The decision takes effect from 17th till 26th of July 2021 when Rwandans expect new guidelines.
Following the imposition of lockdown, the Ministry of Health conducted mass testing in different parts of the country to know the status of the pandemic.
Since then, Kigali City continued to be the major hotspot where 3965 positive cases equivalent to 3.7% have been found out of 107 106 sample tests.
In general, 4.5% of these cases were found in Kicukiro district, 3.8% in Gasabo and 2.5% in Nyarugenge district.
The State Minister in Charge of Primary Healthcare at the Ministry of Health, Dr. Tharcisse Mpunga has told IGIHE that 10-day lockdown is not enough to know the status of the pandemic.
“We are taking as many as possible sample tests in different parts identified as major hotspots for COVID-19 infections. Besides, the 10-day lockdown is not enough. It should take at least 21 days taking into consideration the incubation period and days of sickness until recovery. We cannot disregard the fact that people infected before the lockdown may recover within 10 days but there might be active cases confirmed after imposition of lockdown,” he said.
“At least three weeks should be considered before lifting lockdown because all cases are not confirmed in one day. That is when you can rest assured whether movements and new cases have reduced at a desired extent,” added Dr. Mpunga.
In case the 10-day lockdown is not extended, Dr. Mpunga explained that the Government might reopen some activities that could not wreak the havoc.
Rwanda confirmed the first Coronavirus patient on 14th March 2020. Since then, 62 328 people have been tested positive of whom 44 739 recovered, 16 871 are active cases, 71 are critically ill while 718 have succumbed to the virus.
A total of 423,182 people have been vaccinated since Rwanda began countrywide inoculation programme on 5th March 2021.
Since the lockdown was imposed on 17th July 2021, there has been no significant progress in reducing new COVID-19 cases and deaths.
One day before the decision went into effect; Rwanda recorded 927 new cases, 10 deaths and 732 recoveries.
On the first day of the lockdown; the country registered 1997 new cases, 12 deaths and 976 recoveries.
The country also registered increased cases on 18th July where 2773 positive cases were confirmed, while 11 succumbed to the virus.
According to the Director General of Rwanda Biomedical Center (RBC), Dr. Sabin Nsanzimana, these figures give a clear image on status of the pandemic and help the country to identify areas of priorities.
RBC reveals that new tests are conducted within designated timeframe to gauge the situation and confirm whether previously tested patients have recovered.
On Friday 23rd July 2021, RBC conducted the second mass testing of COVID-19 in cells identified as major hotspots where 953 people tested positive.
The majority of new cases were found in 25 cells of Gasabo district, 16 cells from Kicukiro and more 4 cells from Nyarugenge district.
The Ministry of Health reveals that new measures to be implemented after the 10-day lockdown will take into consideration the feedback from recently carried out mass tests in Kigali City and other districts put under lockdown.
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.
Freehold land title refers to a property title by which the owner of the land owns it for perpetuity. In other words, freehold land title ownership has no limit in time for the landowner and its beneficiaries.
Ujiri has received the land in consideration of special circumstances of strategic national interests pursuant to the Constitution of the Republic of Rwanda of 2003 revised in 2015 and the law no 27/2021 of 10/06/2021 governing land in Rwanda in its article 6.
The Presidential Order approving the freehold title to Ujiri was published in the Official Gazette of 19th July 2021after proposal by the Minister of Environment and approval by the Cabinet Meeting of 12th June 2021.
The land in plot n° UPI 1/02/13/04/972 with surface of two point four hectares (2.4 Ha) is located in Amahoro village, Rukiri II cell, Remera sector, Gasabo district in the City of Kigali.
The Presidential Order granting the land reads that Ujiri must use the land for which the freehold title is granted to serve the purpose of its allocation in conformity with the agreement signed with the Government of Rwanda and the business plan approved by competent authority, land use laws and other documents determined in accordance with relevant laws.
In case of non-compliance, the Government of Rwanda has the right to cancel freehold title for the land in accordance with relevant laws.
IGIHE has learnt that Ujiri shall use and exploit the land for setting up Ujiri Court chain of community centers to provide Boutique Hotel, community Courts, food courts, merchandise outlets, basketball and tennis courts services.
Ujili, 51, is a close friend of Rwanda who contributed to the establishment of Kigali Arena following discussions with President Paul Kagame as they watched NBA All-Star Game in Toronto, Canada.
