Author: Théophile Niyitegeka

Stolen motorcycle recovered in Gakenke

{A motorcycle which was reportedly stolen in Bugesera District was on Saturday recovered in Gakenke District.}

The TVS motorcycle – RAB 632V – was allegedly stolen using a master key, from Fidele Ndagijimana, after breaking into his house at night located in Rugarama Cell of Mareba Sector.

“We disseminated information among our partners including the public and motorcyclists. On February 18, we received information from someone who had saw the motorcycle in Muhondo Sector where it was discovered and the suspected thief arrested,” IP Gasasira said.

He identified the suspect asJean Bosco Nshimiyimana who is currently detained at Rushashi Police Station.

“We have since informed our counterparts in Bugesera and the owner of the motorcycle has also been informed. ”

“It is possible that you can commit a crime but it’s unlikely that you will go way with it. We commend the role played by the general public in ensuring that crimes are prevented, and criminals are located and attested while stolen items are recovered,” he said.

Article 300 of the Penal Code stipulates that anyone guilty of theft without violence or threat shall be liable to a term of imprisonment of six months to two years and a fine of two to five times the value of the stolen property or one of the penalties.

Source:Police

February 20, 2017
Vitamin D protects against colds and flu, finds major global study

{Vitamin D supplements protect against acute respiratory infections including colds and flu, according to a study led by Queen Mary University of London (QMUL).}

The study provides the most robust evidence yet that vitamin D has benefits beyond bone and muscle health, and could have major implications for public health policy, including the fortification of foods with vitamin D to tackle high levels of deficiency in the UK.

The results, published in The BMJ, are based on a new analysis of raw data from around 11,000 participants in 25 clinical trials conducted in 14 countries including the UK, USA, Japan, India, Afghanistan, Belgium, Italy, Australia and Canada.

Individually, these trials yielded conflicting results, with some reporting that vitamin D protected against respiratory infections, and others showing no effect.

Lead researcher Professor Adrian Martineau from QMUL said: “This major collaborative research effort has yielded the first definitive evidence that vitamin D really does protect against respiratory infections. Our analysis of pooled raw data from each of the 10,933 trial participants allowed us to address the thorny question of why vitamin D ‘worked’ in some trials, but not in others.

“The bottom line is that the protective effects of vitamin D supplementation are strongest in those who have the lowest vitamin D levels, and when supplementation is given daily or weekly rather than in more widely spaced doses.

“Vitamin D fortification of foods provides a steady, low-level intake of vitamin D that has virtually eliminated profound vitamin D deficiency in several countries. By demonstrating this new benefit of vitamin D, our study strengthens the case for introducing food fortification to improve vitamin D levels in countries such as the UK where profound vitamin D deficiency is common.”

Vitamin D — the ‘sunshine vitamin’ — is thought to protect against respiratory infections by boosting levels of antimicrobial peptides — natural antibiotic-like substances — in the lungs. Results of the study fit with the observation that colds and ‘flu are commonest in winter and spring, when levels of vitamin D are at their lowest. They may also explain why vitamin D protects against asthma attacks, which are commonly triggered by respiratory viruses.

Daily or weekly supplementation halved the risk of acute respiratory infection in people with the lowest baseline vitamin D levels, below 25 nanomoles per litre (nmol/L). However, people with higher baseline vitamin D levels also benefited, although the effect was more modest (10 per cent risk reduction). Overall, the reduction in risk of acute respiratory infection induced by vitamin D was on a par with the protective effect of injectable ‘flu vaccine against ‘flu-like illnesses.

Acute respiratory infections are a major cause of global morbidity and mortality. Upper respiratory infections such as colds and ‘flu are the commonest reason for GP consultations and days off work. Acute lower respiratory infections such as pneumonia are less common, but caused an estimated 2.65 million deaths worldwide in 2013. Vitamin D supplementation is safe and inexpensive, so reductions in acute respiratory infections brought about by vitamin D supplementation could be highly cost-effective.

The study was conducted by a consortium of 25 investigators from 21 institutions worldwide and funded by the National Institute for Health Research.

Professor Hywel Williams, director of the NIHR Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Programme said: “The interesting findings of this large study are worthy of serious further debate. This study is yet another example of how the NIHR HTA Programme reaches the parts that other research funders may not tackle.”

