Author: Nicole Kamanzi Muteteri

The statement released last night shows that 34 people have caught the virus out of 4434 sample tests while 54 recovered.

Rwanda confirmed the first Coronavirus case on 14th March 2020. Since then, 27245 people have been tested positive of whom 26 225 recovered, 660 are active cases, 7 are critically ill while 360 have succumbed to the virus.

A total of 350,400 people have been vaccinated of whom 228,169 received the second vaccine shot since the country began countrywide inoculation programme on 5th March 2021.

The warning follows the arrest of 11 people in the night of Saturday, June 5, in different parts of the country, who were found driving while drunk during curfew hours.

Movements are prohibited beyond 10pm, according to the government restrictions meant to contain the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Eight of the drunk-driving violators were arrested in City of Kigali while three others were caught in Musanze District.

The eight arrested in Kigali were on Sunday, June 6, showed to the media at the Police metropolitan headquarters in Remera, Gasabo District.

Julien Muhirwa, one of the suspects, said she was arrested beyond 10pm in Kicukiro. He admitted that at the time, he was also driving while drunk.

“When Police officers measured my alcoholic content using a breathalyzer, the found it was way above the recommended maximum for one to be driving.

I acted irresponsibly, which was both a life-threatening act that could lead into fatal accident, and disregarding the national safety guidelines against Coronavirus,” Muhirwa, who asked to be forgiven, said.

Pierre Celestin Gasinzigwa also arrested in Kicukiro, narrated that he left work at about 7pm, but joined friends for a drink.

“The blood alcohol content level was at 3 decimal,” said Gasinzigwa.

The maximum blood alcoholic content in Rwanda is 0.08 milligrams.

RNP spokesperson, CP John Bosco Kabera said there is an increase of drunk drivers during curfew hours.

He warned that such inappropriate behaviours and lifethreatening practices will not be tolerated.

“Everyone knows that driving while drunk is a serious traffic violation,” CP Kabera said.

He added. “We had enough time to raise awareness against this specific practice during Gerayo Amahoro and in other previous road safety sensitization campaigns. Worse still, they are doing so during prohibited movement hours and at the time when the country and the whole world is ravaged by the pandemic of Covid-19.”

He cautioned of strengthened operations against anyone flouting the government directives and drunk-driving.

“These are the same people who hold prohibited social gatherings in homes and bars, where they meet to drink and can easily spread the virus, but also can lead to loss of lives on the road through accidents,” CP Kabera said

He said their vehicles were impounded and owners or those who were caught driving them will also be fined accordingly.

They were arrested in separate Police operations conducted on Friday, June 4.

They are Odette Akingeneye, 30, who was arrested in Bigogwe Sector in Nyabihu District with 1,115 pellets of cannabis.

In Jomba Sector also in Nyabihu, Police arrested the duo of Simeon Hakuzimana, 26, and Alphonse Habumugisha, 19, with 1,107 and 1027 rolls of narcotics, respectively.

“All the three drugs dealers had used the same trafficking ploy to conceal the pellets in mosquito nets, which they had wrapped around the body and covered with the clothes they were wearing,” said Chief Inspector of Police (CIP) Bonaventure Twizere Karekezi, the Police spokesperson for the Western region.

He added that reports about their their criminal narcotics business were shared by the members of the public.

“Hakuzimana and Habumugisha were at the time in a passenger service vehicle when it was stopped along Rubavu-Muhanga, suspects identified and arrested,” said CIP Karekezi said.

Hakuzimana disclosed that he was headed to Ngororero District where he was to sell the narcotics while Habumugisha said he had customers in Muhanga District where he was at the time going.

Meanwhile, Odette Akingeneye, was arrested earlier that morning she waited for a commuter bus.

Akingeneye said she got the narcotics from one Didier Niyigena to deliver them to his client in Muhanga.

According to Niyigena, she was supposed to be paid Rwf10,000 upon delivering the narcotics.

On the same day in Rusizi District, Police also seized 843 pellets of cannabis a suspected drug dealer, who dropped the consignment and fled.

CIP Karekezi commended the role of the public in successful crackdown in drug dealers’ rackets.

The suspects were handed to RIB at Jomba Station for further investigation.

The art 3 of the Ministerial order nº 001/MoH/2019 of 04/03/2019 establishing the list of narcotic drugs and their categorisation classifies cannabis in the category of “very severe narcotics.’’

Article 263 of law No 68/2018 of 30/08/2018 determining offenses and penalties in general states that any person, who unlawfully produces, transforms, transports, stores, gives to another or who sells narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances commits an offence.

Upon conviction for very severe narcotics, the offender faces between 20 years and life imprisonment, and a fine of up to Rwf30 million.

The statement released last night shows that 49 people have caught the virus while 42 recovered.

The majority of new cases were found in Kigali: 24, Rubavu: 7 and Ngororero:5.

Rwanda confirmed the first Coronavirus case on 14th March 2020. Since then, 27 221 people have been tested positive of whom 26 171 have recovered, 681 are active cases, 10 are critically ill while 359 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 urged to adhere to COVID-19 health guidelines, washing hands frequently using soaps and safe water, wearing face masks and respecting social distancing.

DIGP Namuhoranye made the remarks on Friday, June 4, while officially closing a four-day workshop on community policing held at the Rwanda National Police (RNP) General Headquarters in Kacyiru, which was attended by 110 Police officers.

The workshop, which was conducted why observing the COVID-19 prevention measures including prior negative test results, was attended by District Police Commanders and those from Police stations and other units.

It covered 30 keys aspects of policing including discipline, professionalism, Rwandan values, Ndi Umunyarwanda, crime prevention, role of the media in crime prevention, fighting terrorism, and the role of the public in ensuring own security and crime prevention.

