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{{Six Months ago, Gaspard Rudasingwa killed his wife Beltilde Nyiramana after the two disagreed over money. Rudasingwa killed and later dumped the body of his wife in a pit latrine at their home in Mbati cell Kamonyi District.}}

Until recently, residents of Mbati cell didn’t know the whereabouts of Nyiramana but were allegedly suspicious that something dubious could have happened.

However, Chantal Mukama reported the matter to police on 15th January 2011 that her sister Nyiramana was missing.

At the beginning of this week, Rudasingwa confessed during the police interrogation to killing his wife and keeping silent about the incident six months ago.

Rudasingwa is currently in detention at Rukoma police station. After thorough Police questioning Rudasingwa admitted that he had a fight with his wife over missing money he had given her to keep.

“I gave her Frw 100,000 then when I asked her for the money a few days later she gave me half of it. I immediately became furious because I wasn’t satisfied with excuses she gave. We later fought and I killed her, and then dumped her lifeless body in our pit latrine,” he disclosed.

Rudasingwa’s neighbours claim that disputes in the suspect’s house had been regular that’s why they didn’t intervene to rescue the deceased.

“Days after the fight which occurred on 2nd June last year, we asked Rudasigwa on the whereabouts of his wife, he simply replied that she had abandoned him.”

“Then later we suspected something mysterious on her disappearance since whenever we tried to call her phone it was off, yet some of his relatives who made frequent visits to their home asked us about Nyiramana’s location, meaning she was nowhere to be found. This prompted her sister Mukama to report the matter to police,” said Concensa a close friend to the deceased.

Neighbours became suspicious when Rudasingwa relocated to another cell barely after the disappearance of his wife. It is believed the suspect relocated to avoid frequent questions from friends on the whereabouts of his late wife.

Jean Marie Vianney Rwiririza the executive secretary of Mugina sector blamed the deceased neighbours for being silent over periodical assaults on Nyirimana.

“I encourage women in this sector to report matters of violence boldly in order to avoid simillar killings,” he advised.
The Rudasingwa and his late wife had three children.

{{In a recent speech while addressing Rwanda leaders Fellowship Forum on a thanks giving day, President Paul Kagame reaffirmed that he has no intention to run for third term.}}

Rwandan Constitution provides that any Presidential candidate will run for presidency for two terms of seven years.

Of recent, lots of doubts had emerged if President Kagame will not change the constitution to run for third term.

It was also announced by the current Minister of internal security Sheikh Musa Fazil Harerimana who publicly suggested that Rwandan constitution so as to allow Kagame run for the third term.

“If you think it is right to not over stay in power, why do you think I don’t think it is right,” Kagame said.

“I cannot rise and fall I am not going to fall and it is not because anybody is reminding me about it, it is not because every other day these journalists ask me when you are leaving the office,” Kagame added.

Kagame said that excuses given by leaders that have overstayed in power are the ones he will use to surrender the power.

“In excellent leadership, some of the things to be considered is evaluating what you have done in your term of leadership of let say ten or twenty years, your leadership should have groomed people into good leaders of whom a successor can be identified, therefore if there is no one to succeed me then it simply means that I am bad leader,” Kagame said.

“Therefore if I failed to groom leaders, that is a reason to make me not to stay in power. I cannot continue leadership after completing my term yet I have failed to groom other leaders,”

Kagame also referred to proper leadership which must move from theories to practical leadership which brings results towards development.

He said that however much many will take time to listen to presentations and speeches and one does not put into practice what he/she has learnt then it all turns into poor leadership.

{{ENDS}}

{{South African Airways’ (SAA’s) January 17 departed from Johannesburg’s OR Tambo International Airport to mark the first flight to Rwanda. The same flight was opened in Bujumbura the capital city of Burundi.}}

According to the company the Rwanda and Burundi flights would commence from Johannesburg to Kigali and onwards to Bujumbura, while the return flights would operate from Bujumbura back to Kigali and then to Johannesburg.

