The incident took place yesterday on Thursday 4th March 2021 in Miyange village, Kayonza cell of Mukarange sector as the two children played with the grenade.
The executive secretary of Mukarange sector, Murekezi Claude has told IGIHE that the grenade blasted as confused it with a hammer.
“They are two children aged 13 and 17. The mother of one aged 13 went to till and picked a grenade which she brought home thinking it was a normal metal. She confused it with a hammer and gave it to her son who started playing with it. The next morning, the mother went for casual agricultural labour to neighbors with her son carrying the grenade. Arriving there, the child with another one aged 17 played with the grenade until it blasted and slightly injured them,” he said.
Murekezi appealed on residents to avoid playing with unfamiliar objects lest they put their health at risk or alert local leaders.
The statement is meant to assess economic and financial developments of the year 2020 and give an outlook for the year 2021 and beyond.
In 2020, mobile banking transactions increased in volume by 183 percent from 2 million to 6 million and by 224 percent in value from Rwf 85 billion in 2019 to Rwf 277 billion of transactions.
During 2020, active mobile payment subscribers (transacted in the previous 90 days) increased by 13 percent from 4,139,075 to 4,688,124 while the number of mobile agents increased by 33 percent from 98,359 to 131,173. Mobile payment transactions increased by 85 percent from 378.8 million worth Rwf2,349 billion Rwf in 2019 to 701 million worth Rwf 7,177 billion Rwf in 2020.
The report shows that comparing 2019 to 2020, the portion of cash-based transactions significantly reduced as a consequence of various policies taken to encourage digital payments and minimize the risk of COVID-19 spreading.
Banks which provided internet-banking services increased to thirteen (13) from nine (9) in December 2019 and the number of subscribers increased by 9 percent from 91,825 in December 2019 to 99,810 in December 2020.
In 2020, internet banking transactions increased by 7 percent to 1,445,174 in 2020 from 1,352,301 in 2019 and by 4 percent in terms of value to Rwf 2,362 billion in 2020 from Rwf 2,276 Billion in 2019
{{Card based payment services}}
The number of traditional Point of Sale (POS) machines increased from 3,477 in December 2019 to 4,335 in December 2020. During this period, POS transactions increased by 56 percent in volume from 2,426,456 in December 2019 to 3,780,051 in 2020, while in value, POS transactions increased by 9 percent from Rwf 109 billion in 2019 to Rwf 120 billion in December 2020.
On the other hand, Automated Teller Machines (ATM) decreased from 383 in 2019 to 334 in 2020 due to the fact that two banks moved from ATMs services to Agency banking services. In terms of usage, ATM transactions decreased by 9 percent in volume from 10,061,164 in 2019 to 9,203,942 in December 2020, though the value increased by 17 percent in value from Rwf 578 billion to Rwf 679 billion considering that most people have been withdrawing larger amounts due to the limited access to ATMs during the lockdown period.
Mobile POS contributed the most to increased usage of electronic payments compared to other types of POS during the period under review.
As at end of December 2020, the number of mobile POS increased significantly to 39,7434 in December 2020 from 13,675 in 2019 due to increased adoption by various businesses such as supermarkets, retail shops, health centers and specifically microbusinesses.
The parliament made the request recently on 2nd Wednesday 2021, as it presented report on recent MPs visits in different districts to Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC).
In October 2020, the parliament’s general assembly tasked PAC to follow up the budget allocated to building and maintenance of Nduba modern landfill after realizing increase in budget that didn’t bear fruits.
In October last year, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Economy and Trade reported that Nduba landfill exposes neighboring residents at risk.
Parliamentarians have been expressing concerns that the landfill was relocated from Kicukiro to Nduba without study plan which they consider the major cause for increasing budget.
The landfill is under the management of the Ministry of Infrastructure (MININFRA), the City of Kigali, Water and Sanitation Corporation (WASAC), and Rwanda Environment Management Authority (REMA).
The Chairperson of PAC, Muhakwa Valens, has said that digging deeper into the case involved an analysis of documents related to the landfill and advised entities with the mandate to supervise its management.
The Auditor General revealed that Rwf2.5 billion have been used for the management of the landfill.
