The donation was launched in Eastern Province on July 7, 2020, where the authorities distributed learning gadgets to students with disabilities, with a donation of 76 solar radios in Nyagatare district.
“Students with disabilities from vulnerable families have been left behind academically, there are families that do not have radios, so we came in to donate these learning gadgets to make sure that they also learn during this lockdown,” Safari William, project manager at NUDOR said.
“Parents should find time to do what a teacher would to help students to follow lessons on radios, but also learn previously taught lessons.”
REB said that 300 radio receivers and 300 flash disks will be distributed in Rulindo, Ngororero, Ruhango, Nyarugenge, and Nyagatare meaning one district per province.
Rwanda has made a significant commitment to embrace the right to education among children with disabilities, despite COVID-19 challenges.
The efforts include ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) in 2008 and the establishment of the National Council for People with Disabilities (NCPD); these acts as an advocacy body which also coordinates activities and monitors progress towards this commitment.
Kigali Transit Centre is the home of the many positive cases where, the Ministry of Health explained, truck drivers who are transiting through Rwanda to neighboring countries especially the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are first tested and managed.
Others are residents of the villages in Kicukiro district which are still under lockdown to avoid the spread of COVID-19.
5 cases were detected in Rusizi district, 3 in Nyamasheke, 1 in Kirehe district and 1 in Nyagatare district.
The Ministry also announced 20 new recoveries, bringing total recoveries to 595.
The new cases bring the total number in Rwanda to 1,172.
Coronavirus cases worldwide have reached 11,848,509 while deaths are now 543,609 and recoveries stand at 6,813,741. Experts have warned that the situation could get worse before it gets any better.
The two were suspended on matters related to accountability on May 25.
Alice Kayitesi was appointed to the position previously occupied by Gasana. She was the Mayor of Kamonyi district.
“Pursuant to the Law n14/2013 or 25/03/2013 determining the organization and functioning of the Province especially in its article 9;
“His Excellency the President has reinstated Mr. Jean Marie Vianney Gatabazi, Governor of Northern Province; and appointed Ms. Alice Kayitesi as Governor of Southern Province,” a statement signed by the Prime Minister Dr. Edouard Ngirente on behalf of the head of state reads.
At around 11:15 a.m., 12 male Rwandans, were brought to the Kagitumba border, who had been detained and persecuted for a long time in Uganda.
They were taken to the Kagitumba border in a Coaster vehicle, accompanied by Ugandan police and staff from the country’s immigration office. First, they washed their hands to prevent Coronavirus, then they were tested fever to see if there are any signs of infection.
The released Rwandans were immediately sent to a 14-day quarantine at the University of Rwanda, Rukara Branch, before allowing them to go to their families.
Rwanda has been requesting Uganda to release its nationals who were illegally detained, or bring them before the courts to be notified and allow Rwandan ambassadors in Uganda to reach them.
In a joint effort to find a solution to the long-running tensions between the two countries, Minister of Foreign Affairs in the cabinet of Uganda, Sam Kutesa on June 4 said the country had agreed to release 130 Rwandans, but about 310 charged with serious crimes will continue to be kept in custody.
Illegal detention and torture of Rwandans living in Uganda took another step in 2017 until Rwanda reached the point of urging its people not to go to Uganda.
Chief Inspector of Police (CIP) Bonaventure Twizere Karekezi, the Police spokesperson for the Western region, said that the smugglers were caught with 24 tins of powdered milk, nine sacks of banned skin bleaching lotions and a sack of polythene bags.
“They were arrested in the middle of the night smuggling the goods, including those that are banned in Rwanda like skin whitening products and plastic bags. They were using illegal border points from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and were intercepted by the security personnel on patrol,” CIP Karekezi said.
He explained that the smugglers were arrested alongside one Rutagarama Museveni alias Murasta, who is said to be the owner of the goods.
“Two people had smuggled the goods and delivering them to Rutagarama. When security personnel detected them, they were approaching his house and indeed they immediately entered the same house, where they were arrested with the goods,” CIP Karekezi explained.
He reminded the public that such fraud can also be the source and spread of Coronavirus.
Under the East African Community Management Act, which is applicable in Rwanda, seized smuggled goods under article 199, are auctioned.
The vehicle used in fraud and smuggling is also auctioned and the driver slapped a fine of US$5000.
The official send-off event was held at RDF Headquarters Senior Officers Mess in Kimihurura, and was presided over by the Minister of Defence, Maj Gen Albert Murasira.
Those discharged include senior officers who had reached retirement age with also those whose service contracts had come to an end.
