The last contingent—RWAFPU2-4—returned home this Friday, June 25, after more than eight months of tour-of-duty in the world’s newest nation. At about 12:30, RWAFPU2-4 of 160 officers headed by its Contingent Commander, Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) Carlos Kabayiza, safely arrived back home.
Upon arrival at Kigali International Airport, the blue berets were received by Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Yahaya Kamunuga, Commissioner for Human Resources Management, on behalf of the Rwanda National Police (RNP) leadership.
The contingent, which was operating in the capital Juba, started its peace support operations in 2017 when the first FPU2-1 unit was deployed in South Sudan. It was one of the three Rwandan Police contingents serving under UNMISS. RWAFPU1 of 240 officers—the maiden unit deployed in 2015—operates in Malakal of Upper Nile State—was deployed while the female-dominated RWAFPU-3 of 160 officers operates in the capital Juba.
While addressing the officers upon their arrival, ACP Kamunuga thanked them for their peacekeeping services and for representing their country ably.
“Welcome back home; your country and RNP leadership thank you for being good ambassadors and having to cope with the challenges especially those related to the Coronavirus pandemic while execution your peacekeeping duties,” ACP Kamunuga said.
RWAFPU2-4 contingent commander, CSP Carlos Kabayiza said that they are happy to have contributed to the peace process of South Sudan mainly in providing protection of civilians in sites, which have now been turned into IDP camps.
“During our tour-of-duty, we conducted different mandated operational activities in Juba including supporting humanitarian assistance, providing security and escort to VIPs, static duties in IDP camps, high visibility patrols and community engagement activities. Despite the working conditions of COVID-19, we are happy to have contributed to the Revitalized Peace process of South Sudan and to come back home safely,” he added.
The City of Kigali continues to be the major hotspot for new cases where 343 people tested positive yesterday.
The statement released last night shows that 112 patients recovered while two succumbed to the virus.
Rwanda confirmed the first Coronavirus case on 14th March 2020. Since then, 35 018 people have been tested positive of whom 26 977 recovered, 7637 are active cases, 26 are critically ill while 404 have succumbed to the virus.
A total of 391, 625 people have been vaccinated since Rwanda began countrywide inoculation program 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 officers are from the host Rwanda, Kenya, Namibia, Somalia, and South Sudan. Rwandan students include those from Rwanda National Police (RNP), Rwanda Correctional Service (RCS) and Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB).
The graduation ceremony held at the College was presided over by the Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Johnston Busingye.
It was also attended by the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Dan Munyuza, Commissioner General-RCS, Juvenal Marizamunda, RIB Secretary General, Col (rtd) Jeannot Ruhunga, Governor Northern Province, Donatilla Nyirarugero, the Deputy IGP in charge of Administration and Personnel, Jeanne Chantal Ujeneza as well as representatives from South Sudan Police Service and Somalia Police Force.
Minister Busingye commended the graduands for the remarkable efforts, hard work, team spirit, dedication, and resilience that they showcased in the pursuit of success during the critical period of the Covid-19 pandemic, which made their learning environment less conducive.
“Despite this challenging situation, however, you have overcome and today we are here to celebrate the harvest of your hard work and perseverance. As you are celebrating, you should remember that no matter how successful you have been, there is still more to do, more to learn and more to achieve,” Minister Busingye said.
He noted that peace, security, governance, justice and development are interlinked and interdependent.
“In Rwanda, we have witnessed how identity politics, bad governance, unequal access to opportunities and resources, discrimination, exclusion, civil unrest, structural impunity, and other evils that Rwandans experienced, led to the tragedy of Genocide against the Tutsi and endemic poverty. We have, on the other hand, observed how unity and reconciliation, justice and good governance contribute to social harmony, peace and accelerated development that places Rwanda among the rapidly growing economies in the world” the Minister said.
Rwanda, he added, has learnt that security is no longer state-centric, and that the nature of contemporary threats has made it more human-based.
In the face of this reality, Minister Busingye emphasized the need for highly trained, professional, human rights abiding and disciplined law enforcement officers, combining strategic command aspects and a full understanding of national, regional and global peace and security dynamics that allow them to respond to any law enforcement challenge of their time and the future.
