The statement released last night shows that 67 people have caught the virus, 17 recovered, 4 are critically ill while 1183 were vaccinated yesterday bringing the total number to 334, 538 since Rwanda kicked off countrywide vaccination program.
Rwanda confirmed the first COVID-19 case on 14th March 2020. Since then, 20828 have been tested positive of whom 19 180 have recovered, 1358 are active cases while 290 have succumbed to the virus.
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 statement released last night shows that 4000 people were vaccinated yesterday bringing the total number to 333, 355 since Rwanda began countrywide vaccination program.
Rwanda confirmed the first Coronavirus case on 14th March 2020. Since then, 20761 people have been tested positive of whom 19163 have recovered, 1311 are active cases while 287 have succumbed to the virus.
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 Western Region Police Commander (RPC), CSP Edmond Kalisa issued the warning in a meeting with commercial motorcyclists operating in Rubavu, held on Friday, March 19.
There are over 2000 taxi moto operators in Rubavu.
The meeting was also attended by the mayor of Rubavu, Gilbert Habyarimana. It was held in accordance with the COVID-19 prevention guidelines.
The meeting came on heels of increased operations against lawlessness in which scores of taxi moto operators have been arrested abetting crimes including transporting smuggled goods, narcotic drugs and stolen items.
CSP Kalisa urged the commercial motorcyclists to desist from such criminal practices and support efforts against criminality by reporting those involved.
“When you help a criminal you also become a criminal; you will all be arrested to face the law and most likely spend years in prison for something you can avoid and instead help to fight,” CSP Kalisa said.
He advised them to always be vigilant about passengers, who try to use them in criminal acts.
The RPC observed that trying to get rich through criminal shortcuts makes you poorer, urging them to always remember that their families or dependants are also affected by their criminal actions in circumstances where one has to spend years in prison.
He further urged them to always ride safely, abide by traffic rules and regulations and COVID-19 prevention measures.
On his part, the Mayor of Rubavu, Gilbert Habyarimana urged commercial motorcyclists to always remember that they are partners in security and development.
He added that motorcycle transport is part of the country’s development sector and must be used in legal aspects not to facilitate criminality.
“Where there is no security development will be affected. Always put safety and security first because that is the only way you will achieve your development goals,” Habyarimana said.
He urged them to streamline their cooperatives, subscribe to public healthcare–mutuelle de sante–as well as Ejo Heza, a simple and secure, long-term savings scheme sponsored by the Government of Rwanda.
Ejo Heza is an inclusive scheme targeting both salaried and non-salaried workers to help accumulate savings for a dignified and secure old age.
The outreach exercise was launched on March 18, at Bugarura Island of Lake Kivu in Rutsiro District.
The awareness campaign is conducted jointly with local authorities and other community policing groups.
The Police Marine Unit also handed over 700 face-masks to vulnerable residents at Bugarura Island.
While speaking to 65 grassroots leaders at Bugarura Island, ACP Elias Mwesigye, the Police Marine Unit Commanding Officer (CO) appealed to the leaders to take lead in guiding and educating the residents on health and safety measures against COVID-19.
The meeting was also attended by the executive secretary for Boneza sector, Christophe Mudahemuka, heads of Isibo, village chiefs, community health workers and heads of youth groups.
ACP Mwesigye enlightened the participants on the national measures to contain the spread of the pandemic in the country.
He, however, reminded them that although restrictions to prevent the spread were easied and some of activities allowed to resume, the pandemic is still around which requires maximum compliance with the health guidelines like wearing face mask at all times, washing hands, social distancing and avoiding unnecessary movements.
“Some people on this island cross to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC); first, cross-border movements are prohibited in this period but again those who violate this directive use illegal borders to engage in illegal cross-border activities like smuggling and drug trafficking,” ACP Mwesigye said, calling for ownership and strong partnership against such practices
With the communities on Bugarura Island relying mainly on fishing, the CO urged them to follow fishing guidelines and avoid any illegal practices leading to fish depletion including the use of substandard and illicit fishing gears, respecting the biological break and 50 metre buffer zone from the lake for those engaged in any farming activities.
The awareness campaign will continue to other Islands in the country.
The Executive Secretary for Boneza thanked Rwanda National Police for educating the communities on islands and reminded the grassroots leaders to take the safety messages to the people in their localties.
Bugarura island has a population of about 2000 people.