They include 41 senior officers, 369 career officers, and other ranks, and 1018 military personnel concluded their service contracts with RDF, also 21 who have been discharged on medical grounds.
Col. Rutaremara, speaking on behalf of the retirees, said that they are retiring as happy people because their contribution to liberate Rwanda was not in vain.
“As we retire, we seize this opportunity to assure the Commander in Chief and the entire RDF leadership that even though we are retiring, we shall remain committed to the cause of total liberation of our country and that we shall never betray our comrades in the liberation struggle that we were and are still part of,” he said.
Rutaremara has also worked as the Director of Rwanda Peace Academy located in Musanze District.
Maj Gen Murasira praised these officers for their personal sacrifices, service rendered and contribution to the country.
“You have all made personal sacrifices and contributed to making Rwanda a country we are proud to call a peaceful home,” he said.
As recognition for the service rendered to RDF, the retirees were awarded certificates.
Other high ranking military officers attended the event, including the Chief of Defence Staff Gen Jean Bosco Kazura and Service Chiefs.
He warned all people to think of engaging in criminal activities.
“We are not consumed by the current situation; we are engaged in all operations against criminality and implementing all issued directives including those related to preventing further spread of Coronavirus,” CP Kabera said.
The spokesperson was throwing some light on the policing activities in this period on Monday while appearing on Waramutse Rwanda, a morning show on Rwanda Television.
He thanked the public for their role in fighting and preventing crimes through information sharing.
Rwanda started drafting and implementing measures against Coronavirus in mid-March when the first case was detected in the country. RNP is at the center of implementing all the directives.
Since then, many people have been arrested either violating the directives or in criminal acts such as drug trafficking, retailing, smuggling; drunkenness, and related unlawful acts such as assault; illegal mining, and trade of minerals, among others.
Although RNP is engaged in enforcing the directives on COVID -19, the safety of people in Rwanda and their property is the force’s overall priority.
“Many drug dealers, smugglers; illegal dealers in minerals, thieves have been arrested in this period. So don’t be deceived, we are wide awake, you will be arrested.
It’s both committing a crime and breaching government directives and derailing efforts against the pandemic,” CP Kabera said.
“Community policing empowers the people to be custodians of the law in their localities, it has become a force multiplier to detect, fight, and prevent crimes.”
He urged the general public to continue exercising their policing rights by utilizing RNP communication channels.
{{RNP communication channels}}
110: Maritime
111: Fire and Rescue
112: Emergency
113: Traffic Accidents
118: Traffic Police Queries
997: Anti-Corruption
3511: Abuse by Police Officer
WhatsApp: 0788311155
Twitter: @Rwandapolice
YouTube: Rwanda Police
Facebook: Rwanda National Police
Instagram: Rwanda National Police
A statement from the Ministry of Health on Monday stated that the number of new Coronavirus patients included “truck drivers who have been in quarantine since their arrival n the country: 3, Kigali: 2, Nyamagabe: 2, Rusizi: 1.”
So far no cure for Coronavirus has been found, using only the treatment of the symptoms of the pandemic, until the human body builds up its immunity, and the virus infects the bloodstream disappear.
Coronavirus symptoms include coughing, flu, and difficulty breathing. It is transmitted through the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract.
To avoid this, Rwandans are required to abide by government regulations, especially by washing their hands frequently with water and soap, wearing masks when a person leaves home or meets many people in a village or a multi-family area.
AOS Ltd Management and staff wish all Rwandans a Happy Liberation Day as we celebrate 26 years of liberation. This is a day when friends of Rwanda and Rwandans across the world come together to reflect on the time when the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi was stopped and to celebrate the transformation journey.
AOS Ltd started its operation in 2014, and have contributed to the development of the ICT sector in Rwanda; developed and deployed various systems for both the public and private sectors. AOS developed and deployed the electronic procurement system (e-Procurement) of Rwanda called “Umucyo” in collaboration with Minecofin and RPPA which has increased accountability, transparency, and efficiency in the public procurement process.
AOS also deployed the public surveillance CCTV and vehicle enforcement system in collaboration with Rwanda National Police that contributes to the safety and security of Rwandans by providing real-time accurate information.
The company has been managing and operating the National Data Center of Rwanda hosting both the public and private sector offering various hosting services including cloud computing, server colocation, web and email hosting, Backup as a service and disaster recovery services to suit customer needs and improve the way they are doing business.
AOS has implemented the Government smart administration system in collaboration with RISA to improve collaboration system and ensure paperless communication between Government institutions and private customers. The project is ongoing.
There are ways AOS uses to minimize the cost of hosting websites locally.
