The building opposite Kigali Convention Centre was refurbished and reopened four years ago.
It is located in a Kimihurura Gateway, an area reserved for different businesses, hotels and entertainment activities.
The statement announcing the auction reads that bidders of the the building worth Rwf23.8 billion, must present a surety worth Rwf1.19 billion.
The Managing Director of KBC, David Mporanyi told IGIHE that the business complex was completed at a tune of Rwf21 billion of which 48% of the funds was provided by the investor while 52% was a bank loan.
The auction is open from 17th July 2022 to 24th July 2024.
KBC is a household name of a commercial building that existed since 2003. The building underwent a major facelift since 2016.
It houses different companies including La Planète Club, Chicken Tonight, Sony and Brioche.
Other businesses in the KBC include supermarkets, banks, clothes’ stores, pharmacies and restaurants among others.
The building has 13,477 square meters reserved for retail spaces, 4,000 for office and more than 200 parking spaces.
It was constructed by a Chinese construction firm dubbed Beijing Construction Engineering Group (BCEG) while its design was conceptualized by a Belgian company, CERAU.
The agreement was signed on Tuesday 19th July 2022.
During the signing ceremony; Rwanda was represented by the Minister of Infrastructure, Dr. Ernest Nsabimana while Austria was represented by its ambassador in Rwanda with residence in Kenya, Christian Fellner.
Minister Nsabimana has said that the bilateral agreement expected to strengthen existing cooperation between both countries, is a fruit of existing relations that have deepened roots.
He explained that it provides opportunities to continue expanding the large network in tourism and trade.
The agreement entails processes aimed at enhancing air transport including a legal framework for the regulation of frequency and capacity of air services between both countries and pricing among other aspects.
Amb. Christian Fellner said that the agreement will add up to efforts meant to enhance movements and commended existing cooperation between both countries in different areas of development.
The development follows another deal inked on Monday 18th July 2022, where Rwanda and UniCredit Bank Austria signed a financing agreement worth EUR 7.5 million (approximately Rwf 7.5 billion) for the establishment of a Technical and Vocational education and Training (TVET) Centre of Excellence in the Kigali Special Economic Zone.
The centre of excellence will enable establishment of a modern and highly efficient dual training program which will be a model for industrial-academia linkages that allows exchange of training facilities such as workshops and equipment for mutual benefits.
According to the financing modalities, 15% of the US$ 7.5 million (or EUR 1.125,000) will be a grant. The financing facility will be guaranteed by Oesterreichische Kontrollbank AG (OeKB) on behalf of the Republic of Austria at 0% interest rate, with a payment period of 18.5 years after a grace period of 8.5 years.
Munyenyezi appeared before the court on Tuesday 19th July 2022 around 9:00 a.m. with combed hair, wearing inmates’ uniform, sandals and glasses.
As the trial began, her defence lawyer requested the court to allow her client to stand trial sitting down citing sickness reasons and responded in favour.
The Prosecution told the court that Munyenyezi is facing charges including manslaughter as Genocide crime, preparation of Genocide, direct or indirect mobilization to perpetrate Genocide, conspiracy during Genocide, extermination as a crime against humanity.
She was deported to Rwanda on 16th April 2021 from the United States of America (USA).
It is suspected that Munyenyezi committed the crimes in former Commune Ngoma, Butare Prefecture currently in Huye District of Southern Province.
Her defence lawyers include Bruce Bikotwa and Gashema.
The Prosecution has revealed that Munyenyezi is the wife of Arsène Shalom Ntahobali and daughter-in-law of Pauline Nyiramasuhuko, the former Minister of Family and Women’s Affairs during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
The Prosecution alleged that Munyenyezi and her husband along with her mother-in-law controlled roadblocks including the one mounted near Ihuriro Hotel which sheltered Nyiramasuhuko.
She has been accused of attending and leading meetings organized to plan for the killings of targeted Tutsi victims.
The Prosecution accused Munyenyezi of killing a nun who resided in Tumba using a pistol. He was also accused of having arrested Tutsi girls at roadblocks and ordering Interahamwe to rape them.
According to the Prosecution, a witness identified Jean Damascène Munyaneza alias Saddam testified that Munyenyezi was at a roadblock at Mukoni in 1994 when she went to a nearby place where Tutsis were being killed and saw an Interahamwe identified as Lambert Habyarimana raping a nun.
As the Prosecution said, Munyenyezi took a pistol and shot the nun on the head after telling Munyenyezi that they would be held accountable.
