Category: News

{{Malawi President Joyce Banda and Vice-President Khumbo Kachale have taken a salary cut to support the government’s current austerity measures.}}

Mr Kachale announced the salary cut when he launched the Malawi Growth Development Strategy II and Economic Recovery Plan in Lilongwe.

He said: “The salary reduction by 30% is a demonstration by the leadership that it is supporting the austerity budget.”

Mr Kachale said Malawi was on the economic recovery and would combine the two programmes to speed up the process.

President Banda is currently attending the United Nations General Assembly in New York, where she took a delegation of 33 people, at the cost of about US$1 million.

Mr Kachale did not announce any reduction in other benefits or internal and external travel, which the new leadership is renowned for.

Malawi is currently experiencing a renewed fuel shortage due to inadequate forex.

{{A man identified as Eric Maniraguha was arrested in Gatsibo District after he was found with about six tonnes of umushikiri, which he was allegedly trafficking to Uganda.}}

The suspect, however, said he was hired by two men whom he identified one of them as Karasharamye, who are still on the run.

Umushikiri is a sort of tree used as major raw material in the production of perfumes and lotions.

Rwanda National Police reported that Maniraguha, 30, a resident of Muhanga, who is currently held at Kicukiro Police Station, was arrested on September 23 in Gakara in Gatsibo.

The plant which is mostly found in the Eastern Province is said to be trafficked to Uganda where it is then imported to Asians countries, especially Malaysia.

Being guilt of crimes suspects will be charged under article 412 of the organic law on the demolition and environmental degradation whose sentence ranges from six months to three years and a fine of Rwf200, 000 to Rwf3 million.

Recently, two vehicles registration number RAB 290F and RAB 123G, both FUSO type, were also intercepted in the Eastern Province transporting the tree stamps to Uganda.

{{Rwanda President Paul Kagame while in New York met Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn and the two discussed strengthening bilateral relations.}}

Rwanda Foreign Affairs Minister Louise Mushikiwabo said, the two presidents meet in order to look back on bilateral relations and strengthen collaboration to search for solutions towards African development.

Rwanda has strong collaboration with Ethiopia in different sectors include aviation, military trainings and capacity building between two countries.

Ethiopian Prime Minister pledged to continuously collaborate with Rwanda.

{{Residents of island part of Mazane located in Lake Rweru of Rweru sector in Bugesera District received a vessel costing frw5,250 000.}}

The donation from Belgium development cooperation will solve transport problems among residents in need of medical care at Nzangwa Health Centre situated 12Km inland.

Dr Vincent Tihon, The CEO of institutional Support working with Ministry of Health, said the vessel will help patients from Mazane to Nzangwa Health Centre for Medical treatments.

He added that the vessel will help in reducing deaths that occurred because of lack of facilities to transport patients to hospital.

The island of Mazane has a population of 1009 residents. 311 are children under five years.

Traveling from Mazane to Nyamata hospital is 59 km.

Residents have been using canoes when transporting pregnant women to hospital. Some used to die before reaching hospital.

Citizens now say they are happy to receive a vessel which is faster than canoes.

Mutezinka Sarah100, says they used to suffer and some died without even reaching hospital.

However, the District has managed to build a Health center at Mazane.
Critical health problems will be treated at Nzangwa Health Centre.

Citizens will have to pay 10% of transport if they are enrolled in Health insurance. Those who are not are due to pay 100% of transport.

However, The Head of Mazane Health Post revealed almost Mazane residents are enrolled in Medical insurance.

58km from Mazane to Nyamata Hospital is far. Currently, said Munyambonera Pierre Augustin, the Principle of Nzangwa health centre,
they are negotiating an ambulance for emergency cases.

Rusanganwa Vincent representing the Ministry of Health says all issues will be taken into considerations for further solutions.

With support from BTC, The District of Bugesera has built one health Post at Mazane village. 8 to 10 people go there for medical treatments.

13 cases of sickness caused by impure water were recorded in a period of 2 months.

Vice-Mayor in charge of social affairs in Bugesera District urged Mazane residents to boil water before drinking and use pure water available at hospital.

In collaboration with BTC and other stakeholders, Districts of Bugesera pledged to continuously support residents to ensure their social economic development.

{{Rwanda’s beverage company Bralirwa Ltd has introduced a new big size bottle for the Heineken beer brand}}.

Heineken has been populary packaged in 33cl bottles. The new bottle measures 65cl.

Jan Van Velzen Director of Sales and Marketing said, “The Heineken brand is very much appreciated by the Rwandan beer drinkers and the new 65cl bottle addresses the consumer need for larger bottle sizes.”

Heineken sales have doubled in the last three years with consumers opting for the premium beer due to its premium quality and affordability.

