Author: Nicole Kamanzi Muteteri

The trio detained at Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB) station in Gahunga include Niwonkunda Miriam, land administration officer in Cyanika sector, Uwababyeyi Theonestine, the manager of Rugarama Sacco and the accountant Niyoyita Emilien.

They are suspected of two crimes namely; illegally obtaining another person’s property and offering a document to a person who did not deserve it, which they committed during an expropriation exercise.

RIB spokesperson, Dr. Murangira B. Thierry has said that their files have been transferred to the prosecution.

“They are accused of two crimes including swindling another person’s property and offering a document to undeserving person. They were committed during an expropriation exercise. We have submitted their files to the Prosecution,” he explained.

The statement released last night shows that the deceased is a 79-year old man from Kigali city.

Among others, 67 people have caught the virus, 85 recovered while 19 are critically ill.

Rwanda confirmed the first COVID-19 case on 14th March 2020. Since then, 19846 people have been tested positive out of 1,047,310 sample tests of whom 18118 have recovered, 1457 are active cases while 271 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.

In principle, telecommunication firms had been earning a lot each year from international call charges.

However, since WhatsApp calls became a household name, the amount that telecommunication firms earn from such calls has drastically plummeted because people have turned to WhatsApp and other similar calls to avoid international call charges.

Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) figures show that the number of international calls has plummeted drastically during the past 10 years.

For instance, TCRA recorded a total of 107.2 million international calls during the entire fourth quarter of the 2012 calendar year.

However, the number dropped to 65 million during the fourth quarter of 2016 before plunging further down to 27.27 million during the last quarter of 2020.

But Information and Communication Technology minister Faustine Ndugulile, told Mwananchi in an interview that the government was looking into ways of preventing loss of its revenues, occasioned by WhatsApp calls.

He said TCRA was currently analysing the Telecommunication Traffic Monitoring System (TTMS), with a view to looking into the best modality to prevent revenue losses.

Commissioned two years ago, the $24.6 million TTMS was aimed at tracing fraudulent traffic. It is used in identifying fraudulent traffic as well as mobile money transactions and data that would have been difficult to access accurately without such a system.

The system also enables TCRA to ascertain the quality of services given by mobile phone operators to their customers, he added.

“So, for now, data shows that inter- national calls traffic has gone down as people have migrated to WhatsApp calls. This has negatively affected rev- enues from international calls. We need to have a regulatory mechanism and this is actually what TCRA is doing at present,” he said.

Explaining on the matter, sectoral issues director at TCRA, Mr Emanuel Manase, said it would be difficult for the telecommunications regulator to bar WhatsApp calls but noted that improvements on its (TCRA’s) regulatory mechanism will focus on recouping government revenue by coming up with new data tariffs.

He said the first step towards that goal was identifying all phones that make and receive calls through WhatsApp and Messenger.

“After doing that, the second step will be to conduct an analysis of data usage whereby we will find out whether or not we should adjust the charges because it will be through that way that the government will collect its revenue despite a drop in international traffic,” he said.

Once that gets done, he said, the government will then decide on the way forward. Dr Ndugulile said the government was also looking at ways by which it can protect the interests of artists whenever their songs were played on various broadcasting stations.

“We are trying to come up with a sys- tem that will ensure that the artist’s royalty is automatically calculated as soon as his/her music gets played. As such, at the month end it will tell you how many times you played songs for any particular artist and how much needs to be paid in royalty,” he said.

In the same vein, he said the minis- try was also looking at coming up with a system that will automatically filter messages that are derogatory, fabricated and ridicule in nature.

“This should be in such a way that the system automatically blocks any message that is derogatory or fabricated before it goes viral,” he said

Source: The Citizen

The first cohort of 80 officers headed by Superintendent of Police (SP) Leon Niyomwungeri left this Wednesday aboard the national carrier, RwandAir.

Commissioner of Police (CP) Bruce Munyambo saluted off the cohort at Kigali International Airport.

Later that afternoon, CP Munyambo also received a similar number of the replaced officers, who returned back home after a successful tour-of-duty.

The rotation will be conducted in three phases as a deliberate effort to abide by the recommended health guidelines to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Prior to their departure, the deployed officers had also spent 14 days in quarantine, tested negative for COVID-19 and given test certificate.

This is the sixth rotation of FPU-1 following the maiden contingent deployed under UNMISS in November 2015.

The deployed FPU1-VI headed by CSP Faustin Kalimba as its contingent commander replaces FPU1-V commanded by CSP Fabian Musinguzi, which was deployed in Malakal in December 2019.

Rwanda FPU in Malakal is largely charged with the protection of civilians in internally displaced camps, UN personnel, security of key installations and humanitarian assistance, among others.

Prior to the deployment of FPU1-VI, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Dan Munyuza urged the men and women to defined by their “professionalism, discipline, teamwork, integrity, values and alertness and the momentum to maintain and protect the image and reputation.”

Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) Africa Sendahangarwa Apollo, RNP deputy spokesperson, while speaking to the media said the role of Rwandan peacekeepers goes beyond their primary responsibility of ensuring security of civilians to working with them in human security activities to improve their wellbeing.

