Author: Nicole Kamanzi Muteteri

Eric Tuyizere, 35, was arrested a day after he ambushed and robbed a woman identified as Xaverine Nyiramitero, 53, of Rwf 225,000 in Sumuyamana Village, Kinyaga cell in Nkaka sector.

Chief Inspector of Police (CIP) Bonaventure Twizere Karekezi, the Police spokesperson for the Western region, said that at about 7 pm on October 19, Tuyizere ambushed Nyiramitero, who was going to buy goods in Sumuyamana trading centre.

“Tuyizere resides in the same village, and it’s likely he has been monitoring the victim and was well versed with her financial status. When she went out that evening to buy some goods, Tuyizere ambushed her along the way, assaulted her before he took all the Frw225,000 she had, good enough she managed to recognise the robber,” CIP Karekezi said.

He added: “The victim immediately told the local security personnel, who trailed Tuyizere and found him in the nearby local bar drinking. Unfortunately, when the local security personnel tried to apprehend him, Tuyizere’s friends, whom he was buying alcohol, became violent to prevent his arrest, which gave room for Tuyizere to flee.

However, in partnership with Irondo and local residents, Tuyizere was located and arrested the following morning of October 20, with only Frw128,000.”

CIP Karekezi explained that there have been reports of criminals, who ambush people at night in the area, steal their valubales and escape towards the nearby swamp, and Tuyizere was suspected to be part of the gang.

Tuyizere has since been handed over to RIB.

Article 168 of the law relating to offences and penalties in general in Rwanda, states that if theft is carried out with violence or threats, the penalty is an imprisonment for a term of not less than five years and not more than seven years, and a fine of not less than Frw3 million and not more than Frw5 million.

Speaking about this achievement, MTN’s CEO, Mitwa Ng’ambi said, “The GSMA Mobile Money Certification is a global industry initiative to bring safer, more transparent, and more resilient financial services to millions of Mobile Money users around the world. MTN Rwanda is extremely proud to be a certified provider as we continue to empower our customers to make more informed choices about their financial services.”

For the past 10 years, MTN has made significant technological and financial investments to facilitate the development of an inclusive digital economy through Mobile Money. This is in line with Rwanda’s 2020 Vision and the Smart Rwanda Master Plan to become a cashless economy.

“This year, we are celebrating 10 years of driving financial inclusion in Rwanda with Mobile Money. This is a huge milestone for both MTN and our customers as the certification will ensure a higher quality of service to our customers and give them the comfort that our services are of the highest quality,” said MTN’s Chief Business and Corporate Affairs Officer, Chantal Kagame.

In order to become certified, Mobile Money providers are assessed against numerous criteria, such as safeguarding customer funds against risk of loss, combating money laundering, terrorist financing and fraud, managing staff, agents, and third parties correctly, communicating fees and information transparently to customers, effectively addressing customer service requests and complaints and protecting customers’ personal data, amongst others.

“The GSMA’s Mobile Money Certification now reaches over 210 million customers through our certified providers,” said John Giusti, Chief Regulatory Officer, GSMA. “We intentionly set a very high benchmark for achieving certification, bringing added security and protection to customer funds. We congratulate MTN Rwanda for being the first in the country to take this step”.

According to Statement of Tuesday, October 20, 2020, the new cases are all from Kigali.

Since the first Coronavirus patient appeared in Rwanda, 536 779 sample tests have been made of which 4996 cases were confirmed. Of these, 4797 have already recovered while 161 are still active cases. 34 people have succumbed to the virus.

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.

The call was made during a press conference in Kigali, shortly after handing over of the baton between the Kenya Tourism Federation as outgoing host of the EATP secretariat and the Rwanda Chamber of Tourism, the incoming host of the secretariat.

Fred Odek, the outgoing EATP Chairperson, noted that it is important to have harmonized protocols including health or safety measures now in place as a response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

“If Rwanda is testing two times, for example, and Kenya more, why can’t we have this harmonized? The same goes for isolation. We are looking at ways to harmonize protocols; without having harsh conditions, work out a way to ease travel in East Africa, because easing travel is easing doing business.”

Odek stressed that there is a need to unlock the challenges associated with the Covid-19 pandemic to tourism to enable the industry to thrive. He said handing over the baton to the Rwanda Tourism Chamber also marked a very significant step in the revitalization of the EATP.

According to Susan Ongalo, the platform’s chief executive officer, they are looking more at “regional domestic tourism” where people travel using national IDs.

“As we hand over to the Rwanda Tourism Chamber we hope and are confident that EATP is growing farther,” she said.

The platform is working with key stakeholders in the industry to ensure recovery from the effects of Covid-19.

If there was ever a period for the region to cooperate for economic gains, wellbeing and safety of its people, now is without a doubt the right time, said David Butera, Programme Manager at TradeMark East Africa (TMEA).

“Cooperation will determine the course of regional tourism.”

Frank Mugisha, Director General of the Rwanda Chamber of Toursim, said he is ready to take the regional tourism platform to the next level.