Source:Science Daily

February 20, 2017
Handball League: Police claim top spot

{Police Handball Club has continued its wonderful start of the season after beating APR by 40 goals to 38 in a tightly contested match played at Kimisagara youth sports centre on Sunday.}

Both clubs entered the match well knowing that a win by either of them would automatically set a lead margin as the league entered Day Four.

None of the teams had lost any league match this season, although the law enforcers was leading with nine maximum points followed by APR with six, but with a game in hand.

The fourth straight win for the five time champions, therefore, means that Police have set a 3-point difference at the top to increase chances of their fourth straight

This is the club’s fourth league win in all four games played which takes them to 12 points

Police’s Gilbert Mutuyimana and Habimana Jean Baptiste scored nine and eight match high individual goals, respectively.

Police head coach, Assistant Inspector of Police (AIP) Antoine Ntabanganyimana commended the solid performance of the players.

“APR are equally a good side and beating them means a lot in in such a competition. There was early preparation, determination and hard work to fill the gaps, and in the end we come out successful,” said the police coach.

Police’s next match is away against ADEGI- GITUZA on February 25.

Source:Police

February 20, 2017
How desert ants find their way in a featureless environment

{These desert ants live in salt pans and are ideal models for navigation research. When they set out in search of food in their flat, bare, hostile environment, they are nevertheless always able to find their way back to their nest on the shortest route possible. They have an internal navigation system. }

The ants measure the distance they have gone by recording how many steps they have taken — and they use the sun for directional orientation, taking into account its movement over time via their own internal clock. A team of researchers led by Dr. Matthias Wittlinger of the University of Freiburg developed a tiny treadmill, on which the ants behave just as they do in the wild. “This gives us almost unlimited possibilities to test the mechanisms and neural basis of our model animal’s spatial orientation and navigation — in the laboratory,” says Wittlinger. “We can place the ants in a virtual world and incorporate certain changes into it to see how they react.” The the experiments are expected to yield information which will be useful in the development of autonomous robots as well as in other areas. The team of biologists published their results in the Journal of Experimental Biology.

The ant treadmill is like a ball on top of which the insect can walk around, a bit like a hamster in a wheel. To the ant, it is like walking in its normal environment — although it doesn’t really go anywhere. The team developed the spherical treadmill in such a way that it enables the ant to walk using a natural gait, even when moving and changing direction quickly. The spherical treadmill contains optical sensors — like those in a computer mouse — which record precisely the ant’s direction and speed.

In the experiments the ant initially travels some ten meters from its nest — whether in the field or in the laboratory — storing information about the path it has taken. Then the researchers place it into the treadmill. The ant then moves exactly as it would if it were returning to its nest. It first heads back to the nest as directly as possible. Once it has arrived in the general area of the nest, the ant switches to search mode, taking a meandering path so as to find the exact location. The biologists have observed that the ants adapt their speed to the relevant phase of their journey — fast on the initial homeward trip, then slow in the searching phase. Comparisons between the virtual journey inside the treadmill and the necessary trip on the ground show that the insects have a high-precision navigation system.

Source:Science Daily

February 20, 2017
4 signs you are ready for marriage

{If you tick the following boxes, then, you’re definitely ripe to take the next step of getting married.}

{{You are faithful to your one partner }}

This is probably one of the biggest hurdles to a lot of people getting married. Because the point of getting married is to be with just one person for the rest of your life. If you cannot stay true and faithful to one man or woman, you can as well forget getting married because you wouldn’t be able to stay faithful to your partner in that marriage, and without faithfulness, what’s marriage?

{{You are happy with that person }}

Marriage is a lifelong affair. If you’re going into it, then it has to be because you are happy and excited about it. You must get married to the person you truly are happy with. Life’s too short to settle for less. Some people marry out of pity; you don’t want to do that, trust me. If you’re happy with the person you’re presently seeing, then, you’re most likely ready to be with them for the rest of your life.

{{You are mentally strong and mature enough }}

There is so much emotional stress and difficulty that come with marriage and dating. There’ll be quarrels, there’ll be disagreements and difficult times. If you have come to the stage of mental maturity where you think you know and understand these factors, and know that you can navigate through them when they hit you, then, you’re ready to take the next step.

{{You are scared to commit to marriage }}

This may seem contradictory, but then it’s been said that those who have doubts about how well they’ll do in marriage are the ones who eventually turn out the best partner in marriage. So if you have any fears about marriage, don’t let it deter you. As Long as you tick the other boxes; give it a go, and you’ll see how well things will turn out.

