Makuza was speaking yesterday during a dinner in honor of EALA members who have been in the tour around the Northern and Central Corridors and concluded their tour in Rwanda yesterday.
Makuza said that the people of EAC expect the community to succeed and produce real opportunities. He said they want countries to demonstrate tangible commitment to unity and to stay together in order to achieve integration in terms of infrastructures and remove all obstacles and barriers from people to do business, to live and work in the region.
“The treaty for the establishment of the community stipulates that the fundamental principles to govern the achievement of the objectives of the community which include mutual trust, peaceful coexistence and got peaceful settlement of disputes and cooperation from mutual benefits,” he said.
“All fundamental principles of the community require unity; unity must be your starting point as you do the important work of passing bills, overseeing implementation of plans in the vision of the community,” he added.
He thanked members for overcoming the disagreements during the recent elections of the assembly’s speaker.
“I salute the resolution to move beyond disagreements you had in the house. It was a normal democratic debate to have. It was more important to move on and focus on the core mandate of the assembly,” he said
Makuza said that the EAC legislative assembly has the mandate to exercise its power and parliamentary diplomacy as the means to move in the right and positive directions, to ensure service delivery and to assure peaceful relations.
“I’m quite confident that the assessment you have completed today was done for the common good of our region in the interests of our population,” he said.
He recommended EALA members to move from the office and go to see what happening on the field.
“You have the legal authority to see what is happening to the ground, I can say even you have the authority to exercise your powers to oversight our respective governments, it is very important to move from the office and to go and see what is happening on the field and you can bring your contribution in a concrete manner without talking about things that you have not witnessed,” he said.
Bapfakurera has been elected with 137 votes against his contestant Françoise Mubirigi who got 18 votes.
In his manifesto, Bapfakurera pledged to support business development in the country.
“I’m a businessman; I will advocate for you, I will do all my best to develop business in Rwanda. I know everything needed to develop the sector,” he promised.
Eric Gishoma was elected first vice-president, beating Isabelle Uzamukunda while the second Vice-chairperson is Eugenie Mushimiyimana.
The outgoing chairman, Gasamagera commended his team for the commitment which enabled them to successfully perform their responsibilities.
He said that in past three years, PSF is consulted for advice before any business decision is taken; he said that the federation is represented in all corners of the country.
He said that their advocacy led to solving different problems, among them is the waive of taxes on public buses carrying over 30 people and waive of Value Added Tax on exported commodities and services.
He said that PSF encouraged investors to invest in big projects and led to the construction of different big structures in the country.
PSF also has been able to raise the level of self-dependency where today only 33% of the budget comes from funders while in 2013 it was 54%.
“This means that 67% of federation’s budget comes from private investors, federation’s services and organized events,” he said.
In past three years, PSF also conducted a feasibility study where they will construct a new International Trade Fair (Expo) ground at Gahanga Sector in Kicukiro District.
Private investors also attend study tours outside the country, Rwanda Day and international business conferences among others.
Gasamagera urged the new committee to concentrate on new Expo ground, promoting Made in Rwanda and the Federation’s capacity building.
Demonstrations started on 20th February where refugees marched out of the camp in protest over reduced food rations.
However, the Ministry of Disaster Management and Refugee Affairs (MIDIMAR), United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and local leaders urged the refugees to return to their camp as their grievances were being addressed. However, according to Police, these calls were met with strong resistance that turned violent.
“Refugees armed with sharp objects (stones, sticks and metal pieces) began to assault police officers, who then used tear gas to disperse the unacceptable riots and secure the nearby community,” Police said in a tweet.
“When the attacks persisted, we used proportional force that left 20 rioters and 7 Police officers injured. They were rushed to hospital, five rioters unfortunately succumbed to their wounds and 15 arrested for illegal demonstration, taking hostage and inciting violence,” tweet reads.