Giants of Africa (GOA) is a basketball camp founded by Masai Ujiri as a platform to explore and nurture basketball talent among African youth.
It started in 2003 in Nigeria but in 2014 Ujiri took it outside of the country.
The renovation of the basketball court at Club Rafiki, Nyamirambo, launched on August 8, 2017 and camps to promote youth’s basketball talent since 2015 are among fruits of Ujiri’s contribution to the development of basketball in Rwanda and the African continent.
In February 2020, Kagame and Ujiri announced the Giants of Africa festival that was expected to take place in Kigali, August 2020, bringing together 11 countries.
At the time, Kagame thanked Masai Ujiri for his work with Giants of Africa and said that the camp is crucial in developing the talents of African youth.
Masai Ujiri also thanked the president for his role in the development of Africa and the way he puts into action everything he pledges, including the building of Kigali Arena.
“I thank President Kagame for his amazing work and for accepting that this camp takes place here. Africans must win because we are the winners.”
Born in 1970, Masai Ujiri is a Nigerian-Canadian professional basketball executive and former player and is the president of basketball operations of the Toronto Raptors in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
After a modest playing career, Ujiri became a scout in 2002, first for the Orlando Magic and then the Denver Nuggets. In 2008, he joined the backroom staff of the Toronto Raptors.
Ujiri returned to the Nuggets in 2010 as general manager and executive vice president of basketball operations, and helped turn the team’s fortunes around, returning them to the playoffs. As a result, he was named the NBA Executive of the Year in 2013. The following season, Ujiri returned to the Raptors as General Manager.
In the summer of 2016, Ujiri relinquished his title as General Manager to Jeff Weltman and accepted the position of president of basketball operations.
As president, Ujiri worked to usher in a period of sustained success, helping the team win its first NBA championship in 2019.
Kagame made the observation on Thursday 22nd July 2021 as he delivered remarks at ‘Building The Bandwidth Meeting’ organized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in collaboration with the Varkey Foundation and CJ Cultural Foundation.
It was attended by UNESCO Director General, Audrey Azoulay and Sunny Varkey, the Founder and Chairman of Varkey Foundation which is a philanthropic organisation established to improve the standards of education for underprivileged children throughout the world among others.
As he addressed participants, Kagame stressed the need to develop inclusive policies to ensure no girl is left behind and shared Rwanda’s experience.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly affected all aspects of national life, and education has not been spared. The disruption of in-person classes has exposed, more than ever, the gap in digital access, skills, and online learning for all children, especially girls. We have the opportunity to re-engage in the cause of girls’ education so that they are not left even further behind,” he said.
“In Rwanda, we continue to make significant investments in digital infrastructure and training for our young people. For example, the Rwanda Coding Academy admits 50 percent girls and aims to resolve the shortage in engineers through a focused engineering program at high school level,” added Kagame.
Among others, Kagame reminisced how centres of excellence in ICT including Carnegie Mellon University-Africa, the University of Rwanda, and the African Institute of Mathematical Sciences have dedicated scholarships for female candidates and stressed the need to ensure that ‘the ongoing global health crisis does not erode these initiatives, and other similar efforts around the world, aimed at bridging the digital gender divide’.
Kagame further stated that narrowing the gap also requires sustaining efforts for inclusive economic growth, guarantee security and community safety, and continuing to promote gender equality more generally.
“Through partnership with UNESCO and other regional and global initiatives, Rwanda will continue to advocate and act, to ensure girls have access to the digital resources and skills they need,” he affirmed.
Touching different districts including Nyagatare, Gatsibo and Kayonza, the park spent approximately 40 years without generating revenues until 1975 when coordinated tourism activities started booming.
It covers a total land area of 1,122 square kilometers but used to cover an area of 2500 square kilometers reduced to about 50% in 1997 when the land was reallocated as a farmland for the returning Rwandans after the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi.
According to the park’s management, the government of Rwanda reduced the size of the park to 1122 square kilometers in 2009 so as to create room for people and then protect wildlife.
Akagera National park is run and managed by Rwanda Development Board (RDB) together with African Parks, a conservation organization from South Africa.
The park is dominated by swamps, hills, acacia, woodland, grassland vegetation and small lakes and is named after Kagera River which flows along the eastern boundary of Rwanda and feed into Lake Ihema which is the second largest lake in Rwanda.