Source:Elcrema

February 19, 2017
RPF Inkotanyi Switzerland chapter elect new committee

{RPF Inkotanyi members in Switzerland have elected a new committee in the event that took place yesterday in Lausane city. }

Participants came from various provinces of Switzerland.

Rubayiza Emmanuel has been elected president of the committee, Mbarushimana Jean Claude became vice president, Madam Karyabwite Henriet elected secretary, Celeste Karekezi and Gatete Karege elected youth representatives while Madam Ntashamaje Béatrice has been elected woman representative.

The newly elected RPF Inkotanyi president, Rubayiza Emmanuel commended the general assembly for trusting him and promised to do all possible to ensure RPF members in Switzerland contribute to Rwanda’s development.

The committee was later sworn in.

Rwanda’s ambassador to Switzerland Dr. Fraçois Xavier Ngarambe called upon members to respect and be guided by RPF code of conduct, foster development in their home country.

He thanked members of the general assembly and the outgoing committee for establishing administrative structures of RPF across all provinces in Switzerland.

Ambassador Dr. Ngarambe also reminded members of their role in this year’s presidential election campaigns to have RPF representatives win the vote.

February 19, 2017
Another top South Sudan army official resigns

{Henry Oyay Nyagn, Head of Military Justice in South Sudan’s army (SPLA), has resigned becoming the fourth high-ranking official to quit President Salva Kiir’s government in what seems like a mass desertion.}

In a letter released Saturday evening, Gen Nyagn accuses President Kiir’s government of presiding over tribalism in favour of the Dinka ethnic majority which he belongs to.

Gen Nyagn also accuses members of the Juba based regime of overlooking as crimes such as rape, systematic killings and unlawful confiscation of property belonging to civilians among other things are committed.

“You have been alerted by the security organs to act on reports citing consecutive killings and heavy bombardment in Jonglei in which so many civilians suffered causalities. Again, you chose to be silent,” Gen Nyagn writes.

Source:Daily Monitor

February 19, 2017
Egypt reaching out to Kenya for better deal over the Nile

{Egypt is reaching out to Kenya for a better deal over the use of the Nile in exchange for improved trade between the two countries.}

On Saturday, Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, who was in the country for a one-day visit, said he was here to seek ways of improving trade and promised to extend the same towards fair use of the waters of the world’s longest river.

“Egypt and Kenya are bound together by the common artery of the River Nile and a long history of productive cooperation,” he said during a joint press conference with his host President Uhuru Kenyatta.

“We will support development in the Nile Basin countries to optimise the use of this large Nile for the good of the Nile basin countries in general.”

The current approach by the Egyptians differs from that of the time of Hosni Mubarak who promised to protect the waters of the Nile at all costs including using military intervention.

In fact the meeting between the two leaders in Nairobi was historic: The last time a sitting Egyptian president, Mubarak, visited Nairobi was in 1984.

In 2013, when al-Sisi as commander of the Egyptian army ousted Mohammed Morsy, President Kenyatta condemned the incident, terming it a “matter of grave concern”.

On Saturday, President Kenyatta said Kenya and Egypt enjoy “cordial and friendly” relations dating back to colonial times.

“Our economic ties and investments will continue to grow between our two countries,” he said.

Mr Kenyatta said: “One way that we can prepare ourselves for the opportunities that exist between us is to fast-track the conclusion of bilateral agreements on the avoidance of double taxation and on the reciprocal protection of investments”.

The President said: “We agreed to quicken the pace and see if we can conclude this instrument this year”.

The strategy to advance trade has been Egypt’s policy since the 2011 Arab Spring. But it still benefits Cairo.

Official figures show that in 2015, trade worth Sh45 billion was conducted between the two countries, but Kenya only exported Sh20 billion worth of this. In fact trade was higher before al-Sisi came to power, reaching Sh59 billion in 2012.

Kenya’s major export to Egypt is tea, which comprises 96 per cent of the goods sold to the North African country. Egypt sells here manufactured goods which include sugar and sanitary products.

HAD AGREED

On Saturday, President Kenyatta said they had agreed that Egypt helps in training of personnel in different fields as well as cooperate in agricultural research. Nairobi also asked Egypt to provide easier immigration rules for business people.

