New cases are registered in Rusizi and Rusumo clusters, as well as repatriated Rwandans.
To date, 338 patients have recovered from the virus.
The last three days have been the highest ever, with Saturday recording 31 cases, Sunday leading with 41 new cases, and Monday, 30.
The Ministry of Health indicates that it is mostly because they increased general testing in the most affected areas like in Rusizi.
On Saturday, June 13, Minister of Local Government, Prof. Anastase Shyaka, Minister of Infrastructure, Claver Gatete and Minister of Defense, Maj. Gen. Albert Murasira went on a visit inspecting different projects in Nyagatare.
With them were also Minister of Education, Dr. Valentine Uwamariya, and State Minister in Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources, Dr. Jean Chrysostome Ngabitsinze.
The model village located in 19km from Nyagatare City, among other visits, are near completion and will be housing 64 vulnerable families; other infrastructure affiliated to the model village under construction include 31km Nyagatare-Tabagwe-Karama chipseal road and Tabagwe Health Centre, which is being expanded.
GS Tabagwe, a primary and secondary school, is being upgraded, with construction of dormitories for learners and teachers who live far from the school.
The school which enrolls 2,415 learners will have a new refectory, administrative block, laboratory, and classrooms.
Among other infrastructure that officials visited are markets, integrated handcraft centre, water and electricity projects.
A statement that was issued by Prime Minister’s office on behalf of President Paul Kagame Saturday reads
“In solidarity with the Government and people of our neighboring sister Republic of Burundi during this time of grief due to the demise of His Excellency President Pierre Nkurunziza; the President of the Republic of Rwanda His Excellency Paul Kagame has ordered that the national flag and the flag of East African community on Rwandan territory will fly at half-mast from Saturday the 13th June, 2020 until the burial.”
“We continue to grieve with the People of Burundi and the family of His Excellency Pierre Nkurunziza during this difficult time.”
President Nkurunziza, 55, died on June 8th due to a cardiac arrest according to a statement that was released by the government of Burundi.
In His Twit the president said that the discussion between the two Heads of State, which were held on telephone, was around the cooperation between the two countries and Africa at large.
Kagame said he had expressed gratitude to the Canadian Premier for his country’s support in Rwanda’s fight against the Covid-19 fight among other things.
“Had a call with PM @JustinTrudeau and thanked him for Canada’s strong partnership with Rwanda and Africa, and support against #COVID19 and toward @AIMS_Next and for the Africa Center of Excellence for Children Peace and Security,” he said in a tweet.
The Canadian Prime Minister’s Office stated that the two leaders also spoke about the strong friendship between Canada and Rwanda, and discussed opportunities to further advance shared priorities in education, research, and the Vancouver Principles.
The discussion follows a March 24, conversation that the two leaders held, also virtually, which also focused on measures to curb the global Coronavirus pandemic.
Rwanda and Canada work together on a wide range of issues, including environmental protection, peacekeeping, trade and investment promotion among others.
Among the other officials accused are Godfrey Kabera, the Director-General for National Planning and Eric Serubibi who was until recently the Director-General of Rwanda Housing Authority (RHA).
With these is also Christian Rwankunda, who was the Deputy Director-General in charge of fund management at Rwanda Social Security Board (RSSB).
They are faced with accusations, including misuse of public property, flouting of procedures on public tenders and complicity in flouting tendering procedures.
They appeared with their lawyers in court on Thursday, June 11, for bail hearing that did not materialize, due to prosecution’s failure to feed the details of their charges into the online case management system.
This is the second time that the case has been postponed; the hearing had been scheduled for last week, but it did not happen due to similar reasons.
The defendants’ lawyers complained to court that they had not been able to access the files detailing the accusations that their clients face because prosecution had not fed them into the system.
“Two days ago, we logged into the online system and reminded court and prosecution to assist us with the documents concerning our clients’ charges. But until today, it has not been done,” said a lawyer representing Caleb Rwamuganza.
Adding to that, Alphonse Sebazungu who represents Serubibi told court that police stopped him from accessing his client from where he is detained to prepare their defence.
“Yesterday I wanted to meet my client at a police station where he is being held, but police officers did not allow me. Yet, it was necessary for us to meet and prepare the defence,” he said.
The prosecutor in charge of the case informed the court that there is a general problem in the online system, specifically on the part of Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB) who are currently unable to feed documents into the system; the prosecutor said that the defendants’ lawyers should have approached court or prosecution itself and got the documents in another form, like flash disks.
As a response to Sebazungu’s claim on him being stopped from seeing his client, some of the hindrances were as a result of measures by police to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
They prosecution said to have talked to police to facilitate the meetings between lawyers and their clients.
Due to such hindrances, the presiding judge postponed the bail hearing to June 18, to give time to the lawyers to access the files and also meet their clients to discuss their defence.
The new cases are linked to Rusizi and Rusumo clusters, all isolated and contacts traced,” reads the Ministry’s statement.
The latest cases were derived from 1,870 tests. In total, the country has conducted 80,129 tests.
Since the outbreak in mid-March, Rwanda has reported two deaths.
Nkurunziza’s death was announced Tuesday, June 9, by government spokesperson Prosper Ntahorwamiye. He succumbed to a cardiac arrest at Karusi Fiftieth Anniversary Hospital in central Burundi, where he had been hospitalized since June 6.
In his Twit, President Kagame said that the government of Rwanda sends condolences to the Burundian people including the first family.
“On behalf of Gov’t and my own behalf, I send our condolences to the Gov’t and People of Burundi for the passing of President Nkurunziza. This also goes to the family of the President. God Bless!” – President Kagame tweeted.
This brings the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 451 of who 297 have recovered.
The new cases relate to the Rusizi and Rusumo clusters and have been isolated and contacts traced, according to the Ministry of Health.
The newly confirmed cases were identified in 1,928 tests. In total, the country has conducted 78,259 Covid-19 tests.
Two deaths have been registered since the country first registered a Covid-19 case back in March.
Most cases have for the last couple of days been recorded in Rusizi District, Western Province.
The majority of other cases confirmed in recent days are reported to be truck-drivers crossing into the country through the Rusumo border post.