It was noted that the regional tourism platform will develop special tour packages for the region. These will cover the airfare, attractions, and accommodation with attractive rates.

Before the Covid-19 pandemic, tourism in East Africa contributed an average of 8.1% to GDP and 17.2% to export earnings and generated 7.1% of employment. As regards employment, tourism employed about 1,278,000 direct and 1,981,000 indirect jobs in partner states.

Tourism in the region has taken a severe blow, with the sector expected to face 92 per cent decline in cash flows due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a report by the East Africa Business Council.

“We have taken note of the concerns of citizens regarding transport tariffs and the Prime Minister together with relevant stakeholders will address the issue as soon as possible,” Prime Minister Dr. Edouard Ngirente said through Twitter on Tuesday evening.

The Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Authority (RURA) announced the rates new last week, after a cabinet meeting chaired by President Paul Kagame last Monday to increase occupancy levels in public buses to 100 percent for seated passengers and 50 percent for standing passengers.

The Director General of RURA Patrick Nyirishema said the existing fares were introduced in 2018 and were expected to change in March but the increment was put on hold due to the COVID-19 outbreak; he explained that the new fares were routine since the regulator revises the rates every two years based on many factors, mainly the cost of operating routes.

Many were not satisfied with the decision and therefore started a complain channel through social media, mostly tweeter with the hashtag #RURA4TransportFairness trending for days.

The regulator however did not budge, maintaining that the fares were well thought, despite many complaints from the public. Following days of complaints, the Prime Minister promised to look into the issue and find a befitting answer to resolve the issues.

The four suspects, who were guising as Police officers, were arrested in separate operations conducted in City of Kigali.

They are Hamdun Murenzi, 45, said to be the head of the group; Francois Kalinijabo, 36, Philomène Uzamukunda, 45, and Adam Bora, 25.

Uzamukunda, the only woman in the group, was masquerading as ‘Afande CIP Philomène.’

The quartet was shown to the media on Tuesday, October 20, at Police Metropolitan headquarters in Remera.

Police also seized a computer and printer, which they were using to print fake driver’s permit.

This follows similar operations in June, which also led to the arrest of five other people, who were engaged in the same fraudulent practices.

One of the scammers; Francois Kalinijabo, narrated that he was recruited by Murenzi mid this year to facilitate in producing forged permits.

“Murenzi called and asked me if I can get him someone to print a driver’s license. I contacted Adam (Bora) because I knew he was a photographer with a photo studio in town (Kigali).

Adam told me that he would charge Frw5,000 for every printed permit, but when I went back to Murenzi, I told him Frw10, 000, which he was giving me to print each permit. I don’t remember exactly how many drivers’ license we had produced and issued in the past few months, but they could amount to approximately 40,” Kalinijabo recounted.

Kalinijabo, a taxi-driver, regretted the criminal actions recalling how he rightfully acquired his driver’s license after going through the due process.

Rwanda National Police spokesperson, CP John Bosco Kabera said that so far, there are 42 known fake driving permits, which the ring issued, although there are many others that they were yet to print, which were found on the seized computer.

“As usual, when Police gets information on any suspected criminal practice, we follow up and that is how this specific group was unearthed after it emerged that they were producing fake driver’s license and selling them to people, who thought they were dealing with Police officers and who were convinced that they would get the license through such criminal shortcuts,” CP Kabera said.

He added: “This is an act of forgery, impersonation and fraud, which are punishable by law. We can only advise anyone aspiring to be a driver to follow the eased process of acquiring a license because at one point, the fake permit will be detected and the holder will be arrested to equally face the law.”

Forging or using a forged document, under article 276 of the law relating to offences and penalties in general in Rwanda, is punishable with a term of imprisonment of five to seven years and a fine of up to Frw5 million.

Impersonation, under article 279, attracts imprisonment of between two and three years and a fine of between Rwf300, 000 and Frw500, 000, while fraud is punishable under article 174, with imprisonment of between two and three years and a fine of Frw3 million to Frw5 million, upon conviction.

“Driver’s license registration, tests and venues are always widely communicated. So, if you did not seat for the tests, just know that the license you are holding, which you received through an arrangement with someone on phone, is a fake one and you will be arrested either way.

Police officers don’t call people to pay money in order to get them driver’s license, so whoever calls you asking for money, to get you a license, that is a conman, who should be reported and arrested,” CP Kabera said.

Rwanda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Dr. Vincent Biruta welcomed his Burundian counterpart Amb. Albert Shingiro and his delegation at 10 am on Tuesday at Nemba where they exchanged greetings in a jovial atmosphere before they addressed the meeting and proceeding to meet in a closed session to discuss issues that need to be addressed.

It is the first time the two countries have officially met to discuss relations since 2015 when ties between the neighbors soured following the conflict that gripped the East African country, with Bujumbura alleging that Kigali backed groups that opposed late President Pierre Nkurunziza’s government.

