Rwanda’s Penal Code defines child defilement in article 190 as “any sexual intercourse or any sexual act with a child regardless of the form or means used.” Any person below the age of eighteen years is by law considered as a child.
Prosecutor General Jean Bosco Mutangana told the press on Monday that the figures are alarming, calling for tighter measures to fight the vice.
He said 1866 out of 2996 cases were sent to court while others were dismissed for lacking tangible proofs.
“It is so bad sending 1866 cases to court in one year; this means child defilement is on rise. There tangible proofs about these cases that will be examined by the courts,” Mutangana said.
The prosecution also recorded 505 cases of rape among which 222 were sent to court while 1091 of violence between couples were registered in the year spanning from last year’s July to June 2018.
Mutangana said more efforts will be invested in fighting rape and defilement crimes in the fiscal year 2018/2019.
NPPA reports it is winning cases in court at the rate of 92.5%
Article 191 of the Penal Code states that any person who commits child defilement shall be liable to life imprisonment with special provisions.
Under the theme “Engaging Through Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and Entrepreneurship”, the conference aims at fostering exchange of knowledge and best practices among stakeholders regarding the interfaces between agriculture, youth employment, entrepreneurship, ICT innovations and prioritizing interventions.
Organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), it will explore ways to help the youth towards promoting and conserving sustainable agriculture with regard to fulfilling their potential within the sector.
Via their official website, FAO wrote that the conference is aimed at preparing the youth into tapping in the Agricultural sector’s opportunities.
“With over sixty percent of Africa’s estimated 1.2 billion people under the age of 25; yet with little job creation in rural areas where the majority of the population resides, there is a growing uncertainty over the continent’s preparedness to tap this resource. Tens of millions of jobs will have to be created each year in rural areas for Africa to harness the dividends of this youthful population.” reads FAO’s statement
“Agriculture being an essential driver of economic development and an area of great opportunities for young people in Africa, harnessing opportunities in agribusiness entrepreneurship and innovations, including in ICT innovations, along the value chains, contributes to improving the sector’s image, increases productivity and provides new employment opportunities, hence attracting more young people.”
Prior to the conference, an exhibition of innovative products and services for agriculture and rural development by youth and youth-led organizations from across Africa will be set up, a s well as a networking/match making space for the youth and potential investors.
The conference will be attended by grand personalities such as FAO’s Director-General, José Graziano de Silva and the Director General of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), Li Yong.
The 19-year-old is now representing Rwanda in the 6th edition of the Miss University Africa pageant competing against contestants from all 53 African countries, who, like her, are canvassing for votes via Social Media Networks such as Facebook and Instagram.
By pressing the like Button on their pictures via these Social Media Networks, you are giving them a chance to enter in the top 10 finalists of the competition.
Speaking with IGIHE, Miss Shanitah said that she was prepared to give the competition her best shot.
“I am well prepared and ready to bring that crown back home. Even though I will be contesting against other girls who are as motivated as I am, I am ready to give it only my best.” Miss Shanitah said
She says the contest celebrates beauty with brains, encouraging African students/ youths to discover their potential.
Miss Linda Umutoniwase, who represented Rwanda, last year, emerged among the top ten finalists of the contest that was held in Nigeria, Mauritius.
The contest was started in 2010 to celebrate African culture and tourism, discovering the innate potential of African students.
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The Command Post Exercise Shared Accord 2018 is running at Rwanda Military Academy in Gako, Bugesera District, from August 14 to 29.
The military exercise is focusing on African partner capability and interoperability in support of the United Nations (UN) and African Union (AU) Peacekeeping Operations (PKO). It seeks to assess abilities of participants in conducting PKO and to enhance positive bilateral and regional relationships in austere environments.
Opening the exercise on Tuesday, the RDF Chief of Defence Staff, General Patrick Nyamvumba said discharging peacekeeping operations requires good skills, commitment and professional conduct.
“The discharge of our tasks as peacekeepers calls for experience and lessons learnt, sharing mutual understanding but more importantly commitment and resolve to act professionally. While this is already taking place at different levels and through various frameworks, there is still room for further improvement. I believe exercise Shared Accord 18 is one of the avenues to this effect,” he said.
The Co-Exercise Director and US representative, Brig. General Lapthe C. Flora, said the two-week long exercise will focus on about 100 scenarios related to conducting peacekeeping operations during the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA).
The training will help participants improve their capability to respond to regional security threats posed by Violent Extremist Organisations (VEOs) and to counter the associated ideology more effectively.
It also helps build partnership with the US Army Africa (USARAF) and East African Military Forces.
Participating countries are Angola, Botswana, Gabon, Germany, Madagascar, Malawi, Morocco, Netherlands, Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Senegal, the United States and Zambia.
Participants also include international organisations, the UN and International Committee of Red Cross.
SIM Box commonly known as SIM Bank is a device that converts international phone calls into local calls by bypassing local telecommunication companies.
