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What role do citizens have in disaster management?

The ruins of disaster in Kanaba, Ruhango District. Many residents are aware of their responsibility but blame lack of resources. The New Times/ File.
Disasters have no particular face; they just wreak havoc. In their wake are masses of distraught people. Anyone can be a victim, just like anyone can do a thing or two to combat disaster incidents.

However, some residents still believe their role in mitigating the effects of disasters is limited by lack of sufficient financial capacity although they admit that their participation is crucial. So, just how much can you help?

ABOUT SEVEN MONTHS AGO, a terrible, unexpected misfortune struck Kanaba Village in Ruhango District, leaving dozens of residents homeless and hapless. 

Many more others were left with fear that they might lose their lives or that their property might also be washed away under the same circumstances.

It was on April 20, at around 7am when landslides washed away hectares of land taking along residents’ property, including homes, shops, crops as well as infrastructure such as roads, among others.

Luckily, no life was lost in the disaster, mainly thanks to its timing; it struck at the moment when most residents were already up or had left their homes for work, mostly in their fields.

The incident is fresh in the memories of the residents as if it just occurred yesterday.

“It started slowly and within seconds everything was moving down to the valley,” recalls Thomas Habanabakize, whose house sits just dozens of metres from where the massive landslide started from.

Habanabakize, who emphasises the fact that he witnessed the incident from its beginning, describes the event as “the most terrible thing I have ever witnessed” in life.

“It was like the end of the world had arrived,” he says. “Everyone was running to save their lives. It was extremely terrible and frightening.”

“Everything was washed away: houses, shops, crops, roads, mill, etc,” he adds.

Disasters like the occurrence in Kanaba in the rural Kinazi Sector are becoming common in the country, at least, if recent incidents and statistics are anything to go by.

Available figures indicate that 105 people died while another 123 sustained injuries as a result of various disasters, mainly floods, mudslides or landslides, lightning, winds, fire and heavy rains since January. 

Property worth billions of francs has also been destroyed in the calamities, including over 2,100 hectares of land and over 3,900 houses which were either destroyed or damaged.

Public awareness

Officials say with such a situation, it is becoming more evident that the country is becoming more vulnerable to a number of natural and manmade hazards. The north-western and eastern parts of the country are the most vulnerable, according to officials.

Yet, some residents still believe their role in mitigating the effects of disasters is being limited by lack of sufficient financial capacity although they admit that their participation is crucial.

Damascene Ntakirutimana, a resident of Kabuye Cell in Maraba Sector, Huye District, says he is aware that there are lots of actions that one can undertake to reduce vulnerability to disasters such as floods, storms and landslides.

He cites terracing to counter erosion, building rainwater harvesting holes and water canals, building stronger houses and fixing their roofs with solid materials, tree planting as well as relocating from risk areas, among others, as some of the actions that could minimise the effects of disasters.

“However, some of these interventions remain very expensive that not all residents can afford them,” Ntakirutimana says, citing relocation from high-risk zones as an example.

Ntakirutimana says residents ought to keep doing even “the little they can afford” as a way of contributing to limiting effects of disasters.

Latifa Ndindabandi, who lives on the edge of Mwogo marshland, says commitment and action could help mitigate the effects of disasters.

The farmer, who has lost crops due to flooding in the past, says proper management of rain waters could help curtail such losses in the future.

“As residents, we have a great role to play to mitigate the effects of disasters,” the mother of three says.

“Proper management of rain water, for instance, could limit damages that could result in irresponsible treatment of such waters.”

However, Ndindabandi says, some individuals within the community still ignore their role in reducing risks related to disasters, something she attributes to ignorance and the lack of information on what they could do.

“There is need for continued education on how we can avoid increasing our vulnerability to disasters and what best practices we could adopt towards that end,” Ndindabandi says

Building resilient communities

The effects of disasters on development are ruinous: they damage infrastructure, reduce productivity and generate social tensions; they consume resources that could be better used for development and confine vulnerable communities to cycles of disaster and response.

Leaders from around the world believe  that investing in risk reduction could save much more than investing in disaster response and recovery and that building resilient communities could help curtail the effects of the calamities on the economies of their countries.

Disaster risk reduction involves minimising the impact of natural hazards such as earthquakes, landslides and floods on disaster-prone communities by doing everything possible before disaster occurs to protect lives, limit damages and strengthen their capacity to bounce back quickly from adversity.

Jean Baptiste Nsengiyumva, the director of research and public awareness at the Ministry of Disaster Management and Refugee Affairs (Midimar), says measures to build resilient communities have been put in place.

Efforts have been undertaken to educate members of the public on how they could contribute to minimising the effects of natural hazards, he said.

Nsengiyumva says public sensitisation campaigns, education programmes through media as well as training on how to mitigate the impacts of disasters have been held with the overall aim of spreading messages on disaster risk reduction within the community.

“Our efforts are geared towards the involvement of residents to make them part of the disaster management efforts,” Nsengiyumva says.

He said documents detailing how to better avoid being affected by the disasters have been elaborated and distributed throughout the country, while disaster management committees, which educate members of the public, have been established at district and sector levels.

Disaster Risk Reduction clubs have also been created in secondary schools to boost awareness and ensure schools safety.

“As we continue with efforts to create more disaster awareness within the community, we believe involving several actors will contribute to making the efforts more successful,” Nsengiyumva says.

Rutsiro mayor Gaspard Byukusenge said continued education programmes are making communities more resilient.

Shared responsibility

For Rusizi mayor Oscar Nzeyimana, whose district is one of the most disaster-prone areas in the country, compliance with existing guidelines would minimise people’s vulnerability to disasters.

“Residents should continue to avoid living in high risk zones and whenever they are issued with a relocation notice, they should always be willing to cooperate because it is in their interest,” Nzeyimana advises.

He says awareness programmes have proven successful as residents are showing willingness to minimise disaster-related damages in their areas.

Out of 1,650 households that were identified as living in high-risk areas across Rusizi District, more than 1,200 have so far willingly relocated to safer areas, Nzeyimana says.

Although natural disasters cannot be avoided, Midimar’s Nsengiyumva says their impacts can be mitigated, and calls upon residents to adopt best practices to contribute to reducing disaster effects.

He urges residents to embrace strategies at their disposal and to always think of whether their actions do not increase their vulnerability to disasters.

“Reducing disaster vulnerability and related risks is a shared responsibility,” Nsengiyumva says.

“It is always important to make sure that our actions do not put our and others’ lives in danger,” he says.

Contact email: jp.bucyensenge[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

Midimar rolls out new ways to detect disasters

A new project meant to enhance measures to detect disasters has been launched. The project is expected to reduce destruction by natural disasters that have recently claimed lives and destroyed properties across the country.

The initiative, spearheaded by the Ministry of Disaster Management and Refugees Affairs (Midimar), will use various technology equipment,  including geographical information system (GIS), Global positioning System(GPS) as well as remote sensing machines to identify the likely disasters.

A team of experts from various institutions will be set up to collect the necessary data that will later be presented to government and propose the possible mitigation measures.

GIS is a system designed to capture, store, manipulate, analyse, manage, and present all types of geographical data, while GPS is a space-based satellite navigation system that provides location and time information in all weather conditions, anywhere on the earth.

The one year “Comprehensive disaster risk profiles for enhancing disaster management in Rwanda Project” is funded by the World Bank, European Union and UNDP.

It will mainly focus on five major natural hazards which are floods, droughts, storms, landslides and earthquakes.

According to the officials, $654,000 (about Rwf436 million) has been earmarked to fund the project.

The project, which will cover the whole country, is also expected to produce a disaster risk profile of Rwanda in Atlas format, detailing the risk index per district, and the expected loss or damages per scenario.

Launching the initiative, last week, Seraphine Mukantabana, the minister for disaster management and refugee affairs, said the project is in response to Rwanda’s vulnerability to disasters.

She cited relocation and resettlement of vulnerable residents living in disaster high risk zones across the country among some of the precautionary measures that have been used.

Experts on the project

Jean Baptiste Nsengiyumva, the director of disaster research and public awareness, said the new mechanism would go a long way in controlling disasters.

“We will detect all the possible disasters. We are putting in place a pool of specialists, including in fire fighters, environmentalists, construction experts and others,” he said.

The team will be under Midimar.

Last year, 75 people died as a result of disasters that high risk zones.

More than 3,900 houses were demolished in the same period, while 2197.5 hectares of land were also destroyed which negatively impacted food production.

Muliro Mashauri, a specialist with the new project, said there was still a huge gap of experts in some disasters like earthquakes but they will in the meantime work with an American expert who carried out research on earthquakes in the country.

“We don’t have experts on earthquakes in the country, but, fortunately, there is political will to address all these issues,” he said.

Contact email: eric.kabeera[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

 

Global Communities formerly CHF International Rwanda is implementing a five year (2011-2016) Integrated Improved Livelihoods Project named Ejo Heza, which aims at improving the livelihoods and food consumption of 75,000 rural poor Rwandans, particularly women, by helping low-income households access the financial services and technical assistance necessary to grow their enterprises. USAID Ejo Heza is an integrated development program focusing on agriculture, financial services, literacy, health and nutrition.
Under Wal-Mart Foundation funding USAID Ejo Heza will expand its reach to an additional 50,000 farmers, mostly women, engaged in the agriculture value chains of dairy, horticulture, maize and beans. It will also provide health and nutrition training to the farmers.

USAID Ejo Heza therefore wishes to recruit a qualified and experienced Program Manager to manage these activities over a period of 2 years.

 

Youth interactive platform launched

IT enthusiasts at a data entry centre in Kigali. The youth will have an interactive web forum. The New Times/ File.
The Ministry of Youth and ICT has partnered with three information and communication technology entrepreneurial firms to launch an interactive forum hosted on Google.

The interactive forum, dubbed “YouthConnekt,” aims at providing the youth, ICT players and anyone with interest in any of the sectors to contribute to the country’s development agenda through debates and interactions.

The partners include Association for Data-driven Marketing and Advertising, Tigo, and HeHe Ltd, a mobile solutions company,

Speaking at the launch of the platform, the Minister for Youth and ICT, Jean Philbert Nsengimana, said the development was a historic moment in the efforts to expand communication and interactions. 

“This is historic, it’s a dream come true, we’ve been trying to expand the limits of communication and interaction and we thought that beyond, we’ve been doing interacting on radio, on television, in various meetings, we should really make an advanced use of technology to keep in touch with you,” Nsengimana said.

“The intention here is really to be able to engage everyone, all the young people of this country in shaping their own future.”

He said the platform will employ avenues of interaction to increase the youth’s contribution to national development. 

“We want to be able to use Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and other social media platforms to stay in touch as we shape our development agenda and increase the contribution of young people to that agenda,” the minister said.

The officer in charge of communications at the Youth and ICT ministry, Magnifique Mugisha, said the platform will have a practical, result oriented approach and will provide an opportunity for various players to give their ideas and projects. 