AOS is minimizing the cost of acquisition by using customized home grown solutions and growing customer base to capitalize on the volume of sales and not on the price. The company has made a significant drop in service charges for hosting websites locally with the lowest option being Rwf2,025 per month (24,300 Rwf annually) and a price reduction for cloud computing services as well for the private sector.
AOS Ltd aims to provide good quality of service at an affordable price and will continue to offer better affordable rates to its customers.
AOS says there are several benefits of local web hosting.
The Chief Marketing Officer of AOS, Mr. Manzi Olivier Rwaka said that “Hosting locally contributes to the development of the economy by employing the Rwandan workforce and promoting made in Rwanda solutions. End users hosted locally will have a better experience reducing the network latency, therefore, enjoying faster browsing, more website uptime, and better loading time while accessing their data especially if the data hosted is mostly accessed by users in Rwanda,”
“Another advantage is that users hosted locally can get better support from the local hosting provider when needed at any time with an advantage of using our local language Kinyarwanda. There’s also a security aspect knowing that your data is locally hosted especially sensitive data for Rwandans.”
According to Mr. Manzi Olivier Rwaka, they see an increase in web and mail hosting customers over the years in the private sector. Customers look for good quality of service, good support at an affordable price. The price reduction has also contributed to attract more people to host locally but there’s still more to be done to bring back local content in Rwanda and AOS Ltd is committed to provide the best service at good rates and to contribute in the growth of the private sector in Rwanda.
The interviewer asked the Chief Executive Officer of AOS, Mr. Seong Woo Kim how AOS services are sharpening Rwanda’s vision of becoming an ICT Hub.
“We are contributing to make Rwanda an ICT hub by providing Data Center services not only to local customers but also to regional as we have been targeting the EAC market and international customers.
“As of September 2018, the World Bank officially acknowledged that Rwanda e-procurement system “Umucyo” is the first successful case in Africa. The system has attracted interest from various African countries that would like to have a similar system in their countries.”
Back in 2018, several websites went down in the country including some of the government-owned websites. The interviewer asked AOS what are the measures that have been taken to get this issue answered once and for all.
“We have reviewed policies and procedures in place to avoid incidents or technical problems and we have put in place a mitigation plan to the issues that were noticed,” The Chief Marketing Officer of AOS, Mr. Manzi Olivier Rwaka assures.
In the level of the continent when it comes to its mission of bringing ICT solutions and services that will transform Africa, AOS place themselves as an ICT provider company with expertise and experience in Data Center operations, solution development, systems integration that can be exported to other African countries. They are challengers on the market and believe to be competitive in the EAC market.
AOS Ltd has initiatives to help Rwanda to turn into a high-tech hub as well as channels that will foster their targets.
The Chief Executive Officer of AOS, Mr. Seong Woo Kim said that “We need to develop more homegrown solutions. In the beginning, we start developing our solutions with the support from others with more expertise which will increase the knowledge and skills of our local engineers in various aspects and enhance our understanding of the end-users. Then, there will be more local engagement for other solutions and at the end, we will be able to successfully deliver ourselves by given the focus to the people who are engaged in these efforts such as software developers, network and security engineers, sales and marketing experts who interact with end-users.
“We need to keep them and give them the tools that they need so that they can build their experience and build their know-how. Finally, knowledge sharing and training should be done. We also plan to have an ICT academy to teach various IT skills to Rwandans.”
They will also export those successful solutions to other African countries as Made in Rwanda products, therefore, boost the economy and turn Rwanda into an ICT hub.
The grant approved on June 26, is part of $10 billion the bank approved in April 2020, to help regional member countries across the continent cope with the Coronavirus pandemic.
The beneficiaries are Burundi, Comoros, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. The support will be used to supply medical equipment needed to fight Coronavirus including testing and training for health workers.
The grant will be used to strengthen the health sector, enhance infection prevention and control, and improve regional coordination by the East African Community (EAC) and the Intergovernmental Authority Development (IGAD) to prevent cross-border transmissions.
Country Manager for African Development Bank in Rwanda, Martha Phiri, said: “The main purpose of this grant is to reduce the incidence of Coronavirus and other deaths in East Africa and other pandemics.”
The EAC Secretariat will receive $ 8.79 million in tranches, where it will initially receive $ 8.16 million and $ 629,582 while $ 729,581 will go to IGAD.
Kenya is the most infected country in the EAC, where 7,886 people have been infected with Coronavirus, and 160 deaths; 1,105 have been infected in Rwanda and 3 deaths; Uganda has 939, Burundi has 191, Tanzania has 509, and South Sudan has 2021, and 38 deaths.