Another witness identified as Jean Paul Rutiganda is also said to have told the Prosecution that Munyenyezi shot dead the nun after enduring rape.
Munyenyezi rejected the charges claiming that she didn’t go to any roadblock because she was a pregnant mother taking care of another kid.
The suspect said that witnesses don’t know the person being accused because they revealed, she was studying at the National University of Rwanda yet she has not completed secondary school.
Munyenyezi said that the two witnesses provide contradictory statements because one accuses her of having killed the nun in an underground section of a hotel while another claims that she killed her at a roadblock at Mukoni.
“It is clear that they don’t know what they say. I don’t know why they are telling lies about me,” she said.
Her defence lawyers have told the court that the Prosecution does not present tangible evidences proving that Munyenyezi had a role in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
They insisted that the names of the nun Munyenyezi is alleged to have killed are not mentioned, which is among reasons pushing them to consider witnesses’ statements as false.
The defence lawyers also said that witnesses’ statements are contradictory, proving that they don’t know Munyenyezi.
They also argued that birth certificates of Munyenyezi and her children indicate that their client was pregnant and had another kid in 1994.
“She was in her last days of pregnancy that she could not take a gun to hunt Tutsis.”
The defence lawyers said that there are other cases of people from Butare including her husband Arsène Shalom Ntahobali tried by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in which Munyenyezi provided testimonies.
When asked how she was invited as a witness yet she was not able to leave her house due to pregnancy, defence lawyers revealed that Munyenyezi went to provide testimonies regarding how her husband did not hunt Tutsis because he was suffering from Malaria.
The Prosecution has objected that making disclosure of her pregnancy is not enough to sanitize Munyenyezi because there are no medical reports confirming that she was in critical condition.
It was also highlighted that it is normal to have testimonies as per legal provisions and asked Munyenyezi to prove them wrong.
On her education status, the Prosecution said that it is apparent that Munyenyezi was in secondary school where proving that she was a student at the time is enough.
Prosecutors explained that defence lawyers do not present details of testimonies provided at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda to prove how they are contradictory.
They also maintained that not knowing the names of killed nun is not enough to prove that witnesses are wrong.
On the charge of conducting mobilization to perpetrate Genocide, the Prosecution alleged that Munyenyezi attended a meeting held at a playground in Rango where she held a speech and told people that Tutsis are enemies who had attacked the country.
The Prosecution said that more witnesses accused Munyenyezi of having provided grenades to kill Tutsis at a roadblock mounted at Nkubi, issued instructions to Interhamwe to kill a child and arrest Tutsis at a roadblock nearby Ihuriro Hotel and kill them.
Munyenyezi has said that she had no powers to give instructions to Interahamwe.
She also denied having handed over girls to Interahamwe to be raped and attendance of the meeting in Rango.
Her defence lawyers also defended her clients’ objections claiming that witnesses provided false testimonies because they do not prove how they are reliable.
Even though Munyenyezi was not tried by Gacaca courts, the Prosecution indicated that testimonies pinning her were provided by survivors of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi and perpetrators.
Munyenyezi has however claimed that being a daughter-in-law of Nyiramasuhuko didn’t grant her powers of attending meetings and mobilizing the killings of Tutsis.
Defence lawyers said that there are witnesses from Butare convicted of Genocide crimes who revealed that they do not know Munyenyezi and argued that there are no evidences pinning her.
During the event held on Monday 18th July 2022, Premier Ngirente was joined by officials including Hailemariam Desalegn, the former Prime Minister of Ethiopia; the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Vincent Biruta and the Minister of Environment, Jeanne d’Arc Mujawamariya.
The inauguration took place at a time when Rwanda is hosting Africa Protected Areas Congress (APAC).
The congress running between 18th and 23rd July 2022 is organized by African Wildlife Foundation, an international conservation organization focused exclusively on Africa’s wildlife and wild lands.
The first Africa Protected Area Congress underway in Kigali is intended to further enhance the status of conservation in Africa by engaging governments, the private sector, civil society, indigenous peoples and local communities, academia to shape Africa’s Protected and Conserved Areas Agenda to better deliver benefits for people and nature.
The Director General of Rwanda Environment Management Authority (REMA), Juliet Kabera has explained that Nyandungu Eco-Park is located in a wetland that was seriously degraded.
She revealed that the project is the beginning for the restoration of five more wetlands in Kigali City.
