Cleophas Bizabarimana, 27, was arrested on Thursday, June 24, in Gasabo Village, Kiyovu Cell of Ndego Sector.
The District Police Commander (DPC) for Kayonza, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Alex Fata said that Bizabarimana, who was trafficking the narcotics on a motorcycle was intercepted at about 3am by Police officers, who were on patrol.
“We are aware that this route is used by drug traffickers, especially at night. In the night of Thursday, Police officers, who were conducting patrol in the same area stopped Bizabarimana at about 3am, who was transporting two sacks of cannabis on a motorcycle weighing 30kgs,” SSP Fata said.
Bizabarimana was immediately taken into custody and the motorcycle impounded to Ndego where he was handed over to RIB alongside the exhibits.
Following his arrest, Bizabarimana disclosed that he got the drugs from the neighbouring Tanzania and was at the time headed to Kabarondo where he was to supply other local retailers.
SSP Fata warned anyone engaged in drug related crimes adding that routes used by traffickers have been mapped and that the Police works with local leaders and the public to identify all those involved to be arrested to face justice.
The Ministerial order nº 001/MoH/2019 of 04/03/2019 establishing the list of narcotic drugs and their categorisation classifies cannabis in the category of “very severe narcotics.’’
Article 263 of law No. 68/2018 of 30/08/2018 determining offenses and penalties in general states that any person, who unlawfully produces, transforms, transports, stores, gives to another or who sells narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, commits an offence.
Upon conviction for very severe narcotics, the offender faces between 20 years and life imprisonment, and a fine of up to Rwf30 million.
Rwanda has been registering sharp increase of new COVID-19 cases where 4085 people caught the virus in one week.
For the past seven days, the country has recorded highest number of cases since the pandemic emerged. These include 622 new infections on 21st, 861 on 22nd and 964 new cases on 23rd June 2021 while 15 succumbed to COVID-19 in three days.
The Ministry of Health has revealed to IGIHE that 96% of patients are receiving home-based care while the remaining are getting treatment at established COVID-19 treatment centers in Kanyinya and Nyarugenge.
Currently, the country reports 6129 active cases and 12 patients who are critically ill.
Minister Ngamije has attributed the surge in COVID-19 cases and deaths to complacency against instituted containment measures and called for heightened vigilance to fight the pandemic.
“The number of new COVID-19 infections and patients admitted at treatment centers has increased for the past days. Some of reasons for the surge include complacency and disregarding preventive directives,” he revealed.
“We must heighten vigilance and fully adhere to health guidelines before the situations goes beyond control as it happened in other countries,” added Minister Ngamije.
He reminded the public that coronavirus is transmitted through air and spreads easily in congested indoor settings with no proper aeration.
Minister Ngamije urged business people and other employees from different institutions to avoid work in congested places or run activities in outdoor settings to reduce vulnerability to Coronavirus infections.
“Let us commit to work outside where necessary and open windows to let in fresh air particularly at schools, workplace among other places like health facilities, banks, and administrative offices. Moreover, public bus windows should remain open,” he said.
Minister Ngamije highlighted that it is a collective responsibility to contain the spread of COVID-19 to normalize the situation.
Rwanda confirmed the first case on 14th March 2020. Since then, 33 260 people have been tested positive of whom 26 734 recovered, 6 129 are active cases, 12 are critically ill while 397 have succumbed to the virus.
A total of 391,058 people have been vaccinated since Rwanda began countrywide inoculation programme on 5th March 2021.
The country plans to vaccinate at least 60% of the population by June 2022.
The Director General of RBC, Dr. Sabin Nsanzimana made the revelation yesterday appearing in a talk show aired on TV1.
“We have registered three recipients of COVID-19 vaccine who succumbed to the virus but it is not surprising because they had other chronic diseases. For instance, one of them had chronic cancer while another one suffered from heart disease,” he said.
Dr. Nsanzimana explained that the vaccine strengthens immune system but doesn’t prevent recipients from succumbing to COVID-19.
“We cannot attribute their deaths to COVID-19 because they had been already seriously weakened by other chronic diseases,” he noted.
Dr. Nsanzimana urged the general public to continue adhering to instituted health guidelines because COVID-19 vaccine doesn’t prevent someone from being infected or spreading the virus.
