The incident took place on Wednesday 10th February 2021 around 7am in Bizenga village, Kibogora cell, Kanjongo sector in Nyamasheke district.
The executive secretary of Kanjongo sector, Cyimana Kanyogote Juvenal has said that the deceased was a Samaritan who rushed save the child.
“The man dived to rescue the child who fell in the river but was unfortunately washed away before intervening. The child fell in the river as he passed by its banks. The deceased was not a relative to the child but a kindhearted resident who wanted to save the child,” he said.
“There were many residents around. They also dived and rescued the child but failed to trace the man. The river was flooded due to heavy rain,” added Kanyogote.
The rescued child was taken to Kibogora Hospital for medical attention. The river flows into Lake Kivu.
Lt Gen Musemakweli has been serving as the army’s Inspector General since 2019. He died last night as RDF spokesperson, Lt Col Ronald Rwivanga confirmed to IGIHE.
Following the demise, RDF has released a statement explaining that Lt Gen Musemakweli died of natural disease and expressed condolences to the bereaved family.
“The Rwanda Defence Force is deeply saddened to announce the untimely death of Lt Gen Jacques Musemakweli. He passed away on Thursday 11 February 2021 at the Rwanda Military Hospital, Kanombe following a natural death,” reads part of the statement.
“The Rwanda Defence Force extends its condolences and joins the family in grief during this sad moment. Communication regarding his funeral arrangements will be made later. Communication regarding his funeral arrangements will be made later. May his soul rest in peace,” adds the statement.
On 12th January 2018, President Paul Kagame and the Commander in Chief of RDF promoted Jacques Musemakweli from the rank of Major General to Lieutenant General.
Among others, Lt Gen Jacques Musemakweli once served as the commander of the Republican Guards prior to his appointment as Army Chief of Staff in 2016.
At the time, he was at the rank of Major General. In April 2019, Lt. Gen. Jacques Musemakweli was appointed the Commander of Reserve Forces prior to 3rd February 2019 when he became RDF Inspector General.
He also served as the Chairman of APR FC from 2013 until January 2021. Lt Gen Musemakweli had taken post from Maj Gen Alex Kagame who was leaving for studies in China.
Lt Gen Musemakweli was recently replaced by Maj Gen Mubaraka Muganga to the position in January 2021.
Minister Ndagijimana virtually presented the revised budget yesterday in line with cabinet resolutions to contain COVID -19 pandemic as well as the Supreme Court ruling allowing parliament to conduct virtual plenary sittings.
“The budget revision process has been informed by the economic and budget performance for the first quarter of 2020/21 which includes the assessment of the COVID-19 economic effects and provision of necessary support to vulnerable households, create jobs and support businesses,” Minister Ndagijimana said.
{{Key changes in FY 2020-2021 Revised Budget}}
The proposed revised budget presented to parliament contains key adjustments which include rise in domestic revenues due to projected increase in taxes following recovery of economic activities and businesses. Reclassification of budgetary loans to budgetary grants due to changes in disbursement plans. On the expenditure front, Government expects to increase recurrent spending to cater for COVID-19 related expenditures, increase in net lending outlays to support business through the Economic Recovery Fund as well as state corporations.
{{Resources}}
The proposed revisions to the 2020/21 budget reflect changes in the resource envelope as well as the corresponding adjustments on expenditures. As a result of the proposed changes, the total budget is projected to rise from Rwf 3,245.7 billion to Rwf 3,464.8 billion showing an increase of Rwf 219.1 billion.
Tax revenues are projected to increase by Frw 158.5 billion, from Rwf 1,421.4 billion in the original budget to Rwf 1,579.9 billion. Non tax revenue is expected to increase by Rwf 20.5 billion upwards from Rwf 184.3 billion to Rwf 204.8 billion. Grants are expected to rise by Rwf 99.7 billion, upwards from Rwf 492.5 billion in the original budget to Rwf 592.2 billion.