Ndi Umunyarwanda loosely translated as ‘I am Rwandan’, is a programme initiated to build a national identity based on trust and dignity.

“There are key things that define a safer and secure Rwandan; their social wellbeing, being food secure, living in safer zones free from natural disasters, being healthy and being able to provide security to neighbours,” DIGP Namuhoranye told the officers.

He added: “A hungry Rwandan, who will go to steal for survival will have committed a crime, but you can equally play a role to educate and show them the right direction to start small income generating activities, develop themselves, and that way you will be addressing the causes of crime.”

He urged them to actively engage the public in all policing activities adding that Police is accountable to them as partners and beneficiaries in crime prevention and sustainable security.

Other entities like local leadership structures, he added, should also be part of the policing and security matters.

“Ensuring security is not preventing crimes alone; always endeavor to get closer to the people, listen to their concerns and help them where you can and where you cannot refer their problems to others concerned institutions. You might find that the challenges they are facing are influencing them into unlawful acts,” said DIGP Namuhoranye.

He, however, commended the role of the public through community policing, which he said has played a big role in the current safety and security in the country.

A lot, he said, is still expected from them to farther the proactive agenda and to bring further change in the social welfare of the people.

The Deputy Police urged them to continue observing and enforcing the national COVID-19 prevention directive.

This is one of the three cohorts of 110 each, which will undergo the same training.

The financing agreement was signed by Dr. Uzziel Ndagijimana, the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, on behalf of Government of Rwanda and Ms. Aissa Toure, AfDB Country Manager for Rwanda.

Under the last mile connectivity project, works will include construction of a total of 595 km of medium voltage and 1,620 km low voltage connections which will result into connection of 77,470 households in Gisagara, Huye, Nyamagabe, Nyanza, Nyaruguru and Ruhango districts. The project will also support distribution network reinforcements, substation and transition line construction, environmental and social management framework.

Speaking after the signing ceremony Minister Ndagijimana said: “The energy sector in Rwanda has made important progress where accross the country electricity access is at 63% as of May 2021. The financial agreement we signed today will significantly contribute to our ultimate goal of ensuring every Rwandan citizen has access to electricity by 2024.”

Ms. Toure revealed that ‘the project will provide first-time electricity connection to 77,470 households, upgrade, rehabilitate and extend of 1,720 km of low voltage network, and distribute transformers in secondary cities with high load’.

The project is part of the Rwanda Universal Electricity Access Program, a multi-donor program with an estimated envelope of more than US$ 670 million financing to support Rwanda’s universal coverage which aims to achieve 100% electrification by 2024 as per National Strategy for Transformation target.

The Transmission System Reinforcement and Last Mile Connectivity Project is co-financed by the World Bank, OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID), Saudi Fund for Development (SFD), Agence Française de Développement (AFD), the European Investment Bank (EIB) and Korean EXIM Bank.

AfDB’s contribution will represent close to 40% of the program costs with a development objective to improve network reliability/stability countrywide and increase electricity access for productive users and households.

AfDB has an existing partnership with Rwanda which focuses on infrastructure development, especially providing support in transport, energy and water and sanitation sectors among others.

They were arrested separately on Thursday, June 3, with 400 cartons of polythene bags.

They are Simon Turikunkiko, 27, and Christine Abamariya, 31.

Turikunkiko was intercepted in Kimironko Sector with 100 cartons while Abamariya was apprehended later in Kacyiru Sector transporting 300 packets on a motorcycle.

The duo was shown to the media on Friday, June 4, at Kigali Metropolitan Police Headquarters in Remera.7

Abamariya, one of the suspects, said that she got the plastic bags from one Diane Muhawenimana, whom she said operates in Musanze District.

“This is my second time that I got polythene bags from Muhawenimana in Musanze District to deliver them to her clients. The first time, I successfully delivered the the plastic bags to her client in Kimironko and I was paid Frw10, 000. She was going to pay me the same amount of money if I had succeded in this second attempt,” Abamariya said.

She argued that she started trafficking the polythene bags after her bar was closed under the government directives to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

Another suspect, Turikunkiko said he was selling the plastic bags in Kimironko market.

“I was buying a packet on Frw200 and selling it for Frw300,” said Turikunkiko.

Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) Africa Sendahangarwa Apollo, the deputy RNP spokesperson attributed the arrest of the suspects to the impact of community policing.

“The suspects are part of the groups that deal in banned plastic bags, which are sneaked into the Rwanda from neighbouring countries through illegal borders. The products were banned because they cause environmental degradation. We are able to identify and arrest dealers because of the good partnership with the public, who report them,” said CSP Africa.

CSP Africa urged the public to take part in the protection of the environment by avoiding or reporting on such illegal business.

Efforts to trace and arrest their suppliers and all members of the rings, he said, are still underway.

Manufacturing, use, importation or sale of plastic carry bags and single-use plastic items are prohibited under article 3 of law N° 17/2019 of 10/08/2019 relating to the prohibition of manufacturing, importation, use, and sale of plastic carry bags and single-use plastic items in Rwanda.

Article 10, any person, who imports plastic carry bags and single-use plastic items is liable to the dispossession of those plastic carry bags and such items, and to an administrative fine equivalent to ten times the value of those plastic carry bags and single-use plastic items.

In article 11, a wholesaler of plastic carry bags and single use plastic items is liable to an administrative fine of Rwf700, 000 and dispossession of those plastic carry bags and such such items

In article 12, a retailer of plastic carry bags and single-use plastic items is liable to an administrative fine of Rwf300, 000 and dispossession of those plastic carry bags.