Author: Nicole Kamanzi Muteteri

The EAC Regional Electronic Cargo and Drivers Tracking System was to be officially launched on August 12, 2020 but it came to a standstill with Tanzania’s request that the process first be enlightened by various EAC bodies, including the Council of Ministers, to get it approved.

After a long wait, the EAC via Twitter said that the technology will be officially launched on September 8, 2020.

The East Africa Community Secretariat and its Partner States will hold a virtual event to officially mark the roll out of RECDTS that will issue jointly recognized EAC COVID-19 digital certificates. Event starts at 12.00PM.

The EAC developed the app with funding from European Union, Global Affairs Canada, Danida, Finland, Netherlands and United Kingdom through TradeMark East Africa and in accordance with the mandate given by the 1st joint ministerial meeting of EAC ministers responsible for Health and EAC Affairs.

The App provides a surveillance system to monitor long distance truckers crew health and enable contact tracing. It allows partner states to electronically share truck drivers’ COVID-19 test results; therefore, minimizing need for multiple COVID-19 tests in a single trip.

The reliance on manual certificates and delayed test results at the borders has been reported as one of the main reasons for costly long delays at border points.

It is expected that RECDTS will contribute to protecting lives, support health related protocols and facilitate safe trade. RECDTS will be in use in all partner states and will eventually be extended to EAC neighboring countries, particularly Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

RECDTS will be overseen by the EAC Secretariat, which is supported by four other countries, namely Kenya, Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda, and the Nimule border in South Sudan.

Minister Ngamije made the remarks on Monday, as Rwanda received 1.5 tonnes of supplies from Egypt to help Rwanda fight the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

He said Rwanda and Egypt have always been cooperative in the field of health, both in medicine and research and there are other projects they are working on together.

“There is an agency we are talking to that will be helping us in the future in treating people with heart disease. We are in final discussions. In the coming days we will sign an agreement to allow the center to operate from here in Rwanda,” said the minister

Minister Ngamije did not say much about the project, either when it will start or when the center will be set up.

Egypt’s ambassador to Rwanda, Ahmed El Ansary, also said the two countries are working together so that in the future they will announce one of the largest projects in the field of health.

“It will be a great project, which will help Rwanda but also help our other African countries. We are still improving the project but what I would say is that it is a big project, a major project in the relationship between Egypt and Rwanda. We are in the final stages, hoping to reach an agreement, sign it and announce everything in it.” added the Ambassador

Egypt is considered to be the most advanced on the continent in the field of cardiovascular medicine, and researchers have shown that Egyptian Princess Ahmose-Meryet-Amon, who lived more than 3,500 years ago, would be the first to have had a heart attack case confirmed by doctors.

If the center was set up, it would support many Rwandans with heart disease, who needed medical treatment and travel abroad, in countries such as India and South Africa.

CP Kabera said the number one cause of accidents was alcoholism and high speed. Of the 600 accidents, 46 were caused by drunk drivers, and 280 were caused by speeding.

Although people often complain about the seven o’clock curfew hour, pointing it of being the source of the accidents that are taking place these days as Rwanda is facing the Coronavirus pandemic, the police spokesman explained that the seven o’clock curfew has nothing to do with the accidents.

“Investigations did not show that these accidents were caused by the 7 p.m., 8 p.m. or even 9 p.m. curfews. We found that the accidents were caused by high speed, drunkenness, and carelessness,” said CP Kabera

Kabera urged drivers to abide by the rules of the road, and to prepare their schedules early so as to respect the curfew hour and make sure to be home by then.
In May last year, the Gerayo Amahoro campaign was launched to encourage drivers to abide by traffic rules.

Before the Gerayo Amahoro campaign began, there were more than 5,000 accidents in Rwanda each year, killing 500 people. However, since the program began in May 2019, accidents have dropped by 27%.

According to the Ministry of Health, of the new cases, 25 were identified in Kigali’s high-risk groups; Rusizi and Nyamasheke districts also reported nine new cases and one case of Covid-19 respectively.

