Category: News

{{Prime Minister Dr.Pierre Damien Habumuremyi says plans are underway to establish a rehabilitation centre to cater for girls simillar to the Iwawa center for boys.}}

The Prime Minister said, government is striving to significantly improve the standards of Iwawa Rehabilitation and Vocational Skills Development Centre (IRVSDC).

“It’s our obligation to continuously support these young men to completely transform their lives after here,” Dr Habumuremyi said adding; government intends to transform the centre into a well recognised institution teaching vocational skills.

IRVSDC comprises mainly former street children located at Iwawa Island of Lake Kivu, Rutsiro District in the Western Province of Rwanda.

Students at IRVSDC are trained in various courses such as bee-keeping, carpentry, commercial farming, masonry and tailoring.

About 711 students at IRVSDC graduated Friday at the centers third graduation.

Prime Minister encouraged parents to jointly work with local leaders to closely monitor the graduates after they leave Iwawa.

He said that the government would strive to ensure all the graduates find employment.

The president of the Iwawa parents’ body, Charles Kabanda, noted that the sustainability of the program could also be the responsibility of parents because the cost of training the children for a whole year was high.

“There is need for cost sharing where parents should be able to contribute some money for the welfare of their children,” he said.

{{During their weekly meeting held this Saturday, members of an informal credit cooperative commonly known as Ikimina have said the cooperative not only contributed to their domestic financial stability but also kept them unified without confronting one another.}}

Women and men, grouped under Dushyirehamwe cooperative operating in Bumbogo sector, Gisasa village added that grouping in one association has helped beneficiaries to address some challenges brought by poverty in their respective families.

According to Theogene Mukunzi, a leader of the group, “Dushyirehamwe is a source of fund and a source of peace and unity among its members” Mukunzi acknowledged, adding that in spite of wasting money in offensive behavior people should think further and invest their money in small project that will benefit them later.

Mukunzi said that though the cooperative has not a big financial capital it will use small amount to improve the livelihood of its members.

“Today we count FRW 300 000 of capital and we are planning to share this amount by buying one goat per each member of us. I am sure that we can start with Ikimina and ends up with a big investment group” Mukunzi confidently said.

Murekeyisoni Rose, a widow and a mother of 4, said that since she joined the cooperative her family has got potential of solving some domestic challenges.

“I used to feel I am alone. When I came in January, 2012, I joined this cooperative since then I am happy because I get spare time and interact with other members of the group at the same time discussing things related to money” Murekeyisoni added.

Dushyirehamwe community cooperative is made of 16 members. It includes 9 women and 7 men. The cooperative started last year with the aim of helping one another to gain money to address some of the domestic problems.

Under Article 2 of Law No 40/2008 of 26/08/2008 establishing the organization of microfinance activities in Rwanda, Ikimina “ Tontine” is defined as principle by which a group of people whose members are committed to pay a predetermined sum at a given frequency to a common fund in order for one of them to take it.

The arrangement determines how each member pays, the period to pay and how each member receives the funds in the right time.

{{Gambia’s President Yahya Jammeh has suspended the execution of the remaining 38 prisoners on death row following appeals from regional leaders, the government said in a statement late on Friday.}}

Gambia announced last month it had executed nine prisoners, prompting international condemnation and critics to call for sanctions on Jammeh following his plan to clear the country’s death row of about 47 prisoners by mid-September.

“President of the Republic of the Gambia Yahya Jammeh has decided to put a moratorium on executions as a result of numerous appeals to that effect,” the Gambian government statement said.

It warned, however, that the decision was only temporary.

“What happens next will be dictated by either (a) declining violent crime rate, in which case the moratorium will be indefinite, or an increase in (the) violent crime rate, in which case the moratorium will be lifted automatically,” the statement said.

Jammeh, who seized power in a 1994 coup, has long faced criticism over his human rights record in a country that attracts British sun-seekers with its tropical climate and white beaches.

In common with a number of other African states, Gambia has the death penalty which had been rarely used.