On Thursday, UNHCR urged the refugees to respect local laws and express grievances through dialogue, while calling on authorities to handle the situation with calm and restraint. Some refugees indicated their desire to return to the DRC, out of desperation.
To date, UNHCR’s 2018 appeal for US$ 98.8 million to support refugees in Rwanda only 2 per cent is funded. WFP warns about potential larger ration cuts if monthly requirements of US$2.5 million are not met. Prolonged ration cuts put at serious risk food security and nutritional needs of refugees, who are dependent on assistance. Rwanda hosts over 173,000 refugees in six camps, including Kiziba, where Congolese refugees have lived for over 20 years.
African countries continue discussions requesting for two permanent seats in UN Security Council and two non-permanent seats.
Speaking Thursday to the members of the press, Kagame said that having seats in the council would not be the case as Africans have so many things to concentrate on towards the development of the continent.
The Head of State held the discussion alongside his Zambian counterpart, Edgar Lungu, shortly after both heads of state held bilateral talks in Kigali.
On realising Africa’s vision Kagame said that his thinking is to do whatever is humanly possible together with other African leaders to bring progress and development in the continent.
“We are so behind as a continent and it’s a shame that Africa has everything it needs to be where we want to be but we are still far from achieving that,” he said.
On Africa having a permanent seat in Security Council Kagame said “it should have been the case but as we know things don’t work the way we want. There are ongoing discussions as to how the council can be reformed and part of that being inclusion of the African voice,” he said.
“What is important is to know that certain seats are permanently for Africa and how to rotate them depends on us,” he added.
Speaking about Rwandan refugees in Zambia and cessation clause, Kagame said that the whole idea is not to make a refugee seat a permanent one. He said that they can’t keep producing and having refugees as an end in itself.
He said that Rwanda has been in discussion with different countries and partners and as long as the environment allows for the discussion to be properly managed, the refugee situation will get better with time.
About the AU implementation of 0.2% levy tax, Kagame said that it is not bad to begin with 21 countries and added that more countries have intention to start using the formula.
“Some people are not clear on what this implies; a lot of effort has been put into trying to explain this. We have the tax to explain, show the origin, the need and the actual possibility of achieving other goals that are important to African,” he said.
He noted that accountability process will have to be put in place so that Africa can move forward and stop being dragged back.
The report released on Wednesday shows that Rwanda has scored 55%, one score higher than the 54 scores with the 50th position in CPI 2016 which studied 176 countries.
Apollinaire Mupiganyi, the Executive Director of Transparency International Rwanda commended Rwanda’s improvement in the fight against corruption while most countries have dropped scores including the top five countries.
He was speaking Thursday at a media briefing on the report in Kigali.
“Rwanda has slightly improved its scoring and ranking on CPI 2017. However, despite such little progress, this is a commendable improvement on such perception-based index as an improvement of one point in CPI would generate an average additional Financial Direct Investment of 0.5% of national GDP,” said Mupiganyi, attributing the estimates to researchers Kusum W. Ketkar, Athar Muruza and Suhas L. Ketkar.
Clément Musangabatware, the Deputy-Ombudsman in charge of Preventing and Fighting Corruption, called for concerted efforts to perform even better and listed government’s strategies including ensuring the recovery of the bribes, promoting further use of ICT in service delivery and tightening laws punishing corruption.
He also commended media role in reporting corruption and sensitising citizens on reporting and not involving in bribery, adding it is due to every Rwandan’s efforts that the country has moved from the 66th position in 2010 to 48th globally.
{{A peek into the report}}
The index which ranks 180 countries and territories by their perceived levels of public sector corruption according to experts and business people, uses a scale of 0 to 100 with zero being the highly corrupt while 100 indicates a country free of corruption.
New Zealand leads the ranking with 89 scores down from 90 in 2016, followed by Denmark, Finland, Norway and Switzerland.
Botswana is the least corrupt country in Sub-Saharan Africa and 34th globally scoring 61, followed by Seychelles with 60 while both Cape Verde and Rwanda come third.
