Category: News

{{The British monarch announced that the Queen will open both the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics this summer. It will be the first time the queen has opened the Paralympic Games.}}

The queen had often honoured Paralympians for their achievements in the past.
Queen Elizabeth and her husband, Prince Philip, will perform the ceremonial role at the 80,000-seat Olympic Stadium when the Olympic games begin on July 27.

The queen is following in the footsteps of her father, the late King George VI, who opened the 1948 London Olympics, Queen Elizabeth also opened the 1976 Games in Canada, and the queen will send her children and grandchildren on official visits to many Commonwealth countries rather than undertake the strenuous voyages herself.

The queen marks her 60 years on the throne this year.

The monarch, 85, and Philip, 90, are planning an extensive tour of the United Kingdom during the celebrations, including visits to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Philip is planning to stick to the schedule despite his December heart scare, which required the insertion of a stent to keep his coronary arteries open.

Celebrations will include a gala concert in front of Buckingham Palace with performances by Paul McCartney and Elton John and a carriage procession through the streets of London following a service of thanksgiving.

Elizabeth will open Buckingham Palace to visitors from June 30-July 8 to accommodate Olympic activities. The palace then will close for a few weeks before opening to the public as is the monarch’s usual summer practice.

Some 4,200 athletes will take part in the Paralympics Games from August 29 to September 9. The event marks the return of the games.

{{The Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Rwanda (ICPAR) yesterday trained over 40 SACCO workers and their leaders including others from auditing firms on financial reporting.}}

The training was held at Golden Hills Hotel in Kigali.

(ICPAR) is a Professional Accountancy Organization (PAO) mandated by law to regulate the Accounting profession in the republic of Rwanda.

Peter Rutaremara president of ICPA Rwanda explained to the press that the workshop was meant to create awareness to the participants on corporate laws and financial report framework among others to institutions in order to become better accounting members.

“We also meant to impart them with skills that can help them do their work in a polite manner,” Rutaremara added.

He also said that the institution signed a MoU with Auditors in Micro Finance Institutions intending to uplift their skills to reach the international standards.

Among other trainees, Emmy Manzi heading Munyiginya SACCO based in Rwamagana district Eastern Province said that the people in the area still lacked proper information to create awareness adding that at the end of the workshop he will be able to get a solution on how to create awareness about SACCO in his area of work in order to attract many people.

Joan Nyanzi of Garry White Knight (Auditors) based in Uganda but has a branch in Rwanda said, “The ICPAR workshops I have attended yet have helped me to know how to follow laws in Rwanda and I have leant standards and knowledge of operating in this country.”

Nyanzi also quoted, “when the company is not following laws properly, there are high risks of affecting Auditors during auditing.” She added that such trainings help them to overcome such kind obstacles during auditing.

{{A group of climate change scientists from East and Central Africa have urged governments and donors to establish a regional platform aimed at addressing climate-related disasters.}}

Scientists want an early warning system to help local communities prepare for drought and other climate-related disasters in the region.

The meeting also focused on exploring options to produce a product tailored to local conditions, including parts of the region that were devastated by a severe drought between 2010 and 2011.

Researchers visited a weather centre in Rwanda for an overview of techniques used by Rwanda for weather forecasting and dissemination.

“This project (in Rwanda) shows how a small initial investment in the weather can make a major difference in providing accurate information to prevent another catastrophe,” said John Ntaganda, the president of meteorological services in Rwanda.

Scientists included those from; Burundi, Uganda, Tanzania, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Sudan, South Sudan, Kenya and Rwanda.

“It was wonderful to come to Rwanda and see how the government deals with the problem, assuming a leadership role and developing clear strategies for mitigation of climate change,” said Mr. Laban Ogallo.

Mr. Ogallo is the Chief of the Forecast Climate and Applications with the Intergovernmental Authority on Development in the regional bloc.

The scientists also stressed the need to increase food production in the region to meet the needs of the growing population of Africa.

{{Students in their final academic year at School of Finance and Banking(SFB) long dispute continues as they are accusing the Vice Rector in charge of academics Dr Papius Musafiri.}}

The students accuse Musafiri for blocking them from sitting for suplimentary papers after failing the exams saying it is a common practice in many universities around the world more especially in common wealth countries of which Rwanda joined recently.