“This will be a bi-monthly programme that will centre on different themes, such as Youth Employment, Entrepreneurship, Role of the Youth in Peace Building, Environment, Sports and Culture, Reproductive health, drugs abuse, among others,” she said.

Auke Lootsman, the Association for Data-driven Marketing and Advertising country director, said the initiative will connect young people to opportunities that exist, especially in the private sector where they can develop their entrepreneurial skills. 

Welcoming the latest development, K-Lab General Manager Jovani Ntabgoba said the initiative will act as a learning forum for the participants.

“The hangout will speed up sharing of available opportunities for the youth. Rwandan youth will learn from each other’s successes and failures, hence paving way for flawless overall development,” he said.

K-Lab is Rwanda’s first technology innovation and incubation hub. 

The hangout will be a bi-monthly event taking place on Tuesdays for an hour from 4pm. The next session is due November 26.

Contact email: editorial[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

 

Kigali summit adopts Smart Africa Manifesto

Premier Habumuremyi consults with CEO, Rwanda Development Board, Valentine Rugwabiza at the closure of the four-day Transform Africa Summit 2013 in Kigali yesterday. The New Times/ Timothy Kisambira.
African countries have adopted a manifesto that seeks to ensure leaders place information and communication technology at the core of national socio-economic development agenda.

The Smart Africa Manifesto, adopted at the closure of the four-day Transform Africa 2013 Summit in Kigali, yesterday, is expected to transform Africa using the power of ICT.  

It places ICT at the chore of socio-economic development, enhancing capacity to develop ICTs, improving accountability and transparency, putting private sector at the engine of economic transformation, and promoting cost-effective technology.

Closing the meeting, Prime Minister Pierre Damien Habumuremyi called for more commitments toward projects that will transform the continent.

He said the conference presented an excellent opportunity to meaningfully engage in high levels of dialogue to help drive innovation, create jobs and drive sustainable development in Africa.

“From this Summit, w have seen that the future can be delivered today; we must scale up our commitment toward the objectives underlined in the Manifesto. Building from the remarkable progress achieved since 2007 while leveraging broadband in our communities will drive us towards sustainable development,” the premier said.

The pillars had earlier been endorsed by the seven heads of state who spoke at a panel discussion during the conference on Tuesday. 

Presidents Ali Bongo Ondimba of Gabon, Blaise Compaoré of Burkina Faso, Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta (Mali), Salva Kiir Mayardit (South Sudan), Uhuru Kenyatta (Kenya), Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, and Paul Kagame of Rwanda said Africa should leverage the ICT to spur a pro-poor, sustainable growth.

The meeting was also attended by executives from Microsoft, Samsung, Facebook and IBM.

Yesterday, Dr Hamadoun Toure, the secretary-general of the International Telecommunication Union, reiterated the need to use ICTs in reducing poverty, creating prosperity while increasing productivity on the continent.

“There is need to collaborate with the private sector and fellow African countries to continuously invest in the necessary infrastructure, including cross border and regional networks,” Dr Toure said.

Private sector 

With the private sector in the driving seat, it is hoped that there will be more private investments to drive job creation, productivity and competitiveness.        

“We must support efforts aimed at turning our continent from being largely a passive consumer to a producer of ICTs by increasing the number of local innovation hubs with the requisite business developments, financial and technological capabilities while leveraging ICT in promoting sustainable development,” he added.

Technology will also need to become more cost effective and protected in order to ensure sustainable achievements, Anne Githuku, the director of Afroes South Africa, said.

The Africa Smart Manifesto will be implemented through an alliance with the African Development Bank, World Bank, ITU and the private sector.

The next Transform Africa Summit will take place in 2015.

Contact email: editorial[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

 

Senator calls for more awareness on ICT in country

More effortS are needed to raise awareness on the use and benefits of Information and communications technology (ICT) in the country because many Rwandans remain oblivious to digital revolution, a Senator has said.

The remarks by Senator Narcisse Musabeyezu were made during a Senatorial sitting to discuss the relevance of the ICT Bill, for the first time, and after the Chamber of Deputies passed it on July 25.

“The population, by and large, does not grasp ICT matters and, the perception is that it is brought from top to bottom without the people’s desired understanding. People should be sensitised on the benefits that can be ushered in through ICT,” Musabeyezu said.

Minister of Youth and ICT, Jean Philbert Nsengimana, acknowledged the concern, noting that there is still a long way to go regarding awareness but that there is a plan and it is gradually bearing fruits.”

According to Nsengimana, there is a long way to go in regards to matters of digital literacy.

This he said is a challenge that everyone must help address. 

Digital literacy is the ability to find, evaluate, utilise, share, and create content using information technologies and the Internet.

“Now, we are encouraging every district to go ahead and conduct their own awareness campaigns. It is picking up but there is still room for improvement,” he said.

Why the Bill?

Given the dynamic nature of technological advancements, a major overhaul of the legal and regulatory framework is crucial. 

“The convergence of broadcasting, postal services, IT and telecommunications, in particular has brought serious challenges to ICT regulation but with proper regulation, technological convergence brings a lot of opportunities,” Nsengimana said. 

“A good example is a smart phone that can be used as a TV, a computer, a phone, a radio, and can also track a message sent through postal services.” 

He said convergence leads to greater innovation in terms of services offered by companies, leads to more efficient use of resources, and facilitates competition by making entry into the market easier.

Among other things, the Bill provides for the creation of a universal access fund which, according to Article Seven, will support universal access to communication services throughout the country so as to ensure timely and affordable services.

Nearly 5,000 kilometres of fibre optic cable – including 2,300KM of underground cable – are in place, countrywide and nearly 400 government institutions are currently connected and benefiting. 

About US$100 million was injected to set up the current system and, nearly US$160 million more is required for the “last mile” to be set up. According to the minister, this is why Korea Telecom was brought in to provide funds and finish the job.

 

Better days in sight for high risk zone dwellers

About eight kilometers off Kigali- Rwamagana high way, a dusty road leads to a line of half-complete, brown- brick rectangular structures. 
Though the place is quiet, and looks almost deserted, signs of ongoing construction work are visible. Piles of stone aggregate, sand and bricks are visible even from a distance—announcing a huge construction project at its advanced stages in this area. 
This is Rusheshe village, Masaka sector in Kicukiro district—the proposed relocation site for about 32 families currently living in a high risk zone in Kigali. The smell conjured here in this village a blend of fresh and baked soil. 
“For a long time we have been constant victims of water borne diseases , so the fact the government is relocating  us to a safer and planned settlement , is a highly welcome move” notes Gasarasi  Juvenile 60 , who lives in Gashiha wetland in the outskirts of Kigali City.
Kambanda Theobald, 57, a retired police officer and a resident of the same area also couldn’t hide his excitement over the development. “As a sickly old man, taking me away from this exposure to a dirt and disease-free environment will be a heaven sent deed.”
The project run by Kicukiro District Administration in collaboration with the Ministry of Disaster Management and Refugee Affairs (MIDMAR), started in late August and is expected to be complete by December this year, officials say.
Out of the 32 planned houses for each family, eight are already erected and roofed. Each unit is made up of four, comparatively spacious rooms, a medium sized back yard extension of what looks like servant’s quarters (or boy’s quarters) that houses a kitchen, store and toilet. The houses also have small plots of land at the back meant for kitchen gardens.
Compared with their current area of residence, Rusheshe village is, by any standards, an up market neighbourhood that can be liked by anyone who desires good living. 
“These people were originally strongly opposed to the relocation idea, but after taking them on an inspection tour of the proposed site, their attitude changed immediately,” says Rutijana Aimable, the in charge of social affairs at Kicukiro District.  
He adds that their current area of residence is accident-prone, since it’s difficult to put up a strong structure on the mushy ground.
“Though no one has died yet, we do not want to wait for disaster so as to relocate these people. Already there are enough reports of collapsing buildings elsewhere,” he added.
Kambanda agrees that during the rainy season, it’s difficult to sleep at night, either because of mosquito bites or flooded houses.
Rwabulindi Josephine, the in charge of social affairs at Masaka sector also in Kicukiro District, points out that the district authorities have gazzeted a big chunk of government land that will be rented out for cultivation and plans are underway to donate cows as part of the resettlement package for the people .
When asked about chances of these people getting survival means in the new environment, she responds: “Actually this proposed area of resettlement gives them better chance to turn their lives around socially and economically since it is surrounded by blossoming satellite towns like Masaka, Kayonza and Rwamagana, its easier to find a good job here or start a business than where they are now.” 
She adds that however, that it won’t stop those who are already employed in Kigali from keeping their jobs, since a taxi ride to town costs Rwf 250 only.
This village is connected to electricity and water, has a general commodity market, health centre and three schools in the vicinity. This means that the new residents will not miss any social amenities.
“Now that they will be living in an organised settlement, sensitizing them to participate in government programmes like immunization won’t be difficult. It also motivates government to avail more services for them,” Rwabulindi added.  
Those to be resettled are excited about their new homes and say they will not miss anything from their current swampy village.
“Since the whole community will be moved, we won’t feel isolated since the neighbours will be the same,” said a beneficiary.
According to Rutijana, the relocation process will start immediately the houses are complete. “Our prayer is that the construction process gets done as planned, otherwise the people can’t wait longer,” he concludes. 
Resettling people from high risk zones in safer places is a national project in which the government plans to spend about Rwf3 billion to construct 18,000 housing units for vulnerable Rwandans.
Beneficiaries had initially been estimated at 43,000 country-wide but 13,000 were identified as capable of constructing houses for themselves.

800 disabled children in Musanze need special education

http://www.newtimes.co.rw/news/index.php?i=15528&a=71747
Officials have raised concerns over the issue of the lack of special education facilities for children with speaking and hearing impairments in Musanze, who they said currently number 842 in the district.

District authorities, together with their partners including NGOs, met on Wednesday to discuss how they can collectively help these children, with some saying that more schools should be set up to supplement the existing one school with required facilities.

Musanze has one school for children with hearing and speaking impairments run by Fair Children and Youth Foundation, a local NGO. The school accommodates only 70 children.

According to John Gasaraba, the in-charge of specific programmes in Northern Province, government is cognisant of the problem and trying all it can within its means to ensure that no child is left out of school.

“Children with disability need to be supported and not stigmatised, this is the duty of every Rwandan. The government has been building more classrooms in various schools, including those for children with disabilities, the problem remains getting teachers with the required skills but efforts are on, to train people in special education,” said Gasaraba.

Elie Nduwayezu, the director-general of Fair Children and Youth Foundation, said the school still has low capacity to receive more disabled children. 

“We conducted a survey and found that over 840 children aged between three and 25, had this problem and 235 of them can be put in school, while the rest need extra care due to their degree of disability, before they can be put in school,” Nduwayezu said.

He said among those that are ready to go to school, his school will only take on 30 while the rest will remain stranded, because they lack the necessary facilities to accommodate all.