{{Expenditure }}
Total expenditure is being raised from Rwf 3,245.7 billion to Rwf 3,464.8 billion showing a net increase of Rwf 219.1 billion. The expenditure has been revised to reflect changes made under recurrent spending, capital expenditure and net lending outlays.
Recurrent Expenditure will be raised by Rwf 12.4 billion from Rwf 1,583.0 billion from the original budget estimate to Rwf 1,595.4 billion. Capital expenditure is expected to rise by Rwf 37.6 billion, from Rwf 1,298.5 billion in the original budget to Rwf 1,336.1 billion.
The changes majorly affect the domestically financed capital expenditures. Net lending increased by Rwf 165.2 billion from Rwf 306.5 billion in the original budget to Rwf 471.7 billion. This increase in the Net lending outlays are mainly allocated to the Economic Recovery Fund as the continued effort of the Government to support Businesses affected by COVID-19 pandemic outbreak.
The 2020/21 revised budget is part of the revised medium term macro-economic framework that aims to continue fighting the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak which continues to take a heavy toll on Rwanda’s economy. The Government will continue to monitor closely all components of the economic performance that may affect the smooth implementation of the revised 2020/21 budget, and will take any necessary corrective measures to ensure full implementation of the budget and at the same time maintain macro-economic stability.
Among others, 127 cases have been found out of 3522 sample tests, 289 have recovered while are critically ill.
The statement released last night shows that the majority of new cases were found in Kigali: 36, Nyamagabe: 19 among other districts including Kayonza, Nyagatare and Kirehe.
Rwanda confirmed the first COVID-19 patient on 14th March 2020. Since then, 17 068 people have been tested positive out of 934 672 sample tests of whom 13 678 have recovered, 3159 are active cases while 231 have succumbed to the virus.
The Ministry of Health shows that the prevalence of recoveries, infections and death toll stands at 81.1%, 3.6% and 1.3% respectively.
Rwanda confirmed the first COVID-19 patient on 14th March 2020. Since then, 16 811 people have been tested positive out of 926 187 sample tests of whom 10272 have recovered, 3597 are active cases while 226 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.
His demise has been confirmed by RDF spokesperson, Lt Col Ronald Rwivanga.
“It is true that he passed on last night,” he told IGIHE.
Lt. Gen. Jacques Musemakweli was among RPA soldiers that liberated the country and stopped the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
He held different senior positions in RDF leadership including; commander of Republican Guards, Army Chief of Staff and Reserve Force Chief of Staff.
On 12th January 2018, President Paul Kagame and the Commander in Chief of RDF promoted Jacques Musemakweli from the rank of Major General to Lieutenant General.
Among others, Lt Gen Jacques Musemakweli once served as the commander of the Republican Guards prior to his appointment as Army Chief of Staff in 2016.
At the time, he was at the rank of Major General. In April 2019, Lt. Gen. Jacques Musemakweli was appointed the Commander of Reserve Forces prior to 3rd February 2019 when he became RDF Inspector General.
He also served as the Chairman of APR FC from 2013 until January 2021. Lt Gen Musemakweli had taken post from Maj Gen Alex Kagame who was leaving for studies in China.
Lt Gen Musemakweli was recently replaced by Maj Gen Mubaraka Muganga to the position in January 2021.
Some of the services whose timelines were amended include issuance of tax clearance certificate, issuance of “Quitus Fiscal”, business deregistration, VAT refund, issuance of Tax payment certificate, Tax stamp, EBM activation and deactivation, issuance and activation of motor vehicle entry cards, licensing of vehicle transit goods, among others.
For some services, the days it takes one to be served have been downscaled while for others, they have been increased compared to the past two years, with a goal to offer efficient services to taxpayers. For example, VAT refund request took 30 days to be addressed but according to the new service charter, it will only take 15 days, EBM activation request took 2 days but now it will take just 1 hour for the request to be addressed, EBM deactivation request took 1 day but it now takes 2 hours for one’s request to be addressed.
According to RRA’s Commissioner General, BIZIMANA RUGANINTWALI Pascal, these and many other service delivery timelines were amended because the tax authority’s goal is to establish a closer partnership with taxpayers, hence, the service Charter is a pronouncement of its commitment to deliver quality services to taxpayers.