Rwanda leads the East African region, followed by Tanzania ranked 103th, Kenya 143rd, Uganda 151st and Burundi 157th globally.
The bottom five countries are Somalia with 9 scores, South Sudan, Syria, Afghanistan and Yemen with 12, 14, 15 and 16 scores respectively.
The best performing region is Western Europe with an average score of 66 and the worst performer is Sub-Saharan Africa scoring 32, below the global average score of 43.
For the first time, the study examined the relationship between corruption levels and the protection of journalistic freedoms and engagement of civil society. It found that at least nine out of 10 journalists killed in the last six years were in the most corrupt countries scoring 45 and less on CPI.
“On average, at least one journalist was killed in a country that is highly corrupt every week. One in five journalists was killed covering a story about corruption. Sadly, justice was never served in the majority of these cases,” reads the report.
Announcing the CPI 2017 findings of Wednesday, Patricia Moreira, the Managing Director of Transparency International, said “Given current crackdowns on both civil society and media worldwide, we need to do more to protect those who speak up. No activist or reporter should have to fear for their lives when speaking out against corruption.”
Kagame was speaking to his Zambian Counterpart, Edgar Lungu who is in the country for a two-day state visit.
In a State Banquet that took place in Kigali Convention Center yesterday, Kagame told Lungu that it was a pleasure to welcome him to Rwanda.
He said that Rwanda and Zambia share many things including similar aspirations of prosperity and dignity for people.
“You may have noticed that there are many of us, with Zambian-sounding names. But Rwanda and Zambia share more than that. We have similar aspirations, of prosperity and dignity for our people, and a common vision for our continent,” Kagame said.
Kagame said that both countries are linked by membership in regional organisations, for the realisation of different common objectives.
In Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), Kagame said both countries are connected by the desire to foster greater trade in the region, and ultimately across Africa.
“The International Conference on the Great Lakes Region, brings us together to foster peace and security, so that our people can achieve their ambitions. Rwandans and Zambians are now more connected than ever before,” he noted.
He said Rwanda’s national carrier, RwandAir, has regular flights to Lusaka, “We can take advantage of this opportunity, to increase visits and do more business,”
He said Rwanda and Zambia are united by commitment to building a stronger, and more efficient African Union, able to deliver quality services, to the citizens of the continent.
“This is a continuation of Africa’s liberation, and all of us are stakeholders, in working towards this goal,” he added.
Kagame said that Lungu’s visit to Rwanda is a sign of the warm friendship, between Rwanda and Zambia, and a catalyst for more collaboration.
President Lungu arrived in Kigali yesterday and was received by President Kagame and other senior government officials at Kigali International Airport.
He visited Kigali Genocide Memorial Center where he paid tribute to the victims of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi by laying a wreath to the graves.
Yesterday, President Lungu also visited Kigali Special Economic Zone (KSEZ).
During the just concluded Joint Permanent Commission (JPC) between Rwanda and Zambia, it was agreed to strengthen cooperation in science and technology, trade and investment, governance and tourism sector. Zambia is keen to draw lessons from Rwanda on the development of Special Economic Zones (SEZs), given that they are at the early stages of developing their own Multi-Facility Economic Zones (MFEZ).
{{Trade:
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In 2017, trade between Rwanda and Zambia amounted to US$ 40.9million, consisting mainly of imports in sugar, oats and grains (including maize and soya). East African Exchange (EAX) is reported to import Barley, Grade 1 Maize and Soya from Zambia equivalent to US$ 1.5 million.
{{Opportunities:
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There are existing opportunities to further enhance trade between Rwanda and Zambia through inland water transport to and from Mpulungu port through Tanganyika. In addition to the Northern and Central corridors, Rwanda could explore the Tanganyika corridor route through lake Kivu-Rusizi River to Lake Tanganyika that links EAC with SADC countries, as well as explore the Mpulungu, Dar es Salaam – Isaka – Kigali routes.
