IGIHE

Author: Nicole Kamanzi Muteteri

  • High Commissioner Yamina Karitanyi presents credentials to the President of Malta.

    The presentation ceremony marked the official assumption of duties as Non-Resident High Commissioner for the Republic of Rwanda to Malta.

    The ceremony was followed by an audience with the President of Malta and the Minister for Foreign and European Affairs of Malta, Evarist Bartolo, where the High Commissioner was accompanied by Minister Counsellor James Wizeye.

    The High Commissioner conveyed greetings and best wishes from His Excellency President Paul Kagame, expressing the desire to further strengthen the positive relationship and partnership between Rwanda and Malta.

    After the presentation ceremony, the High Commissioner traveled to Malta’s Civil Aviation Directorate to complete the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and Bilateral Air Service Agreement between the aeronautical authorities of the Government of Rwanda and the Government of Malta. Captain Charles Pace, Director General for Civil Aviation of Malta, signed the agreement on behalf of the Government of Malta.

    This further strengthens ties between Rwanda and Malta and marks the second MoU signed between the two Commonwealth nations this year. In August 2020, Rwanda’s Private Sector Federation (PSF) and the Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry (MCCEI), signed an MoU to promote trade and investment between both countries.

    The very productive week in Malta also involved engagements and meetings ranging from the private sector to the Diplomatic Corps based in Malta.

    Through Trade Malta, who work under the remit of Malta’s Ministry for Economy, Investment and Small Businesses and the MCCEI, the High Commissioner met with a selection of businesses who are looking to expand their business operations in Rwanda. One company based in Malta, Salvo Grima launched distribution operations in Rwanda earlier this month.

    The High Commissioner paid a courtesy call to the Dean of the African Diplomatic Corps and High Commissioner of Ghana to Malta, H.E Mercy Bampo Addo, and signed a book of condolences in honor of former President of Ghana Jerry Rawlings during the visit. This was swiftly followed by a courtesy call to the Vice-Dean of the Diplomatic Corps, the Ambassador for Russia to Malta, H.E. Vladimir Malygin.

    Malta hosted the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in 2015 and were the Commonwealth Chair-In-Office before the United Kingdom, who will hand over to Rwanda next year when CHOGM takes place in Kigali in June 2021.

  • Four suspected burglars arrested

    The burglary occurred in the night of October 16, when thieves vandalized the door lock of the electronic shop owned by one Donat Sinigenga, 25, located in Rwimiyaga trading centre.

    Among the items that were stolen there were two computers, 30 mobile phones including 10 smart phones, 10 radio receivers, 20 memory cards and 10 phone chargers.

    Chief Inspector of Police (CIP) Hamdun Twizeyimana, said that law enforcement organs in Nyagatare first arrested three suspects, recently, who provided details of the theft and disclosed one Didier Bizimana, 33, who was still at large, as their ringleader.

    “The three suspects claimed that Bizimana had almost all the stolen items. Bizimana was located and arrested on Wednesday, November 18, in Urumuri Village, Rugali Cell in Mimuli Sector. He was arrested by the Police and local night patrol,” CIP Twizeyimana said.

    He added: “So far, a number of the stolen items have been recovered including some of the radio receivers, mobile phones and phone chargers.
    Law enforcement organs are working together to recover other items, some of which they had already sold.”

    He thanked local residents, who came forward with the credible information that helped to apprehend the suspected thieves.

    In article 166, any person convicted for theft is liable to imprisonment for a term of not less than one year and not more than two years and a fine of not less than Frw1 million and not more than Frw2 million, community service in a period of six (6) months or only one of these penalties.

    However, in article 167, the penalty doubles if the theft was carried out by more than one person.

  • Rwanda National Police receives arms crushing machine

    The Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIGP) in charge of Administration and Personnel, Juvenal Marizamunda received the environmental friendly machine from RECSA Executive Secretary, Lt. Gen. Badreldin Elamin Abdelgadir at the function held at the RNP General Headquarters in Kacyiru.
    DIGP Marizamunda thanked RECSA for its continued support to Rwanda to implement Small Arms and Light Weapons’ management and control interventions.
    “Uncontrolled traffic of small arms and light weapons remains a major source of insecurity, either by fueling armed conflicts or organized crime such as armed robberies, drug trafficking and terrorism in addition to loss of lives and property,” DIGP Marizamunda said.
    He added that in order to deal with these serious hindrances to sustainable peace, security and development, it is important to pull efforts together to curb the vice.

    The handover of the arms crushing machine, he said, further defines the good working relations between RNP and RECSA.

    “The shear machine will help to promote continuous destruction exercise hence preventing big piles of obsolete firearms; enhance the curbing of diversion and proliferation of small arms and light weapons; improve weapons management and control; and ensure proper accountability of firearms,” DIGP Marizamunda said.