TomTransfers is one of local companies that took advantage of such opportunities and invested in Apartments and car rental services to delight visitors with memorable experiences during their sojourn in Rwanda.
As one of leading company for the apartments and car rentals in Rwanda, TomTransfers provides well maintained cars for rent, fully furnished apartments with a full package of services such as cleaning services, internet and many more including tourism services.
Headquartered in Niboye sector, Kicukiro district, TomTransfers has different apartments and cars for rent across the country where clients are taken care of with a welcoming team.
The CEO of TomTransfers, Tom Munyaneza has told IGIHE that a client is treated as a King and receives all necessary support during his / her stay.
“We provide clients with all necessary items and a disciplined, trained home servant to help them. As for rental cars, we make them available at affordable price. We work with technicians in every district that are standby to intervene in case a client experiences any problems along the way. If the car has serious break down, we give you a replacement alternative,” he said.
Three years since Munyaneza started the business, over 20 locals have got employment.
“Our aim is to reduce joblessness. So far, we have 20 permanent employees and 20 others working with us partially. We are optimistic to continue providing job opportunities; the more our business grows,” said Munyaneza.
{{Prices}}
Munyaneza explained that clients can rent from one to three rooms.
Small cars are rented at a cost of Rwf 15000 while the cost of large cars of different brands ranges from Rwf 30000 to Rwf 40,000 per day. The price might reduce for prolonged rentals.
TomTransfers has one to six-room apartments at the price ranging from US$ 500 (Rwf 490,000) to US$ 2500 (Rwf2.4 million) per month.
Apart from car rental services, TomTransfers also gives jobs to clients buying its cars.
“The arrangement has helped many Rwandans finding it difficulties to identify areas of investment. At TomTransfers, a client buys a car and gets at least three-year contract lease,” said Munyaneza.
TomTransfers has so far served over 5000 clients who expressed delight for received services.
For more details about TomTransfers services, you can visit their website: www.tomtransfers.rw , or contact them on: {{0787891147 or 0781947463.}}
It was revealed on Friday 19th March 2021 during a handover ceremony between the outgoing Minister of Local Government, Prof. Shyaka and his successor, Gatabazi few hours after searing-in.
Prof. Shyaka thanked President Paul Kagame for having trusted him, and the support he received to accomplish his duties.
Several achievements have been attained since Prof. Shyaka held office in 2018. As for good governance indicators, the citizen inclusiveness has improved from 65% to 82%, leadership decentralization improved from 70% to 87%, service delivery improved from 74% to 78% as the Government targets to hit 90% in the Seven Year National Strategy for Transformation.
“It is apparent that that there is a long journey to attain the goal in the next three years ahead,” said Prof. Shyaka.
In collaboration with other institutions, the outgoing Minister Prof. Shyaka had pledged to help Rwandans get shelters whereby 11,000 houses were supposed to be constructed between 2018 and 2021.
“Approximately 9000 houses have been constructed and handed over to owners. However, the journey is continuous as many more houses need to be renovated,” he noted.
Local government entities have made a remarkable progress whereby 97% of services are offered online against 89% in 2020.
Prof. Shyaka explained that more efforts were expended in the execution of delaying projects which saw 65% completed while 25% are pending.
“Local leaders have made a commendable step towards efficient management of public resources over the past three years but we still have areas of improvement,” he said.
{{The task awaiting Gatabazi}}
The Ministry of Local Government ensures the coordination of good governance and high quality territorial administration programs that promote economic, social and political development throughout the nation.
The Ministry is also responsible for developing, disseminating and coordinating the implementation of policies, strategies and sector programs through the formulation of national policies, strategies and programs of good governance, territorial administration, social affairs and group settlement sites to ensure sustainable community development; develop a legal framework for good governance, territorial administration, settlement and social-economic development among others.
Prof Shyaka highlighted that his successor should put emphasis on increased efforts to help grass root leadership to prevent the spread of COVID-19, oversee Ubudehe social class classifications and reinforce cells leadership.
Among others, he stressed need to draw attention on sorting out problems affecting Rwandans’ wellbeing, particularly, vulnerable people.
Minister Gatabazi pledged collaboration with others to accomplish his duties diligently.
“As he often reminds us, I firstly have to feel that I am not alone. President of the Republic is around with promises for citizens within seven years. What always came to my mind is asking myself what do people expect? This makes me feel that leadership is a responsibility requiring someone to be held accountable in case of failure to deliver,” he said.
