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.
President Kagame made the remarks on Sunday during a press meeting with the RBA where he addressed a number of issues of national importance.
President Kagame said that over the past five months Rwanda has been successful in dealing with the COVID-19.
“This does not mean that it does not affect us as badly as others, but we are among the first in the world in terms of coping with this pandemic, preventing it from taking many lives,” said the Head of State
“In order for us to get that position in the first place, it came from the efforts of Rwandans; it didn’t just happen, it was people who did it. Yet all the economic aspects of human life were disturbed.”
President Kagame said the effects of Coronavirus will affect the economy of the country and the world as a whole, stressing that the government will continue to do its utmost to protect the lives of the people and their livelihoods.
“We need to ensure that life keeps going on, that we take decisions adapting to the situation. We want Rwandans to have a better life, not to be affected by this pandemic but also not to starve. Let it not be choosing between dying from the pandemic or from starving.”
He said that the government will continue to look for resources in order to preserve the life of the country.
President Kagame’s remarks came days after some Rwandans living abroad were spreading rumors that the Rwandan president was ill and may be dead.
Though the news was not given much value in Rwanda, it has continued to confuse minds among anti-government activists living abroad.
In an interview with the RBA on Sunday, President Kagame was asked if he had seen these reports saying that his health was deteriorating, and how social media could be used to prevent such rumors.
President Kagame said he heard news of his death too but did not give them much value.
“I found out recently, not only did they say my life was in bad shape but that I was no more. It’s too much. There is a proverb that says, ‘urucira mukaso, rugatwara nyoko’ (you wish death to your step-mother and it takes your mother instead)
[He laughed] I hope we don’t miss a lot of mothers because of these people spreading such things but life is life, even those saying that, I don’t know how long they will live on Earth, but even if they live for a hundred years, that hundred years will come to an end.”
At the forefront of spreading these rumors is Father Nahimana Thomas, who has been widely renowned for his negative criticism of the Rwandan government.
President Kagame said people should know how to analyze the authenticity of information they get from social media. He also warned Nahimana that he might find himself arrested for what all the falsehoods he keeps on spreading.
“What I would say to young people and other people is to know how to analyze, they should use social media to learn, talk to people, give information as they want but include an analysis, find out what can be posted on social media […] whether that priest or someone else, people live their lives; we cannot prevent bad people from living badly in such a way but you can distinguish what is good from what is bad; it will be useful.”
In addition, President Kagame said social media is usually a good way to get people to know what’s going on elsewhere. However, he said, there were those that abuse those platforms, so there was a need to find ways to prevent this misuse and instead promote its benefits.
Busingye made the commitment following social media complaints against use of excessive force by the police on social media over the last two weeks, following the shooting of two suspects, the most recent being on Friday, in Kimisagara, Nyarugenge district.
Police shot and killed a one Boy Munyaneza, a suspect who was detained at Kimisagara Police Station who allegedly attempted to escape from custody through Mpazi Ravine, prompting officers on duty to fire bullets at him.
The incident followed another one on Sunday, August 30th, in Zaza Sector, Ngoma district, in Eastern Province, in which a police officer shot and killed Evariste Nsengiyumva, who allegedly tried to fight police officers who were enforcing measures against the New Coronavirus.
Police got a tip off that Nsengiyumva and others were in a certain house, whose owner had turned into a bar, drinking past 7 pm.
When cops raided the house, it is alleged that while others fled or were arrested in the act, Nsengiyumva attempted to fight and disarm a police officer who reacted by firing. The incident enraged many who took to social media.
While addressing concerns of members of the public over recent cases in which unarmed misbehaving suspects are shot by police while attempting to apprehend them, Busingye said fatally shooting suspects is not lawful.
“The use of excessive or deadly force against unarmed detainees/suspects is illegal and inappropriate. We are working with @Rwandapolice and concerned institutions to reign it in through policy and operational measures, intensified accountability, training and effective oversight,” Busingye said.
Rwanda National Police (RNP) said it had arrested the officer involved while investigations into the incident were being conducted.
“Police has arrested the officer involved in the shooting of Nsengiyumva Evariste, a resident of Zaza sector, Ngoma district.”
“Investigations are underway to establish the circumstances of the shooting,” said the Police.
The awareness also involves mass testing of vehicle emissions. It is conducted in line with the ‘International Air Quality Day’ held every September 7, to educate the public on air pollution and control measures.
The Clean Air Day brings together communities, businesses, education, and the health sector to improve public understanding of air pollution, both indoors and outdoors; build awareness of how air pollution affects human health, and to explain some of the easy things that can be done to tackle air pollution towards environmental protection.