Travelling across the park along 120-kilometer cleared roads can take between six to seven hours.
With its large part being savannah, the park gives a clear view for tourists to watch far-distant animals.
Distinctive flora and fauna and the presence of the big five animals attracts domestic and foreign tourists to consume in the beauty of the park on regular basis.
{{1. Booming conservation efforts}}
Despite expended conservation efforts, the park once seemed extinct due to ineffective management and consequences of the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi where activities (poaching) of humans resettled in the park exerted pressure on the harmony of the jungle and culminated into the extinction of some animals while others escaped the park to surrounding areas.
In 1970, Rwanda had some rhinos translocated to the park from Tanzania for the previous 13 years but poaching activities saw them wiped out later.
The park registered between 250 and 300 lion population in 1990 but disappeared in the aftermath of the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi as they were hunted and killed by herdsmen protecting their cattle.
The research on Rwanda’s tourism carried out by Dr. Rwanyiziri Gaspard in 2008, indicated that tourism activities in Akagera National Park were dormant in 1998 but increased gradually until 6000 visitors were registered in 2002.
Today, Akagera National Park is among most visited in Rwanda. The park registered 50,000 visitors in 2019 of whom 50% are Rwandans. The number increased from 44,000 of the previous year where it earned Rwf2 billion.
Besides the availability of food which makes the park ecologically ready, conservation efforts have yielded and enabled reestablishment of the park’s equilibrium in the ecosystem with significant increase of animals including herbivores and big carnivores.
Among others, human population has been separated from the wildlife, ensuring the competition for survival between the two communities is lessened.
People who in the past resided in the park have been resettled while the park’s demarcations have been fenced off animals are kept outside human populations.
Also, RDB which oversees Rwanda’s tourism industry in the past introduced a tourism revenue sharing scheme under which 5% of the total revenues from every tourist attraction is given back to surrounding communities through different development projects.
The park is also home to different lakes including Ihema where different animals quench thirst.
{{2. Most visited park}}
The research carried out by Dr. Gaspard Rwanyiziri also shows that Akagera registered between 2500 and 3000 visitors in 1990 who decreased gradually due to security problems the country was undergoing until 1994 when the park had no visitors.
Tourism activities resumed in 1995 to 1997 but the number was below 4000.
In 2004, the park recorded over 15,000 visitors.
The report of the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (NISR) released in 2020 indicates that the park registered 321,745 visitors; Virunga National Park which is home to gorillas was visited by approximately 308,333 tourists while Nyungwe National Park recorded 93.528 visitors between 2005 and 2017.
{{3.Home to big five}}
With ongoing conservation efforts, Akagera National Park is currently home to the big five animals including elephant, rhinos, leopard, buffalo and lion.
These rare wild species have a significant impact to attracting tourists and are probably among major reasons making it the most visited park in Rwanda.
Haya Bajnouj, a tourist from Dubai who spoke to RBA after visiting the park in 2019 said he was had most wonderful moments in Akagera since he started visiting parks.
“Visiting Akagera National Park was the first amazing excursion. I am very excited for the good moments I have had in the park where I saw elephant, zebra, and buffalo among other animals. I also visited gorillas recently but seeing the elephant was the most amazing experience,” he said.
Lions and rhinos among other animals that went extinct were reintroduced to the park through the partnership of Rwanda with other countries.
For instance, 7 lions including five females and two males from South Africa were reintroduced in 2015 after 15 years of extinction through RDB’s partnership with African Parks. More two male lions were later reintroduced in 2017.
In 2020, African parks revealed that lion population quadrupled.
Else, 18 black rhinos from South Africa were reintroduced to Akagera National Park in 2017 following 10 years of extinction. The first calves were born in 2018, and five black rhinos translocated from European zoos (Czech Republic) in June 2019 promise to boost genetic diversity.
Elephants have always naturally occurred in Akagera, but poaching wiped them out until an initial reintroduction returned a young group of 26 individuals all under the age of eight in 1975. The founder population has since grown to roughly 100 individuals.
{{4. Diverse animal species}}
Apart from the big five, Akagera National Park is home to over 13,000 mammals and more than 490 bird species.