    RECSA has been supporting RNP in various disciplines including physical security and stockpile management, training on arms marking machine and training on record keeping.

    Lt. Gen. Badreldin Elamin Abdelgadir thanked the Government of Rwanda for consistently supporting RECSA to meet its obligations on the control and prevention of proliferation of small arms and light weapons as provided for in the Nairobi Protocol.

    Article 8 of the Nairobi Protocol requires RECSA member states to identify and adopt effective programmes for the collection, safe storage, destruction and responsible disposal of small arms and light weapons rendered surplus, redundant or obsolete.

    With the support of RECSA, RNP officers are also set to be trained on how to operate the arms crushing machine.

    RECSA Executive Secretary pledged to continue supporting member states to ensure the security and safety of government stocks, which he said that it’s a precursor for regional peace and stability.

  • Rwanda launches a cardiac catheterization lab

    The cardiac catheterization lab, also medically known as a “cardiac cath lab,” is a hospital room where doctors perform the minimal cutting of patient skin to diagnose and treat cardiovascular diseases.

    The lab also allows better and soft heart tissue visualization, provides more pertinent physiological information and results in lower radiation exposure than using continuous passing of x-ray beam to the patient’s body for examinations (fluoroscopy).

    This lab diagnoses coronary artery disease, causes of heart failure or cardiomyopathy, evaluates congenital heart disease and heart valves’ problems.

    “We spent many months talking about this cardiac cath lab, but today it has become a reality. We can now continue with the next procedures to save lives. We used to lose a lot of money and lives because this intervention could not be conducted here.
    This will be history,” Dr. Daniel Ngamije, minister of health said while launching the lab at King Faisal Hospital.

    According to the Minister, the lab is registered among other government efforts, to improve the health sector.

    “We have been spending about Rwf20million for each patient to be treated in Kenya; today we will be spending Rwf4million only,” Dr. Ngamije said.

    Dr. Ngamije said that the laboratory will accept health insurance schemes in use in Rwanda, including the community based health insurance commonly known as Mutuelle de santé.

    Dr. Edgar Kalimba, Deputy CEO of King Faisal Hospital said that not all heart problems require open-heart surgery hence the cardiac cath lab being advantageous because patients benefit from minimally invasive procedures including cardiac catheterization.

    “With Cardiac cath Lab, we can diagnose and treat a whole host of issues, this is the best technology, but at the same time expensive to establish.”

    Kalimba reveals that this lab is worth Rwf800 million while its maintenance is budgeted to Rwf200million annually.

    Before the establishment of the first cardiac cath lab, patients were flown to countries including Kenya, India, and South Africa for treatment.

  • COVID-19: 50 recoveries, 29 new cases

    A statement from the ministry on Wednesday said the new cases were found in Kigali: 3, Musanze:19, Nyanza: 11, Rubavu: 4.

    Since the COVID-19 outbreak in Rwanda, 5543confirmed cases were found out of 596,686 sample tests taken. Of these, 5137 have recovered, 389 are active cases while 46 people have succumbed to the pandemic.

    Coronavirus symptoms include coughing, flu, and difficulty in breathing. The virus is said to be transmitted through the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract.

    Rwandans are required to continue to comply with government regulations, especially with frequent washing of hands and water and soap, wearing masks when leaving home or in public.

  • Amavubi star Haruna Niyonzima in nasty accident

    Amavubi national team captain Haruna Niyonzima was involved in a car accident where he is said to have been with his wife.

    The accident took place in Nyamata in Bugesera District in the evening on Wednesday on 18 November 2020.

    One of the eyewitnesses said that Haruna was driving a van and he tried to avoid hitting a man who was riding a bicycle when he got into a big truck.

    The sportsman tried to gain back the control of the car in vain, instead, he was seriously injured in a car crash. He is said to have been with his second wife Niyitegeka Consolée ‘Cassa Rayaan’.

    Niyonzima Haruna, the 30-year old football player shot to fame when he was playing for Etincelles in 2004, when he was called up to the National Youth Team.

    In 2006 he moved to Rayon Sports, but did not stay there for long, he immediately moved to APR FC in 2007, then to Yanga SC in 2011, this time from 2017 to Simba SC.

    In the summer of 2019 he left Simba SC and returned to Rwanda, after six months of playing for AS Kigali, he went back to Yanga SC.

  • Mobile banking agent caught with counterfeit money

    Jean Luc Mutabazi, 28, was arrested after he allegedly duped one of his clients identified as Alphonse Kalisa, 37, with fake bills worth Rwf10, 000, in the denominations of Rwf5, 000.