“They were well prepared and equipped in the past six months of pre-deployment preparations including training which covered all aspects of peace support operations.”

He added: “The deployment in phases is due to the facts that they will also have to go in quarantine in South Sudan before officially starting their peacekeeping duties.”

All Photos: RNP

“This is the first time that money recovered from criminals will be returned to Nigeria (from Britain) since an agreement was signed in 2016 to recover and return the proceeds of bribery or corruption in a responsible and transparent way,” Britain’s Foreign Office said in a statement in Lagos.

It said the money stolen by James Ibori, governor of southern oil-rich Delta state between 1999 and 2007, was retrieved by British law enforcement agencies.

The funds will go towards “vital infrastructure and building works,” it said.

Home Office Minister Baroness Williams described the deal as “a significant moment in our fight against illicit finance wherever it is found.”

Ibori was jailed in April 2012 for fraud amounting to nearly £50 million (at the time $78.6 million / 62 million euros) following a drawn-out extradition procedure and his evasion of arrest and prosecution in Nigeria.

The one-time cashier at a chain of British DIY stores used public funds to buy luxury homes, top-of-the-range cars and a private jet.

He served four years of a 13-year jail term, which anti-corruption campaigners hailed as a rare victory in the fight against international graft.

Millions of dollars stolen by former military ruler Sani Abacha have also been repatriated to Nigeria from Switzerland and other countries.

Abacha died in June 1998 after reputedly looting some five billion dollars.

Rubavu is mapped as one of the main trafficking corridors.

The narcotics were disposed of on Tuesday, March 9, in a public exercise held in Nyakiliba Sector, Gikombe Cell in Nyabibuye Village.

Also destroyed are assorted illicit and substandard products, including Simba, Baresa and Blue Sky gin, which were seized from smugglers during the same period.

The destruction exercise was witnessed by the Mayor of Rubavu, Gilbert Habyarimana, Chief Prosecutor for Rubavu, Ngororero and Nyabihu, Janvier Munyaneza, Police and investigators, among others.

According to the District Police Commander (DPC) for Rubavu, Superintendent of Police (SP) Jean Bosco Karega, the destroyed narcotics were seized from more than 170 drug dealers, who were arrested in the same period.

He added that the traffickers were mainly arrested along the porous borders of Rubavu, Busasamana and Gisenyi sectors and in Gisenyi town.

The DPC echoed the fruits of strong partnership with the local people to identify and arrest drug dealers operating in their communities or using the areas as trafficking routes from the DR Congo.

’’Your participation in fighting against drug dealers and the effects of narcotic drugs is always valued and recognized,” the DPC said.

He went on to warn everyone involved in such criminal practices to divert their money into other legal ventures to improve their welfare instead of poisoning other people for their selfish ends.

The Mayor of Rubavu, Gilbert Habyarimana commended Rwanda National Police and other security organs for the fruitful operations.

He urged the residents to reinforce these operations in the fight against the drugs and to break all chains of dealers, by reporting suspected dealers.

“Police and other security organs have registered tremendous success in anti-drug operations. It is equally your responsibility as residents and Rwandans to report traffickers using your communities as routes or dealers operating in your communities to protect your families and children in particular, who are the majority victims,” Mayor Habyarimana said.

He, however, warned those residents, who work with drug dealers to harbour them or using their homes as stores.

Chief Prosecutor Munyaneza reminded residents the repurcussions of dealing in drugs or facilitating drug dealers.

Article 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 0f Law No 68/2018 of 30/08/2018 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, he/she faces between 20 years and life imprisonment, and a fine of up to Rwf30 million.

The donations were handed over to beneficiaries on Monday 8th March 2021 as Rwanda joined the rest of the World to celebrate the International Women’s Day.

The day was observed under the global theme “Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a Covid-19 world,” while in Rwanda, the theme was “Women at the forefront in the Covid-19 World.”

In Bugesera district, the day was observed at village level whereby the district donated 43 large water reservoirs to women from different sectors for their outstanding contribution to fighting malnutrition.

Beneficiaries were chosen by colleagues.

The coordinator of National Womens’ Council (NWC) in Bugesera district, Kamanzi Anastasie has told IGIHE that women received water reservoirs to facilitate the provision of water that can also be used to water their backyard kitchen gardens.

“Each of selected women received a water tank selected in the community for outstanding efforts to fight malnutrition,” she said.

Apart from water reservoirs, Kamanzi said, impregnated teens also received goats.

“These goats were bought from contributions of women in the district to support impregnated girls and selected vulnerable women at village level to foster their economic growth,” she revealed.

Kamanzi said, women were at the occasion reminded that they are capable of achieving great things and urged them to work hard and uplift fellows from vulnerable backgrounds.

“Giving does not require one to own big wealth. It is however, a path to seeking home grown solutions to support and educate each other. Women have been empowered that we should not hold back achieved progress. We must be active in all functions be it livestock farming, agriculture and leadership,” she noted.

Impregnated teens were also sensitized on their rights and scale up efforts to strive for their progress instead of sticking to experienced difficulties.