So far, Rwanda has recorded 4,409 cases since the outbreak of the pandemic in the country in mid-March, of which 2,119 are active cases.

The latest update was obtained from 4,457 sample tests conducted in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of sample tests taken in the country to 444,350; so far 19 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 complying with government regulations, especially with frequent washing of hands and water and soap, wearing masks when leaving home or in public.

On September 6, 2020, Rwanda recorded 25 new cases taken from 3481 sample tests, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 4,374 while 36 have recovered bringing the number of recoveries to 2,335.

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19, the country has recorded 19 deaths; the ministry said the recent deceased was a mother of 76-year-old from Kigali City.

Of the new cases, Kigali recorded 16 cases from testing in high risk groups, while Rusizi has 4 new cases, and Rubavu confirmed 3, leaving Rwamagana and Kirehe with each 1 new case.

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 complying with government regulations, especially with frequent washing of hands and water and soap, wearing masks when leaving home or in public.

The suspects include one Onesphore Kamana, 45, who was caught with 15 tonnes of Cassiterite and Coltan minerals.

Others are Joseph Nshimiyimana, 37, who was found with 300kgs of cassiterite and coltan and Justin Habumuremyi, 46, found with 31.5kgs.

Other four suspects were at the time conducting illegal mining activities.

They are identified as Jean Bosco Hagenimana, 25, Theoneste Gafaranga, 25, Samuel Iyakaremye, 28, and Theoneste Gafaranga, 48.

The information on these people’s illegal mineral business was shared by community policing partners, according to Chief Inspector of Police (CIP) Aloys Bugingo, the District Police Commander (DPC) of Kamonyi.

“These people fall in two groups; those who engage in mining and those who buy the minerals from them. There is a group of illegal miners that calls itself Abahebyi, which in most cases operates at night, and these strengthened operations are meant to break these chains,” the DPC said.

He also issued fresh warning to the people involved in these illegal businesses that is not only dangerous to individuals, but also destroys the environment.

“They must know that their business is illegal and punishable by the law. Sometimes, these illegal mining activities have resulted into fatal accidents. Most of them do it at night, without even protecting themselves.”

Similar operations conducted last week also saw the arrest of six illegal mineral dealers.

Article 54 of the law on mining and quarry operations, states that any person who undertakes mineral or quarry exploration, exploitation, processing or trading without a licence commits an offence.

Upon conviction, the offender is liable to imprisonment for a term of between two and six months and a fine of not less than Rwf1 million and not more than Rwf5 million or only one of these penalties.

The court also orders confiscation of any seized minerals or quarry in storage, trading or processing without a licence.

Both damaged facilities were recently closed as part of the measures of COVID-19 prevention and were yet to be opened at the time of fire outbreak. The motel offers bar, restaurant and lodging services while the city valley market trades in fruits and vegetables.

Faustin Kashugera, the proprietor of City Valley Motel said a big part of the facilities was damaged.

“We are yet to know the causes of the fire outbreak but we saw it coming from the other side of the market. There were no goods in that market,” he said.

“There were so much property damaged by fire in my motel and I don’t know the total value at the moment since we have not yet carried out inventory of the damages,” he said.

The Fire Brigade was at the scene immediately to extinguish the fire. The cause of the fire has not yet been established.

Kagame made the remarks while responding to a question on the subject, Sunday, during a press interaction with RBA, saying that he had been following up on the issue and from his understanding, it was the actions of a few individual officers and not operational guidelines of the police force.

“I have learned that there have been individual excesses which I don’t attribute to lack of training. They have sufficient training, they have ability and commitment. This depends on individuals,” he said.

The Head of State said he had instructed police leadership to ensure that any officers found to have engaged in excesses will be held accountable in a transparent manner.

“We are going to see change; there is no need for that excessive force. Even when the one you are dealing with maybe a hardcore criminal the police are trained and know how to deal with such a situation without applying excesses,” he said.

He added that the isolated incidents should not tarnish the image of the Rwanda National Police.