Deaf children are given special education through learning sign language, and other aids before they are mainstreamed into normal schools.

Meanwhile, former Kigali Institute of Education (now a college under the University of Rwanda) plans to start the School of Inclusive Education and Special Needs Education Services, which officials say provide teachers with skills to handle children with impairments.

Dr Evariste Karangwa, the director of School for Post-Graduate Studies and Research, said they will have graduate teachers acquire special training in various disciplines such as visual and hearing impairment that will be established after a special needs assessment. 

Contact email: editorial[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

Midmar to resettle TZ evictees

Over 5,338 Rwandans who were early this year evicted from Tanzania are set to be resettled in various parts of the country, government has announced.

Seraphine Mukantabana, the minister for disaster management and refugee affairs (Midmar), announced this on Thursday at a news briefing in Kigali.

Out of the 13,489 Rwandans received since August this year, 8151 have so far been re-united with their families but the rest are still living in Kiyanzi and Rukara camps.

The minister said the plan is to resettle the evictees in ten selected districts of the country.

“We cannot look on as our kinsmen languish in camps. It is our duty to ensure that they are resettled,” she said.

Mukantabana said efforts are underway to see that the evictees who lost property in Tanzania are compensated by the Tanzanian government.

“Each of them will not only be given resettlement packages like clothes and farming tools, but will also be equipped with skills,” she said.

Contact email: editorial[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

Ndi Umunyarwanda taken to grassroots

Rwandans across the country are being encouraged to embrace the ‘Ndi Umunyarwanda’ campaign as a way of cementing unity and reconciliation within the local communities.

‘Ndi Umunyarwanda’ is an initiative that aims at encouraging Rwandans to openly talk about the country’s history, apologise, forgive, and work towards building a unified community.

The programme, which revolves around the country’s dark history before and during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, seeks to encourage discussion as a way of building a nation based on trust and honesty. 

The initiative has now been taken to the grassroots level, with residents being encouraged to own it.

It involves public lectures on the Rwandan history before and during the colonial era as well as before, during and after the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. 

Speaking in Nyanza District on Monday, the Southern Province Governor, Alphonse Munyantwari, called upon residents to embrace the programme, noting that it would further strengthen their ties and lead to national development.

“This will lay foundation for a strong nation where people live in harmony and work towards uplifting their livelihoods,” the Governor said.

In Huye District, officials met with residents in the rural Kigoma Sector to discuss the initiative and encourage them to embrace it. Similar gatherings were held in other parts of the province.

Senate Vice-President Bernard Makuza told residents that the initiative “encourages the culture of truth” vis-à-vis the country’s dark past. 

He said the target is to take the initiative at the village level, the lowest administrative entity in the Rwandan system.

Contact email: jp.bucyensenge[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

MPs want more guarantees for child refugees

http://www.newtimes.co.rw/news/index.php?i=15554&a=72458

The plight of children born to refugee parents in the country took centre stage on Monday as MPs discussed the Refugee Bill.

The Bill was tabled in June this year  by the Minister for Disaster Management and Refugee Affairs, Seraphine Mukantabana. 

Emphasis was put  on  Clauses in Chapter IV: Rights and obligations of refugees, including Article 20 that talks about marriage among refugees.

MPs Emmanuel Mudidi and Joseph Desire Nyandwi, said article 20 required amendment as it was ambiguous on the rights of such                                             children.

Article 20 states that the marriage of a refugee shall be governed by Rwandan laws. It further states that when a refugee is married to a Rwandan, they shall keep their refugee status, unless they legally acquire Rwandan nationality.  Lawmakers sought clarity on the fate of refugee children.

MP Amb. Zeno Mutimura, the chairperson of the standing committee on foreign affairs, told the House that a child born to a refugee is born as a refugee and not a Rwandan and that a refugee who gets married to a Rwandan does not automatically become Rwandan unless they follow the procedures laid down in the Constitution.

Minister Mukantabana said: “A child born to a refugee should continue being a refugee and should be entitled to protection.”

The minister noted that it would be appropriate to protect the child until they have matured.

Commenting on the difficulties refugees go through while trying to obtain the official marriage papers from their home country, the minister told lawmakers that: “Considering the refuge experience most of us have had, I think this clause needs to be sflexible.”

The House agreed to return the draft legislation to the committee for improvement.

Lawmakers said there should be flexibility for refugees to obtain Rwandan nationality after marriage to Rwandans.

Contact email: ivan.mugisha[at]newtimes.co.rw
5,800 demoted from Advanced Level to sit Senior Three exams

Candidates sit a previous exam. National Ordinary and Advanced level exams begin today across the country. The New Times/ File.
A countrywide audit of secondary schools established that over 5,800 students in the upper section of high school had snubbed ordinary level (O’level) examinations, and will need to sit these S.3 exams before they are allowed to proceed.

Some of these students, according to Rwanda Education Board (Reb), will be among the 96,000 candidates who will sit the O’level exams that start today, together with the Advanced Level national exams.

Reb statistics show that 31,053 candidates will sit A’level papers.

The new development comes after government made it a requirement to have the lower level certificate in order to register for the advanced level examinations.

Emmanuel Muvunyi, the deputy director for examinations at Reb,  told The New Times on Monday that some of the students affected were already in Senior Six, but could not specify the figure, nor could he state how many of the affected will take the O’level exams this year.

“It is a number of students who skipped O’level exam because, either they did not study Senior Three or studied it but just did not sit the national exams,” he said. “We cannot tell how many of these will do exams today but we have given them three years within which to do the exams and earn the ‘O-level certificate.”

After realising that some of the candidates who were applying to sit for A’level exams did not have O’level certificates, a countrywide inspection was carried out during which the 5,800 students were unearthed. 

How it happens

According to school administrators, the situation emerged because most schools did not require ordinary level completion certificates for students wishing to be admitted  to Senior Four. This created a room where some students skipped the Senior Three national exams. 

Virginie Mukamugema, the director of GS ACEPER Gikongoro, a parents school in Nyamagabe District, said that until last year, a student needed just a Senior 3 report card to be admitted to Senior 4.

“We agreed with Reb that students will no longer be admitted for Advanced Level if they do not have certification that they sat for O’level exam which is taken in Senior Three,” she said.

This new requirement will particularly affect students in private learning centres, where students are coached ahead of secondary leaving exams.

“A number of my students were affected by this condition and obliged to go back to Senior Three which is a challenge because many are too old, said Asafi Nkurunziza, the director of Club Tour Institute, a coaching centre for private candidates in Kigali.

New measures

Meanwhile, to counter any malpractices, Reb has moved to serialise the examination forms of all the candidates after it was discovered that some private schools engaged in cheating. These schools allegedly photocopied the registration forms to be able to sneak in more candidates.

Last year, about 600 registered candidates were identified as having been involved in malpractices, after it was found that some private schools gave them registration forms of  secondary students, yet they were from either private or coaching centres.

“This time around we made registration forms with serial numbers, so that we give every school a number of registration forms corresponding the number of known candidates,” he said.

Besides, on every registration form, students had to attach the report of the three years; Senior 4, 5 and 6.

Reb also carried out random physical checks in several private schools around the country, to find out whether their list of candidates corresponds the number of the registration forms.

Other serious measures during the examination itself were set to check  possible malpractices, officials said.

The exams will end on November 8.

Contact email: jean.tabaro[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

Visually impaired Semirindi can now face the future, brick by brick

Semirindi stands in front of his Kiln in Musanze District. The New Times/Jean d’Amour Mbonyinshuti.
Faustin Semirindi, 32, may be visually impaired but he refused to live off handouts from well wishers.

The father of two and resident of Nyamabuye Cell in Musanze District owns a brick-making facility and supplies real estate developers in the District and beyond.

“I became visually impaired at the age of five. I grew up in a family where I was taken as a burden, people only saw me as a beggar. Against all odds, I managed to complete high school,” he said in an interview.

He said that despite his impairment, he was a bright student and draws his courage from the stigma he faced while growing up.

“The more I was stigmatised, the more I thought of ways of sustaining myself. That is how I thought of  venturing into business,” he says.

After completing S6, in 2006, Semirindi started the struggle of finding his place in society. He initially founded a dance troupe through which he and his colleagues were hired to perform at functions.

“I was also a comedian and I and my club attracted attention of many people, we used to earn more than Rwf 50,000 per event,” he said.

In 2007, Semirindi solicited support from local authorities to start a business of making bricks. The Northern Province gave him Rwf 500,000.

Demand driven 

“I wanted to engage in brick-making to respond to the problem of scarcity of the commodity because of the nature of our soils,” he says.

But the money he was given was not enough to start the business and he was advised to look for other people to work with for a strong start and, together with three others, they pooled resources, on agreement that they would go separate ways after two years.

“We pooled Rwf4 million and business was very profitable that after two years, the three took their shares and profits and left me in the business alone,” he says.

He now manages his plant, which employs more than 200 casual labourers from his neighbourhood.

“When I started working alone, day-to-day management of the business was a challenge. I decided to work closely with my wife and few other people. My task now is to make sure that all employees are on duty and paid on time, after which I look for the market,” he says

“I have a wide market because I have established relationship with local leaders, business people and contractors. Whenever they need bricks I supply them,” he says

It takes Semirindi six weeks to make 140,000 bricks from which he earns Rwf3.5 million.

He says that he saves Rwf 250,000 per month after paying transport and employees.

“I am now a proud man and I have my business to take care of the needs of my family and the families of the people I employ. Being blind is no longer a barrier of doing business because it is physical and not mental, I will continue using my brain sto expand my business,”

Achievements

Semirindi says that his life achievement is the battle to overcome becoming a beggar.

“I couldn’t have married legally without this business, I have built my own house in which we live in and managed to buy a plot of land worth Rwf3 million,” he said.

Contact email: jmbonyinshuti[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

City of Kigali donates items worth Rwf50m to TZ evictees

The City of Kigali (CoK) on Sunday donated an assortment of consumables and household items worth Rwf 50 million to evictees from Tanzania, who are currently settled at Kiyanzi camp, Kirehe District.

The items   included 22 tonnes of food, 100 mattresses, five cartons of washing soap and an assortment of clothes. 

Speaking at the handover ceremony, Alphonse Nizeyimana, the City vice mayor in charge of finance and economic development, said the donation was in the spirit of brotherhood.

“We should never wait for other people to solve our problems,” he said, adding that CoK will continue the spirit of reaching out to the vulnerable.

Vestine Kampundu, one of the evictees thanked CoK for the gesture. “My five children and I were evicted from our home, leaving behind my husband and property; a week later I heard that he had been killed. However, gestures like these comfort us.”

Some of the evictees lost property and relatives during the eviction.

Jacquline Murekatete, the vice Mayor in charge of social affairs in Kirehe District, also called upon the camp dwellers to be strong in the face of adversity, saying it’s the only way they would make progress.

Kiyanzi camp hosts 2,600 evictees of the over 5,000 who were evicted from Tanzania, some of them having lived there for over six decades.

