The Ombudsman’s activities report of 2016-2017 indicates poor resources management, embezzlement and mismanagement of arrears among others.
The Minister of Trade, Vincent Munyeshyaka was yesterday summoned by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Political and Gender Affairs about what they expect to do to address challenges among cooperatives.
“The report shows different problems where members are not satisfied with management, characterized with sweeping embezzlement of funds; what do you plan to do to end these challenges?” questioned MP Evariste Karisa.
Munyeshyaka said that they are aware of the problems, adding that they are planning to revise laws regulating cooperatives and suing cooperatives managers who embezzled members’ funds.
“There are management problems in cooperatives, corruption and embezzlement; our prime purpose is to revise laws regulating cooperatives in Rwanda and increase members’ participation in resources management,” he explained.
He added that they are planning to partner with Police and local government officials to help them during monitoring. He said that Rwanda Cooperative Agency (RCA) has few employees that cannot solve all problems in cooperatives.
While presenting the state of the country’s economy and execution of the National Budget to parliamentarians yesterday, Gatete said that mining sector is among the fastest growing – economic sectors in the country.
He said that the country targets to earn $800 million in 2020 and $1.6 billion in 2024 from the mining sector.
He explained that different studies, have shown that the country has enough minerals especially, Coltan and Wolfram.
“As we know the production we have today, for us to get enough profit, we need to engage the private sector for investments in the sector” he said.
“We need to explore other minerals like gold. For gold we are constructing a processing plant and construction activities will be completed in March next year in Special Economic Zone. Currently we produce more than 200 tons of gold weekly. We want to fast-truck activities so that we start processing gold form within the country,” he explained.
Rwanda has 537 mining quarries across the country with 130 companies and 30 cooperatives with80% of them in the medium category.
Gatete was speaking Thursday while presenting the recent economic development and Budget Implementation to parliamentarians.
He said that during the first quarter of 2017/18 fiscal year, the global economy continued to maintain the momentum with economic activities having been sustained compared to the previous year.
Inflation, he said, continued to drop below the medium-term target of 5% after one year above target as both imported and food inflation moderated.
He said that exports have increased substantially compared to the same period last year whereas imports have been well contained.
In the monetary sector, he said credit to Private Sector have grown faster in the first nine months of 2017 than they did in the whole of 2016 and depreciation has slowed down.
“The budget implementation was in line with economic performance and is on-track” he said.
However, Gatete said that Rwanda’s growth rate slowed in 2016 and the first half of 2017 as a result of drought during second half of 2016.
He said that trade deficit reduced by 24.9%, from USD1179.10 million to USD885.35 million
He said, this year, the monetary sector recorded growth of credit to private sector at 9.6% from December 2016 to September 2017 (compared to 9.1% for the whole year 2016)
He said the economic activity is projected to recover progressively in 2017 and higher in 2018 and over the medium term
Exports are projected to continue growing steadily with observed improvements in commodity prices and growing contribution of other minerals
“The Government will continue to put more efforts to achieve the economic growth of at least 7% over the medium term as early signs show a recovered dynamism” he said
Gatete is optimistic that the government will fully implement the budget approved for 2017/18 fiscal year and more efforts will also be put in monitoring project implementation
Speaking to the media yesterday, FERWACY president, AimableBayingana said that it is the first time to use such budget.
“It was expected that this year’s Tour du Rwanda will take Rwf400 million but it has slightly increased to Rwf500 million due to ICT that will be used and the number of sponsors that increased” he said
Bayingana said that preparation for 15 cyclists that will represent three Rwandan teams went smoothly. He is optimistic that Rwandans will shine in the competition as they did in the previous seasons.
The 2017 Tour du Rwanda will run from 12nd to 19thNovember, 2017.
The issue was raised by Members of Parliaments this Thursday, as it appeared in the 2016/2017 Ombudsman’s report.
The Standing Committee on Political and Gender Affairs invited the Minister of Local Governance, Francis Kaboneka to explain more about measures in place to end the problem.
MPs said that some people in the report spent four years waiting for compensation after being relocated from their properties by the government.