President Kagame visited Zambia in June last year for two days, during which he laid a wreath at the Embassy Park Presidential Memorial site, held talks with his host President Lungu and also paid a courtesy call to former Zambian President, Kenneth Kaunda.
The district’s Mayor George Mupenzi says the educationists resigned by their will during the meeting held on February 2nd in which he and his subordinates informed the summoned teachers about their disciplinary faults.
However, the victims say they were forced to sign the resignation under a tense pressure of district officials flanked by army and police officers in a showdown that ran from 11am to 2am of the next day as some of them received beatings and detained in a transit centre.
Mupenzi rejects claims of beating or detaining any of the teachers and says there were no security forces involved in the exercise that intended to safeguard the quality of education.
He says the teachers’ faults include reporting at work when they were drunk, skipping some working days and delays to attend their work, poor hygiene and bad schools management.
But the handling of the faults, whether true or false, has ignited public outcry with many wondering if the district had exhausted all disciplinary sanctions or if there is an untold story behind the allegedly forced resignation.
Again if the all the sanctioning procedures were exhausted, the district had legal powers to dismiss the teachers instead of waiting for their resignation.
“We are wondering how people decide to resign today and come back to claim their jobs tomorrow. Unless it is proved that all 46 have acquired mental illness,” says Faustin Harerimana, the General Secretary of Rwanda Teachers’ Syndicate.
{{But what’s really behind the saga? Victims speak out.
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Some teachers have told IGIHE that they are victims of claiming their dues and denouncing faults of their schools’ leaders who are cherished by district officials.
Dorothée Mukapeti, former Deputy Head-teacher in charge of Studies (DOS) at GS Bufunda, says she started denouncing her school leader’s actions in 2015 but the tension tightened in April 2017 when the DOS pointed out her school teachers who had no full work timetable and others receiving higher remunerations than their qualification deserved but they were under cover of the head-teacher
“I reported that mismanagement and embezzlement of public funds to the district’s vice mayor, the checking was done and the two teachers were transferred from our school but my headmaster got so angry with me and slapped me in front of students and teachers when I asked him the teachers’ attendance book as usual but he feared I would see other unnecessary teachers in the book,” said Mukapeti, the mother of six and a teacher since 1996.
The checkout by the Ministry of Education found at least 128 ghost teachers in Nyagatare in 2017.
Mukapeti says she reported her assault case to police and her deprivation of duties by headmaster to district’s officials who later visited her school to reconcile the two and headmaster apologised for his deeds. Her assault case is now in Nyagatare Primary Court.
She was relieved of her DOS duties last month and transferred to another school where she had started working as a mere teacher a week before her forced resignation
A male victim, who signed the resignation after days of detention and beatings, says he was charged with drunkenness but he had issues with his head-teacher over funds that parents contribute for teachers’ welfare commonly known as PTA. He says he and his fellows were falsely accused to the district’s officials by their own head-teachers with whom they had some disagreements.
Another male victim says he was, together with his seven colleagues from Bushara Primary School, accused of drunkenness but he puts his firing on his head-teacher with who he once had a misunderstanding.
Another victim lady also says she had issues with her head-teacher over the school’s mismanagement while the leader is a close friend to Nyagatare Vice-mayor in charge of Social Affairs, Domithille Musabyemariya.
Musabyemariya told IGIHE last week that these teachers’ issue was strange to her while the teachers say she was in the team that forced them to sign resignation letters.
As teachers’ syndicate awaits holding talks with the district, Harerimana says that they consider going into court of law in case the talks fail.
A teacher from Tabagwe Sector told IGIHE yesterday that some of the victims were getting back into their jobs since Monday but we were unable to verify the news by press time.
{{Legal disciplinary sanctions
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According the Presidential Order of 2014 determining modalities of imposing disciplinary sanctions to public servants, sanctions of the first category correspond with petty disciplinary faults according to their gravity. From the least to the heaviest, sanctions of the first category are warning and reprimand.