It is unclear why Jammeh, who was re-elected last year in a poll that regional groups said had been marked by intimidation of voters and opponents, pressed ahead with executions.

One of Africa’s most controversial rulers, Jammeh announced in 2007 that he had a herbal concoction that cured AIDS, but only on Thursdays, a statement derided by health experts.

{{The new report,UN-World Bank child mortality,estimates substantial progress towards achieving MDG Goal on Reducing Child Mortality but says is still insufficient.}}

Rwanda has tremendously reduced child deaths before age of five.

New child mortality estimates show that substantial progress has been made towards achieving the fourth Millennium Development Goal.

The estimates were released today by the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation, which includes UNICEF, WHO, the World Bank and United Nations Population Division.

Since 1990 the global under-five mortality rate has dropped 41 percent, from 89 deaths per 1,000 live births in 1990 to 52 in 2011.

Four of the six World Bank’s developing regions have reduced their under-five mortality rate by more than 50 percent: East Asia and Pacific, Europe and Central Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, Middle East and North Africa regions.

Progress towards Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 2015 target of a two-thirds reduction is also on track in these four regions.

(“On track” indicates that under-five mortality is less than 40 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2011 or that the annual rate of reduction is at least 4 percent over 1990-2011)

South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa still lag behind, but they have made significant progress since 1990.

The highest rates of under-five mortality are in Sub-Saharan Africa, where 1 in 9 children die before age five, followed by South Asia where 1 in 16 children dies.

About 99% of under-five deaths occur in developing countries where 43% of deaths occur within the first month of life (the neonatal period)

In the new report, child mortality rates are available for the first time by sex. Biologically males are more vulnerable than female, so under-five mortality rates are usually higher for boys than girls.

But mortality rates are higher for girls than boys in South Asia. In India, the largest country in the region, the under-five mortality rate of girls exceeds boys by 5 per 1,000 in 2011.

Most high-mortality countries do not have accurate vital registration systems, so the measurement of under-five mortality relies on extrapolations from household surveys.

The UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME) was formed in 2004 to share data on child mortality, harmonize estimates within the UN system, improve methods for child mortality estimation, and to report on progress towards the MDGs.

The UN IGME includes UNICEF, WHO, World Bank, and United Nations Population Division as full members.

The continuous efforts of UN IGME and their Technical Advisory Group allow the world to have improved, reliable and transparent child mortality estimates.

TABLE:{{Number of under-five deaths by region, 2011}}

TABLE: {{Under-five mortality rate by gender, 2011 (per 1,000 live births)}}

{{High Court judge, Justice Angeline Rutazana, has been elected as the regional representative of the Commonwealth Magistrates and Judges Association (CMJA) for a three-year term, {The NewTimes} has Reported.}}

The judge’s appointment was announced in Kampala, September 14, at the closure of a week-long triennial Commonwealth Magistrates and Judges Association (CMJA) conference that brought together over 60 judges and magistrates.

On the council, Rutazana will be the association’s gender representative for the East, Central and Southern Africa region, where she will be in charge of ensuring gender promotion among member states.

The council is made up of President, the Executive Vice-President, the treasurer and three representatives from each of the six regions.

The other regions include; the Caribbean, West Africa, Indian Ocean, Atlantic and Mediterranean and the Pacific Ocean.

“My appointment is in recognition of Rwanda’s distinguished success in gender promotion and this is an opportunity for me to extend this progress to other CMJA member states,” said Rutazana, who is also the president of Rwanda Judges and Registrars Association.

In his maiden speech yesterday, the newly elected president of CMJA, John Vertres (Canada) underscored the need to promote the independence of the judiciary, saying it has on many occasions been threatened by government authorities.

“Another challenge we face is that our member associations don’t pay their dues on time and this affects the work of the association which includes carrying out training missions in member countries,” Vertres said.

It has been the normal practice of the association for the General Assembly of Members to be held during the week of the Triennial Conference.

CMJA was founded in 1970 as the Commonwealth Magistrates’ Association and the current name was adopted in 1988.