Contact email: editorial[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

Buoyed by four new health centres, Kigali looks to quality healthcare

Kanyinya health centre in Nyarugenge District on Thursday. Saturday Times/John Mbanda.
Four health centres recently  constructed in the three districts of the City of Kigali will help increase access to health care. 

The health centers, Remera in Gasabo District, Gatenga in Kicukiro District, Kanyinya and Mageragere both in Nyarugenge District, were constructed at the tune of Rwf13.6 billion.

The Mayor of the City of Kigali, Fidele Ndayisaba, together with the Ambassador of Belgium to Rwanda, Marc Pecsteen, officially inaugurated the facilities on Thursday. Belgium funded the construction of the facilities.

Dr. Uzziel Ndagijimana, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health said the four health centres have the capacity to serve up to 300,000 people all together.

“Because of their size and quality of equipment, these health centres have the capacity to deliver services that were previously only accessible at major hospitals. Each of the four health centres has 10 beds in the maternity ward  and 18 beds in the general ward,” Ndagijimana said.

He called upon district leaders to take charge in proper maintenance of health centres.

Ndayisaba noted that while there is significant success in the country’s health sector, no one should ignore the fact that urbanisation presents serious health challenges globally. 

“Urban population growth comes with high risks of disease outbreak, non-communicable diseases and related risks all leading to increased demand for basic health need,” he said.

“Life is expensive. When life is gone, it can’t come back because it has no second chance. I urge the people of Kigali to eat healthy and keep their lives in good health, we have enough fruits and vegetables,” said Ndayisaba. 

According to Ambassador Pecsteen, the cooperation between Belgium and Rwanda has brought to fruition concrete actions towards responding to health needs of the ever increasing urban population.

Contact email: editorial[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

300 rural schools to get solar energy

Minister Isumbingabo gives a resident a cooking stove during the World Energy Day celebrations in Rwamgana yesterday. The New Times/ S. Rwembeho.
Government is set to invest heavily in solar energy and other sources of alternative energy to meet power demands especially in rural areas.

The Minister of State in charge of Energy and Water, Françoise Emma Isumbingabo, said this while addressing residents of Rwamagana during celebrations to mark the World Energy Day yesterday.

The ceremony was attended among others; by the Minister for Natural Resources, Stanislas Kamanzi, and the Governor of Eastern province Odette Uwamariya.

Isumbingabo said that a number of public infrastructure, including schools and health centres, were to benefit from the programme.

“At least 300 schools located far from the main grids will be provided with solar power by end of the year. And 46 health centres will also get the solar power.  The whole idea is to maximise power supply in the country,” she said.

The minister further acknowledged the impact of biogas in homes and institutions.

Protecting environment 

“We need to emphasise on biogas...it has greatly reduced expenses in Nsinda Prison. Cooking used to take a huge budget  but it has now been reduced to almost to zero”.

Reacting to testimony by one farmer, Providence Uwantege, who embraced the use of biogas, Isumbingabo encouraged each household to start using biogas.

“We need to protect environment by reducing on the use of firewood.”

Meanwhile, the German Development Cooperation (GIZ) country representative Ulrike Maenner said that GIZ had partnered with the government to support programmes designed to transfer renewable energy technologies.

She commended private sector companies for their provision of affordable power systems to poor customers in rural areas.

“At least 10 million people will soon benefit from modern power plants worldwide. A new programme to provide quality solar line and renewable energy is in the pipe line. The two energy projects are expected to start by January 2014,” she said.

At least 3,252 households use biogas in Rwanda.

Contact email: Stephen.rwembeho[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

 

Youth meet to develop ICT solutions for agriculture

ICT students and tech entrepreneurs last weekend gathered at KLab, Rwanda’s technical hub for a 36-hour programming competition aimed at coming up with ICT solutions for the agriculture sector.  

The competition, organised by the Ministry of Agriculture, the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA) and the Rwandan ICT chamber brought together 49 participants - from students to members of the business community. 

The participants were tasked with challenges to come up with ICT solutions that would either help with information sharing/communication between farmers and extension workers or make it possible for farmers to access financial services with ease. 

The competition also served to select the country’s representatives to an oncoming regional solutions competition that will take place during the ICT4Ag conference due in Kigali from November 4 to 7. 

Participants who were divided into groups of four worked 36 hours nonstop from Saturday morning to Sunday night to identify a particular challenge and make applicable solutions which were on Sunday evening presented before a panel of judges.  The panel of judges was made up of Managing Directors of tech companies, a professor from Carnegie Mellon University Rwanda  Campus and a representative of the Ministry of Education.

Fertiliser logic

The winning group made up of students from Kigali Institute of Science and Technology (Kist) presented a hardware and software solution, and fertiliser logic that determines the quantity of Nitrogen Phosphorus and potassium in the soil. They were awarded with a laptop, a chance to participate in the upcoming regional competition and incubation facilities to polish their projects. 

The other four runners-up were also awarded with laptops. 

Explaining on the Criteria used to determine the winners, Clement Uwajeneza, the founder and managing director of Axis Ltd, said they were looking out for the practicality of the innovations presented. “We were looking out for the feasibility and originality of the presentations. We wanted to see how they would solve the challenges farmers face.

Hillary Muramira, a member of winning group, said that being in touch with the end user of their innovation enabled them to come up with a winning project.

“We are looking forward to actualise our concept and make business out of our innovation.”

For the oncoming regional competition, he said they were excited to have a chance to represent the country.

“It is now no-longer a small competition, it is a chance to represent the country and we have to refine our innovation further and believe we stand a chance with the projects we have.”

Mary Rucibigango, the coordinator at Agricultural Information and Communication Centre, said that the Ministry of Agriculture was looking to work with the IT sector to improve on agricultural delivery. 

“This application and solutions will help us improve on agricultural service delivery which will grow the sector. Most of the solutions presented are applicable in dealing with some of the challenges farmers and the sector in general face, so the ministry is interested in this partnership.”

Sheila  Birgen, the Community Manager of M-lab East Africa, a regional World Bank initiative that works to help start-ups grow, said the event was part of a larger plan to enable members of the ICT sector receive mentoring to actualise their innovations. 

From dreams to reality 

“Most of the ideas presented can actually be transformed in actual business and solutions to the agriculture sector with a little incubation and mentorship.”

The winners will face other participants from Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Madagascar and Ethiopia for a prize of 5000 Euros amongst other awards. 

Contact email: editorial[at]newtimes.co.rw
                

Rwandan Filmmaker Scoops Award at 2013 SVAFF
Published on 20-10-2013 - at 14:05' by Nzohabonimana Daniel

Gilbert Ndahayo, a US based Rwandan filmmaker scooped an award this weekend at 2013 Silicon Valley African Film Festival (SVAFF). Ndahayo won the “Best Documentary Film Award" for his second documentary film "The Rwandan Night" which had its world premiere at the annual film festival that was organized from October 11th to 13th, 2013.
“I am delighted for the world premiere of my second documentary feature and it is an honor for me to fly high the Rwandan flag in one the world’s famous African film festival”, said the Rwandan filmmaker.
The Silicon Valley African Film Festival is presented by Oriki Theatre at Community School of Music and Arts. The 2013 SVAFF opened on Friday, October 11 at 5:30pm with a reception and red carpet, followed by a parade of flags of the countries represented in the festival and a screening of the opening night film - the 2013 Cannes Vulcan Award winning film "GriGris" from Chad.
Thirty-two films from Africa were screened among them three from Rwanda. The latter are “Chora Chora” that was directed by Richard Mugwaneza, Imbabazi – The pardon directed by Joel Karekezi and The Rwandan Night by Gilbert Ndahayo. Saturday October 12th, 2013 the festival was dominated by Rwandan cinema as the three films by Rwandan filmmakers were all scheduled to screen.
The event was marked by the presence of Ms Yvette Rugasaguhunga,the second counselor of the Embassy of Rwanda in Washington D.C. “She had come to grace the film festival and support the films from Rwanda” said Gilbert.
The presence of a Rwandan official was highly regarded by the festival organizers, which prompt them to award the Rwandan Embassy a trophy in recognition for supporting the Film Festival.
Ms Yvette commended the efforts of SVAFF by bringing the true story of Africa to Silicon Valley. She was also a panelist in the forum “The African Women in Technology - a future of promise!”, organized on the sideline of the film festival.
“It is no coincidence that women empowerment and technology are some of the key drivers of Rwanda’s political and socio-economical development,” noted the counselor of the Embassy of Rwanda in Washington D.C.
Gilbert Ndahayo had two test screenings this year during the genocide commemoration events in Zurich (Switzerland) and Maine (USA) this spring. “I felt I can give it a shot and submit my film in 2013 SVAFF,” noted the Rwandan filmmaker.
At Bates College this February, Professor Alexandre Dauge-Roth remarked, “Gilbert’s central part of the documentary is about a survivor who testifies against the genocide; and according to the American standards of film consumption, it can be called a long moment.” Gilbert Ndahayo explained that he wanted to put the chronology of the genocide on the screen.
The 2013 Awards Winners were in seven categories among them the 2013 SVAFF Africa Reel Award Winner Newton Aduaka (Nigeria), 2013 Emerging Filmmaker Award for Sephora Woldu (Eritrea), 2013 Emerging Filmmaker Award for Chimwemwe Mkwezalamba (Malawi ), Narrative Feature Film Award Shemu Joyah (Malawi), Narrative Short Film Award for Tim Huebschle (Namibia), Documentary Short Film Award for Kurt Orderson (South Africa) and Documentary Feature Film Award for Gilbert Ndahayo (Rwanda).
“The Rwandan Night” is a 97-min ethno-documentary that features the haunting memories of the oldest survivor of the genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda. Both poetic and moving, Ndahayo’s use of original Rwandan music of commemoration, produces a vivid cinematic rendering of this unique voice forcefully testifying to the long ordeal of his people during so many decades before April 1994.
“This happens to be the first time I work with fellow Rwandan artists. For instance the opening music ‘Nibarize’ (Tell Me) draws out of melodic whispering style which has long disappeared in Rwanda, but still in use in Burundi by ‘Inanga’ players (string instrument)” confessed the filmmaker in a statement issued at the release of his film.
As African cinema is being appreciated overseas, there is a growing discussion on the creation of the East African Film Commission.
The debate is championed by the Zanzibar International Film Festival in collaboration with filmmakers from East Africa and the diaspora. It is still too early to talk more about the commission but the body will help to promote East African cinematic culture.

Mediation fronted as key in resolving land disputes

The Abunzi, according to the Rwanda Initiative for Sustainable Development (RISD), have arbitrated and solved 788 land disputes in five districts in three years. The New Times/ Timothy Kisambira.
Upon the death of her husband, Vivian Mukagahima, a 60-year-old woman in Nyagatare District, discovered that a significant portion of her small plot of land had been encroached on by her neighbour.