Sanctions of the second category correspond with serious disciplinary faults according to their gravity. They include delay in promotion, suspension for a period of three months maximum without pay and dismissal.
Article 14 stipulates “A public servant to be sanctioned by dismissal shall be the one who refuses to take oath as a public servant in accordance with the relevant laws; deserts his/her work without known reason or without authorization for a period of at least fifteen (15) consecutive days; is definitively sentenced by a court to a term of imprisonment equal to or exceeding six (6) months; fraudulently alters the content of his/her or another person’s professional file; has submitted among his/her credentials falsified documents in order to get recruited; steals at work; assaults another person at work; insults the head of his/her institution or his/her deputy or any other high official on the same or superior job level; commits a fraudulent act or omission aimed at favouring a candidate or putting his/her at disadvantage in course of recruitment process; requires, receives or offers donation or illegal benefit for provision of a service; harasses another person for the purposes of sexual intercourse and there are proof thereto; commits a gender-based violence at workplace,” it reads.
The Office of the President in Zambia has announced that Lungu will arrive in the country today with a team made up with Home Affairs Minister Stephen Kampyongo; Foreign Affairs Minister Joe Malanji; Transport and Communications Minister Brian Mushimba and Commerce Minister Christopher Yaluma.
During the visit, Lungu will learn how Rwanda’s economy continues to grow in and how the country continues to develop in terms of citizens’ welfare under the leadership of President Paul Kagame.
It is expected that Lungu will visit Kigali Genocide Memorial Center to honor victims of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi and will also visit Kigali Special Economic Zone. Lungu will be hosted by President Kagame in a state banquet in Kigali Convention Center.
Lungu had been in Rwanda in August, 18th last year during the swearing in ceremony of President Kagame.
Kagame also visited Zambia on June 19th last year. As a result of discussions between both Heads of States, both countries signed agreements in Aviation, army and security cooperation and extradition of criminals.
Demonstrations started last week taking place inside the camp, but today refugees started to show their fury outside.
Speaking to IGIHE, the Director of Refugee Affairs Unit at the Ministry of Disaster Management and Refugee Affairs, Jean Claude Rwahama said that it started as news rounds on social media that refugees have decided to go back to their country.
“It has been circulating on social media for some days. Some refugees are claiming that their food ration was cut, and that they are being categorized in social protection programme (Ubudehe), a programme which they say aims at turning them into Rwandan citizens,” he said.
However, Rwahama rejected the claims saying that the process was different from the claims.
“Though it is in the rights of refugees to go back to their mother country, but as you know their country (DRC) is not safe. We tried to discuss with them explaining how the decision is not right. They planned it before and started to implement it today morning. The majority are youth and children,” he said.
Rwahama said that all refugees out of the camp have camped at United Nations High Commission (UNHCR) Offices in Kibuye town Karongi District.
He said that those who decided to quit the camp are estimated between 500 and 1000, according to MIDIMAR officials on the field.
Rwahama said that Karongi District Mayor, yesterday visited the camp and discussed with refugees about all issues but they didn’t get contented.
“We consider the act as demonstration because it is against normal process; whoever wants to go back in their mother nation should inform UNHCR and follow legal process. So, going in such crowd is not allowed, and the reason why we consider the act as demonstration,” he said.
{{Way forward.}}
Rwahama said that they are going to continue discussions with refugees, but added that when it is a case of demonstration, security institutions will intervene.
In December and November last year, food rations for refugees were reduced by 10% due to underfunding.
World Food Programme (WFP) and UNHCR appealed to donors to contribute funds to prevent a 25% reduction from January onwards in food and cash assistance.
In order to manage limited funding, in December last year, UNHCR, WFP and UNICEF held a taskforce meeting to discuss targeting assistance to the most vulnerable refugees through Rwanda’s social protection system known as Ubudehe.