“We have recorded 400 recipients of COVID-19 vaccine who caught the virus. They were not critically ill but the majority of them were awaiting the second dose. People should avoid complacency because receiving the vaccine doesn’t strengthen the immune system 100 percent,” he advised.
Rwanda confirmed the first Coronavirus case on 14th March 2020. Since then, 33 260 people have been tested positive of whom 26 734 recovered, 6 129 are active cases, 12 are critically ill while 397 have succumbed to the virus.
A total of 391,058 people have been vaccinated since Rwanda began countrywide inoculation programme on 5th March 2021.
Coronavirus symptoms include coughing, flu, and difficulty in breathing. The virus is said to be transmitted through the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract.
Rwandans are urged to adhere to COVID-19 health guidelines, washing hands frequently using soaps and safe water, wearing face masks and respecting social distancing.
The new guidelines for selected hospitality establishments in the City of Kigali were issued on 17th June 2021 to contain the upsurge in COVID-19 cases.
The previous list which featured 4 five-star hotels and 11 restaurants was revised yesterday.
Frequently visited hospitality establishments added to the new list include 29 restaurants and four-star hotels (9).
The nine hotels include; Residence Prima 2000 Apartment, Phoenix Apartments, Lemigo Hotel, Mille Collines Hotel, Park Inn by Radisson, Ubumwe Grande Hotel, Gorilla Golf Hotel, High Ground Villa Apartments and Grand Legacy Hotel .
Restaurants on the new list are; Java Restaurant, Riders Lounge, Pili Pili Restaurant, Sole Luna Restaurant, Brioche, Blackstone Restaurant, Bourbon Coffee, Select Boutique Restaurant, Bwok Restaurant, Choma’d Bar and Grill, Y&T Cocktail bar, Fuschia Remera, 360 Degrees Pizza, Camellia, Dolce and Century Park (Tung Chinese, Billy’s Bistro and Chillax Lounge), Heaven Holdings (Heaven & Fusion Restaurants), Hadassah Restaurant, Cactus, Zen, Chez Lando Restaurant, Chez Robert, The Fork, Khana Khazana, Coco bean Restaurant, Lavana, Sakae Japanese & Korean Restaurant and Mumbai Spice Kitchen.
Previously listed hotels include Kigali Marriott Hotel, Radisson Blu & Kigali Convention Center Hotel, Kigali Serena Hotel and The Retreat Hotel.
Restaurants are; The Retreat Restaurant, Choose Kigali Restaurant, Meza Malonga Restaurant, Brachetto Restaurant, Soy Restaurant, Nyurah Restaurant, Inka Steak House, The Hut Restaurant, Epicurien Restaurant, Poivre Noir Restaurant, Repub Lounge and Kury Kingdom Restaurant.
According to a joint statement signed yesterday by Rwanda Development Board (RDB) and the Ministry of Health, newly selected hospitality establishments are required to comply with these health guidelines effective from 25th June 2021.
As of newly established measures, all staff in selected hotels and restaurants and all clients visiting these establishments are required to present a negative COVID-19 test (PCR or Antigen rapid test).
Tests must be taken within 7 days for visiting clients and 14 days for staff while testing can be done at designated sites at own cost.
As per new guidelines, accredited private clinics with partner hotels may arrange on-site testing in an appropriate room available at the hotel.
Only trained medical personnel staff from accredited clinics will be allowed to conduct the tests and results that must be uploaded into the national health management information system.
All clients are required to present the results at the hotel, restaurant entrance to a designated staff who must scan the QR code on the clients’ certificate and access the RBC app to confirm authenticity. Clients may also be requested to present their identity cards for verification of test results.
All residents in hotels are required to submit a negative test result before checking in the hotel.
Issued guidelines indicate that selected hotels and restaurants will report status on staff testing to RDB and RBC every two weeks. They are also required to give notice of the exact number of people that can be hosted in various outlets and meeting rooms equivalent to 30% occupancy while clients who do not have a valid test result will be denied access to the hotel or restaurant.
The statement also reads that outdoor dining and events are encouraged where feasible as they present less risk for the spread of COVID-19 pandemic. Participants are however encouraged to continue adhering to COVID-19 preventive measures.
Other hotels and restaurants not mentioned on the list will be subject to randomized sample testing undertaken by RBC for both their clients and staff.