Martine Urujeni, Kigali City Vice Mayor in charge of Socio-Economic Affairs has revealed that protecting the environment will help Rwanda to keep moving forward with its vision of green economy.
She requested Rwandans to protect wetlands and thanked partners helping the city to remain clean and promote green economy.
Urujeni also assured the city’s support to activities mean to enhance conservation of the Nyandungu Eco-Park.
During the event, Premier Ngirente and accompanying officials planted trees for environmental conservation.
Nyandungu Eco-Park was open to public on 8th July 2022. QA Venue Solutions, which also operates BK Arena, will be responsible for the day-to-day management of the park and offer guided tours to visitors and its attractions.
The opening of Nyandungu Eco-Park represents the single largest addition to public green space in Kigali in the city’s history.
The park provides a space for residents and visitors to the city to explore and learn from nature, and is part of Rwanda’s efforts to harness eco-tourism to restore biodiversity and conserve urban wetland ecosystems.
The restoration of the wetland and creation of an eco-tourism park was funded by the Rwanda Green Fund (FONERWA) with support from the UK Government, the Italian Government through the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the UN Environment Programme.
The six-year initiative has restored the Nyandungu wetland ecosystem and promoted the sustainable management of natural resources. The initiative has also created approximately 4,000 green jobs.
The rapid growth of Kigali and the associated human activities have put significant pressure on the wetlands. Wetlands, including Nyandungu, have been degraded and this led to biodiversity loss. Encroachment has also resulted in downstream flooding as well as increased pollution due sewage outflows.
In 2016, the Government of Rwanda through REMA developed the Nyandungu restoration project to respond to these challenges and demonstrate the potential of wetlands to abate pollution and reduce the risk of flooding in urban areas.
Since then, the Rwf 4.5 billion project has restored critical habitats, including a native fig forest and the wetland itself, and rehabilitated streams and ponds to alleviate floods and reed-beds to reduce pollution.
Stretched on 121.7 hectares in size, including 70 hectares of wetland and 50 hectares of forest; the wetland also features a medicinal garden, a Pope’s Garden, five catchment ponds, three recreation ponds, a 10km network of walking and cycling paths, viewing areas, picnic areas, an information centre, and a restaurant among other facilities.
It is home to more than 62 local plant species and over 100 bird species.
The Minister of Education, Dr. Valentine Uwamariya has officiated the start of exams at Groupe Scolaire Nyagasambu in Fumbwe Sector of Rwamagana District which serves as an examination center for 633 learners (including 301 boys and 332 girls) from four schools including Rwamashyongoshyo Parents School, GS Runyinya, Nyagasambu Vision and GS Nyagasambu.
Minister Uwamariya told the candidates to consider the exam as an opportunity giving them chance to be promoted to the next level.
“You have spent six years preparing for this exam allowing you to be promoted to the next level. In fact, it is about preparations to join the category of mature people. This is a good move for you but it is not extraordinary because you have done exams at different times,” she said.
Minister Uwamariya has revealed that learners have had smooth preparations unlike the past two years where studies were affected by COVID-19.
Even though the pandemic has not yet been defeated, Minister Uwamariya observed that this school year went well and ended on time without COVID-19 restrictions suspending studies and expressed optimism for good performance.
She also urged parents and head teachers to make sure that all children participate lest they are deprived of a brighter future.
At least 429,151 finalists from primary, ordinary level and upper secondary school are expected to sit for national exams this year.
Ordinary level exams are scheduled between 26thy July and 2nd August 2022 while students completing the upper secondary school will sit for national exams from 26th July to 5th August 2022.
Besides, candidates from Teacher Training Colleges (TTCs) will sit for exams between 26th July and 3rd August 2022 while written exams for students from Vocational Training Schools are scheduled to run from 26th July to 5th August 2022.
At last 254,000 primary school finalists sat for national exams last year.
Dr. Kayihura replaced Prof. Nosa Egiebor who has been serving as the Acting Vice Chancellor for 72 days following the resignation of Prof. Alexandre Lyambabaje to begin his retirement life.
Meanwhile; Dr. Ndikumana replaced Dr. Musafiri Papias Malimba who had held the position for four years.
The new reforms are aimed at strengthening the university’s management to continue offering quality education and provide solutions to problems facing the society through research development among others.
The newly appointed leaders, Dr. Muganga and Dr. Raymond Ndikumana are familiar with the functioning of UR.