MP Evariste Kaliza said that the problem is a concern everywhere across the country. He said that laws should be revised if they are hampering compensation and that the government should raise resources to compensate population before they start relocation exercise to avoid interrupting their welfare.
“There is a big problem of local debts that the government owes the population; we always come across this problem in all reports. We always request the Minister of Finance to solve it, but it is still there. You should think of how to solve it,” he said.
By responding to MPs, Kabonekasaid there are more than 1000 people claiming over Rwf200 million.
“I cannot mention the deadline to solve this problem as it touches on different ministries. Also it requires using resources from national budget where sometimes we encounter other priority activities to invest in, but we wish to have this problem solved by 2018-2019 financial year,” he said.
Kaboneka went on to explain that the government has changed ways to compensate people on their properties saying that those relocated from their homes will have new houses constructed for them other than giving them cash.
The Rwf12 million infrastructure launched Wednesday will benefit over 3200 residents.
Speaking to IGIHE, PriscaMukarugema from Nyagishubi Sector said that they used to fetch water from rivers, some of which was contaminated leaving them susceptible to diseases.
“In case we needed water to drink we had to travel from Shyogwe Sector of Muhanga District where we could get water from taps” she said adding that they are now relieved.
FH-Rwanda Country Director, Alice Kamau said that they understood how people were burdened with water problem and constructed the 3km water connection which she believes will bring cross-cutting impacts.
“Households heads will spend more time doing other economic activities. Even children used to drop out of school and others missed some classes because of the long distances they had to walk. As our corporate responsibility we decided to connect the community to water supply and support government end these problems,” she said.
The Acting Mayor of Kamonyi District, ThaddéeTuyizere welcomed the activity saying that it will help in people’s development and the district in general.
Chaired by President Paul Kagame, the cabinet meeting has appointed Françoise Tengera as the new University of Rwanda’s (UR) Vice-chancellor in charge of administration and Finance
Tengera has been appointed to replace Pudence Rubingisa who is facing justice over awarding undue advantage during tender awards.
Tengera has been serving at University of Rwanda’s College of Business and Economics as the Head of Department of Finance.
Among others appointed by the Cabinet Meeting is Judith Kazaire, the Head of Service Delivery, Good Governance and Joint Action Development Forum (JADF) Department in Rwanda Governance Board (RGB).
Prior to new appointments, Kazaire was the Eastern Province Governor, before being replaced by Fred Mufulukye.
The Cabinet Meeting has also appointed Hubert Ruzibiza, the Chief Executive Officer of Rwanda National Fund for Environment and Climate Change (FONERWA)
Also Dr. Augustin Sendegeya has been appointed the Director General of University Teaching Hospital of Butare (CHUB)
The cabinet has also approved Mrs. Martha T.M Phiri to represent African Development Bank Group in Rwanda with residence in Kigali.
The meeting also approved Mrs. Joanne Lomas to represent the United Kingdom of the Great Britain and Northern Ireland in Rwanda as a Commissioner. She will have residence in Kigali.
In the Ministry of Health, Col. Dr. Zuberi Muvunyi has been appointed the Director General of Clinical Services and Dr. Theophile Dushime, the Division Manager, Medical Emergency Services (SAMU).
In the Ministry of Environment, Juliet Kabera has been appointed the Director General of Environment and Climate Change.
Speaking to IGIHE, RCS spokesperson, CIP Hillary Sengabo said that all the dismissed officers had deserted service at different times between 2016 and 2017.
“The reason behind dismissing them was to deserting their jobs. When an officer deserts, the punishment is to be sacked unless there were more genuine reason behind,” he said.
The law says that they consider RCS officer to be disserted when they spend seven days without reporting to work and without informing their commandant.
Last year, RCS also had sacked 52 officers including two Assistants Inspector of Prison (AIP) over misconducts.
Busingye was speaking yesterday in Kigali while officiating at a conference that brought together Human Rights Commissions from all African countries.
Participants are discussing the role of rights commissions in the development of the continent through different development goals set by Africa and the World in general.
Busingye said that for Africa to attain development, good ideas should be put in practice. He said that many Africans are still living in poverty, while development goals were set to end it.