Over 200 of the 500 students largely from Finance and Accounting Departments supposed to graduate June this year now face missing their graduation due to failed exams and not allowed to sit for supplementary.

“We petitioned the administration but the Vice-Rector in charge of academics says that their policy prohibits supplementary examinations,” Steven Nankunda who is also the Guild president said.

The policy seems to be hinged on only business interests as students are asked to pay Rwf 80,000 in order to retake one examination even when they have to repeat the class.

The students continue pointing an accusing finger to Vice Rector Musafiri as a more complicated and don’t mind about the problems of the students claiming that their education environment does not favour them.

They claim that facilities at the institution were stretched and lecturer rooms are overcrowded that even can’t hear the lectures giving examples of also the library and computer laboratory.

Other students complained that lecturers at times refuse to assist them complete their studies.

“We have students who do a lot of work on their project proposals because some supervisors do not respond to their queries. Sometimes they even refuse to pick up calls from students,” claimed Livingstone Byakatonda, one of the affected students from the Department of Finance.

The accused Vice Rector Dr Papius Musafiri question the claims of the students yet they have failed examinations however saying the final list of those to graduate is yet to be released.

Musafiri says the objective of the graduation should not be the number of graduates, but the quality of students that the institution is discharging into the labour market.

Professor Geoffrey Rugege, the Executive Director of the National Council for Higher Education has backed the SFB for its “tough stand”.

“Institutions of higher learning have the full freedom and autonomy to change their academic regulations to adopt what they consider the best practices,” he said.

He added that all academic regulations are under review with the aim of making all universities adopt uniform standards by September this year.

Unlike the SFB, other universities in Rwanda are yet to abolish supplementary examinations.

Contrary however the celebrated professor Silas Lwakabamba the Rector of National University of Rwanda (NUR) says “Its part and parcel of our regulations that students should be given another chance once they fail an examination,”

SFB has vowed to produce quality students for Rwanda’s labour market with skills in Finance, accounting mostly to bridge the gap of incompetence in finance, procurement and accounting sectors.

{{ENDS}}

{{Police in Kirehe District has arrested a suspected murderer while on the run to Rusumo after killing his parents in Rwamagana District.}}

The suspect identified as Sindayigaya Gilbert 24 reportedly beheaded his 75year-old father and consequently strangled his own mother aged 65 years.

The murder incidence occurred at Munayinga sector in Rwamagana district.

Sindayigaya decision to murder his elderly parents resulted from a property dispute.

{{About 250 Investors have convened in Kigali for an Energy Investment conference.

Officiating at the opening of the conference, Prime Minister Dr.Pierre Damien HABUMUREMYI encouraged private sector to consider investing in the Energy sector saying the government policy supports such a move.}}

The conference is organized by Rwanda Development board in partnership with the World Bank, the ministry of infrastructure and national energy agency EWSA.

The Minister of State for Water and Energy Ms. Emma Francoise ISUMBINGABO said Rwanda has a plan to generate over 1000 Mega watts of Electricity but currently the total output stands at 100Mega watts.

She thus emphasized that this target cannot be attained without the collaboration with the private sector.

Government also projects that by 2017 about 70% of Rwandan homes shall be connected to the national electricity grid.

Rwanda Development Board’s Deputy CEO in charge of Business Operations Claire Akamanzi said energy production increase is needed to for the current and future economic development.

{{Police has arrested a man identified as Claude Uwintwari for attempting to defraud cash worth Frw12million from Banque Populaire branch at Nyamirambo.}}

Police sources revealed that Uwintwari was intercepted at the bank where he had submitted a falsified cheque to withdraw Frw12million from an accunt belonging to a business woman identified as Esperance Mugande, a business woman.

Uwintwari had allegedly connived with a team of fraudsters that illegally duplicated a telephone simcard belonging to Mugande through SIM swap.

Therefore when bank authorities telephoned Mugande on the same line, it was answered by a different person confirming that indeed permission had been granted to withdraw the amount of cash inscribed on the cheque.