Some of the association’s objectives include; advancing the administration of the law by promoting the independence of the judiciary, advancing education in the law, administration of justice, treatment of offenders and the prevention of crime within the Commonwealth.

{{In Zimbabwe provincial magistrate Mr Munamato Mutevedzi Friday cancelled a marriage licence he recently issued to Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and his fiancée Ms Elizabeth Macheka.}}

High Court judge Justice Chinembiri Bhunu dismissed Mr Tsvangirai’s urgent chamber application to suspend the lower court’s decision early this morning.

The application also sought an order allowing the wedding to be held today.

Mr Mutevedzi was convinced that an unregistered customary law marriage existed after watching a video recording showing the PM’s emissaries paying lobola to the Karimatsenga family on November 11 last year.

The PM also had his bid to issue Ms Karimatsenga’s lawyers with a divorce token of US$1 before the magistrate thrown out.

The US$1 note was attached to an affidavit brought before the magistrate during the inquiry.

The PM and Ms Macheka (who is being cited in the magistrate’s ruling as Ms Guma) were set to tie the knot at Raintree Gardens in Umwinsidale, Harare, today.

Mr Mutevedzi issued a marriage licence to the couple on August 27, but cancelled it yesterday after lawyers representing Ms Karimatsenga proved the existence of an unregistered customary law marriage between their client and the PM.

The magistrate said it was criminal for one to enter into a monogamous marriage (Chapter 5:11) when they were already in an unregistered marriage.

He cited Section 104 (1) (c) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act, which criminalises the intended marriage, saying he could not allow the PM to commit an offence.

The section reads: “Any person being a party to . . . a potentially polygamous marriage and knowing that the marriage still subsists, intentionally purports to enter into a monogamous marriage with any person other than his or her spouse by the potentially polygamous marriage shall be guilty of bigamy.”

Mr Mutevedzi said the video recording and documentary proof produced by Ms Karimatsenga’s lawyers convinced him that an unregistered customary law marriage existed.

“In that video recording, it was clear that contrary to the unsubstantiated assertion by Mr Tsvangirai that he had only paid damages for impregnating Ms Karimatsenga out of wedlock, the ceremony was payment of lobola, which culminated in Mr Tsvangirai’s emissaries asking for their in-laws’ blessing to have a white wedding.

“The items tabulated on the list of roora tally with the items mentioned in the video recording.

“On a balance of probabilities, the scale tips in the direction that for all intents and purposes, this was a marriage between Mr Tsvangirai and Ms Karimatsenga,” ruled the magistrate.

In an additional affidavit filed by the PM’s lawyers, the PM shifted his defence from denying ever paying roora to disowning the emissaries.

The PM argued that the emissaries acted without his blessings and that he had not sent them to pay roora for Ms Karimatsenga, which argument the magistrate described as “fathomable”.

“The delegation from his side (PM) was quite big and very joyous. There were large quantities of groceries that were bought and generally there was quite some merry making synonymous with a planned ceremony.

“I have no doubt that claiming otherwise is only a futile attempt by him (PM) to deny the obvious,” said Mr Mutevedzi.

Mr Mutevedzi said the PM was wrong in sending the divorce token through the magistrate.

“Firstly, gupuro (divorce token) is not channelled through a magistrate or a marriage officer. There are recognised customary ways of doing it, which must be followed.

“Secondly, it cannot be given simply because the woman has raised an objection to Mr Tsvangirai’s intended wedding. Thirdly, there are consequences attendant upon that process, which must be complied with for divorce process to be complete just like it is not enough under general law to simply issue summons and end there,” he said.

Mr Mutevedzi also found that the process was flawed since Ms Karimatsenga was not personally in attendance.

The magistrate said he could not sanction the wedding knowing that the PM was committing an offence.

“If his intended marriage to Ms Guma (Macheka) proceeds, it is potentially biga¬mous,” said Mr Mutevedzi.

“I cannot sanction the wedding when it is clear to me that the parties to that mar¬riage may be committing an offence.

“There is need for Mr Tsvangirai to sweep clean these issues before seeking to be married in holy matrimony.