Following lion and rhino reintroductions, Akagera officially became a “Big Five” park in May 2017. It now boasts thriving populations of lion, leopard, elephant, rhino, and buffalo, as well as zebra, giraffe, and hundreds of bird species.
{{Predators }}
Before the reintroduction of lions, the park’s only large predators were leopards and spotted hyena. A founder population of seven lions was reintroduced in 2015 after the species was hunted out in the 1990s.
Two additional males were translocated to the park in 2017 to increase genetic diversity and the park’s lion population has since quadrupled in size. Small predators are also abundant: serval, side-striped jackal, and several mongoose and viverrid species are thriving.
{{Primates}}
Of the primate family, olive baboons and vervet monkeys are common in Akagera.
Far rarer is the secretive blue monkey that, until a few years ago, was believed to be extinct in the park.
{{Herbivores}}
Elephant, rhino, giraffe, and hippopotamus are the largest mammals found in the park. They join several naturally occurring large plains game species, including buffalo, topi, zebra, defassa waterbuck, the elusive roan antelope, and the statuesque eland. Smaller herbivores include duiker, oribi, bohor reedbuck, klipspringer, bushbuck, and impala. The endangered Masai giraffe was introduced to Akagera from Kenya in 1986, and the current population contains an estimated 78 individuals.
{{Avifauna}}
Over 400 bird species have been documented in the park. Akagera is an important ornithological site, with rarities such as the shoebill and papyrus gonolek, both restricted to papyrus swamps as well as the localised red-faced barbet and the swamp flycatcher. Six vulture species, including the lappet-faced and white-backed, were documented a rare find for the park.
More bird species likely to sight are, fish eagles, Cattle Egret, Hamerkop, Sacred and Hadada Ibis, Augur Buzzard, Long-crested Eagle, and Pied Crow. Black-headed and Viellot’s Black Weavers, Grey-backed Fiscals, Fan-tailed Widowbird and Caruther’s Cisticola.
{{5. Largest National Park}}
Created in 1934, Akagera National Park Akagera was initially stretched to 2500 square kilometers (sq km).
In 1997, the park was downsized by two thirds due to land pressure from returning Rwandans after the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi. The park currently covers the land area of 1122 sq km but it still boasts an impressive biodiversity despite its reduction in size and remains the largest park in Rwanda followed by Virunga National Park with 160sq km and Nyungwe National Park with 150sq km.
In 2019, the three national parks registered 111,136 visitors.
{{Akagera National Park’s flora and fauna in pictures}}
Hidalgo who is currently President of the association, was accompanied by the Mayor of Kigali City, Prudence Rubingisa and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Vincent Biruta as she met with Kagame at Village Urugwiro on Wednesday 21st July 2021.
Topics of discussions have not been mentioned but the visit comes at a time when Rwanda and France relations is at commendable pace following the visit of French President Emmanuel Macron in May 2021.
The 41st Congress of the Association of Mayors of Francophone Cities will be concluded with the approval of development projects worth US$1.5 million.
During her stay in Rwanda, Hildalgo has so far visited Nyandungu Ecotourism Park and signed cooperation agreement with the City of Kigali in the areas of culture, technology and innovation.
Hidalgo is the Mayor of Paris since 2014. Hidalgo previously visited Rwanda in 2019 where she paid tribute to victims of the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi laid at Kigali Memorial.
The current water distribution policy in Rwanda shows that water is made easier when residents can fetch from 500 meters in rural areas or 200 meters in towns.
Despite the country’s ambitious target; Water and Sanitation Corporation (WASAC) the only institution responsible for water distribution across the country has been mired in mismanagement and ineffective performance which is bound to affect the goal if no action is taken.
The issue saw parliamentarians summoning the Minister of Infrastructure, Amb Claver Gatete recently on 14th July 2021 to respond to queries related to the performance of WASAC and Rwanda Energy Group (REG).
Parliamentarians including Elizabeth Mukamana expressed concerns over old and ravaged water distribution networks that are not replaced as well as lost water believed to be among rampant problems that might hinder the target.
“How should we rest assured? What are areas of priority for Rwanda to achieve universal access to water?” she asked.
The concern was raised at a time when different parts of the country particularly in Eastern Province and parts of Kigali City often experience water shortage despite huge budget allocated for related infrastructures.
In a bid to address water scarcity in Kigali, WASAC invested over US$66 million for expansion and construction of new water treatment plants.