When she tried to confront him, he threatened her, arguing that it had been his land all along. She reported the case to the district authorities. They advised her to seek services of mediators, locally known as “Abunzi”.

After listening to both parties and visiting the land under disputr, the mediators were able to settle the dispute and within a few days, Mukagahima won back her land from the neighbour.

Her success is, however, not shared by all. Marie Goreti Mukeshimana, a 50-year-old mother of five, residing in Nyarugenge District, Ngari sector, woke up one morning and realised that she was no longer permitted to till her farmland. Her husband had sold it to a wealthy man without her consent.

After failing to convince her husband to get back the land, she decided to sue him. Her case was recorded and two years down the road, it is still unresolved, lying somewhere in a court backlog.

Like Mukeshimana, several residents are not aware that Abunzi can help to solve their land disputes much faster than legal courts.

According to Johnston Busingye, the Minister for Justice, most land disputes in the country are small claims that can be resolved through mediation. 

“The courts and the lawyer system is not only expensive, tedious and complicated, but it also risks issues like hired witnesses and conspiracies because the sessions happen far away from the land in dispute,” Busingye said at the weekend while addressing the 2013 National Land Dialogue.

“Mediators have an advantage because they reside in the areas where land disputes arise. They know the people; know their children and neighbours, so they are in the best position to provide credible solutions to disputing parties.”

Land wrangles still dominate cases received by the Office of the Ombudsman, with 525 out of 3,662 cases reported in 2010 and 2011 being land related. According to the Rwanda Initiative for Sustainable Development (RISD), the Abunzi have arbitrated and concluded 788 land disputes in five districts in three years.

“The Abunzi system will be celebrating 10 years of existence in 2014. Through their work, we have realised that they have the potential to mediate most of the pending land disputes between families and residents,” Annie Kairaba, the Director of RISD said during the National Land Dialogue.

She, however, warned that the sustainability of their work depends on support, especially from the government.

“The Abunzi work as committed volunteers. If they are to satisfy high expectations from the community, with increasing responsibilities from the government, there is need for government to rethink a long term strategy to technically assist them,” Kairaba said.

The Deputy Director of Lands and Mapping at Rwanda Natural Resources Authority (RNRA), Didier Sagashya, urged Rwandans to register their land in order to solve disputes that may arise on ownership.
“Every Rwandan with land must secure their land rights. This will make it more efficient when solving land disputes, which are a result of multiple social, economic and historical processes,” Sagashya said.

Statistics from NISR indicate that nearly half of all reported disputes are over land that is less than one hectare, whereas, 85 percent of disputes are on land that is registered.

How Abunzi work

Like the Gacaca system, (a traditional conflict resolution mechanism) the Abunzi system was inspired by Rwandan traditional values of dispute resolution through the form of family meetings. In 2006, the Abunzi were created under the Organic Law with a task to mediate disputes that may arise among people living in the same community, in an affordable and accessible manner.

There are two types of Abunzi; a mediation committee whose jurisdiction is at the cell level and the appeal mediation committee with jurisdiction at the sector level. 

The mediation committee is comprised of 12 residents of the cell and the sector respectively, with a task to resolve civil and criminal disputes related to land.

Such cases are by law not supposed to go beyond a settlement value of RWf3 million.

Contact email: ivan.mugisha[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

 

 

 

Rwandan nominated for global innovation award

Nyakarundi’s mobile solar cell charger. The New Times/ Ivan Ngoboka.
A Rwandan has been short-listed for an international innovation award for inventing an environmentally-friendly power device.

Henry Nyakarundi’s solar-powered device that charges cell phones has been short-listed among 23 projects for the global ‘Empowering People Awards.’ 

The winning project will be announced later this month.

Nyakarundi’s project was selected from the more than 800 entries that were made by individuals and firms from across the world.

According to Rolf Huber, the managing director of Siemens Stiftung, the initiator of the awards, the selection process was conducted by an international jury of experts, based on aspects such as technical quality, environmental impact, social and economic relevancy of the project submitted.

“Our aim is to recognise the most promising technological solutions and products suitable for solving basic problems of ordinary people in developing countries,” Huber is quoted in a statement.

The statement adds that voting for finalists will be online and open to public from 90 countries worldwide.

The winner will walk home with  Euro 50,000 (about Rwf45 million), while the first and second runners-up will bag Euro 30,000 (about Rwf27 million and Euro 20,000 (about Rwf18 million), respectively.

Twenty other ‘best losers’ in the competition will receive Euro 5,000 (about Rwf4.5 million) each.

“I am glad that at last, four  years of vigorous research and testing to develop this  product have been recognised0,”  Nyakarundi said.

“However, I cant celebrate now because a lot of work still has to be done to go through the final phase, but I am confident.” 

Rollout of device

He said the 40-watt device that charges 16 phones at ago is especially designed for Rwandans living in areas that are not connected to the national power grid or without regular access to electricity, and those in busy areas such as marketplaces and car parks.

Nyakarundi said four of the power device are already in use across the country, with plans to rollout more. He launched the device in February.

Nyakarundi’s fete comes on the heal of that of Lawrence Muganga, a Rwandan living in Canada, who won an innovation award from Alberta, a provincial government in Canada, for initiating and successfully managing a crime prevention project

Muganga was recognised in May.

Contact email: editorial[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

New technology to ease distribution of fertilisers

Farmers and suppliers will no longer have to worry over fertiliser supply or application arithmetic thanks to a new mobile phone-based technology, Mfarms Agribusiness Solutions. 

The Android mobile phone operated application is touted for its accuracy and data recording ability that will ease agro-dealers operations.

Mfarms helps manage the fertiliser supply chain, making it easy for agro-dealers to know the amount of fertilisers to supply each season.

The technology works with MTN Internet network, but one has to have a minimum airtime balance of Rwf100. The Mfarms roll out is supported by United States Agency for International Development (USAID). 

Martin Drevon, the director of the International Fertiliser Development Centre and Rwanda’s fertiliser import and distribution system, said the new technology will enable farmers apply the right amount of fertilisers required per hectare, per crop compared to previously, where dealers and farmers were just estimating measurements.

“With this technology, agro-business dealers are also able to record all supplies bought from the distributor, the sales to customers, as well as calculate the remaining stock, at least for each week,” he explained.

Mfarms is already being used in Rubavu, Kayonza, Rwamagana, Nyabihu, Nyagatare and Musanze districts.

The mobile device also has inbuilt software that makes it possible for dealers to plan the quantity of fertilisers needed by farmers each season, according Jeanne Nyaniyanga.

“It is imperative to track the type and quantity of fertilisers needed by farmers, as well as application, especially for mineral fertilisers such as urea and nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. This can only be achieved when those in supply chain have proper records of fertiliser distribution,” he noted. The device will also help record prices, payments and payment mode. 

Egide Gatari, the head of the fertiliser programme inspection team at Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources, said the technology will fill the gaps in data collection and improve efficiency in paying farmers’ invoices.

“The ministry subsidises farmers by reimbursing half of the money used to buy fertilisers. Payments are done when we get the voucher records. Therefore, this application will ease the payment process for us,” he explained.

He said there was also need for streamlined system to ensure the private sector suppliers are accountable “because they were entrusted with fertiliser distribution by the Government. 

“With Mfarms Mobile, we can now request for and get records on time without going to actual distributor,” Gatari said

How Mfarms works 

The Mfarms device is installed in a phone and requires a secret PIN code, which a farmer gets at the time of acquiringe the device. Dealers then enter their invoice numbers, date of invoice, the name of the distributor, the amount of cash paid or credit, if he paid using credit. The dealer then enters the amount of fertilisers bought.   

How the technology has so far changed the dynamics of agro business 

Claudine Mushimiimana, an agro-business dealer from Kayonza District, said Mfarms has helped her reduce losses by 50 per cent.

“I am now also able to supply fertilisers to farmers on time since I can easily access my records. It is easy to process the information and submit my report to the agriculture ministry on time,” she noted.

Joseph Habarurema, an agro-dealer and farmer in Rubavu District, said the technology has improved operations. 

“I have been able to maximise profits and I am always in position to know how restock is needed, thanks to Mfarms.”  

According to Innocent Musabyimana, the Rwanda Agricultural Board deputy director in charge of agricultural extension, application of fertilisers has since increased from 5kg of inorganic fertiliser usage per hectare to 30kg per hectare and is projected to reach 45kg per hectare. 

This will be a great boost as far as increasing food output is concerned, especially after big drops in production last season. Last season, Irish potatoes, sweet potatoes, wheat, yam, fruits and vegetables output dropped during the second season of 2013 compared to the same season in 2012, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources Crop Assessment report for 2013 season B.

Maize production declined by 3 per cent from 166, 649 tonnes in the second season of 2012 to 161,935 tonnes last season and wheat production declined by 18 per cent, from 68,026 tonnes in 2012 to 55,744 tonnes last season, while sweet potato output went down by 2 per cent from 593,517 tonnes in 2012 to 581,132 tonnes. 

This situation could change as USAID distributed 47 android mobile phones with Mfarms technology last season and 49 mobile sets this season in its drive to ensure every farmer accesses fertilisers on time to increase land productivity.

Contact email: business[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

20 Chinese medical specialists in country to offer health care

The Chinese ambassador to Rwanda Shen Yong-Xiang and Health Minister Binagwaho toast to the Rwanda-China cooperation on Monday. The New Times/Susan Babijja
Twenty doctors from China are in the country to offer medical services in various hospitals for the next two years.
The group is replacing another 15 doctors who have concluded the two years of offering health care at Kibungo, Masaka and Kinihira hospitals.
This was disclosed during celebrations to mark the 30th anniversary of medical cooperation between China and Rwanda on Monday at the Chinese embassy in Kigali.
The latest group is the 16th team to operate in the country ever since the initiative started decades ago. 
Speaking at the occasion, the Minister for Health, Dr Agnes Binagwaho commended the Chinese government for its continued support.
Spread across 
“This team will continue to serve Masaka and Kibungo hospitals, but they can also provide health services elsewhere,” Binagwaho said.
The minister noted that the cooperation among other initiatives has significantly contributed to the improvement in health service provision in the respective hospitals in particular and the health sector as a whole.
She also commended the outgoing team for their services, saying they had done a great job for the last two years. The incoming group comprises gynecologists, surgeons and a pediatrician among others.
Binagwaho said that there is great expectation from the new team.
The Chinese ambassador to Rwanda Shen Yong- Xiang reaffirmed his government’s commitment to work with Rwanda especially in contributing to quality health care provision.
“The cooperation we have will help us to work together and further strengthen our relations for the better; and by intervening in health sector, we actually want to give our services to the general population,” he said. At the occasion, Binagwaho also highlighted the various mechanisms the government is undertaking to further strengthen and develop the health sector. 
Among others, she said that plans are underway to have Masaka Hospital upgraded, to improve its capacity to provide health services to more patients. 
The first batch of doctors were centred at Kibungo Hospital until 2011 before extending their services to Masaka Hospital, whose construction was supported by China.
In the last 30 years, Chinese medical workers have treated over 650,000 patients and carried out over 25,000 operations.
Contact email: susan.babijja[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