Minister Busingye observed that the complexity of contemporary law enforcement challenges associated with sophisticated technologies in the commission of crimes, globalization requires law enforcement officers to be ahead of criminals to be able to intercept their enterprises before they succeed.
The current policing environment, he added, calls for regional and international cooperation, joint training, experience, and information sharing, as well as joint strategies to respond to identified challenges.
He took the opportunity to thank all countries that responded to Rwanda’s call to international cooperation in the field of training and to strengthen cooperation in other areas of law enforcement.
UR-vice chancellor, Prof. Alexandre Lyambabaje said that the graduation is a memorable ceremony where hard work is colourfully appreciated as well as an opportunity to extend sincere gratitude to parents, friends, families, the Government of Rwanda, and other partners for their role in the one-year Masters programme.
“The University of Rwanda applauds you for having done tremendously well to deserve the full honours… and for reaching this milestone. Our confidence in you going out there to deliver better is high, because we have strong belief in the knowledge imparted into you over the last one year,” Prof. Lyambabaje said.
The one-year PSCSC comprises of two main components; a professional career programme, which leads to the award of a Past Staff Course (PSC) title, and a master’s programme in Peace Studies and Conflict Transformation.
NPC Commandant, CP Christophe Bizimungu said that the course has achieved its objectives and that the core of the course programme was taught as scheduled including the lectures of opportunity delivered by highly experienced speakers, internal study tour, and a high-level symposium on Peace, Security and Justice.
Both heads of state have met at La Cornice border in Rubavu district.
Tshisekedi arrived in Rwanda around 1p.m coming from Goma town.
After welcome by a guard of honour, President Kagame drove Tshisekedi to visit infrastructures damaged by earthquakes that followed Nyiragongo volcanic eruption on 22nd May 2021.
The eruption saw Congolese nationals fleeing to Rwanda where they were warmly welcomed until they returned home.
Apart from displaced citizens, tremors occasioned by the natural disaster destroyed different infrastructures including roads, health facilities and residents’ houses.
As of today, Rubavu district and partners including Rwanda Transport Development Agency (RTDA) and the Ministry of Infrastructure among others are raising funds to renovate damaged roads.
Kagame and his counterpart are also expected to hold bilateral talks at Serena Hotel in Rubavu.
Iwawa enrolls former drug abusing youth and others with naughty behaviors to be integrated in normal life. Youth undergoing rehabilitation at the center are equipped with vocational skills in agriculture, carpentry, tailoring, handcraft and driving among other relevant skillsets that some of them create jobs after graduation.
After holding discussions with Zandile Makhoba, JCI Vice President for Africa and Middle East who is on a visit to Rwanda, the management of Kigali city has expressed willingness to partner with the organization.
During discussions held on Thursday, Makhoba took Kigali city management through different youth empowerment programs of the organization.
Kigali City Vice Mayor in charge of Socio-economic Affairs, Nadine Umutoni Gatsinzi commended the organization’s impactful initiatives and stressed the need to develop partnership to walk together along the development journey.
“We want to enter partnership agreement to explore avenues of cooperation particularly empowering youth that graduated from Iwawa to implement their projects. Besides, we have Kigali Employment Service Center in Kimisagara which also acquaints unemployed youth with vocational skills required at the labour market. The partnership might also strengthen that program,” she revealed.
Umutoni explained that the partnership is also expected to develop specific programs tailored to promote girls’ wellbeing and development.
As she said, both parties will sit together to discuss implementation process and assess anticipated outcome.
JCI is an international Non-Governmental Organization that builds the capacity of the youth through training in entrepreneurship, leadership, fellowship and self-responsibility in over 115 countries.
The organization opened doors to Rwanda in 2005 where it has 200 members.
The approval received from the Capital Market Authority for the public issue and listing of the Corporate Bond on the RSE was followed by the opening on the offer slated for Wednesday 23rd June 2021 and closing on Wednesday, 07th July 2021, providing prospective investors a two-week period to make their investment decisions and commitments.
The ENERGICOTEL corporate bond will be issued in two phases. The first bond worth Rwf3.5 billion with a tenor of 10 years was issued on Wednesday, 23rd June 2021 while the second phase with a bond worth Rwf 3 billion will be issued in the near future with a specified tenor.