    The Police spokesperson of the Eastern region, Chief Inspector of Police (CIP) Hamdun Twizeyimana, said that on Tuesday morning, Kalisa withdrew Rwf13, 400 from his mobile account to pay water bills.

    “Kalisa went to Cogebank branch in Kigabiro to pay the utility bills, but the bank found that two bills in the denominations of Rwf5, 000 (Rwf10, 000) were counterfeit; Kalisa was contained and the branch management immediate called Police at Kigabiro station,” CIP Twizeyimana said.

    He added: “Kalisa disclosed to law enforcement organs that he withdrew the money from the agent—Mutabazi. When law enforcement officers located Mutabazi, they found other Rwf90, 000 on him, which he had mixed with other genuine bills amounting to Rwf400, 000. He was immediately taken into custody for the alleged financial crime.”

    Security officers are also searching for another person, who allegedly supplied Mutabazi with the fake money the previous day.

    The arrest of Mutabazi comes on the heels of increased vigilance, information sharing and operations against individuals who counterfeit or circulate fake currencies.

    Article 269 in the law determining offences and penalties in general, says “any person who, fraudulently counterfeits, falsifies or alters coins or bank notes which are legal tender in Rwanda or abroad, notes issued by the Treasury with its stamp or brand, either banknotes or alike that have legal tender in Rwanda or abroad, or one who introduces or issues in Rwanda such effects or notes with knowledge that they are forged or falsified, commits an offence.

    Upon conviction, he/she is liable to imprisonment for a term of not less than five (5) years and not more than seven (7) years.”

  • COVID-19: 79 recoveries, 36 new cases

    A statement from the Ministry on Wednesday said the new cases were found in Kigali: 7, Gisagara: 9, Karongi: 1, Nyamagabe: 17, Rubavu: 2.

    Since the COVID-19 outbreak in Rwanda, 5543 confirmed cases were found out of 593,977 sample tests taken. Of these, 5087 have recovered, 410 are active cases while 46 people have succumbed to the pandemic

    Coronavirus symptoms include coughing, flu, and difficulty in breathing. The virus is said to be transmitted through the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract.

    Rwandans are required to continue to comply with government regulations, especially with frequent washing of hands and water and soap, wearing masks when leaving home or in public.

  • Airtel Rwanda unveils an unbeatable and comprehensive calling plan for all

    This comes after a comprehensive revision of all voice products including Isanzure, Tera Stori, Imirongo Yose, and Byose Combo Packs.

    Speaking at the press conference, Airtel Rwanda MD, Amit Chawla “The Campaign, Va Ku Giti, Dore Umurongo is an umbrella campaign that serves to cement our position The Honest Network, bringing to life the ethos of Honesty, Transparency and Freedom to call all networks.”

    Airtel’s Flagship voice product, Isanzure is now Open and Honest, open in the sense that all customers can see the same packs regardless of age or usage profile.

    Similarly, Tera Stori, another popular product has been further enhanced to offer more minutes so that customers can Talk Freely to Any Network, introducing a higher value pack worth 5,000, offering 3,000 minutes to call Airtel and 500 minutes to call the other network.

    Speaking at the launch, Amit Chawla added “We have revised our All-Net Packs, popularly known as Imirongo Yose, offering double the minutes to call all networks. For instance, customers can buy a pack for only 200 RWF offering 20 minutes to call Airtel to Airtel and 20 minutes to call the other network.”

    Furthermore, Airtel also launched an All-in-One bundle called Byose, a bundle that combines Voice, Data, and SMS at a single price point. This pack, Amit Said “priced at 15,000 RWF comes loaded with a massive 30 GB of Data, 3,000 minutes of talk time to call customers on Airtel in addition to 500 minutes to call the other network plus 1,500 SMS. I will be bold and confirm that it is impossible for one to find an equivalent bundle with as much value as Byose”.

    Airtel Rwanda MD, Amit Chawla speaking at the press conference

  • Bank of Kigali reaches out to customers on service disruption

    The announcement was made on Tuesday, a few days after customers indicated that some of Bank of Kigali’s services were no longer available due to technical issues.

    “While we were able to recover our Core Banking Service, some key services and channels, partner services remain unavailable,” reads the statement.

    “The equipment failure has hampered our ability to speed up the recovery process. Our focus has been to ensure that customers have access to their accounts and we were able to utilise our disaster recovery site to avail the critical services to clients. Branches, AgencyBanking, ATMs, and POS are operating.”

    BK assures that their team is working around the clock to ensure that each service that is running is consistent and stable; efforts are to spared to bring remaining services back online as soon as possible.

    “Our contact center is available on 4455to answer questions and our teams in branches will provide support to our clients during this difficult period. In addition, we will be sharing update on social media. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused and thank you for your trust and patience.”