 

 

October 2nd, 2013 | Posted by Jean Damascène Niyitegeka

Revised family policy from Migeprof

http://focus.rw/wp/2013/10/revised-family-policy-from-migeprof/

Participants in the validation workshop. (photo Jean DamascèneNiyitegeka)
The Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion (Migeprof) and different family activists and stakeholders are revising the family policy in order to make it more responsive to the current situation.
The draft family policy is designed to improve family welfare and gender promotion.
According to the new draft, the family policy will focus mainly on the protection of vulnerable children within families and scale up provisions of social and psychosocial services for vulnerable families.
The policy also focuses on the fostering stable and harmonious family environments and strengthening the economic wellbeing of families ensuring particularly vulnerable families are supported are supported to meet their basic needs among others.
Henriette Umulisa, the permanent secretary in Migeprof explained that the current family policy dates from 2005, yet there are many aspects that have changed in the family over this time; the main reason why there is a strong need to revise the today.
“We want now to put more emphasis on children in the family. There are children who are still suffering in their families due to poverty. This new policy should put a child at the forefront in the family welfare”, she emphasized.
Emphasis will be placed not only on children, but also on positive parenting techniques. “There should be a clear partnership of both man and woman in child welfare, particularly the role of husband… We still have male parents who consider their child’s welfare as a female responsibility, this new policy should put more emphasis on changing this mindset”, she added.
The draft shows that children are still victims of issues like domestic violence, sexual abuse, and other types of abuse. Additionally, teenage pregnancy has increased from four to six percent from 2005 to 2010, another child-welfare issue that should be emphasized in the new family policy.
Family activists argue that though there is a lot that has been done, there is a need to continue educating people on family issues, especially child care.
Edouard Munyamariza is the president of Rwanda Men’s Resource Center (Rwamrec), a platform that strives to prevent gender based violence and promotes attitudes and behaviors towards non-GBV and gender equality among men in Rwanda.
“Most parents still think once the child is sent to school, his or her job is over; he does not follow up to identify what kind of education for instance, is this child getting,” he said. For him, the lack of both male and female care for these children often ends up in consequences like drug use and homelessness.
Umulisa emphasized that once this new policy is adopted, it will yield a positive partnership between two partners who take care of children and will reduce family conflict issues that are now evident in many parts of the country.
The family policy draft was discussed by different family stakeholders before being presented to the cabinet for approval.
Posted by Jean Damascène Niyitegeka 

 

Rwanda has way more than one surgeon!

http://www.newtimes.co.rw/news/index.php?i=15503&a=71024

Dr Theobald Hategekimana
Reference is made to an article that ran in The Daily Monitor of 3rd October 2013 under the headline, “Rwanda has only one surgeon for 11 million people”.

I would like to commend the media for their role in raising key issues that affect the population but in the case of this article, the writer gave the wrong impression of Rwanda’s health sector as far as the number of medical personnel is concerned.

I would like to set the record straight on the “facts” given in this article by stating that from an estimated 30 doctors in the aftermath of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, today, Rwanda has more than 171 medical specialists including 37 surgeons, and 30 surgeons currently undergoing training, a big number of the surgeons on training are from the Central University Hospital of Kigali (CHUK). 

The specialists are distributed in referral hospitals and district hospitals. Healthcare services are always delivered to the best of the personnel’s moral and professional standards. 

I wish to point out that the Government of Rwanda through the Ministry of Health has created different partnerships, which from time to time provide support to building the necessary health workforce to create a high quality, sustainable healthcare system. 

On many an occasion, we receive different visiting teams of specialists, a case in point being the recent visiting team from India and Nigeria in partnership with Rotary Club who are offering free plastic surgery to survivors of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

In addition, Rwanda’s efforts to bridge the geographical access gap to quality health care have paid off. We have five referral hospitals, 42 district hospitals and 470 health centres, and all these have ensured that 60 percent of Rwandans live within 5 km of a health facility and 85 percent live within 10 km.  

This implies that even patients that need specialised treatment or care can easily access the services. 

While our country has registered a lot of progress in the health sector over the past 10 years, efforts continue to ensure universal access to quality health care for all Rwandans and this is a process that will not be completed overnight. 

Over 90 percent of the population can acquire health care especially with the current medical insurance system in place.

The most recent Rwandan innovation is the introduction, of the “Human Resources for Health” (HRH) that was introduced last year. 

CHUK, the teaching hospital where I have worked since 1994 increased the quality of care in collaboration with many partners but the benefit from HRH programme is highly appreciated in terms of increasing the of number of students in post graduate programme and clinical activities.

The HRH Programme is a partnership with the US government allowing bringing 100 US Faculty members for a year, in Rwanda at no cost for Rwanda. 

These very highly experienced health professionals and academicians fill clinical gaps and help the faculty to improve its teaching capacity and support Rwanda to produce a bigger number of qualified medical doctors and specialists. With this programme we will train 500 specialists and 5000 nurses before 2018. 

We can also add more 50 Rwandan residents in specialisation programme outside the country. This will dramatically increase our populations’ access to qualified, and skilled-level Rwandan clinicians. 

It also will help our medical students and residents to be educated by more skilled Rwandan educators, in health sciences - medical nursing, midwifery, and oral health.

The HRH programme and other home grown solutions are among some of the actions taken by the government to improve the life of Rwandans. The fruits of such endeavours are already yielding results with life expectancy having doubled. 

The article gets it right, that there is a lot to do in our journey to developing the health sector but does not give the correct figures of our health personnel or current status of general access to quality health care for our citizens. 

The writer is the Director of the Central University Hospital of Kigali (CHUK)

 

 

Rwf3b still needed to relocate families from high risk zones

Some of the houses located in high risk areas. Floods and landslides are the major disasters. The New Times/ Timothy Kisambira.
At least Rwf3 billion is needed to construct 18,000 housing units to resettle vulnerable residents living in the disaster high risk zones across the country, a senior government official has said.

An initiative to help the vulnerable people was rolled out early this year, with a target of completing 30,000 units by September but only 12,000 units have hitherto been constructed, according to the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Disaster Management and Refugee Affairs, Antoine Ruvebana.

Ruvebana blamed the unfulfilled target on inadequate funding and land scarcity. 

A tune of Rwf 6.5 billion had been envisaged to complete the whole exercise.  

The total number of would-be beneficiaries had initially been estimated at 43,000 households. However, 13,000 were identified as capable of constructing houses for themselves.

Ruvebana was speaking yesterday during the official launch of Disaster Reduction Week, during which different activities including awareness campaigns and helping the vulnerable will be conducted across the country.

The week was launched at Rusheshe Cell in Masaka Sector, Kicukiro District where some of the units are being constructed. At the site, employees of the ministry offered to construct one house. 

“We missed out on the target we had set because of different challenges including financial constraints and lack of plots of land; we have to extend the deadline, we will continue working gradually on the project,” Ruvebana said in an interview. 

He added that government will have to intervene and inject in more money to supplement on the contribution of members of public through community work. 

He, however, could not give the new time frame for the completion of the initiative adding they would continue engaging the public through community work, to ensure the houses are completed, and all those people in disaster-prone areas relocated. 

Joselyn Rwaburindi, the in charge of social affairs at Masaka Sector, observed that they had completed only four units. 

She noted that would-be beneficiaries are identified from different disaster prone parts of the district.

At-risk districts 

A survey conducted last year by the ministry indicated that floods and landslides were the major disasters in the country and have greatly impacted negatively on human development, property, infrastructure and environment.

It was also found out during the survey that the north-western part of the country, especially in the districts of Burera, Musanze, Nyabihu and Rubavu were the most prone to disasters due to steep slopes, soil instability, heavy rains, poor drainage systems, among others.

Since December, last year Rwanda has experienced deadly rains which have claimed lives and destroyed houses.

Last year, 75 people died from disasters that struck risky zone areas. This year alone more than 58 people have died, which has prompted the government to move faster in resettling the high-risk zone dwellers.

In May, this year, government established a Disaster Steering Technical Committee (DSTC) which was tasked with coordinating responses to disasters with already the existing National Disaster Steering Committee (NDSC).

NDSC is made up of the ministries of  Disaster Management and Refugee Affairs (chair), Defence (vice chair), Local Government, Internal Security, Health, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Infrastructure; as well as Rwanda Defence Forces, and the Rwanda National Police.

Contact email: eric.kabeera[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

Suspected Thieves, Drug Dealers Arrested 
Published on 4-10-2013 - at 06:53' by IGIHE
http://en.igihe.com/news/suspected-thieves-drug-dealers-arrested.html
The Wednesday evening police operation conducted in Nyarugenge District apprehended sixty two wrongdoers, who include 17 suspected thieves and drug dealers.
The operation was conducted in three cells of Kora cell in Gitega sector; Akabahizi cell (Muhima sector) and Nyabugogo cell, (Kimisagara sector).
Others arrested include street vendors and beggars.
They were taken to Gikondo Transit Center for screening, where they will be given civic education including how and where to operate businesses to avoid engaging in illegal acts and to turn them into good citizens.
The Nyarugenge District Police Commander, Chief Superintendent Dismas Rutaganira said the operation is part of the bigger strategy to strengthen the security and prevent crimes within the city, especially, in the most crowded areas, prone to insecurity.
He said in these place, thugs steal electronic like computers and rob people of their money, sometimes snatching ladies bags.
“We will not give criminals any chance," he warned.
He called uponthe public to continue the noble cause of fighting and preventing crimes by not only informing Police of any security threats.

 

 

Kigali mulls incentives to real estate developers to lower housing burden

Batsinda estate in Kigali. Low cost housing remains a challenge in the city. The New Times/ File.
Housing burden in Kigali that is usually characterised by high cost of rent could soon be a thing of the past as the City of Kigali moves in to give incentives to real estate developers with prospects of investing in more affordable houses.

The incentives will include easy access to land, linking developers with commercial banks for credit financing, construction materials and negotiating tax incentives among many others. 

Addressing real estate developers in Kigali this week, Mayor Fidele Ndayisaba said the City would be negotiating partnerships with investors who are willing to invest in affordable housing.

The City says it is engaged in negotiations with Rwanda Revenue Authority to see how investors in low cost housing can be exempted from the 25 per cent tax on imported construction materials.

The tax was recently reinstated by government to encourage local production of raw materials. 

The move is aimed at mitigating the growing shortage of affordable or low-cost houses.

“Most people cannot afford houses in Kigali because for a long time developers have concentrated on developing high-end houses that target the rich. You find a house costing more than Rwf100 million or rented at $1,000 (about Rwf670,000), which most middle income earners cannot afford,” said Ndayisaba. 

He tipped investors on vast opportunities they stand to gain if they developed middle class affordable housing units. 