These include Nzove I, Nzove II and Nzove III. Each of the three plants was expected to produce 40 cubic meters per day but operated at 41% and 49% capacity between January and October 2019 as per General Auditor’s report.
Amb. Gatete explained that inefficient supply of water results from small networks and insufficient reservoirs.
He assured that there is plan to replace water supply networks with standard equipment along 568 kilometers in Kigali city and 1112 in secondary cities to be completed by the end of December 2021.
“It is not an easy task but we must be accomplished anyway,” stated Gatete.
According to the Ministry of Infrastructure (MININFRA), the revised Kigali City Water Supply Master Plan to be implemented until 2050 in partnership with Japan has been completed.
The latter is expected to facilitate budgeting for increased access to safe water among the population.
It is estimated that Kigali City will need 1,070,000 cubic meters per day by 2050.
Minister Gatete highlighted that increasing and upgrading water treatment plants is key for the target to materialize.
The quantity will be supplied from different treatment plants including Nzove (88,000 cubic meters), Karenge (102,000), Masaka (120,000), Nyabarongo (240,000), Gahanga (280,000), Rwesero (18000), and Rutonde (80,000) per day.
“Under this project, we plan to use large water pipelines and water reservoirs to keep uninterrupted flowing of water. We have created additional 900-diameter long water supply network from Nzove to Ntora to increase the current quantity by 87,000 cubic meters,” he said.
Water reservoirs are also expected to increase from the current 75 to 232 with the capacity of storing 118,589 cubic meters per day.
“With these efforts, the current volume of water in Kigali City will double. This gives optimism to address water shortage completely,” revealed Gatete.
It is expected that more 20,000 cubic meters from Nzove treatment plant will be supplied to Rugalika in Kamonyi district every day while water supply master plan in the remaining parts of the country will have been completed by November 2021.
Other water plants to be constructed upcountry include Gihira in Rubavu expected to produce 15,000 cubic meters, Moya in Rusizi, Mushongoro in Karongi, Muhazi in Gatsibo, Ngoma in Nyagatare, Sake in Ngoma and Busogwe in Nyanza among others.
Currently, 86% of Rwandans are reported to have access to safe water.
The report on countries using Spyware was first published by The Washington Post and 16 other news organizations early this week indicating that 50,000 phone numbers are vulnerable to Spyware attacks.
Pegasus is a spyware developed by the Israeli cyberarms firm NSO Group that can be covertly installed on mobile phones (and other devices) running most versions of iOS and Android.
Rwanda is among countries accused of using the spyware along with Mexico, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Hungary, Togo, Morocco, India, United States of America (USA), Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
It is said that Rwanda might hack 3500 phone numbers using the technology.
Following the revelations, Ugandan media houses run articles that Rwanda uses Spyware to hack the former Chief of Staff of Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF), Gen David Muhoozi; former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sam Kuteesa; former Prime Minister, Rugunda Ruhakana and the Joseph Ochwet, Uganda’s Director General of External Intelligence.
The statement by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Government’s Spokesperson, Dr. Vincent Biruta sent to IGIHE reacting to these allegations reads that they are rumours meant to misinform Rwandans and tarnish the country’s image.
“Rwanda does not use this software as confirmed in 2019. The country does neither possess such capabilities nor that technology. These are false allegations intended to tarnish Rwanda’s reputation internationally and mislead Rwandan residents,” reads the statement.
Rwanda refuted similar allegations in 2019 after Facebook Inc accused NSO Group from Israel of using Pegasus spyware to hack people’s phones.
At the time, it was said that the country targets opposition figures and human rights activists.
Speaking to the media in 2019, President Paul Kagame explained that Rwanda does intelligence on enemies highlighting that the country can’t spend money to use that technology deemed costly.
The day is observed at a time when different parts of Rwanda namely; Kigali city and seven districts including Burera, Gicumbi, Kamonyi, Musanze, Nyagatare, Rubavu, Rwamagana and Rutsiro are under lockdown effective from Saturday, 17th till 26th July 2021 to contain the spread of COVID-19.
In a message sent via Twitter handle, Kagame reminded Muslims to adhere to containment measures as they celebrate.
“Wishing a joyous Eid Mubarak to all Muslims celebrating Eid Al-Adha in Rwanda and across the world. Let’s continue to stay safe throughout celebrations with family and loved ones as we fight this pandemic together,” he tweeted.