Via its Twitter account, RIB stated yesterday that its investigators had arrested Majidu in Kigali carrying a SIM Box from a Somali national who lives in Kampala, Uganda.
“The suspects claimed to have received the SIM Box from an unknown Somali from Kampala to hand it over to another yet to be identified person in Kigali/Nyabugogo at Rwf5,000 fee,” RIB tweeted, adding in another tweet that as investigation went on, the sender, a Somali who lives in Kampala was later identified as Djabil.
RIB states that, acting on a complaint filed by MTN Rwanda about the fraudulent activities going on in telephone calls coming from abroad, detectives have so far seized several SIM Boxes in Rusizi District and the City of Kigali.
The acting RIB Spokesperson, Modeste Mbabazi, told IGIHE on Tuesday that RIB has intensified crackdown on SIM Box fraud, adding that such fraud is on high increase and causes heavy losses to telecoms and the country.
“We have seized many SIM Boxing machines. We have arrested many fraudsters but the investigation continues in collaboration with other state organs to bring more fraudsters to book,” he said.
The Head of Revenue Assurance at MTN Rwanda, Eugene Manzi, told RIB that use of SIM Box causes heavy loss to telecoms.
He explained that a SIM Box fraud is a setup in which fraudsters install SIM boxes with multiple low-cost prepaid SIM cards. The fraudster can then terminate international calls through local phone numbers in the respective country to make it appear as if it is a local call.
Manzi said that when a call is for instance made from Europe to Rwanda, it requires carriers which are agents of sorts between the initiator and the recipient. With SIM Box, fraudsters can work with carriers giving them a cheaper rate than the telecom’s international calling rate and the carriers wire some money to the local fraudsters after a certain volume of calls.
For instance, if an international call is usually at Rwf50 per minute, the SIM Box fraudsters can connect it at Rwf20 and receive a kick-back from the carriers, making an international call register as a local.
Mbabazi warned the general public against attempting these crimes because they will face the law, adding that Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Authority (RURA) has recently acquired the technology to detect SIM boxing.
MTN Rwanda reports that the SIM-Boxing fraud has so far ripped it of millions of money while the telecom and RURA again lost huge amounts last year.
Organized by the National Agricultural Export Development Board in partnership with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Sustainable Harvest, the competition aimed at promoting Rwanda coffee consumption both locally and internationally and Barista competition culture in coffee industry which is relatively new in Rwanda.
The contestants were coached and mentored by 2011 World Barista Champion, Alejandro Mendez who was also the chief judge of the competition.
According to Amb. George William Kayonga, the Barista competition in Rwanda is the road to the World Coffee Barista Champion and an opportunity for Rwanda’s Coffee to be well positioned on the global market.
Speaking to the press, Aiden Miller, the winner of the competition who is also the founder and owner of Crema Coffee shop in Musanze District, said that the championship had motivated them to take care of their customers with quality services delivery.
“We will ensure that knowledge and skills gained from expert Barista will add value to the coffee cup of our clients.” Miller told the press.
The representative of JICA in Rwanda, Takada Hiroyuki lauded the event as educational for baristas in the business.
“Rwanda is developing so quickly and coffee has not been left behind in the process. Five years ago you could hardly find a place to buy your favorite coffee drink outside hotels. Nowadays coffee shop is a hot business. It is important that we improve the skills of Rwandan coffee barista so that the cup quality impresses the consumer.” Takada Hiroyuki said.
Via its official twitter wall, RIB announced that Bugabo Laurent, who was arrested on the 13th August 2018, had promised to influence the release of convict John Nzaramyimana, who was sentenced to life imprisonment over child defilement, in exchange of Rwf500,000.
In a joint operation with the office of the Ombudsman, RIB investigators caught the lawyer red-handedly receiving the bribe of Rwf500, 000.
The convict Nzaramyimana was found guilty of child defilement, where he was sentenced to life imprisonment in Ririma Prison, Bugesera District. He later appealed to the High Court, although no decision or date has yet been announced by the judges.
From the news IGIHE received, Bugabo was the lawyer who represented Nzaramyimana in his case, and was the one who advised him to appeal against the court’s decision.
As it can be heard from the telephone. conversations between one family member of Nzaramyimana and Bugabo, the defense lawyer promised to speak with judges so to influence the convict’s release, but with the condition of paying Rwf500 000.
After long discussions they agreed on meeting Monday, 13th august, in a bar located in Kimironko, Kigali City; which is where RIB investigators immediately arrested the lawyer.
Bugabo who is an Ex-Far soldier, was also the former Director of Gikongoro Prison in 2003. He later became a Defense lawyer, where he represented Ntaganzwa Ladislas, guilty of committing Genocide Crimes in 1994.
According to the security body’s spokesperson Commissioner of Police (CP) Theos Badege, “Rwandans are accustomed to peaceful elections and this should not be any different.”
Pre-election campaigns started yesterday ahead of the polls slated for September 2nd and 3rd. Police have affirmed that it will continue to exercise its mandate of ensuring sustainable security before, during and after the forthcoming parliamentary polls.