During recent discussions between PAC and Kigali city, the latter explained that the landfill’s management has so far taken Rwf 2.7 billion.
PAC Chairperson said that the budget allocated to Nduba landfill has been increasing and stressed the need to estimate the real budget used to the landfill.
Speaking to IGIHE, PAC Chairperson Muhakwa Valens said that the City of Kigali has decided to make a study plan initially showing estimated total budget for the landfill.
“After observing that the budget was gradually increasing, we found need to assess the budget used to manage the landfill,” he said.
Muhakwa said that Kigali city committed to complete the study plan by March 2021.
“During discussions with the City of Kigali, we were told that the study plan might be available by end of March. So, we are hopeful that the study plan will show how much to be spent on the landfill until it becomes productive,” he explained.
The report also shows that only 40% of 444 residents to be relocated from surroundings of the landfill were compensated.
The executive secretary of Gasabo district, Umwari Pauline has told IGIHE that some of them have been already compensated while 93 residents have been registered awaiting compensation.
She explained that some of these residents have difficulties related to land documents with land disputes still handled by competent courts.
Umwari Pauline has also revealed that Gasabo district’s advisory committee has scheduled a meeting on Friday 5th March 2021 to study the case before releasing payments.
Nduba landfill accumulates over 500 tons of waste materials are dumped on daily basis.
The landfill stretched over 24.2 hectares is expected to be expanded to 54 hectares.
They are an addition to 347,000 vaccines Rwanda received on Wednesday through COVAX initiative.
These vaccines were delivered to 50 hospitals yesterday from where they were distributed to health centers that have started vaccinating targeted groups this Friday.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Dr. Vincent Biruta has said that these 50,000 vaccines arrived in Rwanda on Friday morning.
“Pleased to receive 50,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccines from India this morning. The Government of Rwanda is grateful to the Government of India and other partner countries for their valuable contribution to the fight against COVID-19,” he said.
Rwanda has so far received 397,000 vaccines in three shipments including 102,960 Pfizer vaccines, 240, 000 AstraZeneca vaccines and more 50,000 AstraZeneca vaccines received today.
Rwanda plans to vaccinate 30% of the population by 2021.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has via Twitter account revealed that Minister Biruta received the vaccines at Kigali International Airport along with Oscar Kerketta, High Commissioner of India to Rwanda.
Health practitioners, patients with incurable diseases like blood pressure, diabetes and asthma among other respiratory diseases will be among the first group to be vaccinated in the first phase along with elders above 65 years and people whose line of duty puts them in a susceptible position.
As per released statement, a liter of petrol, diesel will cost Rwf1,088 and 1,054 respectively translating into 10% due to upsurge in international fuel prices.
Fuel and diesel prices have gone up by 30 % and 26% respectively on international market.
RURA announced latest fuel prices in January 2021 where petrol price and diesel were set to Rwf 987 and Rwf 962.
The trailer carrying 41,500 cubic metres of Benzine was headed to Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The Commanding Officer of the Fire and Rescue Brigade, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Jean Baptiste Seminega, said the trailer caught fire at about 3pm.
“At about 3pm, the trailer which was approaching Gisenyi town caught fire. Fire started in one of the tyres and the driver called Mustapha Tom was the only person on board. Residents were quick to call our fire and rescue unit in Gisenyi, the fire truck was immediately deployed and they successfully managed to extinguish the trailer. Only some of the tyres were burnt,” ACP Seminega said.
He thanked the residents, who were quick to call the Police for immediate response.
“We managed to put out fire before spreading because we were called in in real time. It could have been a disaster if the fire had entered the tank.”
The driver, Mustapha thanked Rwanda National Police for the quick response adding that when the tyres caught fire, he had no hope that neither the trailer nor the benzine would be saved.
Lives, he feared, would also be lost due to this dangerous flammable product.
ACP Seminega urged the general public to always call the Police and Fire and Rescue Brigade in particular as soon as possible so as to intervene in real time.
