Author: IGIHE

The foundation stone was laid yesterday in Nyamirambo sector.

Minister Gashumba said that the hospital will back services of Muhima Hospital.

“Muhima Hospital does not have all district hospital services; they only provide child and maternal medical services. This hospital is being constructed under the partnership of the government of Belgium to provide different medical services,” she said.

Nyarugenge District Mayor, Kayisime Nzaramba said that the hospital will further strengthen the well-being of the population.

“As you know, we did not have a district hospital; we have been using University Teaching Hospital of Kigali (CHUK) which is set to relocate to Masaka. This hospital will spur well-being of population as it is well placed in the center of district sectors,” she said.

Ambassador Ryelandt said that the programme aims at increasing health infrastructures by supporting populations and the government in good leadership programmes.

The hospital will be constructed in two phases and the first phase will be completed by July 2019 under at a cost of Rwf5.9 billion and the second phase will cost over Rwf7 billion.

Construction activities were financed by the government of Belgium while the government of Rwanda provided the land and infrastructures like the road, water and construction materials.

Keita, who commended Rwanda for its commitment to international peace, was accompanied by MINUJUSTH Police Commissioner, Brig Gen Georges-Pierre Monchotte and the Governor of Grande-Anse, which hosts the Rwandan camp, among other officials.

The visit was in line with the implementation of the ‘UN Security Council Bench-marked Exit Strategy’ for MINUJUSTH.

“We appreciate your impact in safety and peace building in Haiti and elsewhere that Rwanda participates in peacekeeping. Rwanda has done a good job for the people of Haiti,” Keita said.

The UN Security Council, in April last year, granted a final extension of the peacekeeping operations in Haiti for more six months expiring April 2018, with a new mandate partly to support the Government of Haiti strengthen rule-of-law institutions, further develop and support the Haitian National Police and engage in human rights monitoring, reporting and analysis under a new entity—MINUJUSTH.

Rwanda National Police (RNP) started its peacekeeping operations in Haiti in 2010 when its first FPU contingent was deployed following the catastrophic earthquake in that killed over 100,000 people and displaced over three million others.

The current RWAFPU contingent composed of 140 officers and under the command of Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) ACP Yahaya Kamunuga, is the eight rotational deployed in Haiti formally known as MINUSTAH, since 2010.

The school was closed this week following the Minister of State in charge of Technical Vocational Education and Training in the Ministry of Education, Olivier Rwamukwaya visit in the school on February 4th.

The decision also followed two notices to which the school did not heed, unable to provide vocational education and was requesting them to fill all requirements.

Muhanga District vice-mayor in charge of social affairs, Fortune Mukagatana requested teachers and parents to facilitate children enroll in other schools.

Speaking to IGIHE, Mukagatana said that they implemented minister’s decision of November 8th last year which required the school not to admit other students before meeting the minimum requirements.

“The closure was not abrupt but followed Workforce Development Authority’s (WDA) recommendation after establishing that the school did not meet requirements to offer vocational studies, so we closed them ,” she explained.

Unique Academy Head Teacher, Jean Ntezirizaza told IGIHE that after implementing all recommendations, they wrote to WDA requesting for permission to continue operation.

“Following the January 25th evaluation by WDA officials, we implemented their recommendations like constructing male students’ dormitory and buying new ICT equipment. All such needs have been met and still waiting from confirmation letter,” he explained.

The delegation headed by the vice mayor of Gatsibo in charge of Social Affairs, Theogene Manzi, included the village leader and his committee, elders and the youngsters.

Kagarama has not registered a crime in the last three years, thanks to the initiatives by the residents in partnership with their village leaders.

They visited the Rwanda National Police Headquarters in Kacyiru, where they were received and briefed by the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Emmanuel K. Gasana.

The tour was on the invitation of RNP to appreciate their community policing efforts and also to give them more skills in crime prevention.