The company also said the two cites had been chosen, owing to their economic prominence. In addition to being the capital city of Rwanda, Kigali is also its economic, cultural and tourist transit hub. Meanwhile, Bujumbura capital is close to the country’s main shipping port.

SAA flights to East African countries are part of its Africa expansion program that includes the addition of four new services before its financial year-end in March, the company had added Burundi’s city of Bujumbura and Rwanda’s Kigali to its African route network.

“It is still early days, however, we have a reasonable load factor for our first flights,” SAA commercial GMTheunis Potgieter said.

He added that although it would take time to gain users’ confidence in the new services, the airline expected it to achieve the same success as that of its service to the mining town of Ndola, in the Copperbelt, which opened in October.

Attributing the success of the Ndola operation to Zambia’s blossoming copper mining sector, Potgieter stated: “We are happy with how our services have been doing in Ndola. We have been flying with between 80% and 90% load factors on all the flights.”

Potgieter added that SAA had traffic rights between the Bujumbura and Kigali operations, which would also allow it to pick up passengers between the two destinations.

He further remarked that SAA also planned to add routes to Pointe Noire, in the Republic of Congo, which was set to start operation on January 26, as well as the city of Cotonou, in Benin.

Although SAA had yet to announce a launch date for the Cotonou route, Potgieter said it was hoping to get it started before the end of the current financial year.

“West Africa holds significant potential with regard to identifying new service destinations. Analysis work is currently under way to determine possibilities of additional services in the Congo, and has identified the Ivory Coast as a possible new destination,” he added.

The objective behind the new services to the additional African destinations was not only to connect the respective countries with the South African market and visa versa, but also to other African and overseas markets.

“We believe that our African expansion program has come at the right time, especially when taking into account the significant growth in mining in Africa. In identifying potential service destinations it is therefore important for us to understand where mining operations in Africa are located and to be able to provide them with a quality service that is on time and operationally effective,” Potgieter said.

{{Despite all the legal battle staged by Leon Mugesera and his lawyers aimed at halting his deportation,Rwanda’s government is confident he will be deported.}}

The confidence has been expressed by Tharcisse Karugarama the Minister of Justice and attorney General of the government saying that Mugesera has explored all avenues of his resistance to be deported.

According to the Minister, Mugesera lost legal battle and what remains is his deportation without fail.

Karugarama was speaking at a press conference Tuesday where he was flanked by the Assistant Attorneys General, Pierre Kayitare and Isabelle Kalihangabo.

“Rwanda’s judicial system has developed a lot since 2000, Mugesera will not face torture in Rwanda as he alleges,” Karugarama said.

“Mugesera will by all means face deportation, he has exploited every available avenue to fight deportation but lost it,” He added.

Karugarama also reacted on the recent ICTR’s decision to reverse and reduce Theoneste Bagosora’s sentence from Life imprisonment to 35 years.

He said the verdict was like negating and denying the 1994 genocide against the Tutsis.

“The decision of the Appeals Chamber on Bagosora will live to haunt that tribunal, forever, and the individual who made that decision. It was the most disastrous decision any international tribunal could ever make,” Karugarama said.

Karugarama however, noted that the transfer of Jean Uwinkindi’s case to be tried in Rwanda, was a positive development.

Commenting on the report of who shot down the plane in 1994 that was carrying former Rwandan President Juvenale Habyarimana, Minister Karugarama welcomed the report by French judges, Marc Trévidic and Nathalie Poux.

The minister said it marked the end of an era of 17 years of lies.

He said that the four-year investigation had exposed the country’s detractors who have been distorting and misrepresenting facts.

{{ENDS}}

{{In a meeting held by the Ministry of Local government and partners convened at Sports View Hotel on 15-16th January 2012, Minister James Musoni tasked district officials to use their budgets proportionally in line with performance contracts.}}

Musoni said that some mayors seek big amounts of money beyond their budgets.

“The budget in districts should be prepared before performance contracts because some districts request for money that is well above their activities.”