Dr. Muganga once served as the Acting Principal of University of Rwanda’s College of Arts and Social Sciences (CASS) between 2016 and 2017. He was the Dean of the Faculty of Law at The National University of Rwanda (UNR), from 2007 to 2009.
Dr. Ndikumana has been also working at the University of Rwanda. He once served as a coordinator of Swedish project which provides funding to UR among others.
Speaking to IGIHE, Dr. Muganga has outlined priorities during his leadership.
His projections fall under broad plans including workforce integration, promoting technology and the reputation of UR on the global scene.
“Today, the university’s workforce seem to be disjointed and don’t work together. It is as if everyone is working independently. Members of the management need to work as a team and have common understanding to facilitate projects’ implementation. This issue needs a lot of attention,” he said.
“Secondly, we need to see how to widen planning to address existing challenges in the society,” added Dr. Muganga.
He explained that it requires the collaboration with all partners to achieve envisaged goals.
“The university cannot address these problems on its own. There is need for collaboration with different partners and citizens to remove these barriers,” Dr. Muganga added.
The University of Rwanda was created in 2014 out of the merger of public higher learning institutes. It had six colleges prior to the merger.
Eight years after its creation, the university is ranked 3024th among 31,000 universities globally as per list released by Webometrics, an international platform ranking higher education institutions based on web-accessible data.
It also ranks UR at 55th place out of 2049 universities.
The university had emerged the 10,028th among nearly 25,000 universities globally before the merger.
In 2018, UR was the 83rd out of 1687 in Africa and 3146th out of 28.074 universities globally.
Dr. Muganga has said that there is optimism to build on achieved progress to take the university to greater heights.
He highlighted that engaging with his colleagues to have a new direction will be a priority right after assuming duties.
Dr. Muganga has revealed that international universities in Rwanda like the African Leadership University (ALU) and Carnegie Mellon are not perceived as competitors but rather as partners.
“We don’t have any issues with them even if the number might increase to ten. Their lecturers will help us and work on different projects,” he said.
Dr. Muganga also stressed the need to implement several projects and research for the university to remain positioned among leading ones.
Regarding technology; Dr. Muganga has said that he will first assess the situation regarding the university’s efforts to advance technology before deciding on the next course of action.
UR was seen as the hub for sports with leading teams in different games. As years went by, sporting activities seemed to have received little attention where its teams became less popular.
However, efforts have been in place for the past two years where the university’s teams are active in different competitions.
Dr. Muganga said that the university had different teams in Volleyball, Football, Basketball, Karate and traditional dance troops by the time he was part of its management.
He disclosed that there are efforts underway to promote sporting activities.
Dr. Muganga observed that merging operations of all colleges of UR will help to enhance communication, concert researchers’ efforts, which should be also applied to sporting activities.
Dr. Muganga has been serving as the Rector of the Institute of Legal Practice and Development in Rwanda.
He holds a PhD degree from Utrecht University in 2015. Dr. Muganga also has Master’s Degree in International Business Law from the same university in 2006 and Bachelor’s Degree from the former National University of Rwanda.
The elections took place on Friday 15th July 2022 in Lusaka, the capital of Zambia during the meeting of the Executive Council.
The meeting is convened twice a year in January and June or July.
The African Union adopted treaties establishing AMA in February 2019. It is expected to address challenges in the health sector particularly reinforcing the manufacturing of medicines of African continent to avoid heavy reliance on imports.
The Treaty for the Establishment of the African Medicines Agency (AMA) entered into force as of 5th November 2021, thirty (30) days after the deposit of the 15th instrument of ratification, on the 5th of October 2021, by the Republic of Cameroon at the African Union Commission.
Rwanda ratified treaties establishing the agency on 7th October 2019.
In November 2021, seventeen (17) member states of the African Union (Algeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Mali, Mauritius, Namibia, Niger, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Tunisia and Zimbabwe) have ratified the Treaty for the Establishment of the African Medicines Agency and deposited the legal instrument of ratification to the Commission.
At the time, Morocco had ratified the treaty but had not yet deposited the instrument of ratification.
{{About the African Medicines Agency }}
The African Medicines Agency (AMA) Treaty was adopted by Heads of States and Government during their 32nd Ordinary Session of the Assembly on 11th February 2019 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The African Medicines Agency aspires to enhance capacity of State Parties and AU recognized Regional Economic Communities (RECs) to regulate medical products in order to improve access to quality, safe and efficacious medical products on the continent. AMA shall build on the efforts of the African Medicines Regulatory Harmonization (AMRH) initiative (2009), which is led by the Africa Union Development Agency – the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (AUDA-NEPAD).
