The statement released last night shows that new patients were found in Kigali: 40 Rubavu: 17, Huye: 7, Musanze: 6, Rwamagana: 2 and Burera: 1.’
Rwanda confirmed the first COVID-19 patient on 14th March 2020. So far, 7105 have been tested positive out of 682,600 sample tests of whom 6,089 have recovered, 959 are active cases while 57 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.
Speaking after presenting letters of credence to President Kagame, they expressed commitment to boost relations and cooperation between their respective countries and Rwanda.
Ms. Johanna Teague, the ambassador of the Kingdom of Sweden in Rwanda expressed willingness to strengthen relationship by leveraging existing solid foundation in many areas of interest.
“We have been working together in development cooperation in four areas mainly; the rule of law, inclusive economic growth, climate and environment as well as research cooperation. We also see a lot of interest in Rwanda and in Sweden to strengthen our trade relationship and investment. One of my priorities is to see how I can support that and take it forward,” she said.
Among others, South Africa’s ambassadorial post to Rwanda has been vacant for two years. In December 2018, South Africa summoned George Nkosinati Twala who was representing South Africa to Rwanda after completing his term. The recalling came two days after tensions triggered by allegations that Rwanda spoke ill of the then South Africa’s Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Towards the end of last year, South Africa designated Mandisi Mpahlwa, 60, as the new ambassador to Rwanda.
After presenting letters of credence to President Kagame, Amb. Mpahlwa explained that his presence has a great significance to revitalizing both countries relations.
“South Africa has not had an ambassador for quite some time since my predecessor left and of course there are various reasons. I am pleased that today I have presented credentials to the president and I have expressed positive sentiments to him. It is something that must be a positive signal about the direction of the two countries in terms of developing and continuing to strengthen the relationship between Rwanda and South Africa,” he noted.
Mpahlwa has been representing South Africa to Mozambique where he completed his term this year.
Senegal ambassador in Rwanda, Doudou Sow also committed to consolidate gains noting that there are many areas both countries can learn from each other.
“I am very delighted as the first Senegal ambassador with residence in Rwanda. I have conveyed greetings President Paul Kagame from his counterpart Macky Sall and made my commitment to root on existing partnership to take relations to greater heights,” he said.
He also highlighted that Senegal can learn from Rwanda’s advanced experience in the areas of environment, defense among others to be emulated.
Among others, RwandAir opened flights to Senegal in 2017. Doudou explained that it was a great milestone to connecting both countries’ people and expressed optimism for further cooperation.
The open roof double-decker bus allows tourists to sightsee as much as they like and to revel in all the best sights and attractions that the Kigali city has to offer.
The Kigali Sightseeing Bus elevates people’s experiences to a new level by giving them the opportunity to learn more about the City of Kigali and its history.
In the spirit of the Festive Season, the luxury double-decker open roof bus has brought a special festive package that includes ‘Nyanza Cultural Trip’ with a Cooking masterclass on New Year’s Eve.
This festive season, the Kigali City sightseeing tour bus is offering a Special Festive Season Package for a group of 20 at Rwf5, 000 per person, valid from December 01st to January 31st.
Another special offer is the ‘Nyanza Cultural Trip’ which includes activities that involve a visit to the King’s Palace, a parade of Inyambo Cows, with a cooking masterclass all at a price of Rwf25, 000 per person.
Last but not least, Kigali City Tour has not forgotten children through a colorful Christmas Offer for Kids at Rwf8, 000 on Christmas Day.
For history buffs and those with a wish to see certain sites in the Kigali city, these tours are an affordable way of doing so, as they allow passengers to hop on and off at will, all day long.
Kigali City Tour Ltd offers three-hour tours in three shifts. The first is from 9 am to 12 pm, the second shift is from 2 pm to 5 pm.
For more information, visit their website on www.kigalicitytour.rw
A statement released by FERWACY today shows that the decisions is meant to adhere to COVID-19 directives.
“In a bid to adhere to new COVID-19 preventive measures, the National Cycling Championship 2020 scheduled on Saturday 19th and Sunday 20th December has been canceled,” reads the statement.
On the first day of the championship, racers in the category junior men and women would race for 25km track from Nyamata-Mbyo-Nyamata in Individual Time Trial (ITT) while men Elite and U23 would set off from Ramiro heading to Nyamata covering 41.8km.
On the second day of the championship, racers were supposed to use one of routes set for Tour du Rwanda 2021 whereby women racers would set off from Kisaro sector to cross the finishing line at Kanyinya (MAGERWA) covering 71 kilometers.
Men juniors had to set off from Rukomo in Gicumbi district heading to Kanyinya (MAGERWA) covering 90km while Men Elite&U23 had to depart Gatsata to cross the finish at Kanyinya (MAGERWA) following the track from Gatsata-Gicumbi-Base-Nyirangarama-Kanyinya covering 139km.
The letter dated 16th December 2020 was written to the mayor of Nyamasheke district.