“The market is there, you only need to look where there are more clients,” Ndayisaba said.

According to 2012 study on affordable houses, Kigali has about 114,197 existing housing stock and more than 344,000 new dwellers are expected by 2022. 

Underlying factor

The study also revealed that only 3.7 per cent of the city population earns above Rwf900,000 monthly net salary and can afford premium mortgages. 

The study says 29.5 per cent of city dwellers earn between Rwf200,000 and Rwf900,000 per month and can only afford mid-range mortgages, while more than half of the population (54.1 per cent) earn between the Rwf33,500 and Rwf200,000. 

This latter category, according to the survey, can only afford low mortgages.

Lillian Mupende, the director of urban planning and one-stop centre in the City of Kigali, said they have selected three sites where affordable houses would be developed. They include Kinyinya and Ndera in Gasabo District, and Gahanga in Kicukiro District.

Investors were told that there is a big gap in housing for the middle class. 

In separate interviews, civil servants, most of whom fall in the income range of Rwf280,000 and Rwf400,000 net salary, argued that they struggle to find a residential house because developers seem not to have them in plans.

“We only see high-end houses being constructed by, say, Rwanda Social Security Board (RSSB) and other investors; Rwf50 million is their cheapest and no bank would give it to me at my salary,” said Jean Bosco Ntirenganya, who works with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Ntirenganya said under the current circumstances, he will never dream of owning a house in Kigali.

Damien Ndizeye, from the Consumer Protection Association, said developers are proposing houses which are not commensurate with consumers’ income.

“They (developers) are not tackling the biggest problem, as far as housing is concerned,” Ndizeye said.

Samson Rukundo, a banker, suggested that government, in considering any incentives, should look at only those that construct apartments, because the cost of land is too high.

Developers speak out

Developers say it is good news that the City of Kigali is seeking solution to the housing deficit.

“If social amenities such as roads, energy and water were readily available, our houses would really be affordable,” said Daniel Ufitikirezi, the deputy director-general in charge of funds management at RSSB.

Titien Taratibu, a developer, challenged his colleagues to learn to use wood in developing affordable housing, which he said makes it far cheaper.

“In Kampala (Uganda), there is a three-story house I built from wood. It is has been there for the past three decades and I think this is the kind of technology we should bring here,” he said.

But this suggestion triggered debate among his peers, with many saying wood is weak and cannot firmly support a multi-storied house. 

The developers agreed to work with the City of Kigali to conduct more research on the use of wood in construction as well as other mechanisms that may help lower the cost of housing.

Projection

Fred Rwihunda, the president of Institute of Engineers of Rwanda, said what is most important is a general agreement that housing problem exists in Kigali because that calls for collective action to address the shortfall.

A joint study by the European Union and City of Kigali says the city will have a deficient of 340,000 housing units in the next 10 years.

To fix this deficit, the City will have to construct 3,000 housing units annually.

Statistics show that Kigali has a population of about 1.2 million people, which is expected to reach 3.8 million by 2025. 

Contact email: editorial[at]newtimes.corw

 

 

Smart Kigali to Advance ICT for Better Service Delivery 
Published on 21-09-2013 - at 06:22' by IGIHE Reporter
http://en.igihe.com/science-technology/smart-kigali-to-advance-ict-for-better-service.html

Minister of Youth and ICT, Jean Philbert Nsengimana surfing on smart phone
The Ministry of Youth and ICT (MYICT), the City of Kigali in partnership with Rwanda Development Board (RDB), Rwanda Utilities and Regulatory Agency (RURA), Rwanda Hotel and Restaurant Association and major Telecom Operators on Friday, launched the Smart Kigali initiative.
The initiative is aimed at modernizing the lifestyle of Kigali City dwellers and visitors through use of ICT for better service delivery.
It is aimed at providing free broadband Wi-Fi Internet access in public places that include commercial buildings, Bus Stations, Airport, in public transport buses and cabs; Improving Internet connectivity and access in Hotels and restaurants; establishing online automated navigation system for direction using the newly implemented street and home addressing information system; Introducing automated ticketing and taxi meters in public transport; and electronic payments systems to improve financial services.
The Minister of Youth and ICT, Jean Philbert Nsengimana hailed the initiative saying, “Broadband is there to fast track business, information exchange, information generation and consumption; it’s a foundation of a knowledge economy. I expect this to accelerate our move from agriculture based economy to a knowledge based economy.”
The Mayor of the City of Kigali Fidele Ndayisaba noted, “This is yet another step in advancing the use of ICT in our city and it will enhance service delivery, access to information for the city residents”.
Ndayisaba also emphasized that High speed internet connection and easy access will also make the visitors’ experience in Kigali more enjoyable. He added, “the City of Kigali is committed to the use of ICT for a better City.”
To start with, free Wi-Fi in public places will be provided at Union Trade Center, Kigali City Tower, Kigali City Market, MTN Center, Nyabugogo Bus Park, Remera-Kisementi, Amahoro Stadium, Kigali Public Library, Kanombe International Airport, KBC, Kacyiru Ministere, KIST and KIE.
Internet connectivity at these sites will be powered by BSC Ltd, MTN Rwanda, TIGO Rwanda Ltd, AIRTEL, LIQUID Telecom and ISPA.
Automated taxi meters have also been installed in some taxicabs showing the fare to be charged for a trip. The automated taxi meters will protect both drivers and passengers from fare-based conflicts.
To improve financial services, the Electronic Payments Systems have been enhanced to promote efficient use of existing payments systems such as ATM’s VISA cards and others that facilitate electronic transactions.
All these services will position Kigali not only as a clean city but also a connected and smart city.

 

Farmers warned on disease-prone maize

Kalibata speaks to farmers and the media on Wednesday. Saturday Times/Jean d’Amour Mbonyinshuti
Farmers in the Northern Province have been warned against planting a certain maize variety that is prone to diseases, and advised to uproot those that have shown symptoms of any disease. 

The Minister for Agriculture, Dr Agnes Kalibata, issued the warning on Wednesday in Rulindo after her meeting with district officials in charge of economic affairs, district and sector agronomists and heads of cooperatives in the province.

She assured farmers supply of good seed varieties to replace those that have been attacked.

The maize brand in question is called Hybrid Pannar 691 which officials said will be replaced with Poll9A and ZM and Poll8.

The most affected districts are Gakenke where hybrid was planted in at least six sectors and Burera where the seed covers five sectors.

Other affected districts are Musanze and Rulindo while the only district that is not affected is Gicumbi.

Kalibata said the disease is no longer a threat as it was detected at the beginning of planting season and farmers will be either facilitated to replace them with others or plant other crops such as beans instead.

The disease is seed borne not a soil borne, uprooting them and plant new ones and avert potential losses, she added

“After distributing it we discovered through research that this type of maize is prone to disease. We are keen on following up where they have been planted, we have experts who will take samples for lab testing, farmers are advised to replace them whenever the disease manifests,” she said.

She said new seeds to replace the affected ones will be available and farmers would start replacing them by Friday (yesterday).

The affected variety, she said, is the same the government had imported since 2007 but the disease was clear this year.

The symptoms of the disease are detected in the initial stages after planting, officials said.

Early this week, the Ministry of Agriculture issued a directive through the media asking farmers to stop planting hybrid seeds and uproot what had been planted.

The warning raised concerns amongst the farmers complaining it was too late for the ministry to issue the warning because a lot had already been invested in planting this variety. 

“We wish we had been warned before we started planting, we have used more energy and resources...we used our manure, we have no hope we will benefit from new seeds,” said one farmer in Rulindo, preferring anonymity.

But Kalibata said, “This year we wanted to have maize planted on a bigger area and ordered for more quantity, we got it when it was already planting season and we distributed before testing them, providers might have given us infected seeds.”

Aime Bosenibamwe, the governor of Northern Province, said though attacked hybrid was planted on a big area, there was still a hope that farmers will harvest a lot once they replaced it with available substitutes. 

“We can’t say it is a major threat  and that it will affect farmers, the farming season started early last week and once farmers do their best to replace infected seeds with new ones, agronomists and local leaders and heads of cooperatives are encouraged to help farmers understand this for it is in their best interest,” said Bosenibamwe.

Officials said there would be direct collaboration with agriculture experts who will be doing sampling of suspected hybrid and examining it in laboratory and that results will be out within four days.

Contact email: jmbonyinshuti[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

Street vendors appeal for support

A woman vends bananas in Kigali. There is an estimated 7,000 street vendors in Kigali. The New Times/ John Mbanda
Hundreds of street vendors from City of Kigali (CoK) last week appealed to city authorities and the Minister of Gender and Family Promotion for support to help them formalise their businesses.

The vendors, whose operations are deemed illegal, claim lack of funds leads them to indulge in this business saying they should be supported to join formal markets.

Most women and mainly young men are always found at busy street corners selling merchandise. Women carry basketfuls of fruits and vegetables while the young men and girls vend clothes and accessories. 

CoK, police and gender ministry convened the meeting with the vendors at Nyamirambo Regional Stadium to collectively look for a solution to the problem of street vendors who earn so little from the hazardous work.

They said that much as markets were constructed and they are being urged to join the markets, they lack start-up capital and cannot, with the handful of merchandise they tout, make it in a market environment.

Clotilde Uwamurera, one of the street vendors said “we totally agree that we operate in a disorderly manner but we just cannot survive in a market.”

Uwamurera said she cannot afford a place in a formal market with her earnings of Rwf 2,000 a day.

Another woman, Vicencia Uwambajimana, who hawks bread from Nyabugogo Taxi Park, said everyday she spends Rwf 2,000 to buy the bread from which she gets Rwf5,00 as profit.

With this profit, she is required to meet her monthly rent of Rwf10,000 as well as providing for her two children who are currently in primary school.

Government cares 

“We understand our women are hard workers. That they are in business is good news. We are here to hear from them and then share with them some programmes that will help them streamline their business and grow,” said Gender minister Odda Gasinzigwa.

Gasinzigwa said they want to work collectively as government institutions to see what can be done to help these people especially by mainstreaming them into different programmes that have already been set up.

Stremalining businesses 

The programmes include Kuremera, which consists of providing start up funds to prospective businesspersons, organizing them into cooperatives that can help them access loans from established funds for women and youth.

Gasingwa said some of the street vendors are even young enough to enrol for Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET).

CoK Mayor Fidele Ndayisaba said “small and medium enterprises form the largest part of the business community in the world and many people live off it; once streamlined, these people will not only provide for themselves, but to the nation as a whole.”

He said, however, street vendors should have an optimistic mindset. 

Street vendors are estimated to be above 7,000 in Kigali.

Officials condemned people who usurp the powers of security agents and mistreat street vendors.