{{World leaders have welcomed the security and oil deals between Sudan and South Sudan that eased tensions between the countries that came close to war in April.}}

Expressing a combination of relief and praise, Britain, the United States and the European Union all lined up to laud the deal.

“This agreement breaks new ground in support of the international vision of two viable states at peace with each other,” US President Barack Obama said, calling for continued dialogue as the deal is implemented.

Britain’s Foreign Secretary William Hague said it was a “significant stride” to help establish peace between the neighbours.
The European Union’s foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton congratulated both sides in a statement Thursday.

“This represents a historic step for both countries,” she said.
Earlier, South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir said the agreement “brings to an end the long conflict between our two countries”.

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir said he would “seize the historic opportunity and journey towards building peace.”

The leaders signed a cooperation agreement after marathon talks in the Ethiopian capital that began on Sunday, a day after the rivals had missed a UN Security Council deadline to reach an accord.

{{The Kenyan army has finally entered the port city of Kismayu in the ongoing offensive against Al Shabaab fighters.}}

Sources of Kenya Defense Forces said Friday they had taken over Al Shabaab’s stronghold in Kismayu but the fighters insisted they were still incharge of the port city.

Kenya’s Military Spokesman Col Cyrus Oguna said that KDF forces stormed Kismayu at 2 am Friday but did not confirm any casualty figures.

“We finally entered Kismayu in a joint operation both on air and ground,” Oguna said.

An Al Shabaab commander in Kismayu Sheik Mohamed Abu Fatuma however, dismissed the reports.

He said,“The enemy using military boats have deployed hundreds of soldiers on the coast late last night and the mujahideen fighters are engaging in heavy fighting with them now.”

Al Shabaab’s Twitter page said the Kenyan forces had tried to take over Kismayu unsuccessfully.

“#KDF cowards attempt to attack Kismayo from the sea but the courageous Mujahideen thwart their attempts,” it read.

Another tweet posted at 10 am Friday said “Kismayo remains firmly in the hands of the Mujahideen.”

Other rebels and city residents told AFP the Kenyan troops were still on the outskirts of the city that they have been targeting for days.

“They are not very close to the city because the coast where they are now is around nine kilometres (six miles) from downtown,” another commander quoted by AFP said.

Several Kismayu residents also said the Kenyan forces were still on the beach, where they came ashore from two ships escorted by helicopter gunships around 5 Km from the city centre.

{{Liberian officials are in Rwanda to Acquaint themselves with how decentralisation Policy has been implementation.}}

The team of nine members has visited various public institutions where they recieved briefings on their operations.

Raphael Rurangwa, the Director of General, Planning and Programme Coordination in the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources told the Liberian delegation:

“In addition to Rwanda Agriculture Board (RAB) and the National Agriculture Export Board (NAEB), we also have provincial, district and sector administration down to the cell level through which we interact with farmers.”

He explained that although each level has different tasks and obligations, they all contribute to a general objective; implementing national agriculture programmes to increase production and food security.

{{Police in Nyamasheke District has detained two people in connection with trading fake currency.}}

Thomas Mukeshimana, 38 and Celestin Mulinda were arrested on September 26 after the former was found with fake notes of 65,000Rwf of which Rwf 5000 he was trying to use to buy airtime.

Mukeshimana later implicated Mulinda as the one who gave him the fake notes.
The duo is currently detained at Kanjongo Police Station.

He told police that his co-accused had already given him Rwf150, 000, all fake, which he had already circulated by the time of his arrest.

“Mulinda had promised to give me Rwf400, 000, all fake, to trade it, but he had already given me Rwf150, 000 and intended to give me the remaining very soon,” Mukeshimana said.

Mukeshimana, who deals in mines, also said he had paid some of his employees with the fake currency.

Supt Urbain Mwiseneza, the police Spokesperson for the Western Region, said police is tracking down all those involved in such criminal acts and warned that anyone caught will be dealt with accordingly.

{{Police has been asked to work hand-in-hand with REMA to sensitize the communities on environmental protection and enforce environment law.}}

The appeal was made by Eng. Collette Ruhamya, the Deputy Director of Rwanda Environment Management Authority (REMA).

She said, “Protecting the environment is also another way of preventing crimes which might also result from land wrangles, which are sometimes wetlands.”

Police officers have been provided with knowledge on environment law enforcement and management at a seminar that kicked off on September 26 in Rwamagana District.

A total of 67 police officers attended a two-day seminar organized by Rwanda National Police (RNP) and Rwanda Environment Management Authority (REMA).

The seminar attracted officers from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Public Relations and Community Policing department (PR&CP) and commanders of Police Stations, intelligence officers and District Community Liaison Officers (DCLO) from Central and Eastern Regions.

The training focused on areas of environment and sustainable development, environmental policy and regulations in Rwanda, state of environmental and challenges and the environmental organic law including responsibilities, preventive provisions and sanctions.