“The Rwanda National Police has committed more personnel and material resources to ensure smooth and incident-free elections,” CP Badege said
“Candidates, the general public and voters in particular have in previous elections exhibited high level of integrity and operating within the limits of the law; in partnership with other security organs, we have designed a security plan to ensure that this remains the same for peaceful and incident-free parliamentary elections,” CP Badege explained.
The partnership, he said, also involves local leaders under the overall coordination of the National Electoral Commission (NEC).
He also urged aspirants to desist from defamatory statements against their opponents and called for patience especially in campaign site areas that are likely to experience heavy traffic flow.
“Election-related excitement can often be a challenge. Cases of overloading, using vehicles that are in poor mechanical condition to transport people or using trucks meant for goods to transport people should be avoided to prevent accidents and fatalities; we appeal to everyone to act responsibly,” he said.
He also cited overworking drivers as another aspect that can cause accidents adding that drivers should have enough time to rest and avoid driving while drunk or using a phone.
About 7.1 million Rwandans are expected turn-up for the country’s fourth democratically elected House since 1994.
Rating agencies such as S&P are independent institutions with international credibility and expertise to measure the credit worthiness of a country by evaluating their ability to repay with interest debts to creditors, to avoid the likelihood of defaulting.
Such analyses of the rating agencies are important reference points used by investors and development partners for strategic decision making.
S&P’s latest rating ofRwanda said that it would take a positive rating action if Rwanda’s economic performance was materially stronger than its projections and compared with peers.
The 2015-2016 balance-of-payments shocks forced Rwanda to implemented external adjustment policies supported by an 18-month International Monetary Fund (IMF) standby credit facility (SCF) of $204 million. This has partly helped the current account deficit to decrease by more than half to around 7% of GDP in 2017, from almost 16% in 2016.
S&P projected that the current account balance will gradually decline from 2019, notwithstanding the upcoming import-heavy projects, such as construction of the new Bugesera airport. It further anticipated that upcoming investment projects, higher exports and consumption will support stronger medium-term growth prospects.
However, S&P long-term rating on Rwanda was unchanged and remained at ‘B’, reflecting low GDP per capita levels of less than $1,000 and the debt accumulation to fund infrastructure projects. The rating reflects their assessment that the government will keep net debt levels moderate at around 45% of GDP by 2021.
Mutoni told IGIHE she was born in Gisozi Sector of Gasabo District in Kigali and is pursuing her studies together with her colleagues Marion Apio and Lokolimoe Susan Hilda at Makerere University in Uganda.
The trio submitted Girls Alive Uganda project for the awards of Mastercard Foundation and The Resolution Project 2018. The project intends to meet the need of lack of sanitary materials to vulnerable girls in Tororo District of Uganda.
Speaking to IGIHE after scooping the award, Mutoni said the project, which started two years ago, will make, distribute and train young girls about making affordable pads to reduce high rates of menstrual-related absenteeism which remains a key barrier to academic performance of the girl child in Uganda.
“We have so far trained 83 girls especially in Tororo’s schools on making pads and taught more about menstrual health. This is the second time we are participating in the resolution fellowship and we are excited we have won. We have not started making the pads but now that we have secured the funding, we are going to start,” she said.
Only 15 teams out of the 272 applications won the social venture with each team earning a fellowship that includes seed funding amounting to $5,000 (about Rwf4.4 million), mentorship and access to a network of young global changemakers to pursue impactful projects in their communities.
Mastercard Foundation Spokeswoman, Ashley Collier, said the SVC aims at supporting the most impactful projects that are owned by young African social entrepreneurs.
“This is a very competitive process because scholars come from across the continent and we encourage those who have not won now to keep applying every year. Three years ago, we had 10 scholars that won, last year we had 20 and this year we have 31,” she said.
Collier said Mastercard Foundation has opened a country office in Kigali recently because “we believe this is such an incredible environment” with access to education and skills
The third edition of the challenge’s finalists included scholars from Malawi, Gambia, Kenya, Zambia, South Africa, Ghana, Uganda, Lebanon, Sudan, Zimbabwe, Cameroon, Tanzania, Nigeria, and Somaliland.
Rwanda was not featuring among this year’s finalists but a trio of Rwandan graduates, from EARTH University in Costa Rica, won the Resolution Social Venture Challenge at the Mastercard Foundation Baobab Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, last year.
The trio of Annet Mukamurenzi, Gerard Ndayishimiye and Yvette Abizeyimana had put forward their Rwanda Youth Initiative for Agricultural Transformation (RYIAT) at the competition that rewards compelling leadership and promising social ventures led by the youth.
The Mastercard Foundation first partnered with The Resolution Project in 2016. The foundation is implementing various projects in Rwanda including Hanga Ahazaza (Create the Future) and Scholars Programme.
The Canada-based Mastercard Foundation is one of the world’s largest foundations which strives to advance learning and promote financial inclusion for people living in poverty and it operates almost exclusively in Africa.