The AMRH initiative provides guidance to AU recognized Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and Regional Health Organizations (RHOs), to facilitate harmonization of regulatory requirements and practice among the national medicines authorities (NMRAs) of the AU Member States. AMA will be the second specialized health agency of the African Union after the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).
The official send-off event was held on Friday 15th July 2022 at RDF Headquarters in Kimihurura and presided over by the Minister of Defence, Maj Gen Albert Murasira on behalf of the Commander-in-Chief of RDF. The event was also attended by the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen J Bosco Kazura, Service Chiefs, Generals and Senior Officers.
Maj Gen Murasira applauded the retirees and their families for their dedication, sacrifice and noble service to the country.
On behalf of the retirees, Maj Gen Ferdinand Safari thanked the President of Rwanda and Commander-in-Chief of Rwanda Defence Force for his good leadership and guidance in shaping a strong RDF family.
He emphasised that though they are retiring, they are still attached to RDF family and will continue to work for the development of Rwanda.
The retirees were also awarded certificates in recognition for their service rendered to Rwanda Defence Force.
Rwanda has started using Paxlovid pills to treat COVID-19 after initiating implementation of the accord signed in May 2022.
Paxlovid is an oral antiviral pill that patients tested positive for coronavirus can take at home and lower their risk of going to the hospital.
The Accord countries include all 27 low-income countries as well as 18 lower-middle-income countries that have transitioned from low to lower-middle-income classification in the last ten years.
Initially, Rwanda, Ghana, Malawi, Senegal and Uganda were the first five African countries which committed to join the Accord. Health officials in these countries will help identify and resolve hurdles beyond supply to inform the roll out in all 45 lower-income countries.
As of today, Rwanda has become the first country to benefit from this initiative where two-day training to health workers from different hospitals is taking place in Kigali City with a view to exchange information and share knowledge.
The Minister of Health, Dr. Daniel Ngamije has said that the training provided by experts from Pfizer is one of major steps for implementation of the accord helping Rwanda to access medicines on a not- for-profit basis.
“This training is aimed at helping our doctors from hospitals at national, provincial and district level to be equipped with knowledge and updated on prescriptions for proper use of medicaments,” he said.
Dr. Ngamije revealed that the accord also paves the way for other activities including research development, and up-skilling health care professionals.
Apart from the training, Rwanda has already received the first medicines including pills used to treat COVID-19.
“Rwanda has started receiving the first batch of medicaments. For instance, Paxlovid is being used to treat patients diagnosed with symptoms of COVID-19,” he said.
Paxlovid pill was manufactured by Pfizer. Towards the end of 2021, it was approved by the US as effective for treatment of COVID-19.
As the accord was signed this year, it was revealed that Pfizer will collaborate with participants to identify quick and efficient regulatory pathways and procurement processes to reduce the longer amount of time it can take to make new medicines and vaccines available in these countries.
Under the accord, Pfizer has committed to provide 23 medicines and vaccines that treat infectious diseases, certain cancers, and rare and inflammatory diseases.
He was delivering a public lecture to students of IPRC Tumba on the history of Rwanda before, during and after colonial rule as well as the struggle for its liberation.
Gen Kabarebe said that President Kagame made a lot of reforms during the Liberation Struggle, particularly encouraging them to maintain solidarity as people striving for a common goal.
Rwandans who joined the struggle had come from different countries including Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and former Zaïre.
Gen Kabarebe revealed that President Kagame gave them a clear guidance and advised them to keep divisions at bay if they were to win.
He said that Kagame initially instilled the Rwandan spirit because the war leaves deaths, casualties likely to spark blame games as some people start complaining that they are overloaded, deployed in risky zones or on frontline.
Gen Kabarebe revealed that having common understanding among soldiers and working together to strive for shared aspirations reflect the role of a good leader who works tirelessly to prevent those intending to hold back achieved gains.
“These were our sources of strength. Even though we were few, we had a strong foundation of good leadership and positive mindsets. RPA drew its strength from a good leader, started a good fight and won. We don’t need any more governance lesson because Rwanda has a good leader,” he said.
Emmanuel Ndagijimana, one of students from IPRC Tumba revealed that the lecture inspired him to stick to the value of patriotism, keep up efforts to consolidate gains and work with others to achieve envisioned national development.
Marlene Rugambwa, another student said that the lecture gave her courage to contribute to the nation in his capacity.