Kanyanga, which is classified as ‘simple narcotic drug’ in Rwanda was being carried by groups of traffickers, three of whom were taken into custody during the operations conducted in Rushaki and Cyumba sector.
The three suspects; Theophile Tuyisingize, Eric Hakuzimana, and Eugene Nsengimana were arrested in Rushaki Sector, Karuruma Cell in Izinga Village. The gin was packed in outlawed polythene bags and stashed in sacks.
Gicumbi District Police Commander, Superintendent of Police (SP) Jean Bosco Minani said that these were targeted operations conducted Tuesday night in response to credible information from local residents.
“Police received information that groups calling themselves abarembetsi used to traffic kanyanga from Uganda at night through different porous points in Ruskaki and Cyumba.
During the operations, Police arrested the three suspects in Rushaki shortly after they crossed into Rwanda with sacks containing 600 litres of kanyanga packed in polythene bags. Other 98 litres were seized from another group in Cyumba, which dropped them and run away,” said SP Minani.
He added that although most of the members of these criminal rings have been arrested, these are continuous operations targeting anyone connected to these rackets.
He advised those engaged in these criminal groups to instead channel their energy in lawful businesses instead of wasting their lives in prison when they are arrested.
Under article 263 of the law determining offences and penalties in general in Rwanda, anyone convicted for dealing in “simple narcotic drugs” faces between seven and ten years in prison and a fine of between Rwf5 million and Rwf10 million.
The deceased include three men aged 70, 65, 63 respectively, 43-year old woman from Kigali 68-year old man from Huye district.
The statement released last night shows that 964 people have caught the virus out of 8741 sample tests while 22 recovered.
The majority of new cases was found in Kigali: 326, Kamonyi: 85, Musanze: 78, Rubavu: 73, Burera: 47, Nyanza: 38, Gakenke: 32, Rulindo: 30, Rwamagana: 27, Nyamasheke: 23 and Rutsiro: 22.
New Coronavirus cases have been on steady increase that the country has registered 1825 in two days.
Rwanda confirmed the first case on 14th March 2020. Since then, 33 260 people have been tested positive of whom 26 734 recovered, 6 129 are active cases, 12 are critically ill while 397 have succumbed to the virus.
A total of 391,058 people have been vaccinated since Rwanda began countrywide inoculation programme on 5th March 2021.
Coronavirus symptoms include coughing, flu, and difficulty in breathing. The virus is said to be transmitted through the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract.
Rwandans are urged to adhere to COVID-19 health guidelines, washing hands frequently using soaps and safe water, wearing face masks and respecting social distancing.
The quartet was at the time arrested with over 20kgs of cannabis. They are Joseph Ntakirutimana, Obed Byiringiro, Thomas Nsengiyumva and Joseph Tuyizere.
Kayonza District Police Commander (DPC), Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Alex Fata said that Police, acting on credible information from the public, first arrested Thomas Nsengiyumva and Joseph Tuyizere in Gasabo Village, Kiyovu Cell of Ndego Sector also in Kayonza District with two sacks containing 20kgs of cannabis.
“Police received information at about 11am about two drug dealers, who were waiting for a public vehicle heading to Kabarondo. We swiftly conducted the operation and arrested Nsengiyumva and Tuyizere before boarding, with two sacks of cannabis weighing 20kgs. Tuyizere had 15kgs while Nsengiyumva had 5kgs,” said SSP Fata.
He added: “Following their arrest, Nsengiyumva and Tuyizere disclosed that they had got the narcotics from Byiringiro and Ntakirutimana, their suppliers, who were also located and arrested later. Byiringiro and Ntakirutimana also disclosed that they sneaked the narcotics into Rwanda from Tanzania, through a porous border point.”
SSP Fata lauded the impact of community policing and information sharing in particular, which facilitates to identify and arrest drug dealers and breaking rings of dealers.
The Ministerial order nº 001/MoH/2019 of 04/03/2019 establishing the list of narcotic drugs and their categorisation classifies cannabis in the category of “very severe narcotics.’’
Article 263 of law No. 68/2018 of 30/08/2018 determining offenses and penalties in general states that any person, who unlawfully produces, transforms, transports, stores, gives to another or who sells narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, commits an offence.
Upon conviction for very severe narcotics, the offender faces between 20 years and life imprisonment, and a fine of up to Rwf30 million.