“Revenue collection system functions effectively and efficiently when taxpayers know, understand and uphold their rights, this service charter therefore affirms our commitment to ensure that quality service is provided rightly all the time and to uphold our promise to be there for the taxpayers,” said the Commissioner General.
He further reminded taxpayers that it is their absolute right to always question and/or constructively criticize the tax administration on any of the services they feel dissatisfied with, adding that taxpayers deserve to be treated fairly, with justice, respect and common courtesy; to be represented and advised; to be consulted and given feedback on tax matters and policy, to receive a response to any correspondence addressed to the tax administration; and to get any claimed refund as provided for by the applicable laws and regulations.
The new version of the service charter has been published on the RRA website (https://www.rra.gov.rw/fileadmin/user_upload/service_charter_final_eng.pdf) for taxpayers to access and get more information in order to exhaustively understand the changes it entails.
Real estate and construction and manufacturing accounted for 68% of all investments registered at 48% and 20% respectively. Other sectors that attracted significant investments include agriculture, ICT, energy, mining and financial services.
A total of 24,703 jobs are expected to be created by the new investments with the manufacturing and construction sectors expected to create 8,661 and 6,372 new jobs, respectively. The Government aims to create 214,000 new jobs every year from investments and other employment sources.
Foreign direct investments contributed 51% of the total investments registered in 2020, while Joint ventures and local investments contributed 29%, and 20% of the investments, respectively. In comparison, foreign direct investment represented 37% of the total investment registrations in 2019, while Joint ventures and local investment represented 44% and 19% respectively.
Some of the largest investment projects registered in 2020 include; One Acre Fund, (US$193 million), Phoenix Plaza (US$179 million), Duval Great Lakes Ltd (US$69 million), Sinohydro Corporation Limited (US$66 million), Girinzu Developers (US$41 million), Petrocom Building (US$35 million) and BBOXX Africa Management Ltd (US$ 29 million).
Other key investment projects registered during the year included; US$12 million by Norrsken Rwanda Ltd to build East Africa’s largest hub for entrepreneurship and innovation, US$4.45 million by Nexus Academy to set up a professional aviation training academy and to offer licensed courses in flight training, aircraft maintenance, ground handling; and US$26.2 million by Bralirwa Ltd for the expansion of the brewery to meet the growing demand for their products in the country and for export.
Commenting on the 2020 investment registration figures, RDB Chief Executive Officer, Clare Akamanzi, said: “The year 2020 was challenging for investment and business in general. Despite the global economic slowdown resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, Rwanda registered significant investments in key sectors of our economy. This is a sign of continuous investor confidence in Rwanda by both local and foreign investors.
“We are optimistic that these investments will further accelerate economic recovery by boosting local production and creating needed jobs for our people. The Government of Rwanda is committed to supporting businesses to recover through initiatives like the Economic recovery fund- a Rwf100billion facility to support companies affected by the pandemic so that they can survive, restart work/production and safeguard employment and through the Manufacture/Build to recover program that seeks to incentivise investors in construction and manufacturing sectors,” added Akamanzi.
Through the Manufacture and Build to Recover program, the government will incentivise qualifying manufacturing and construction projects in four areas; general construction, general manufacturing, factory construction, and project performance. Incentives include Value Added Tax (VAT) waivers on imported and domestically sourced construction materials, and VAT exemptions for domestically sourced raw materials and machinery.
Despite the physical restrictions brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, RDB has continued to offer aftercare services to investors to ensure that business projects are implemented free of avoidable impediments. Investors continue to be engaged through different digital platforms and through physical site visits where necessary.
In terms of investor facilitation, RDB operates a One-Stop Centre for investors, which provides information and services to guide investors through the key steps of starting a business such as registration, licenses, immigration, land, utilities, environmental clearances and tax and mortgage registration services.
Many Rwandans regard the protagonist of a Hollywood film as a terrorist, not a hero.