The ENERGICOTEL “ECTL” PLC Corporate Bond listing and trading on the Rwandan Stock Exchange (RSE) is slated to commence on Monday, 26th July 2021.
The proceeds of the Bond, according to ENERGICOTEL “ECTL” PLC, will be used for general corporate purposes, including but not limited to refinancing the company’s existing bank loan, investment into operational power plants and bond issuance related expenses.
ENERGICOTEL “ECTL” PLC anticipates that the Bond will showcase the Rwanda Stock Market as an avenue for generating long term financing for project development from institutional and retail investors across Rwanda and beyond.
Commenting on the development, Ferdy Turasenga, the Executive Director of ENERGICOTEL “ECTL” PLC said: “We are thrilled with the regulatory approval to issue and list our Corporate Bond on the Rwanda Stock Exchange and to have made history as the first Independent Power Producer company in Rwanda to do so.”
“Moving to the capital markets is an essential step towards showcasing additional avenues for capital formation and providing a platform for investors to participate in the ENERGICOTEL transition to the development of sustainable renewable energy solutions. We are excited to continue on our trajectory of dynamic growth within the renewable energy space, with our core business of Power Generation and Engineering Consultancy”, he added.
“On Behalf of Access to Finance Rwanda (AFR) and its Funders, we are very pleased to have the opportunity of collaborating with ENERGICOTEL “ECTL” PLC to receive the regulatory approval to Issue and list the first Corporate Bond by an Independent Power Producer company to the Rwandan Capital Markets. This is part of a wider program that we have embarked on in partnership with the Capital Market Authority (CMA) and other stakeholders which is key in assisting SMEs to explore available financing opportunities in the capital market. This will play a vital role in accelerating Rwanda’s inclusive economic growth both in the creation and expansion of investments and descent jobs opportunities.” Jean Bosco Iyacu, CEO, Access to Finance Rwanda.
Rwanda’s demand for electricity is projected to increase according to the Energy Sector Strategic Plan.
Currently, electricity penetration in Rwanda is at 63%, with 47% connected to the national grid and 16% accessing electricity through off-grid systems. The Energy Sector Strategic Plan (ESSP) for 2018/19 – 2023/24 outlines that the Government targets to achieve 100% penetration by 2024 with 52% being connected to the grid and 48% through off grid solutions.
{{About ENERGICOTEL “ECTL” PLC}}
ENERGICOTEL “ECTL” PLC is an Independent Power Producer (IPP) and an Engineering Consulting Company with Power Purchase Agreements and Concessions to upgrade, finance, operate and maintain power plants in Africa. Currently, ECTL operates 3 Hydro Power Plants namely: Keya, Nkora & Cyimbili in the Republic of Rwanda. With a consistent capital outlay, now totaling to over Rwf4 billion, ENERGICOTEL “ECTL” PLC has transformed the Hydro Power Plants (HPPs) to a combined installed capacity of 3.2MW and supplied 17M kWh of electricity to the national grid in 2020.
Given the potential energy resources which are under development in the region, ECTL looks to the future of energy with great hope to exploit the opportunity presented in the region and beyond.
In the pipeline, ENERGICOTEL “ECTL” PLC has various energy power generation projects, all in the Renewable Energy Space, at different stages of the project development cycle of approximately 50MW of Power Generation including the Methane Gas-to-Power Pilot Project in Lake Kivu, a Hydro-power Project in Kenya, DRC, and Solar Power Plant in Zimbabwe and so on in Malawi.
For more information, you can visit ENERGICOTEL website: www.energicotel.com
The statement released last night shows that 883 people have caught the virus while 131 recovered.
Kigali city continues to be the major hotspot where 234 new cases were found yesterday.
Rwanda confirmed the first Coronavirus case on 14th March 2020. Since then, 34 143 people have been tested positive of whom 26 865 recovered, 6876 are active cases, 18 are critically ill while 402 have succumbed to the virus.
The Ministry of health has revealed that the prevalence of new infections stands at 8.5%.
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 diplomat who held the position two months ago has come to Rwanda for a working visit.
With over 140 million population, countries located in the Horn of Africa include Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia and Somaliland.
The Horn of Africa is reported to have thousands of citizens stranded in Libya where they are allegedly sold in ‘modern-day slave markets’ after failing to connect to Europe.
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.