He advised mayors to start their activities once they have 20% of the budget instead of waiting for the whole amount of money.

The minister also asked the mayors to ask to sign the equal performance contracts to avoid the delay in some districts caused by a big number of activities.

During the meeting, mayors highlighted their achievements attained in the past 6 months but also showed some of the problems faced including activities of sponsors and the late market offering.

The minister explained that sponsors should sign their own performance contracts and launch them at the right time.

In the meeting, 9 billion were found on districts accounts unused in last year’s budget yet there are many unaccomplished activities.

{{A Rwandan musician Chaka has launched a campaign to unite ethnic groups that have suffered in the region’s conflicts.}}

Despite the minimal support from friends, Chaka insists he won’t give up but use his music to spread the message of peace.

Currently he is on tour in Burundi conducting performances in areas that have previously experienced ethnic clashes. “Residents in such areas need to be convinced on the importance of forgiveness in order to avoid the occurrence of similar wars,” he said.

Chaka wants to produce songs in various languages to attract a wider listenership. “The majority would understand my message better if I sang in their respective native languages.”

In this respect, he’s negotiating with artists in areas that have been engulfed in conflicts to jointly produce songs especially in languages including; Swahili, Luganda, Runyankole, Iingala and others like Spanish, Arabic, Korean and Chinese to spread the message to the wider world.

{{The Rwanda Cooperatives Agency (RCA) has released a list exposing 150 cooperatives countrywide with a track record of mismanagement.}}

The RCA deputy director General Gilbert Habyarimana said that mismanaged cooperatives won’t face immediate closure but will be trained on latest reforms.

The common mistakes done by cooperative leaders are contrary to the latest laws which were approved on October last year.

Habyarimana explains that much as the cooperatives had a short time to
adapt to the new regulations, some of their leaders are corrupt and should be expelled by members.

Issues seen in cooperatives performing poorly were presented in 4 categories, the first one shows cooperatives which are still using old laws and most of which were formed as early as 1960.

The second issue includes cooperatives managed by family members. “The law provides that a cooperative shouldn’t be managed by over 50% of people who are related,” he advised.

Thirdly, are cooperatives that are abandoned by their founders while members thinking their leaders are active.

Lastly is lack of commitment from members a fact that tempts the few active to take advantage of remaining cooperative resources.

“Those who don’t have enough members totaling to a minimum of 10 people can transform to a company and we will assist them during the transition process,” he advised.

Gaston Rurangwa the chairman of a musician association wants to transform into a company since most of his members lost interest and went abroad meaning he lacks the required number of people to run a cooperative.

“I don’t have a choice we’re only three that’s why I’m convinced to form a company which will assist musicians especially in events management,” he said.

The program will be concluded at the end of this month, it was started officially in Musanze district yesterday and today it launched at Kicukiro district.

He noted that RCA wants to strengthen cooperatives by seeking trainings of members aimed at improving their competence. “We often link them to Rwanda Bureau of Standards (RBS) to be trained on how to ensure quality in their produces,” he remarked.

RCA also links the cooperatives with markets as a way of improving their financial capacity, “in October there will be an expo in London. We intend to facilitate local associations to take part,” he remarked.

{{Police has arrested Theodomir Ngendahayo of Mataba Village, Nyabitabire Cell Nyagihanga sector in Gatsibo district after killing both his father, Nzabanita Jean Pierre and mother Astelia Mukankwaya both aged 58, due to family land disputes.}}

The dead bodies were found by their neighbours in the morning of this Monday the 16th January 2012.

Ngendahayo confesses the crime saying that he has committed it together with the named Majyambere who disappeared after the murder.

The police spokesman, Theos Badege says that the dead bodies were found tortured and the priority was their burial.

He encouraged collaboration between citizens and the justice authorities in order to prevent conflicts which are likely to lead to death.

Apart from Ngendahayo who was arrested and Majyambere who is still wanted, the police has summoned 7 others at their station located at Ngarama to assist in investigations.