In his recent Foreign Policy article on the protagonist of the popular Hollywood film Hotel Rwanda, Anjan Sundaram adds his name to the list of commentators who have chosen the court of public opinion to absolve Paul Rusesabagina—a man who stands accused of multiple counts of terrorism.
While the screenplay written by Keir Pearson and Terry George does make for compelling drama, it diverges significantly from the reality and the lived experience of the survivors of the genocide against the Tutsi who sought refuge at the Hotel des Mille Collines in 1994.
It is not my duty to litigate in these pages; I will leave that to Rwanda’s independent and internationally recognized judiciary. But it would be a betrayal of the truth to allow for uncritical, one-sided narratives pushed by several journalists—and supported by Rusesabagina’s public relations machine—to run rampant. I would therefore like to draw the attention of the media to an often neglected side of the story.
According to numerous accounts from survivors, the popular portrayal of Rusesabagina—the erstwhile manager of the Hotel des Mille Collines, or “Hotel Rwanda”—is patently false. In a Le Monde investigation, the survivor Cyrille Ntaganira told journalists how when “Rusesabagina came to tell us we had to pay,” he was only able to stay when one of his roommates “signed an IOU with him.”
Another survivor, Immaculée Mukanyonga, claimed that Rusesabagina withheld food and water to those unable to pay, forcing guests to drink chlorinated pool water. In his comprehensive book Inside the Hotel Rwanda, Edouard Kayihura—a genocide survivor who spent 100 days as a refugee in the Hotel des Mille Collines and was later the official in charge of prosecuting crimes against humanity in Rwanda—corroborates these testimonies and adds more, including the allegation that lists of hotel guests and their room numbers were passed on to Hutu Power radio stations by Rusesabagina.
Accounts from some foreign officials who were posted in Rwanda in 1994 and spent extensive time at the Hotel des Mille Collines during the genocide align with the allegations above. These include the United Nations peacekeepers Gen. Romeo Dallaire and Capt. Amadou Deme. Both have expressed disgust at the film. Dallaire has said it was “not worth looking at” because it was troops with the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda “who stayed in Rwanda … who saved the people at the Hotel Mille Collines—not the hotel manager, Paul Rusesabagina.” To Deme, the film’s portrayal of events is “repulsive for its untruthfulness.”
When confronted with these facts, Sundaram’s opinions do not stand up to scrutiny.
The article fails to discuss the facts surrounding the trial, including Rusesabagina’s admission that he helped found the National Liberation Front (FLN), which the Rwandan government regards as a terrorist group.
This makes Sundaram’s premature dismissal of the trial as a “Kafkaesque farce” irresponsible, at best.
Rusesabagina is charged with founding and supporting the FLN, which has openly claimed responsibility for murdering innocent Rwandans. Not only has Rusesabagina publicly admitted that he helped form the FLN, but he also called for FLN troops to “use any means possible … against the Kagame army.”
Sundaram sees no issue with “[a]rmed groups seeking to overthrow Kagame” being “attracted to Rusesabagina as a figurehead.” His disregard for the suffering of ordinary Rwandans, who have tragically lost their lives at the hands of terrorist groups like the FLN, is unethical and dangerous. All over the world, such groups and their leaders have been tracked down and brought to justice. There is no reason Rwanda should be an exception.
The author’s incomplete assessment of the facts is again evident in his discussion of Rwanda’s economic transformation, which has been roundly praised by economists such as Paul Collier.
Because the hard-fought nature of our nation’s unprecedented journey from devastation to development does not fit with his narrative, Sundaram goes to considerable lengths to undermine it. He cites an academic disagreement between the World Bank and a group of professors as proof that “Kagame had manipulated economic growth.”
Rather than addressing the nuanced academic debate around how to weight the consumer price index in Rwanda, Sundaram creates a fiction in which the entire World Bank is apparently under the finger of Rwanda, which is manifestly absurd.
The unprecedented growth, falling poverty, and declining inequality that we have accomplished as a nation are dismissed. Instead, Sundaram’s rewrites reality, stating that it is “tragic,” but somehow inevitable, that Rwandans allegedly “now confront the prospect of even more violence.” One hopes he is merely misguided, rather than malicious, in implicitly validating the ideologies of terrorist groups masquerading as liberation movements.