Three of the suspects showed to the media at the Police Metropolitan headquarters in Remera, were arrested by the Anti-Smuggling and Organized Crimes (ASOC) department in Musanze and Gasabo districts with combined 8,256 pieces of the outlawed polythene bags and 555 pieces of assorted skin bleaching products.
They are Louise Bamporineza, 29, arrested in Musanze District, Cyuve Sector in Rwebeya Cell, Marampima Village; Venuste Yamuragiye, 25, and Ephraim Nsabimana, 33, arrested in Kinyinya and Nduba sectors, respectively, both in Gasabo District.
Bamporineza one of the suspects, told the media that it never crossed her mind that she could be arrested.
“I have never thought before that this… being in handcuffs would happen to me. I was getting plastics bags and lotions [skin bleaching agents] from Uganda through DRC, Rubavu to Musanze where I live before transporting them to Kigali to supplier retailers, who pressed orders,” Bamporineza explained.
Yamuragire is a taxi-moto operator, who was transporting the goods. He was the first to be arrested and named Bamporineza as his boss.
According to Bamporineza, she was using public means to smuggler the products from Musanze to clients in Kigali.
Meanwhile, seven other suspects were arrested in Kigali for allegedly conniving to steal pharmaceutical products from Gasabo District pharmacy.
They include one Xavier Hakizimana Xavier, an employee at Gasabo District Pharmacy, who was allegedly embezzling assorted pharmaceutical products from the pharmacy and selling them to other pharmacies, clinics and dispensaries.
Hakizimana told the media that he has been taking drugs and lab testing kits from the store and selling them to other health facilities in Kigali.
He added that he started stealing the medical products in 2017. At the time of his arrest, Hakizimana was found in possession of 15 COVID-19 testing kits.
Deputy RNP spokesperson, CSP Africa Sendahangarwa Apollo said the suspects were arrested as a result of strong partnership between the Police and the general public through information sharing.
CSP Africa urged those in the health sector to abide by the law, guidelines and strengthen the vigilance to fight such fraud.
“Health is a delicate sector that requires maximum professionalism, high standards of ethics, loyalty and discipline to give the best medical services to patients.
Behaving contrary may highly affect lives of the people,” CSP Africa said.
On the non-biodegradable plastic bags and banned skin bleaching creams and oils, CSP Africa warned against dealing in such outlawed products.
Article 266 of the law relating to offences and penalties in general, states that “any person, who produces, sells or prescribes the following prohibited substances: a drug; harmful products; cosmetics or body hygiene substances any other products derived from plants; commits an offence.
Upon conviction, he/she is liable to imprisonment for a term of not less than one year and not more than two years and a fine of not less than Rwf3 million to Rwf5 million or only one of these penalties.”
Under article 10 of law N° 17/2019 of 10/08/2019 states that any person, who imports plastic carry bags and single-use plastic items, is liable to the dispossession of those plastic carry bags and such items, and to an administrative fine equivalent to ten times of the value of those plastic carry bags and single-use plastic items.
In article 12, a retailer of plastic carry bags and single-use plastic items is liable to an administrative fine of Frw300, 000 and dispossession of those plastic carry bags and such items.
The statement released last night shows that the deceased include two men aged 42 and 72 from Kigali and a 72-year old man from Nyaruguru.
The Ministry has also reported that 5666 were vaccinated yesterday bringing the total number to 329,410 since Rwanda began countrywide inoculation program.
Rwanda confirmed the first Coronavirus case on 14th March 2020. Since then, 20681 people have been tested positive of whom 19143 have recovered, 1251 are active cases while 5 are critically ill.
As he officiated the swearing in ceremony, Kagame reminded leaders to serve the country and citizens selflessly promoting common interests.
“We all know that the work we do is to serve Rwandans and our country, we have to remind ourselves that we are working to transform their lives for the better. We are not doing this for our own gains,” he said.
A she concluded his remarks, Kagame expressed condolences to the family of late President John Pombe Joseph Magufuli who died on Wednesday and Tanzanians as well.
“I cannot end my remarks without expressing, on my own behalf and on behalf of the government and people of Rwanda, my deepest condolences to the family of the late President John Pombe Joseph Magufuli, and to the entire Tanzanian nation,” said Kagame.