In his letter that circulated on social media, Nshimiye said that he could not continue his work due to Covid-19 preventive measures implemented at his school noting ‘they are against the commandments of God and his Word that I respect.’
Nshimiye who was a teacher in Primary 5 and 6 has confirmed to IGIHE that he wrote the letter himself.
“I am the one who wrote the resignation letter. That is the way it is [Preventing covid-19] is against my faith and the Bible,” he said.
Nshimiye said he resigned because his faith beliefs do not allow him to wear a face mask and being forced to wash hands.
“I often wash hands but willingly without someone else’s pressure. I don’t belong to any faith based organization. I respect Biblical verses,” he explained.
The Director of Education in Nyamasheke district, Alphonse Sinabajije said that he asked the teacher to report himself to the district to discuss the matter face to face but the latter was not able to reach district offices because he can’t wear a face mask.
“We had summoned him to report himself to the district yesterday but couldn’t find a way because he doesn’t wear a face mask. He cannot be allowed to enter a bus without wearing a face mask. I finally talked to him over the head teacher’s phone. He told me that his biblical faith doesn’t allow him to do so,” he explained.
“I told him that I am also a Christian and referred him to some verses in the bible. He declined to accept my advises saying these measure preventives being implemented are Satanic symbols. He told me, he would rather resign than adhering. I latter saw the letter circulating on social media,” added Sinabajije.
He revealed that seven students in Mahembe and Karambi sectors have also abandoned school over refusal to wear face masks.
“There are children who abandoned school because they don’t want to wear face masks in the sector. We have the responsibility to engage in discussions with pupils at the school where he taught and parents to change mindsets and let them know that adhering to COVID-19 preventive measures is not against the word of God. I have seen seven children at Nyarusiza school in Mahembe along with others in Karambi with similar problem,” said Sinabajije.
Rwanda confirmed the first COVID-19 patient on 14th March 2020. As of today, 7032 people have been tested positive out of 679,132 sample tests of whom 6089 have recovered, 886 are active cases while 57 have succumbed to the virus.
Figures from the Ministry of Health indicate that the prevalence of recoveries, deaths and new cases respectively stands at 86.5%, deaths at 0.8% and 2.5%.
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.
{Remains of over 5000 victims of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi have been exhumed in a 24.6 meter-deep mass grave in Kiziguro sector of Gatsibo district.}
The activity carried out by Gatsibo district in partnership with IBUKA (umbrella organization of genocide survivors) lasted over one month from 12th October was completed on 18th November 2020.
The President of IBUKA in Gatsibo district, Sibomana Jean Népomucène has told IGIHE that it was a difficult activity that bulldozers were utilized to exhume remains in the mass grave.
“As we exhumed remains, we reached a rocky- surface. We were obliged to utilize a bulldozer to exhume remains from the 24.6 deep-meter mass grave. We estimate the number of remains to be over 5000. Some of them have been damaged; others mixed with soil that it is not easy to precise the exact figure,” he said.
Sibomana revealed that they are spraying chemicals especially on damaged remains to ensure safety of people cleaning them.
“We will concurrently cleaning clothes and remains and hope to have completed the new memorial under construction at the beginning of the next commemoration period in April where we will lay them decently,” he noted.
Sibomana appealed on people to reveal whereabouts more victims are dumped to accord them decent burial and soothe relatives’ hearts.
He explained that they are negotiating with families who laid 253 remains of relatives at homes in Bugarura of Remera sector so that they can be relocated to the decent memorial being constructed.
Kiziguro memorial being upgraded is home to 142,000 remains of genocide victims killed in former Commune Murambi.
Jean Baptiste Gatete, the mayor of former Murambi commune who was behind the killings of Tutsis in the area was convicted and handed 40-year sentence which he is serving in Arusha.
“The death of former president Pierre Buyoya is confirmed. There is no more doubt,” head of information and communications division at the office of Burundi’s President Willy Nyamitwe said in a tweet.
A relative of Buyoya, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Reuters Buyoya had died on Thursday en route to Paris for medical treatment. She did not give any further details.
Buyoya served as president for 13 years in total during two stints, from 1987-1993 and from 1996-2003.
In October, he was convicted in absentia by the Supreme Court for the killing of Melchior Ndadaye, the country’s first democratically elected president, whose death in 1993 after just three months in office triggered a 10-year civil war which claimed at least 300,000 lives.
From 2012, Buyoya served as the African Union’s envoy for Mali and the Sahel region but he resigned in November.
Buyoya first took power in 1987, ousting president Jean-Baptiste Bagaza in a coup, but lost an election in June, 1993 to Ndadaye.
Three years later, he mounted another military coup to regain power.
The laboratory built at the University of Rwanda (UR), Remera Campus is the first ever with such facilities established in Rwanda and the second in the East African Community (EAC).
The laboratory built at a cost of over Rwf 400 million has capacity to conduct examinations to identify the person’s nature of disability, needed prosthesis and orthosis to be produced within a short period of time.
The laboratory comes in handy to address challenges facing persons with disabilities who would not engage in sporting activities due to lack of proper prosthesis.