The bank needed confirmation from the the Account Holder that such a massive amount had been authorized for withdrawal.

However, as Luck would have it, Mugande coincidentally arrived at the bank as Uwintwari tried to cash the check. Mugande was immediately recognized by bank employees who asked her whether she had indeed authorized payment of Frw 12million.

Mugande denied any authorization. She swiftly contacted her husband to find out whether he had authorized any payment which he also denied.

Suspecting an ongoing fraudulent activity, the bank ordered its security detail to restrain Uwintwari as it notified Police.

{{The new law that establishes Roads in the country has created major adjustments to the previous law.

The current law provides that all major roads especially Highways extend upto 22 meters up from previous 15 meters in the old law.}}

Dr. Alexis Nzahabwanimana the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Transport & Infrastructure announced the changes in the provisions of the old law and urged respect of the new law (no 55 of 14 Ukuboza 2011).

“Roads including those connecting districts in category One, are required subject to the new law to be 7 meters wide (two lane) and the reserve area has been adjusted to 22 meters from the previous 15 meters,” said Dr. Nzahabwanimana.

Adjustments in the law imply that any developmental activities existing within the range of 22 meters from the Highway road and other roads provided for in the new law shall be affected.

It is not yet explained whether proprietors of existing infrastructure such as Houses and other activities including arable land would be compensated.

{{A Rwandan woman in Montreal Canada who vanished while on an evening walk near her home in January was found floating in the St. Lawrence River more than 100 kilometres away, the circumstances of her death are as mysterious as her disappearance.}}

IGIHE.com had reported this matter of the missing Rwandan Clemence Umugwaneza.

The body of Clémence Umugwaneza, 26, was spotted by the Coast Guard near Louiseville on Saturday night, about 115 kilometres northeast of Montreal.

The corpse was pulled out of the river, and Trois Rivières police were called in to investigate. Once the body was identified as Umugwaneza, Montreal police were contacted to deliver the news to her family.

An autopsy will be performed to determine the cause of death and how long Umugwaneza was in the river, said Montreal police spokesperson Mélanie Martineau, saying every hypothesis from foul play to suicide remains on the table.

“All avenues of investigation are being kept open,” she said. “It’s really the autopsy that will determine where we go from here.”

A key question is where Umugwaneza ended up in the frigid waters – near her Cartierville home or closer to Louiseville. While Martineau said it is “possible” she floated all that way, the autopsy may be able to shed light on whether her body could have gone into the water closer to where it was found.

The coroner’s office will also look for signs of violence as well as try to pinpoint when Umugwaneza died.

Umugwaneza was last seen at about 9 p.m. on Jan. 11 when she left the home she shares with her family in the Cartierville area of Montreal to go for a walk.

Relatives became alarmed when she didn’t return and called the police, who took the disappearance seriously.

Umugwaneza had no history of going missing, suicidal tendencies or known associations with unsavoury characters.

Montreal police combed the area around her home, searched the riverbanks with dogs and set up command posts nearby to seek the public’s help to locate her.

“We really had no clues,” Martineau said.

While the file is in the hands of Trois Rivières police for the moment, she added Montreal police could get involved again depending on what the coroner finds.

{{Effective 1st March, motorcyclist will be required to give their passengers a headgear at no cost as opposed to earlier arrangements where a passenger was required to pay for the headcover at Frw 50.}}

The decision was arrived at during a meeting involving representatives of cooperatives of motorcycle taxi operators and authorities of Rwanda Utilities and Regulatory Agency (RURA) and Kigali City Council (KCC).

A similar recommendation was made by Prime Minister Pierre Damien Habamuremyi during a recent meeting with motorcyclists at Nyamirambo stadium. The aim is to ensure hygiene for those using the helmets.

However, city dwellers argue that headgears haven’t been available.

According to a Press release from Kigali City authorities, motor riders will pay Frw 40 for each headgear and that they shouldn’t charge passengers extra on the fare, since transport charges are still high even after RURA instructed them to lower the prices following the reduction of fuel prices.

Meanwhile, traders interested in selling headgears are required to obtain authorization from the Rwanda Bureau of Standards.