“President Magufuli was a steadfast pan-African, and a friend to our country. Rwanda stands in solidarity with Tanzania and with President Samia Suluhu Hassan at this difficult moment,” he added.
President Kagame appointed new Ministers recently on 15th March 2021.
Gatabazi replaces Prof. Shyaka Anastase while Habyarimana Béata replaces Hakuziyaremye Soraya appointed as the Vice Governor of the National Bank of Rwanda (BNR).
Tanzania’s soft-spoken Vice President Samia Suluhu Hassan on Friday was sworn in as the East African country’s first female president after the sudden death of John Magufuli from an illness shrouded in mystery.
“I, Samia Suluhu Hassan, promise to be honest and obey and protect the constitution of Tanzania,” said Hassan, dressed in a black suit and red headscarf before dignitaries at a ceremony in the commercial capital, Dar es Salaam.
In her first public address as president, the 61-year-old leader announced 21 days of mourning for Magufuli and public holidays on March 22 and on March 25, the day the late president will be buried.
“It’s not a good day for me to talk to you because I have a wound in my heart,” said Hassan. “Today I have taken an oath different from the rest that I have taken in my career. Those were taken in happiness. Today I took the highest oath of office in mourning,” she said, after being sworn in at 10am local time (07:00 GMT) on Friday.
Hassan ascended to the presidency after President Magufuli’s death due to heart disease was announced by the government on Wednesday, more than two weeks after he was last seen in public.
Magufuli’s absence since February 27 had fuelled speculation about his health and sparked rumours he had contracted COVID-19, although officials had denied he was ill.
According to Tanzania’s constitution, the vice president serves out the remainder of the term of a president who dies in office. Magufuli, who was first elected in 2015, secured a second five-year term in polls in October last year.
The constitution also states that after consultation with their party, the new president will propose a deputy, the choice to be confirmed by the votes of no fewer than 50 per cent of the National Assembly.
Al Jazeera’s Catherine Soi, reporting from Kenyan capital Nairobi, said: “She has just given her maiden speech and it was a very emotional tribute to her predecessor John Magufuli.”
“I’ve been speaking to people in Tanzania to get a sense of what she is about and what they’re telling me is that her leadership style is very different from the late president. They say she listens to counsel more and is not one to make unilateral decisions.”
{{‘Time to stand together’}}
Described as a softly spoken consensus builder, Hassan has become the country’s first female president and the first to be born in Zanzibar, the semi-autonomous island in the Indian Ocean that forms part of the union of the Republic of Tanzania.
She said that Magufuli “who always liked teaching” had prepared her for the task ahead. “Nothing shall go wrong,” she said, urging all the country’s people to work to unite the nation.
“This is the time to stand together and get connected. It’s time to bury our differences, show love to one another and look forward with confidence,” she said.
“It is not the time to point fingers at each other but to hold hands and move forward to build the new Tanzania that President Magufuli aspired to,” she said, amid opposition claims about the cause of Magufuli’s death.
Exiled opposition leader Tundu Lissu insists the president died of COVID-19.
Hassan rose through the ranks over a 20-year political career from local government to the national assembly. A stalwart in the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM), she was named Magufuli’s running mate in the 2015 presidential campaign.
The pair were re-elected in October last year in a disputed poll marred by allegations of irregularities.
Her leadership style is seen as a potential contrast from Magufuli, a brash populist who earned the nickname “Bulldozer” for muscling through policies and who drew criticism for his intolerance of dissent.
Magufuli was a vocal COVID-19 sceptic who urged Tanzanians to shun mask-wearing and denounced vaccines as a Western conspiracy, frustrating the World Health Organization (WHO).
Al Jazeera’s Catherine Soi said that Hassan did not talk about coronavirus.
“A lot of people are looking to see if she will change strategy. Magufuli had faced a lot of criticism for how he handled the disease. He never put the country in lockdown and never encouraged people to wear masks or sanitise,” she said.
“People are waiting to see how she is going to deal with this disease and if she’s going to change the policy that had been in place by Magufuli.”
Hassan’s swearing in will assuage opposition fears of a constitutional vacuum.
“The VP has to be sworn in immediately,” opposition leader Zitto Kabwe told Reuters by phone from Dar es Salaam on Thursday. “The constitution doesn’t allow a vacuum … I will be concerned if the day passes without her being sworn in.”