But the President, too, had to address the matter of the Nile. “The Nile has historically been vital for our bilateral relations and we expect that it will remain vital in many years to come and it is, therefore, important that its waters are shared in an inclusive manner in order not to erode the water security of Nile Basin countries,” he said.

Riparian countries in the Nile Basin have been demanding talks on how the waters of the world’s longest river can be used. The Nile Basin includes 11 countries in eastern and central Africa that either use or are the source of much of the water in the Nile. They include Egypt, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Egypt, Sudan, Tanzania, Burundi, South Sudan, Ethiopia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Source:Daily Nation

February 19, 2017
Uganda:Why UPDF deployed in Equatorial Guinea

{The first batch of Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) troops left quietly for Equatorial Guinea late last year for a covert mission of reinforcing security for that country’s president Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, and officially to strengthen capacity of the Guinean armed forces, according to highly placed military sources.}

The troops, drawn from different army units — Logistics, Special Forces, Intelligence, Medical and Motorised Infantry — are also said to have left with own military hardware, which the army spokesperson Brig Richard Karemire denied but acknowledged that the first batch left last year for “reconnaissance” before others could go.

“There is nothing like that, as if they were going to fight war. That is not correct,” Brig Karemire told Saturday Monitor.

“Equatorial Guinea is a brotherly country to us, and it is for that reason our forces were invited to help train the Guinean forces to attain a certain level of professionalism — that is all.”

He added: “We are helping our brothers on the continent when we are called upon to, and as [Saturday] Monitor, you should be looking at it that way and supporting us.”
According to the US intelligence agency, CIA fact book, Equatorial Guinea has a small army of about 1,500 troops. It has 400 policemen, 200 navy service members, and about 120 in the air force. The country was thrust into the spot recently for granting asylum to former Gambian strongman Yahayah Jammeh, who was forced out after 22 years in power by Economic Community of West Africa. Mr Jammeh had conceded defeat in the elections but later tried to cling on.

{{Long serving leaders}}

President Obiang Nguema is ranked the longest serving non-traditional leader in the world, with 37 years under his belt. He is followed by Angola’s Jose Eduardo dos Santos with 36 years, Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe (36 years); Cameroon’s Paul Biya (33 years); Uganda’s President Museveni (31 years); and Sudan’s Omar Bashir (27 years).

Brig Karemire explained that in the one year renewable mission, according to the Status of Forces Agreement, Equatorial Guinea agreed to cater for transport, logistics, feeding, allowances and other incidentals of the Uganda troops.

Although the army says it deployed about 100 troops to the central African oil-producing but impoverished country, sources familiar with the matter put the numbers at more than 150. The last batch of troops are said to have left on January 17.
Uganda already has more than 6,000 troops in Somalia deployed under African Union and two battalions in the Central African Republic hunting down the Lord’s Resistance Army rebels led by Joseph Kony, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court.
The first batch that left under the command of Lt Col Wycliffe Keita had prior to the deployment trained at the UPDF camp in Singo. Lt Col Keita recently served in Somalia under United Nations Guard Unit that protects UN installations.

Asked whether before the deployment the army had sought parliamentary approval, Brig Karemire said approvals are requisite when it is a peace-keeping mission “but in this case, it is not.”

Apparently, the deployment was preceded by back and forth engagements at the highest level.

President Nguema’s minister for external security, Mr Juan Antonio Nchuchuma, was in Uganda on July 16 last year and is said to have carried a “special message” for President Museveni with whom they held a private meeting.

On July 28, the former Chief of Defence Forces, Gen Katumba Wamala, flew to Malabo, the country’s capital, with a special “textual message” for president Obiang Nguema and the two discussed military cooperation, according to information available to Saturday Monitor.

{{The Museveni – Nguema affair}}

The 75-year-old Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo assumed power in August 1979 after mounting a coup that toppled his uncle, Francisco Macías Nguema, who was also the country’s first president. The former, considered likely to have been a psychopath, is regarded as one of post-independent Africa’s cruellest and corrupt leaders.

However, after several years in power, president Obiang Nguema became a copy and paste of his uncle. His single party government is known for its repressive tendencies, crackdown of Opposition, and excessive corruption. According to the International Monetary Fund, Equatorial Guinea boasts the highest level of per capita income in all sub-Saharan Africa, at $22,300 (about Shs79 million) per year, about the same as Portugal but more than three-quarters of the population live below the poverty line.

According to the New York based Natural Resources Governance Institute that monitors transparency in extractives, the country is the third-largest oil producer in sub-Saharan Africa, supplying 304,000 barrels a day, but its oil revenues are mostly misused.

