Among those that have quit office are Nyirazaninka Antoinette of Nkanka Sector, Tuyishime Jean de Dieu of Nkombo Sector, and Rukesha Emmanuel of Butare Sector.
Others are the Director of One-Stop Center and Social Affairs Officer of Rwimbogo and Nkombo Sectors.
Mushimiyimana who has been in office for nearly six years told the media that he has resigned due to illness.
According to information that IGIHE has accessed, some of the resignations are due to under-performance.
The bridge, which was last renovated in 2015, was completely washed away by heavy rains over the past week, disrupting incoming and outgoing traffic.
The bridge connects Gashora sectors in Bugesera and Rukumberi districts in Ngoma district. The mayor of Bugesera District, Mutabazi Richard has confirmed to IGIHE about the destruction.
The bridge is expected to be rehabilitated and upgraded during the construction of the Ngoma-Bugesera-Nyanza road.
Mayor Mutabazi said another study has been carried out to build another bridge to connect the affected areas.
The demand followed a decision by the government to lift the COVID-19 lockdown on Monday.
Public buses were required to carry fewer passengers in order to observe social distancing. The transport challenge was partly a result of the fact that only about 60 percent of the fleet of public buses in Kigali were available and motorbikes are still not allowed to operate, increasing the demand for buses.
Rwanda Utilities and Regulator Agency (RURA) Director General Patrick Nyirishema said that starting Tuesday 5th May, public transport companies in Kigali have resumed 100 percent operation.
This means that there are currently over 400 public transport buses operating within the city that has yet to satisfy the demand especially because of the social distancing measures.
Nyirishema said that if it is deemed necessary, they will consider adding more buses to the Kigali network from firms licensed to operate between Kigali and other provinces which are still not operational.
The demand could go down in coming days as the excitement on the partial lifting of the lockdown goes down. In coming days, it is anticipated that the ‘thirst’ could die down and consequently reduce the pressure on public transport.
Transport firms who are back to work after weeks of lockdown had to increase their fares following consultation with the regulator. This was done with the purpose to cushion them from loss as their carrying capacity has been halved; for a passenger vehicle that previously carried 70 people now takes 32.
Nyirishema said that the increase of fares was challenging to work out but was aided by the recent drop in oil prices which reduces the operating cost of transport companies.
Nyirishema added that the status quo allows transport companies to remain operational to serve the public.
Innocent Twahirwa, the Managing Director of Jali Transport, which owns RFTC said that the new situation will require order at bus parks and patience from commuters.
The village of Taba is inhabited by survivors of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, ex-military men and returnees expelled from Tanzania.
Erick Mugesera, the Kigali Serena Hotel Human resources Manager said they selected the village because there are a number of vulnerable families that needed support.
The food items given out include beans, rice, maize flour, and cooking oil. Each family was given 10 kg of rice, three liters of cooking oil, 10 kg of beans, and 10 kg of maize flour.
The Kanyinya Sector Executive Secretary Rutubuka Emmanuel said the suport has come in handy. “They were already in trouble, as genocide survivors, as those who had been expelled from Tanzania who had nothing else to do to improve their lives. Even the ex-military needed support. The coronavirus has affected their economic and social well-being. So this support is valuable,”
Rutubuka said the food is normally delivered to the underprivileged to prevent the spread of Coronavirus.
The Managing Director, Kigali Serena Hotel, Daniel Sambai, said the epidemic had affected all the world’s population but it’s important to work together with all people to overcome it which informed their support.
Sambai also encouraged Rwandans to adhere to the Coronavirus prevention guidelines by following the instructions of the Ministry of Health, which includes frequent washing of the hands and wearing a mask.
Kigali Serena Hotel is a five-star hotel that started operating in Rwanda on February 1, 2007. It is a branch of Serena Hotels operating in other countries including the East African Community.
On Monday, May 4, 2020, the influx of people resumed in Kigali City and elsewhere, as people returned to work after 43 days in their homes, following lockdown as one of the coronavirus prevention guidelines.
The Mayor of the City of Kigali, Pudence Rubingisa, said that in the markets they followed the rules of traders operating at 50% capacity.
He said traders in market places opened their workplaces for general cleaning while hotels and hotels largely remained closed for fear of making losses and rendering their consumables to waste.
The Cabinet meeting of April 30, 2020, ruled that travel was prohibited from 2:00 pm to 5:00 am unless the person was authorized for serious reasons.
Rubingisa said those who broke the rules for the first time were brought together for pacification, but repeat offenders will face punitive actions as they put their lives and of other to infection risks.
It was however observed that some people failed to make it back to their homes after the agreed time for reasons beyond their control, including waiting for the buses for a long time.
Rubingisa said that the problem of buses’ scarcity during and after work has been identified, but they are working with drivers in Kigali to find solutions that will include increasing the number of public passenger vehicles.