“We still have problems like insufficient classrooms, access to electricity and clean water, under-five mortality and women rights promotion being hindered across Africa. These are problems that Africans are capable of responding to and alleviate by themselves,” he said.
He said that there still appear Africans living in grass-thatched houses, suffering malnutrition, access to medication problems, maternal deaths and environment destruction which can all be squarely addressed by Africans.
He cited reports of international human rights organization’s reports which contradict with national rights commissions’ reports, questioning how they contradict while they are all done for interests of human rights.
Busingye urged African countries to raise their voices and speak for themselves than these organizations which exaggerate in their reports about what happening in Africa.
“Africa has history; it has its past, present and future. We should stand and speak for what is happening, advantages and challenges faced” he said.
The Special Envoy for the Global Alliance for National Human Rights Institutions (GAHNRI), Florence Simbiri Jaoko said, for human rights organisations to facilitate governments, they should work independently.
She said that working independently would enable them report areas of concern, though, she said they sometimes face challenges like being denied financing from governments.
They are not badly arguing nor are they engaging in quarrels. It is rather a constructive community debate that brings together about 200 people in Gicumbi District’s Kaniga Sector close to the Ugandan border.
Held at the sector’s offices this Tuesday afternoon, the debate was one of the regular community events the journalists network PAX PRESS organises countrywide in collaboration with different partners on various issues. Funded by the rights-based program of the German Development Cooperation (GIZ), citizens discussed briefly the new law governing family relationship.
The amended Persons and Family Bill passed in August 2016 with the main change being the fact that now both spouses – man and woman – are jointly responsible for the management of the household, including moral and material support as well as its maintenance. “One of the spouses performs those duties alone, if the other spouse is unable to do so. In case of a disagreement, competent authorities take decision,” reads part of article 209.
According to residents and local authorities, polygamous marriages are the root causes for most of the household-based violence in Kaniga Sector. Even though the debate made clear, that young couples live in monogamous relationships and marriages, family problems are still occurring among people aged above 50 years.
The lively debate illustrated, that some men leave their Rwandan wives and marry another woman in Uganda, which is less than a mile away for some of Kaniga residents. In the sector are cases of man who have up to eight wives and numerous children with them. Yet the Constitution of Rwanda recognises only a civil monogamous marriage between a man and a woman as a marital union.
Justus Bakesigaki, 61, admits to be married to two wives, but the number of his wives changes between three and up to five as his second wife and one of his daughters raise their voices during the debate. “I rotate between my two wives and feel good with that. I do make time for each of them and don’t see why it should be a problem,” expresses Bakesigaki.
Nyiramirimo, his second wife and mother of two of his children, opposes him saying that the husband has failed to support all of his wives and children. She herself struggles to cater for her children. “I urge monogamous men to avoid getting a second wife. From my experience I also advise women to never accept a married man. He won’t make you happy,” says Nyiramirimo.
Janet Asiimwe, daughter of Bakesigaki, says “My husband is married only to me and I don’t want him to get a second wife. It creates conflicts among wives and hampers family’s prosperity.”
Chantal Tukahirwa, mother of seven, whose husband has left her seven years ago to marry another woman in Uganda, says her conflicts with husband reached a deadlock. “My husband fell in love with a wealthy lady and tried to marry her. He chased me from our matrimonial home when I refused, but I returned a year later after authorities ruled in my favour. That decision angered my husband, so he left with that woman to Uganda”, tells Tukahirwa, who still loves her husband. “Since he is gone, our life is miserable”, she resumes.
Jean Marie Vianney Bangirana, Executive Secretary of Kaniga Sector, says polygamy is decreasing in the community due to government and partners’ sensitisation. “With polygamy come many consequences: A polygamous man will not cater well for the family, children in such families lack education. Above all, there are often conflicts among the wives over the care and resource distribution of the joint husband”, he explains in the gathering.
According to the Executive Secretary, at least 50 households in the sector are known for having conflicts mainly resulting from polygamy and drug abuse. Together with police and army forces, he is fighting against drug abuse and his office offers mediation to solving issues in conflicting families.