Rwanda denied the allegations but relations between the two countries never stabilized. Following the election of President Evariste Ndayishimiye earlier this year, President Paul Kagame said that Rwanda was looking forward to work with the new government in Bujumbura to restore bilateral ties.

The meeting at Nemba came after Bujumbura expressed the willingness to talk to Rwanda, with this being the first meeting for the Foreign Affairs Ministers. In his opening remarks, Minister Biruta said that Rwanda was willing to play its part in the thawing of bilateral ties, to ensure that the citizens of the two countries co-exist as they were before ties broke down.

“We would like to welcome you to Rwanda and to thank you for the decision to have this meeting for us to discuss, not only as neighbors but also as blood relatives, which is why we will speak in Kinyarwanda and Kirundi, without anyone translating for us,”

“Your visit today is a big step towards restoring ties between Rwanda and Burundi. I want to affirm to you that we are ready to do our part towards restoring ties between our two countries and to discuss existing issues and arrive at a solution. We are doing this because this is not only important for our governments but also our citizens who benefit when relations are good,” Dr Biruta said.

He said it is the beginning of talks which will see the full restoration of ties.

On his part, Amb. Shingiro thanked Rwanda for the warm reception and said that his government was looking forward to fruitful discussions and ‘less meetings’ as the two countries work towards faster and full restoration of ties.

“As the Government of Burundi, we came here to express our willingness to work towards restoring ties which were affected in 2015. We want to ensure that the issues that exist between our two countries are addressed so that we go back to existing as neighbors and relatives,”

“I have always told people who suggest that they want to mediate relations between Rwanda and Burundi that it is not possible because we know each other so well as relatives and don’t need anybody to mediate us. We can do this on our own and this is what we are doing today,” Shingiro said.

He said that the Burundian Government is hopeful that the meetings which have started will be fewer and ensure that ties between the two countries are restored as soon as possible.

The bilateral meeting is guided by the cooperation pact between the two Police institutions signed in 2015 in Kigali, which established channels of partnership on exchange of crime-related information, fighting terrorism, drug and human trafficking, transnational organized crimes as well as skills development and training.

Since then, a number of Zambian Police officers have attended the Police Senior Command and Staff Course in Rwanda.

The Rwanda Inspector General of Police IGP Dan Munyuza noted that the visit in the middle of COVID-19 pandemic signifies the level of friendship and commitment to the policing cause between the two Police forces.

“This visit is happening to strengthen bilateral cooperation between our institutions and to further our policing demands that ensure our people are safe and secure in our respective countries,” IGP Munyuza said.

IGP Munyuza emphasized the need to establish a permanent mechanism to share experience in various policing disciplines, including peace support operations in conflict situations on the continent.

“Rwanda National Police prioritizes and values, among other aspects, regional and bilateral cooperation aimed at joining efforts in the fight against crimes that continue to pose threats to our countries, continent and international peace and security.”

IGP Munyuza further underscored the importance of sharing information to fight terrorism recruitment and cells operating in the Eastern, Central and Southern Africa regions as well as on armed groups that continue to cause insecurity in the region.

By mutually cooperating, he said, the citizenry in the two countries will greatly benefit and the policing programmes will undoubtedly be scaled-up towards sustainable peace and security of our countries.

In his remarks, the Zambian Police Chief said that the two countries enjoy excellent relationship, and continue to engage in high level consultations on various issues of strategic importance.

“Our two presidents have set a line for us to build on. Our cooperation on police matters have come at the right time when the world is faced with policing challenges of combating the 21st century crimes; much of which is facilitated by the fast paced technological evolution and the internet in particular,” IGP Kanganja said.

He added: “As men and women in uniform, it is our mandate to ensure safety of our citizens and guarantee protection of their property in order to create a favourable business environment for the growth of our economies. This interaction will no doubt help both countries to explore more opportunities to improve our capabilities to combat cross-border crime.”

Information sharing, IGP Kanganja said, will ensure that both Rwanda and Zambia Police institutions function proactively rather than reacting to situations after they have occurred.

“As criminals continue devising new methods of committing crime, we should also be able to adapt to the new and advanced ways of policing. Our belief, therefore, is that this security cooperation will continue to grow from strength to strength to enhance our political, economic and social relations, and open up new opportunities to learn from each other,” the Zambian Police Chief said.

After the bilateral meeting, the Zambian delegation accompanied by IGP Munyuza, visited Isange One Stop Centre where they were given a tour and an overview of the centre, which offers free medical, psycho-social and legal services to victims of GBV and child abuse.

During his week-long visit, IGP Kanganja will tour various police establishments including RNP schools, visit Kigali Memorial Centre to pay respect to victims of the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi as well as the Campaign against Genocide Museum, among others.

Among the new cases are eight from Kigali and ten from Kirehe in the new cases in a refugee camp.

Since the first Coronavirus patient appeared in Rwanda, 535 782 sample tests have been made of which 4992 cases were confirmed. Of these, 4797 have already recovered while 161 are still active cases. 34 people have succumbed to the virus.

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.