Ahead of the celebration, Rwanda Muslim Community (RMC) urged Muslims to pray from homes while those from districts not put under lockdown were advised to participate in prayers respecting 30% of occupancy.
Eid al-Adha, which in Arabic literally means the “festival of the sacrifice”, commemorates the Koran tale of Prophet Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son Ishmael but God offered him a lamb to sacrifice, ruling that no human life should be sacrificed in the name of God.
The day is marked with the sacrifice of an animal; usually a goat, sheep, or cow, and the distribution of the meat among neighbours, family members and the poor.
Flying to the destination was very much awaited by Rwandan community abroad who express sentiments of gratitude as they narrate seamless experience enjoyed while traveling to their mother land in the comfort of RwandAir’s aircrafts.
IGIHE recently visited Zaventem Airport in Brussels on Saturday 17th July 2021 where Rwandans and foreigners converged awaiting flight with RwandAir.
These include passengers heading to Rwanda, Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Bangui in Central African Republic (CAR) and Accra in Ghana.
With nostalgia for their homeland, many Rwandans met at the airport wore branded T-shirts bearing seemingly slogans evoking memory of their native land.
These slogans written in Kinyarwanda include ‘Inkotanyi ni ubuzima’ translated as Inkotanyi is life and ‘Rwanda Nziza’ translated as Beautiful Rwanda among others carrying significant message for Rwandans.
With great joy, simply because they are flying home with RwandAir, they revealed that RwandAir is an icon, flag and symbol of dignity which induces pride to them wherever they are.
Christine Uzamukunda is one of Rwandans living in Europe whom IGIHE met at Zaventem Airport.
The mother, who frequently visits Rwanda every year, has been travelling with RwandAir since the carrier launched flights along the route Kigali-London-Brussels.
Like other Rwandans, Uzamukunda expressed delight as she narrated how comfortable it is to fly onboard RwandAir.
“I am glad to see RwandAir continuing to operate smoothly, Rwandans standing up to show love for Rwanda and support their brand amidst the difficult situation of COVID-19,” she said.
“It induces pride to Rwandans and the country. We are experiencing difficult times where it is uneasy to make flights but you can see how passengers are crowded to fly with RwandAir. This evidences how the flight carrier enriches their experience,” said another passenger, Erneste Musengimana.
Excellent services, warm hospitality among other support received at the airport won his heart to travel always with RwandAir.
Maxime Prevot, a parliamentarian and the Mayor of Namur City in Belgium is among passengers met at the airport awaiting flight to Rwanda to attend the 41st General Assembly of mayors of Francophone cities (AIMF).
Apart from attending the meeting, the mayor visiting Rwanda for the first time observed that it is also an opportunity to learn from the country’s tragic history that led to the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi.
He plans to visit Kigali Genocide Memorial and the memorial site of 10 Belgian soldiers killed by troops of the then President Juvénal Habyarimana on 7th April 1994.
RwandAir’s Bruxelles-Londres-Kigali route is among destinations with a large number of passengers mainly Africans from the diaspora visiting their home land.
RwandAir is one of the world’s fastest growing airlines and operates one of the youngest state-of-the-art fleets on the African continent.
With a reputation for delivering a premium service to all its customers, RwandAir operates 12 aircraft with an average age of just under six years.
The airline currently offers services to 25 destinations across 21 countries throughout Africa, Europe, the Middle East and Asia.
Over 195,000 students are sitting for this year’s ordinary level and senior six national exams that kicked off countrywide on Tuesday 20th July 2021.
These include 122,000 from ordinary level, over 50,000 are completing senior six excluding 22,000 finalists from Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET).
The National Examinations and Schools Inspection Authority (NESA) has revealed that 20 of 106 students who tested positive for COVID-19 are from the City of Kigali.
The Director General of NESA, Dr. Bahati Bernard has said that these students are receiving special assistance to sit for exams in designated isolation rooms.
He further stated that transport arrangement for these students from home to examination centers and vice versa has been put in place to ensure they don’t miss exams.
“We made possible efforts to ensure no student misses exams because he/she is COVID-19 positive. We issued guidelines to be respected as we did previously,” said Dr. Bahati.
Apart from COVID-19 positive students, NESA has explained that other candidates are also facilitated to adhere to instituted measures to prevent spread of the virus.
