Innocent Manishimwe, 23, who was handed over to Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB) at Mukamira station, is said to be part of a group that scammed a local businesswoman in Nyabihu of Rwf500, 000, recently.
Nyabihu District Police Commander, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Paul Byuma, said that Manishimwe, together with his two accomplices still at large, last month, made the victim believe that they are Irish potato farmers.
“They took her to an Irish potato plantation ready for harvest, which they claimed to be theirs. They settled for Rwf3 million. The victim paid them Rwf500, 000 with the rest to be paid after harvesting,” SSP Byuma explained.
The victim was later to realize that she had been duped after the rightful owners of the potato garden emerged, and the scammers were nowhere to be seen and their known telephone switched off.
“She brought the matter before law enforcement authorities in Nyabihu and the search for the scammers started. Recently, Manishimwe emerged again and started calling the victim demanding money so as to show her where the conmen are hiding.
He claimed he knows where they reside. This was another trick they were employing to dupe her again,” the DPC explained.
With this new information, on July 6, at around 9 PM, Police traced and arrested Manishimwe in Kazibake Village, Rugeshi Cell in Mukamira Sector although his two accomplices managed to flee. The search for them is still ongoing.”
He advised the public to always make thorough checks and engage other people especially those residing or operating in the neighborhoods so as to prevent such losses.
Clause One of article 174 of the law determining offences and penalties in general in Rwanda, defines fraud as deception, obtaining another person’s property, whole or part of his/her finance by use of false names or qualifications, or offering positive promises or threats of future misfortunes.
Clause Two of the same article provides a term of imprisonment of between two and three years, and a fine of not less than Rwf3 million but not more than Rwf5 million, upon conviction.
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.
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.
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.
The substances were impounded in separate operations conducted in June in the sectors of Rugera and Shyira.
The psychotropic substances were disposed-of in a public exercise held in Rugera Sector.
Chief Inspector of Police (CIP) Bonaventure Twizere Karekezi, the Police spokesperson for the Western region, said that the operations were conducted by Rugera Police station, which oversees the two sectors.
“There was information about people venturing in illegal breweries producing psychotropic substances especially in Gicumbi District and supplying other dealers in Musanze District. Rugera and Shyira sectors in Nyabihu were, therefore, found to be their main trafficking routes,” CIP Karekezi said.
“Two vehicles were impounded during the operations; one Daihatsu was transporting 2, 200 liters of illicit brew while another had over 1,000 liters. Other psychotropic substances were being transported on motorcycles and bicycles,” he added.
He explained that through communication between District Police Units, they traced the sources where the substances were produced, dismantled the illegal distilleries and owners handed varied penalties as the law specifies.
He observed that besides being unhygienic and harmful to consumers, these psychotropic substances have been found to be the source of other crimes related to gender and domestic and fighting.
“We commend the role of the public in these successful operations, which were mainly based on credible information they shared with the Police on producers, traffickers and routes used,” CIP Karekezi said.
All drinks with alcoholic content exceeding 45% or with unknown alcoholic content are prohibited in Rwanda and classified as psychotropic substances.
Under article 263 of the law determining offences and penalties in Rwanda, anyone convicted for producing, trafficking or selling narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances faces between seven years and life imprisonment and a fine of up to Rwf30 million.