IGP commended their overall commitment in crime prevention and making their village an example of community policing.

“You set a clear picture of what community policing means and how it impacts on the wellbeing of the communities,” IGP Gasana said.

He explained that security organs cannot effectively fight criminal activities without partnership with members of the general public, and urged them to keep the spirit, endeavor to always share the skills with the other villages to ensure the communities safe communities.

The Police Chief pledged that the force will build a village office in Kagarama to supplement their community policing efforts.

Late last year, RNP connected all the 153 households that constitute the village, with solar energy valued at a tune of over Rwf13 million, as a reward for their outstanding implementation of the community policing concept.

Meanwhile, the delegation later visited the Campaign against Genocide Museum at the Parliamentary Building and Kigali Convention Centre.

At the parliament, they were given a grand tour of the museum where they were given an overview on the liberation struggle and the capture of Kigali as well as how RPF- Inkotanyi stopped mass killings in Kigali during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

Patrick Bimenyimana, the representative of Kagarama, thanked RNP for the support adding that the tour enlightened them further and a huge motivation for them to draw more commitment to further make other communities safe and secure.

The operation follows various serious accident reports largely caused by use of phone while driving, speeding, reckless maneuvers, mechanical faults and failure to respect right to way especially for pedestrians.

In an operation conducted along Nyabugogo-Muhima-City centre, for example, traffic officers caught about 45 vehicles within a space of one hour, whose drivers were using mobile handsets while driving.

“Driving while using the phone is one the serious problem that we see, and a major cause of accidents. A phone diverts the driver’s thinking and attention… it engages the brain. That’s why it’s one of the issues we are focusing on in this operation but also teaching passengers not to allow anything drivers do that can put their lives in danger,” Commissioner of Police (CP) Rafiki Mujiji, the commissioner for traffic and road safety, said.

“As we penalize drivers, we also want passengers to own their lives, call us and report bad driving, and where possible get out of that car. These operations and awareness will continue along roads across the country,” he added.

Accidents resulting from use of phone, over-speeding, bad maneuvers and violation of right to way account for about 90 percent of the total 78 serious accidents that occurred last month alone. These accidents involved majority private vehicles with motorcyclists, cyclists, and pedestrians the majority victims.

“Accidents caused by public and cargo vehicles reduced by 65 percent largely because of the installation of speed governor, which are now fitted in about 90 of automobiles in these two categories, but now the issue of speeding private vehicles coupled with use of phone is a common issue we are trying to address through both sensitization and also enforcing the law against errant drivers,” he said.

“When you are driving or riding keep in mind that there are other people using the same road, and who want to live and have families to look after like you,” CP Mujiji explained.

He also hinted on the ongoing revision of the law related to road traffic that will provide punitive penalties for offenders.

The proposed penalty for speaking on phone, for example, will increase tenfold from the current Rwf10, 000, enacted.

Similarly, there is likely to be an increase in jail term from the current maximum six months as well easing the process of revoking a driver’s license where necessary.

The current law is said to be weak and easily challenged in courts of law where only one person had his driver’s license revoked in the last four years out of hundreds of cases, while very few drivers whose recklessness result into loss of lives are convicted.

The affected lodges received letters instructing their closure on 18th January from Rubavu Sector local leaders requesting them to close but did not do so. The district instructed them further to close on Tuesday this week.

Speaking in a meeting with lodge services providers on Thursday, Rubavu District Mayor, Gilbert Habyarimana said that the decision was necessary for them to re-evaluate their services.

“The problem is that people have turned residential houses into lodges and others dub them hotels. The hygiene of houses which receive many people is quite different from that of a five-people family,” he said.

In the meeting some lodges were allowed to continue operation but given one month to address hygiene issues.

“Monitoring exercise will continue as people should embrace to operate while meeting all required standards. You should provide commendable services to both local and foreign visitors coming to seek hospitality services from you,” he said.

Affected lodge owners did not want to talk to the media.