Rubingisa also said that yesterday buses started late in ferrying passengers, an anomaly that has been since rectified.
Commissioner of Police (CP) John Bosco Kabera said that the new measures have boundaries for every authorized services and movements, which must be respected to prevent getting infected or infecting others.
“Acceptable movements whether by public, private transport or pedestrians will resume but only within provinces and in City of Kigali. Movements beyond provinces and City of Kigali are prohibited and Police officers were deployed to ensure that this is respected,” CP Kabera said.
He emphasized wearing face-mask in public at all times, practicing social distancing in markets, shops, restaurants, hotels, buses, and while walking outside your home.
“Following separate meetings we had with other relevant institutions, Police have deployed the force to monitor and inspect these places to ensure compliance.
Specific areas of concern include markets, business centres, bus stations, and operating hospitality facilities.”
“Passengers are required to wear face masks, wash hands before boarding, and should always ensure distancing even in the bus. All movements after 8 PM are prohibited unless one has an emergency; the curfew will last up to 5 AM.
We urge authorized services providers such as hotels and restaurants to operate within the set measures and safety guidelines and respect the specified hours of operating, 7 PM.”
Enforcement, he said, was preceded by awareness campaign to explain the new measures. “Awareness has always been the key success factor in policing.”
CP Kabera further reminded those falling under the prohibited services to adhere to the directives.
Among the prohibited services are bars, churches, schools, sports, and recreational facilities as well as motorcycles and bicycles, which are not permitted to carry passengers.
“Those who will not comply with these directives shall face the law. You will be arrested, your vehicle, impounded and your business closed.”
He commended the public for the continued support and cooperation during this period to collectively fight COVID-19 pandemic.
CP Kabera urged the general population to call the Police on 112 or 0788311155 (also on WhatsApp) for information on people who violate the directives putting others at high risk and hampering national efforts against the virus.
The competition which attracted 11 drone companies from across the world was aimed to help advance the safe implementation of electric cargo UAS transport, digital aviation solutions and related infrastructure in the Lake Kivu region.
Winners of the competition “For many of these organizations, the awards represent a unique opportunity to scale up their businesses and get exposure to international operators in their sector,” ADF said in a statement this Monday.
The online event is to be officiated by Rwanda’s Minister of ICT and Innovation, Paula Ingabire, leaders from within the World Bank and the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID), joined by other experts from across the drone ecosystem in Rwanda.
The LKC Flying Competitions were designed to address real use cases for drone operation in Africa and the winners of the challenge are positioned as drone companies (local and foreign) able to solve real challenges on the African continent like delivering emergency blood packs, collecting medical samples and scanning disaster areas for survivors.
To further push this agenda and generate critical data, the ADF has put out a survey for countries and companies that have been using drones to provide support in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Rwanda is among the few countries that have used or deployed drones, during the Covid-19 lockdown to raise awareness on the virus spread, prevention and communicating key safety information to the public, especially in rural areas.
Further south in Africa, a mayor in Limpopo has implemented UAS tech in their monitoring efforts in which drones were equipped with a megaphone or speakers to send messages to people.
In Ghana, renowned drones for good company, Zipline, has started delivery of COVID-19 tests in the country’s largest cities, Accra and Kumasi.
To follow the event online, one is required to register https://bit.ly/LKCAwardsCeremony and Click Here to Join.
For those who can call in during the event, International numbers available are: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kdt5rEJOxn
The survey showed that the ripple effects of COVID-19, including measures to curtail its spread, have created substantial uncertainties for businesses that could bring forth the closure of business and investments.
41.2 percent of the respondents said that their businesses may not be sustainable for more than 6 months while 29.4 percent said their businesses may sustain between 6 months and 1 year; only about 11 percent of businesses said their business will attain seamless continuity for between one and two years if the situation of COVID-19 pandemic continues.
The business council says that the challenges could be prevented through the planned stimulus packages for most affected businesses as well as the central bank’s lending facility to commercial banks.
Rwandans are awaiting a new special fund for business recovery in May which, it is expected, will boost further liquidity in the financial market.
The uncertainty further poses challenges to employment across the region, risking undoing any gains made over the years.
45.5 percent of enterprises in the region are yet to decide on the fate of their staff in regard to lay-offs.
36.4 percent have decided to lay off staff and 18.2 percent said they will not lay off their staff. Laying off of staff will have multiple effects on EAC economies including a decline of disposable income and consequently reduced consumption; reduce consumption means that industries would, in turn, produce less, source less raw materials.
The organization led by Peter Mathuki said that the EAC should consider temporary removal of employment taxes/levies, skill development levies.
This, they said, will encourage employers to retain the existing workers and do away with downsizing in the midst of COVID-19 pandemic.
Among the top effects the pandemic on businesses in the region are; decline in sales, increased cross border restrictions and challenges to source raw materials, reduction in the export market, laying off staff, delay of contracts, and reduced spending behaviours.