Rwanda’s government welcomes outside voices, just as we welcome strong partnerships with other nations based not on deference but on cooperation. In our commitment to national self-reliance, we accept that we will not always be perfect.
But we ask that the international perception of our history and sovereign recovery be based on objective fact, not on one-sided and selective reporting.
The farmers explain that the issue has been persistent and worsened during Covid-19 pandemic.
Speaking to IGIHE, some dairy farmers have appealed for support to get enough markets where they can supply dairy products noting to avoid losses of 10,000 liters of milk wasted every day.
Uzabakiriho Gervais, the president of I.A.KI.B (a cooperative which collects and buys large milk produce in Gicumbi district) has said that big quantities of milk are wasted because they don’t have enough markets.
“The cooperative receives 40,000 liters per day. Inyange Industries would buy 20,000 liters only because it has other suppliers from Umutara. The remaining produce would get spoiled and wasted. This is the situation we have been going through in January 2021,” he said.
“We are currently supplying to early childhood development centers but much of the milk is disposed of because we don’t supply every day,” added Uzabakiriho.
Harerimana Jean de Dieu, a dairy farmer and ghee maker has revealed that these days they only benefit from getting organic compost because of failure to find markets for the milk.
“We can only obtain compost from cattle farming because farmers feed milk to their pigs while others without pigs dispose of the produce. We are used to sharing milk with neighbors but they sometimes refuse claiming that they have not yet finished previously received liters,” he said.
“I spend at least Rwf 13,000 on cattle rearing every day. We are facing losses because we supply milk in the morning only. Sometimes, milk collection centers keep the produce in containers for a week and later disposed of claiming that milk spoiled,” added Harerimana.
The mayor of Gicumbi district, Félix Ndayambaje has said that farmers have got market to supply milk to early childhood development centers but more interventions will be sought overtime.
“It has been observed that 28629 liters of milk go to waste due to lack of market. However, the milk is currently being supplied to over 1000 early childhood development centers as part of home grown solutions to fight against stunting, malnutrition among children. We will continue to seek a durable solution to supply to schools or elsewhere,” he explained.
The Director General of Livestock at the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources (MINAGRI), Dr. Theogene Rutagwenda has said that they are seeking for a short-term solution as they await milk processing plant expected to be established in the area.
“A small portion of milk produce from Gicumbi is supplied to Kigali, Inyange and a person called Miltoni producing dairy products at the border. It is obvious that much of the milk has no market but discussions are underway for the establishment of a milk processing plant. The Governor also proposed the supply of milk to early childhood development centers which is not a durable solution but it is helpful,” he said.
Even though these figures were not expected, the part registered some progress.
“While these were not the figures we were anticipating at the beginning of the year, the year did show some positive trends including longer stays and a higher spend per person,” reads part of the park’s statement.
In 2019, the park registered 49,000 visitors generating US$1.5 million.
Akagera National Park is among parks accommodating Africa’s’ big five animals after reintroduction of some species including lions and rhinos.
The park is home to lions, elephants, buffalo, rhinos and leopards.
In 2019 Akagera was 90% self-financing, and the park was on the last stretch to self-sustainability. Unfortunately, soon after, the pandemic began to impact the park, like everywhere else, resulting in the temporal closure of Akagera National Park.
The Government of Rwanda was quick to react and worked hard to contain the pandemic and after a three-month lockdown, tourism activities in Rwanda resumed.
Akagera reopened in mid-June with the aim to recover from the knock of the pandemic.
While much of the world was under total lockdown, and several workers losing their jobs, Akagera National Park continued essential conservation work and while its rangers did not miss patrols.
“It is thanks to the ongoing support of African Parks’ major donors that we have had the resilience to ensure we remained operational with all staff fully employed. We are thankful that 100% of the 271 contracted members of staff in Akagera were retained on full pay despite closure and loss of revenues from tourism,” reads the park’s statement.