The campaign was held across highways connecting the City of Kigali to other parts of the country as Police officers from Motor-vehicle Inspection Centre (MIC) engaged in testing automobiles’ fume emissions.
Air pollution is the single greatest environmental risk to human health and one of the main avoidable causes of death and disease globally, according to the UN.
Transportation is considered the largest single source of air pollution globally leading to climate change.
Pollution in the air is now the fourth-highest cause of death worldwide, trailing smoking, high blood pressure, and diet-related diseases. The majority of these deaths are recorded in poorer countries.
It is estimated that more than 90 percent of people globally breathe polluted air and approximately seven million people die from air pollution-related causes every year.
According to Modeste Mugabo, Air Quality Monitoring Sector Specialist in REMA, Rwanda lies in the safer zone of the Air Quality Index.
“Rwanda falls under the moderate stage of the Air Quality Index, and the awareness, as well as testing fuel emissions, are part of the implementation of the national policy to ensure the air is clean and to prevent related diseases,” Mugabo said.
The key greenhouse gases associated with road transport are carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O).
Medical experts say that pollutants cause aggravated respiratory diseases such as emphysema, bronchitis, asthma lung damage, heart diseases, and reduced resistance to infections.
“Motorists drive through roads with no idea of the ill-effects of their exhaust fumes on the environment and people’s health, and this awareness is designed to influence especially motorists’ understanding on the problem control measures,” Mugabo said.
Today, Rwanda has nine Air Quality monitoring stations and one reference station.
The UN observes that in the absence of aggressive intervention, the number of premature deaths resulting from ambient air pollution is estimated to be on track to increase by more than 50 percent by 2050.
Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) Bernardin Nsengiyumva, the Deputy Commanding Officer of Motor-vehicle Inspection Centre (MIC), said that fuel emission is one of the tests conducted at MIC.
“The MIC services also include testing emissions to supplement national efforts in implementing the policy on the environment, and fighting air pollution in particular.
For a vehicle to be certified as roadworthy, it also has to pass the emission test at MIC,” CSP Nsengiyumva said.
Currently, MIC operates four testing lanes and a mobile lane, all with the capacity of inspecting more than 500 vehicles per day.
According to CSP Nsengiyumva, about 20 percent of inspected vehicles emit gas.
MIC also acquired mobile emission testing devices used on highways.
CSP Nsengiyumva said that with the mobile testers, any vehicle found emitting gas, even if its mechanical inspection is still valid, has to be fixed before it’s allowed on the road again.
The City of Kigali has unveiled a new city master plan to be implemented from 2020 up to 2050.
The new master plan has been informed by public views thus revised one which was first designed in 2013
The new master plan introduces a flexible and incremental approach to city development as it seeks to accommodate 3.8 million people in 2050 from the current 1.6 million.
The master plan is guided by economic, social and environmental drivers.
The main features highlighted by the Vice Mayor of Kigali City in charge of Urbanization and Infrastructure, Ernest Nsabimana, in the new master plan compared to the previous one comprise of flexibility where one building can be used for different purposes.
This means that one house can combine commercial activities, residence, restaurants, office and others at once to ensure integration.
the new master plan will also promote the economy for small business; meaning that people in need of microenterprises have been considered by the master plan which will enable small businesses such as shoemakers, tailors and many similar small businesses to have places for doing their businesses as requested by Rwanda Development Board.
The master plan will allow small business people to have small offices in residential areas where people can occupy without going to hire big buildings and this is part of promoting micro-economy, small enterprises.
With walking and cycling lanes serving for recreation, there will also be public spaces for recreational purposes.
Moreover, the new plan, a minimum of houses per hectare will increase from 25 to 70 houses.
Protected agricultural land decreased from 66.8 percent to 55 per cent while developed areas will increase from 32 per cent to 45 per cent as the growing population will need infrastructure and housing.
The master plan also has integrated road use and master planning; this means that to construct Kigali ring roads and Bus Rapid Transit systems require to build roads for pedestrians and cycling lanes.
The master plan will help citizens access -at walking distance- basic infrastructures, business services, health facilities, religious infrastructure, restaurants, banks, motels, markets, schools and others where they can walk at least 400 meters.
This will also reduce congestion of people seeking such services in the Central Business District (CBD).
It will also allow improvement of unplanned settlements without necessarily relocating residents. Auxiliary residential units are allowed where a house owner can annex other small houses in smart ways that can help low income earners.
Though previous master plan recommended skyscrapers, the new one integrates medium height storey-buildings.
The new master plan has integrated wetland master plan where each wetland will have its own use including recreational wetlands