Emmanuel Ndayisaba, the Executive Secretary of National Council for Persons with Disabilities (NCPD) explained that the laboratory will address some of the challenges facing persons living with disabilities.
“It is a great infrastructure giving relief to persons with disabilities as they will get prosthesis easily. As you know, we have launched a program to promote sports among these persons but we had no equipment to engage in sports especially athletics. We didn’t have appropriate prosthesis for physical exercises. The laboratory is to bridge the gap and will be helpful to those who could not participate in competitions,” he said.
Jeanne Kagwiza, the Acting Principal of College of Medicine and Health Science at UR explained that the laboratory will sharpen students’ skills given that the university already had a prosthetics and orthotics department where 53 have graduated at the school and employed in various institutions.
“We already have students enrolled in courses equipping them with skills in prosthetics and orthotics department which had no own laboratory. The facility will acquaint students with practical skills and advanced knowledge,” she said.
The Minister of Education, Dr. Valentine Uwamariya also highlighted that having the workshop in Rwanda, is a guarantee that the University of Rwanda will produce skilled Prosthetic and Orthotic technologists required at regional and international market.
“I am happy that this workshop is expected to be a solution to not only students as a practical site, but also to the Rwandan community in regards to rehabilitation services. I highly appreciate the support of National and international partners of the University of Rwanda especially ICRC and welcome other projects in the pipeline that will further confirm existing strong ties between the Government of Rwanda and development patterns in education,” she noted.
Rwanda has over 446,000 people with disabilities across the country. There are over 51,000 people with disabilities out of registered 154,000 disabled people who need prostheses.
The University of Rwanda is developing a Bachelors program in Prosthetics and Orthotics for professionals at Bachelors, Masters, and PhD levels to curb the need for the country to provide quality service and training programs.
As of 2019, 53 orthopedic technologists (Associate Prosthetist & Orthotist) have graduated from the University of Rwanda. They are working in different settings namely Hospitals (44), Private Rehabilitation (2), NGOs (3), and Prosthetics and Orthotics Centres as well as education (4).
Subhash Sihna, Regional Physical Rehabilitation Manager for East Africa at the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) explained that the support for the construction of the facility was meant to help persons with disabilities enjoy life like other members of the community by providing easy access to prosthesis.
A prosthesis at the newly inaugurated laboratory ranges between Rwf300,000 and Rwf3 million depending on needed equipment.
Ndayisaba revealed that they are conducting advocacy for Mutuelle de Santé to cater for prosthesis.
ICRC has also committed to build two more prosthetics and orthotics laboratories in Rwanda next year.
Germain Ntigurirwa, 39, was at the time transporting the minerals on a motorcycle RF 940I, which was also impounded. The minerals had just been smuggled into Rwanda from the neighbouring Uganda, through an illegal border point in Gikunyu Village, Nyagatabire Cell in Musheri Sector.
Chief Inspector of Police (CIP) Hamdun Twizeyimana, the Police spokesperson for the Eastern region, said that Ntigurirwa was seen and reported by a resident of the borderline village of Gikunyu, who got suspicious after seeing him loading a sack on a motorcycle.
The suspect hails from Kayonza District, Kabarondo Sector in Kabarondo Cell, Munini Village.
“Following a phone call by a suspicious and vigilant resident, Police tracked and arrested Ntigurirwa at about 5pm. After a thorough search, they found that the sack he was transporting contained cassiterite minerals weighing 170kgs,” said CIP Twizeyimana.
Following his arrest, Ntigurirwa disclosed that he normally buys the minerals from another illegal dealer in Uganda.
He disclosed that he wires the money by phone before his supplier finds a way to smuggle the equivalent quantity of minerals across into Rwanda at an agreed point, where he collects them.
“We have established that this was the third time he has received the minerals in a similar setting, and sells them to a registered dealer in Kigali,” CIP Twizeyimana said.
Ntigurirwa has since been handed over to RIB at Musheri station.
The spokesperson thanked the resident who exercised the community policing rights to report the unlawful act, and called upon the general public to always share informatiom about anything suspicious.
Article 54 of the law on mining and quarry operations, states that; “any person, who undertakes mineral or quarry exploration, exploitation, processing or trading without a licence commits an offence.”
Upon conviction, the offender is liable to imprisonment for a term of between two and six months and a fine of not less than Rwf1 million and not more than Rwf5 million or only one of these penalties.
The court also orders confiscation of any seized minerals or quarry in storage, trading or processing without a license.
According to information from MINAFFET’s twitter account, the occasion was an opportunity to discuss ways to further strengthen bilateral cooperation between the two countries.
Rwanda and Senegal enjoy strong relations rooted on brotherhood between President Paul Kagame and his counterpart, Macky Sall.
Senegal accommodates many Rwandans for education or other purposes for the past 40 years.
Since 2016, RwandAir launched flights to various destinations of Western Africa including Cotonou, Abidjan, Douala and Dakar inn Senegal among others.
Rwanda is represented by Amb Karabaranga Jean Pierre in Senegal.