US Ambassador to Rwanda Peter H. Vrooman led the handover of almost 100 video laryngoscopes and more than 8,000 pulse oximeters, tools which will provide urgent support to medical practitioners and community health workers around the country as Rwanda fights a new wave of COVID-19 cases.
“The partnership in public health between the United States and Rwanda is helping to save lives every day as we work together to fight COVID-19 and other critical public health challenges,” he said.
The 96 new video laryngoscopes, valued at approximately Rwf500,000 each, will help Rwandan medical professionals stay safe while ensuring COVID-19 patients get the oxygen they need to survive. Each video laryngoscope kit includes both adult and youth models to ensure maximum versatility.
The 8,300 new pulse oximeters, valued at almost Rwf13,000 each, will be distributed widely to help community health workers use oxygen levels to identify people that need advanced medical care.
The new medical equipment is funded by the US Department of Defense and comes through the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) and the United States Overseas Humanitarian, Disaster Assistance, and Civic Aid (US OHDACA) program, a unique humanitarian assistance package that builds Rwanda’s effectiveness to prepare and respond to COVID-19. The donation was coordinated by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (U.S. CDC), which has played a leading role in supporting Rwanda’s ability to prevent, detect, and respond to COVID-19.
The donation is part of the more than Rwf 17 billion that the United States has invested in Rwanda’s COVID-19 response since March 2020. This support includes the construction of hand-washing stations across Rwanda; support for public communications; staff and vehicles to support contact tracing; laboratory diagnostic equipment and supplies; support for training of frontline workers; medical equipment including ventilators, patient monitors, hospital beds, intensive care units, mobile X-ray machines, video laryngoscopes, and pulse oximeters; and infection prevention and control supplies such as biohazard bags, alcohol, soap, and personal protective equipment.
The call was made on Tuesday 22nd June by Zandile Makhoba, JCI Vice President for Africa and Middle East as she interacted with members of JCI Rwanda.
Discussions were organized in adherence to COVID-19 preventive measures.
Makhoba who is in Rwanda for five-day working visit reminded the youth to stay focused always, set goals and pull lessons from all circumstances.
Taking example of COVID-19 pandemic which has shaken global economy, Makhoba explained how some far-sighted people invested in technology to facilitate virtual meetings and yielded big.
“Before COVID-19, no one thought that ‘zoom’ platform would be used to generate income. Those who rushed to invest in technology created more jobs. The youth has a lot to offer in such unusual times. They need to foster innovations and seek solutions to address challenges facing the society, create jobs and contribute to other areas of national development,” she noted.
Makhoba called upon the youth to strive for excellence, mirror good values and outstanding deeds bringing positive transformations to their communities.
Cisse Harira, JCI Executive Vice President for Africa and the Middle East also requested the youth to work hard and remain committed to their goals to change the society.
The President of JCI Rwanda, Origene Igiraneza has reminded participants not to be bystanders but share tips with colleagues.
One of participating youth, Diane Uwimana revealed that they learnt a lot from the discussions helpful in daily lives.
“These discussions have reminded me how to perform my duties with great perfection to meet aspirations while gaining new knowledge. It is also an opportune moment to reflect on benefits of being part of this organization and my contribution to the society as well,” she said.
Initiated in 2002 by Imbuto Foundation, the ‘Edified Generation Scholarship’ programme financially supports bright students from economically vulnerable backgrounds in their pursuit of education.
A total of 9601 students have been sponsored through the programme.
The Managing Director of Vivo Energy Rwanda, Saibou Coulibaly has said that the company is proud of existing partnership to change lives of children from vulnerable families.
“We are honored to join hands with Imbuto to support 10 young, vulnerable girls through the ‘Edified Generation Scholarship Program’. Five years ago, we started a long and impactful partnership with Imbuto Foundation in an Education Sponsorship program. Education is one of our fundamental pillars at Vivo Energy. We are delighted to be able to impact the lives of these young girls,” he said.
“When the opportunity arises, we will go the extra mile and enroll some of them in our ‘young talent program’ aimed at equipping young graduates with first-hand skills through an internship at Vivo Energy Rwanda,” added Coulibaly.
He revealed that each of girls will get a package of US$300 to cater for school fees, health insurance, uniform and other scholastic material.