“I am, therefore, convinced that Ms Karimatsenga’s objection to the intended mar¬riage indeed shows a lawful impediment to that marriage.

By virtue of the powers I have in terms of Section 19(3) of the Marriage Act (Chapter 5:11) I shall as I hereby do cancel the marriage licence I gave to Morgan Tsvangirai and Elizabeth Mazvita Guma on August 27 2012,” he said.

{{Kenya Police are looking for eight suspects who were planning to carry out a terrorist attack on Sunday, after they recovered a cache of deadly weapons in Nairobi’s Eastleigh estate.}}

Police spokesman Eric Kiraithe told journalists at the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit that the eight are believed to be accomplices in the intended commission of crimes using the ammunition recovered.

The eight are thought to be Kenyan and Somali nationals.

“We believe that they are involved in the process either as suicide bombers, advisors or as masterminds. Some of the explosives have remote detonation devices and therefore we believe that wherever they went, they would be in multiples so that in the event the suicide bomber developed cold feet the other one will detonate him,” said Kiraithe after displaying the arsenal.

He said the suspects were a 26-year old Kenyan and a Somali national aged 24.

Police have called on dealers in motor vehicle and bicycle ball bearings to scrutinise their customers carefully as the explosives recovered were made from the materials.

According to the police, one of the suicide bomb vests has a capacity of killing over 70 people.

“The bearings used are very lethal especially when mixed with explosives. These ball bearings which are used as projectiles are easy to find in the market and so we appeal those who stock them to adopt a ‘know your customer’ policy on any person buying these things in large numbers,” advised the spokesman.

The police spokesman said that Nairobi would have been the likely target although various other towns with large populations would have been likely targets.

“We do not have the hard evidence on the likely targets… we are thinking of the traditional terrorism targets, places which are overcrowded but certainly not only in Nairobi,” he insisted adding that additional care must also be taken in entertainment spots.

During the operation, police recovered six suicide bombs, 12 grenades, four AK-47 rifles and 481 bullets from a residential house in Eastleigh.

The suicide bombs had been mounted on vests attached with mobile phones and batteries, which police said would have ignited a series of explosions.

Detectives from the Special Crimes Prevention Unit and Flying Squad said they stumbled on the weapons as they pursued information of four suspects of Somali origin who had brought in rifles.

The weapons are believed to have originated Somalia. Six of the grenades are from China and the rest from Russia said the head of bomb disposal unit Eliud Lagat.

Each of the four rifles had four magazines with 30 bullets.

{{The Kigali Institute of Education KIE has launched a newspaper named Rwanda Journal of Education, which will specialize in education news and information.}}

Karangwa Evariste the Editor of the Journal told Press that the publication will address issues in schools, Rwanda’s education system and setting guidelines on reporting on education matters in the country.

Most media outlets in Rwanda are less or no coverage on education matters.

The journal will publish in English language and will be a bi-annual.

{{Kampala and Juba are currently in a state of unease following the refusal of South Sudan to compensate Ugandan traders about US$60Million.}}

The Ugandan traders are demanding this chunk of cash for supplied goods and services to South Sudan government institutions and individuals.

Uganda government is also disturbed by the continued mistreatment of Ugandans in South Sudan which threatens to upset the harmonious relations between Kampala and Juba.

Uganda’s State Minister for Trade David Wakikona told Ugandan Parliament on Tuesday that Uganda wrote to South Sudan in June about the issue but Juba has not responded.

“It’s disappointing, you write the letter to these people [in Juba], you keep asking for the response but nothing is coming out,” Wakikona said.

“Even when Amelia Kyambadde went to Juba to follow-up on the matter, she wanted to meet the arbitration committee for South Sudan but they showed her nothing. This is the problem.”

Statistics provided by Uganda government put the informal cross border exports to South Sudan at 41.3% of all total informal exports.

In June, the government of South Sudan apologised to the Ugandan business community in Juba over the alleged mistreatment and harassment by the South Sudanese.

South Sudanese ambassador to Uganda Sarah Victor Bol said her government was unable to address some issues because of the isolated nature of the cases.