{{Important Contacts in case of fire:}}
111 Fire and rescue
112 Emergency
0788311224: Northern region, 0788311024: Western region, 0788311023: Southern region, 0788311449: Eastern region
A study of 28 African countries including Guinea, Mauritius and Uganda showed that on average women accounted for a slightly smaller proportion of coronavirus infections and deaths compared to men.
Overall around 41 percent of reported Covid-19 cases were women, although the figures ranged widely from 31 percent in Niger to more than 57 percent in South Africa.
“In most countries, women are somewhat less likely to die from Covid-19 than men,” World Health Organization (WHO) regional director for Africa Matshidiso Moeti told an online news conference.
But the pandemic had exposed gaps in health services, with women suffering the brunt of disrupted access to care.
“There was a rise in maternal deaths in 10 countries,” Moeti said, making reference to another study that collated data between February and July 2020.
The highest jumps were recorded in the Comoros, Mali, Senegal and South Africa.
Access to sexual and reproductive care was already poor on the continent before coronavirus hit.
But access was made worse by restrictions to stem the spread of Covid-19, pushing more women to seek risky informal abortions, Moeti explained.
Overstretched hospitals were often unable to see patients seeking non-coronavirus related services, she added.
More data is still needed to determine the full extent of the effect.
The duo of Adelphine Muragijimana and Fidele Niyonambaza were at the time traveling in a public vehicle when it was intercepted by the Police in Nyamitanzi Cell, Kivumu Village.
The Police spokesperson for Western region, Chief Inspector of Police (CIP) Bonaventure Twizere Karekezi said that Niyonambaza was the bus conductor working with Muragijimana, who was among the passengers.
He added that following a tip-off from an informer, Police stopped the vehicle, which was headed to Jomba from Mukamira.
“We had received information that this specific vehicle had a suspected drug dealer on board. Police officers deployed stopped the bus, searched it and recovered 4700 pellets of cannabis concealed in a bag belonging to Muragijimana, who was taken into custody alongside Niyonambaza, the bus conductor, who had connived with her to traffic the narcotics,” CIP Karekezi said.
It is suspected that Niyonambaza has been facilitating drug dealers transporting them alongside their narcotics from one point to another.
CIP Karekezi thanked the citizen who reported the criminal act and facilitated the arrest of the suspected drug traffickers.
He warned transporters as well as taxi-moto operators against aiding drug dealers but also to be vigilant and report traffickers, who would attempt to use them to transport the narcotics.
Fighting drugs and related crimes as well as breaking particular chains of supply is among the Rwanda National Police (RNP) priorities in crime prevention, and the establishment of the Anti-Narcotics Unit (ANU) was in that line.
Cannabis is listed as a “very severe drug” under the Ministerial Order No.001/MoH/2019 of 04/03/2019 establishing the list of narcotic drugs and their categorization.
Under article 263 of the law determining offences and penalties in general in Rwanda, anyone convicted for dealing in “very severe narcotic drugs” faces between 20 years and life in prison and a fine of between Rwf20 million Rwf30 million.
New cases were found in Kigali: 16, Gisagara: 15, Ngororero: 15, Nyaruguru: 13, Bugesera: 10, Nyamagabe: 10 and Karongi: 9 among others.
The statement released last night shows that 11 people are critically ill.
Rwanda confirmed the first Coronavirus case on 14th March 2020. Since then, 19334 people have been tested positive of whom 17682 have recovered, 1396 are active cases while 266 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.
“Helicopters from Rwanda Defense Force and Rwanda National Police are now delivering COVID-19 vaccines to remote parts of 14 different Districts. They will be picked up by District hospitals for distribution to area health centres. All vaccine shots will be administered within 48 hours starting Friday,” reads the tweet.
The distribution comes a day after receiving 342, 960 COVID-19 vaccines in two batches comprised of Pfizer and AstraZeneca doses.
The first shipment of COVID-19 vaccines comprised of 240,000 AstraZeneca doses arrived in Rwanda yesterday morning followed by the second batch of 102, l960 Pfizer vaccines in the evening.
Health practitioners, patients with incurable diseases like blood pressure, diabetes and asthma among other respiratory diseases will be among the first group to be vaccinated in the first phase along with elders above 65 years and people whose line of duty puts them in a susceptible position.