President Nguema is currently deputised by his son Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, who is seen as the next in line. Junior Nguema is known for living large with mansions in America and Europe. Last October, authorities in Switzerland commenced investigations into the wealth of the young Nguema at the request of France on claims of money laundering.

President Obiang Nguema, like other African strongmen, is known for preaching pan-Africanism, especially during African Union (AU) Summits. The 23rd AU Summit was held in Malabo in 2014.

At President Museveni’s swearing-in for a fifth elective term in office last May, president Obiang Nguema was one of the 11 African leaders that graced the occasion.

Source:Daily Monitor

February 19, 2017
Kenya:Court cases put election preparation in jeopardy

{Two cases filed in court relating to the procurement of ballot papers and the audit of voters register have now put preparations for the August 8 General Election in jeopardy.}

However, the electoral commission maintains it is on course to deliver a credible election.

With barely six months to go to the election, the High Court has put the electoral commission in a tight spot by making several rulings whose net effect has been to interfere with the strict timelines stipulated in the election law.

One such judgment delivered by Justice George Odunga decreed that all decisions made by the former Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) headed by the immediate former chairman Issack Hassan since October 4, last year when they were kicked out of office are null and void.

This means the commission will have to review all such decisions.

But, speaking on Friday, IEBC Chairman Wafula Chebukati maintained the commission still had a lot of room for manoeuvre.

“There is still time for procurement. We will start afresh. Ballot papers will be the last thing we will need as per the timelines, way after nominations. And there are about five options in the procurement law and we will see which one to use,” he said.

If push comes to shove, the IEBC is likely to use direct procurement. Direct procurement is applied if there is no time for prolonged process.

In a judgment that quashed an award of printing papers to a Dubai-based company, Al Ghurair Print and Publishing, Justice Odunga said the commissioners’ decision was done illegally.

{{‘TRANSITION CLAUSE’}}

“In my view, once an office is declared vacant, unless there is a transition clause that deems the holder thereof to be still in office, it would, with respect, amount to an aberration to contend that the person whose position is declared vacant is still in the office. In my view, the declaration of a vacancy has the effect of compelling the holder of the office to vacate the office unless otherwise ordered by a court of competent jurisdiction. Once an office becomes vacant it is, in effect, empty and it cannot be contended that an empty office can make decisions.”

“Since the President had declared the offices vacant, the power and authority delegated to the members of the commission cannot be exercised in an acting capacity in circumstances where the Constitution has not donated or granted the mandate or competence,” Justice Odunga added.

The State has said it intends to appeal the decision.

The judge argued that a shoddy job may have ramifications in future.

“All the processes leading to the elections are subject to scrutiny and may well be grounds for nullification of elections. Therefore, to avoid such an eventuality, the preparations leading to the elections must meet the minimum standards articulated in Article 81 of the Constitution that the election system must be free and fair; transparent; and administered in an impartial, neutral, efficient, accurate and accountable manner,” he concluded.

{{UPDATED REGISTER}}

This comes as the commission moves to have an updated register after the second phase of the mass voter registration, which will end on Sunday. In the coming days, the commission has its work cut out as it moves to consolidate the register. From tomorrow it will register all the collated data from regional offices. On Thursday, all registration data will be transferred to the commission’s headquarters at Anniversary Towers in Nairobi to be uploaded to servers, an exercise that should be completed by February 27.

Starting March 1, the IEBC will process updates and transfers before eliminating duplicates and reconciling data on the register, an exercise that is expected to go on until March 31.

Public verification will commence on May 10 and end a month later.

{{CORD CASE}}

But even as Mr Chebukati exudes confidence that the commission is on course to delivering a credible election, it still has to contend with yet another court case filed by the Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (Cord) stopping audit of the voters register by audit firm KPMG.

The court has issued temporary orders stopping the audit exercise pending the outcome of the case.

The Orange Democratic Movement’s director of elections, Junet Mohamed, dismissed accusations levelled against Cord by the Jubilee coalition that the cases are tailor made to ensure the country does not go to the polls in August, opening a window for Cord to push for the formation of a caretaker government.

“What we are keen on is a credible process leading to election. We cannot close our eyes as illegitimacy happens. Why is Jubilee speaking for IEBC on preparedness?” he posed.

Source:Daily Nation

February 19, 2017