda with offices/‘Village’ in Kayonza, Nyamagabe, and Gicumbi as well as Kigali.

The agreement spells out that Qatar will own 60% shares of the airport while the Government of Rwanda will own the remaining 40%.

The new partnership with Qatar puts an end to previous agreements Rwanda signed with Mota Engil Engenharia e Construcao Africa, a Portuguese engineering and construction company to build Bugesera International Airport.

Plans to build the airport were in two phases, with the first phase costing $820 million. Mota Engil had already invested $418 in the first phase. The second and completion phase was estimated to cost $382.

Mota Engil was supposed to supervise the maintenance of the airport for 25 years but was negotiating for 15 additional years.

The Minister of Infrastructure, Claver Gatete noted that three agreements have been signed including a share repurchase, where Mota Engil sold back its shares so that the new partnership with Qatar could be possible.

“Before, we had partnered with Mota Engil represented by ATL where they owned 75% of the shares while the Government of Rwanda had 25%. We bought back those shares to have a 100% so we could partner with Qatar that now owns 60% of the shares.”

He said that the decision to buy back Mota Engil shares was taken this year but that there still is a probability that Rwanda will keep working with the Portuguese company.

“We will still work with Mota Engil throughout the construction to the completion of the airport.”

The new airport’s first phase will be concluded by 2022 and will accommodate seven million passengers per year.

Gatete says that the airport will be seated on 2400 hectares, a futuristic airport that will also have room for expansion. He says construction will resume shortly as the Government of Rwanda is still finalizing agreements on who will be responsible for each activity.

The airport will provide job opportunities to many Rwandans, promote Made in Rwanda products and facilitate exports. It will also facilitate trade and transport in general.

Regarding the maintenance and security of the airport, the Government of Rwanda will keep partnering with Qatar.

In March, 2019, a Qatari delegation led by Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, the Deputy Prime Minister and Qatari Minister of Foreign Affairs had talks with the Government of Rwanda and decided to partner with Rwanda for the construction of Bugesera International Airport.

Infantino was one of the guests at the ‘Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad al Thani International Anti-Corruption Excellence Award’ which are given by Qatar in partnership with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

During the ceremony, Infantino talked about his particular relationship to Rwanda and thanked President Paul Kagame for his efforts in fighting against corruption and promoting global development.

Gianni Infantino talked about how Rwanda and Qatar are the only two countries he visited twice when he was running for FIFA President in 2015 and 2016.

In April 2019, FIFA chose Rwanda as one of the countries where it will launch FIFA Football for Schools programme, a new initiative set to be implemented around the world by the FIFA Foundation from early 2020. The programme was designed to educate boys and girls across three age groups (4-7, 8-11 and 12-14 years) about important life-skills and positive values.

FIFA envoys including Myriam Burkhard, Philip Zimmerman and Florence Mahwera were recently in Rwanda in a meeting to plan how the FIFA for Schools Programme will be implemented.

The programme will be implemented with the support of the Ministry of Sports, the Ministry of Education and the Rwandese Association Football Federation (FERWAFA) who will work hand in hand with FIFA and the UN World Food Programme (UNWFP).
FIFA budget for this programme is $100 million and will benefit children from Africa, Asia and South America until 2022.

Apart from Rwanda, some of the countries that have been chosen to host this programme are Botswana, Mauritius, India, Lebanon, Myanmar, Chile, Paraguay, and Puerto Rico.

During the course of this programme, FIFA estimated that it will distribute 11 million footballs around the world with Rwanda receiving at least 49,000 balls and where every football organization will be trained in organizing school competitions.

Min. @AuroreMimosa met with #FIFA President last night on the sidelines of the International Anti-Corruption Excellence Award (ACE Award) #ACEAward2019. They discussed about FIFA football development programs including the “Football for School” for school talent development. pic.twitter.com/bTRCbT8RTP

— Ministry of Sports | Rwanda (@Rwanda_Sports) December 10, 2019