Contact email: jean.tabaro[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

 

Exploited as a house girl, ends up a sex worker

Desperation forced Uwimana to try out prostitution to earn a living. Sunday Times/Moses Opobo
Out of despair. Most young girls choose to sell their bodies as the only way to eke out a living. It is a deplorable fact that this goes on in Rwanda and many other countries around the world. 19-year-old Jackie Uwimana (not real name) tells Gilbert Mwijuke how desperation forced her into the horrible world at a tender age.
I was born to subsistence farmers in Kibungo District 19 years ago. I dropped out of school before completing primary level due to financial constraints. I subsequently left my parents’ home because they could no longer afford to fend for me and my siblings”, she narrated.
Coming to Kigali 
“In 2010, a friend of mine brought me to Kigali with promises of getting me a job as a house girl. She got me the job in Kacyiru, where I was promised a monthly salary of Rwf12,000.
Unfortunately, I went for six months without pay. Still, I kept the job because of one reason: I had nowhere to go. The mere thought of going back to the grim world I had left in my village gave me goose bumps. Life had battered me from there. 
Things moved from bad to worse when I became pregnant and my bosses gave me the boot. And to rub salt into the wound, the man who was responsible for my pregnancy denied it. In fact, he denies it to date. So, left with no choice, I had to return to my village in Kibungo. 
I later gave birth to a beautiful baby girl whom I named Teta. But Teta was not such a little bundle of joy; her arrival made life even harder for me. 
When Teta was about to make two years, I decided to leave her in my mother’s care and return to Kigali to look for another job. I was determined to get a job that would help me fend for my child. Luckily for me, I got one at a restaurant in Remera, as a waitress. But this one, too, was the same story as the first one: I went for the first three months without pay. I was only paid after I reported my case to the Umudugudu (local council) authorities.
But this meant that I had to look for another job – and somewhere else to stay. 
Induction into prostitution  
My induction into sex work came when a friend of mine who lived in Kabagali (in Kacyiru, a Kigali city suburb) took me in. She was older than me and at first I didn’t know that she was a sex worker. Unlike me, my prostitute friend never worried about rent, food, nice clothes … she almost always had money for nice things. I cannot say that she was rich – most sex workers earn just enough to afford them the basics – but she was financially secure. She also looked cool – at least in my eyes. 
Every evening she patronised a trendy hangout near Alpha Palace in Remera where she met her clients. To a village girl like me, her life seemed sort of glamorous. Better still, she earned an average of Rwf15,000 per day, which made the idea of prostitution even more attractive to me. Rwf15,000 was even more than what I was supposed to be earning as monthly salary when I was still working as a house girl!  
One day my friend told me that I should also start ‘working’ because I was becoming a burden to her.  
But despite my financial dilemma and admiration for my friend, I never ideated myself selling my little body to earn a living. But my child’s welfare prodded me into this disgraceful profession. My mum would call me regularly to tell me how Teta had fallen sick or how she needed this or that. At this point, one thing was for sure: I needed a source of income badly. 
In the days leading up to my first sex job, I was appallingly queasy. I kept going over all the things that could go wrong. You see, I never really knew what prostitution was all about. The idea of having sex with a stranger and getting paid at the end of it all was very fresh to me. 
When my friend got me my first client, my legs were shaking as we entered his house. I was not sure what to expect. Half the time I was glamorising my new profession and imagining all the money I would be making; the other half I was panicking over the countless things that could go wrong. Thank God nothing awful happened that night. 
My first client paid me Rwf7,000, and this marked  the beginning of a long-lasting career in prostitution. Today, I am no longer concerned about sex. I have sex with strangers so regularly that it has become just a way of earning a living. Unlike other human beings, I no longer derive any pleasure from sex. 
On a good day I sleep with between 8-10 men and earn about Rwf15,000. Men pay depending on where they find you. If he finds you in Kabagali (a slum in Kacyiru), he’ll even give you as little as Rwf1,000; if he finds you in a swanky nightclub, he won’t mind paying you as much as Rwf15,000.  
But even though I am now able to regularly send my mum some money for my child’s upkeep, I live in regret because I know I am treading a path to self-destruction. And what hurts me most is that my mum thinks I still work at the restaurant. I wonder what she would do if she got to know of my source of income. I wish I could find something else to do”.
Contact email: gilbert.mwijuke[at]newtimes.co.rw

What a sad life

 07:49:36 Sunday 15th, September 2013 Toronto - Joy
Reply | Close
This is really sad!!!! May God rescue her and several others who languishing in this! Our Local Leadership, Central Government and Development partners need to urgent do something. Church Leaders, Preach reach out for the perishing souls!
All of us, should get up and protect our values, culture and Image that depicts true Rwanda that forefathers excepted to be.
My Dear Sister Jackie, God will compensate your life, if you turn to HIM and make your plea. May Almighty God help us in this battle.

 09:02:00 Sunday 15th, September 2013 Kanombe - EK

 

Press release from Rwanda National Police

14 September 2013
Kigali-Rwanda
A grenade exploded Saturday afternoon in Kicukiro District, Kicukiro Sector. One person died and eight others sustained minor injuries.
The injured are admitted at the Rwanda Military Hospital and the University Teaching Hospital of Kigali (CHUK).
One person was apprehended after a tip-off by the public.
Rwanda National Police asks the public to remain calm as investigations continue to bring to justice whoever is behind the attack.
It extends its condolences to the families of the victims and thanks the general public for their continued cooperation and support.
The public is reminded to use the following Police lines to provide information related to security:112, 0788-31-11-62, 0788-31-11-63, 0788-31-15-50.
ACP Damas Gatare
Police Spokesperson

 

Experts call for conservation of endangered grey crowned cranes

More efforts are needed to conserve and protect the remaining Grey Crowned Cranes to attract more tourists.
Environment officials and experts from the species’ key range states made the call yesterday at a meeting in Musanze District to chat ways to protect and conserve the birds.
Participants noted that Grey Crowned Cranes, which are found in Eastern and Southern Africa, have faced a dramatic decline over the past decades, due to loss or deterioration of their habitats, illegal removal of birds and eggs from the wild for food, traditional use, domestication and illegal trade.
Estimates show that currently Rwanda has about 500 cranes down from 1,000  a few years ago.
“The population of Grey Crowned Cranes is drastically declining, the workshop is about drafting an action plan which can be adopted by range states to reverse the downward trend,” Marie Laetitia Busokeye, Director of Research and Environmental Planning at Rwanda Environment Management (Rema) said. 
The message, she added, is that wildlife is important for ecological balance, and economic development so it is always important to protect the biodiversity and especially the Grey Crown Cranes.
Statistics  
The three-day workshop was organised by Rema in partnership with the Secretariat of the African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement (UNEP/AEWA Secretariat), the International Crane Foundation and the Endangered Wildlife Trust Partnership.
The participating countries are DR Congo, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Zambia and Burundi.
In Rwanda, Rugezi wetland in Gicumbi District is the home for the cranes, with over 108, according to a survey conducted in 2009 though there are several other sites scattered throughout the country.
Prof. Laurent Ntahuga from Burundi said the cranes are so loved and attractive that some people were named after them.
He, however, noted that nowadays farmers have destroyed their habitats.
“We had over 600 (in Burundi) in 2006 but now we have less than 100. There is a need to enforce the law, we already have laws but are not implemented,” said Ntahuga who is the chief of an association protecting birds in Burundi.
Overall estimates suggest that the species’ global population has declined from over 100,000 in 1985 to between 50,000 and 64,000 in 2004.
Since the population is declining rapidly, the current population size is likely to be lower than this, officials said.
******
PROTECTION DRIVE
In an effort to protect the Grey Crowned Crane, Rwanda classified it in the protected birds as it is stated in the Ministerial Order No.007/2008 of 15/08/2008 establishing the list of protected animal and plant species.
This discouraged cranes poachers as it is prohibited to kill, injure and capture animals of the endangered species, destroy or damage habitats, larvae, pupae and the young animals of the endangered species.
Any person who poaches, sells, injures or kills a gorilla or other endangered animal species shall be liable to a term of imprisonment of more than five to 10 years and a fine of Rwf 500,000 to Rwf 5,000,000 under article 94 of the Organic Law N° 04/2005 of 08/04/2005.
Contact email: jmbonyinshuti[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

‘

Musanze farmers decry attacks by park animals

Despite the opportunities that come with neighbouring the Volcano National Park, some residents of Bisate (Kinigi) in Musanze District, complain that animals from the park have continued to destroy their crops, thus compromising food security in the area.

Speaking to The New Times in separate interviews, some of the affected residents said they have abandoned growing of certain crops like corn, beans and vegetables due to raids by buffaloes.

The farmers have resorted to growing potatoes and pyrethrum which are not prone to animal raids, they said last week.

Cecile Kakuze, one of the residents, said buffalos often stray and destroy maize gardens.

 “We do not store any produce. That is why, in this area, we face food shortages,” she said.

Faustin Hakizimana, another resident, appealed to relevant authorities to fence off the park boundaries with a strong parameter wall. 

He added that they have always complained to Rwanda Development Board that animals constitute a big problem to their farming activities.

“The animals benefit the country. But the problem is with the authorities who do not want to compensate us for our destroyed farms yet they know we depend on our farms,” Hakizimana lamented.

They said previously the animals in the park were not too many but they have since multiplied.

The animals stray into the fields frequently, especially in dry season. For gorillas, their most preferable diet is bamboo shoots but some time they eat bananas,  beans and potatoes, according to residents.

“If it was not for animal raids, we would have more food since our soils are suitable for all crops,” another resident said.

Promise

Winfrida Mpembyemungu, the Mayor of Musanze District,  admitted that animals destroy residents’ farms but said the victims are set to be compensated.

“RDB has set up a guarantee fund for those whose crops are destroyed and this fund will handle these problems,” she said.

The authorities said victims will receive their compensation after filling claim forms at the sector level.

Prosper Uwingeli, the National Volcanoes Park Manager, said they are rolling out a programme which will see affected residents reporting to local leaders to enable speedy compensation but said human-wildlife conflict is a big challenge.

 “We do not want people to suffer because of Volcanoes Park  wildlife. We normally try to prevent buffaloes from straying outside the park and whereever we find escape route we tighten the fence,” he said. “We wish to have a strong fence, but it is a long process which will take a long time.” 

According to RDB, more than Rwf1.4 billion has been spent on  community projects since 2005 in 41 sectors bordering the three national parks under the revenue sharing scheme to help reduce human-wild life conflict.

The five per cent tourism revenue sharing programme targets communities around the national parks of Volcanoes (north), Nyungwe (west), and Akagera in the east.

Contact email: editorial[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

 

200 street beggars train in life skills

The National Council of People with Disabilities (NCPD) has trained 200 street beggars in various life skills as part of a campaign aimed at ending begging on Kigali streets.

The training started at the launch of the anti- begging campaign organised by the National Council of People with Disabilities in partnership with Rwanda Bureau of Services and Development (RBSD) last week.

The campaign, the first of its kind, sought to empower the beggars with skills in various fields, including carpentry, tailoring, weaving baskets and salon dressing.

Emmanuel Ndayisaba, the executive secretary of the NCPD, encouraged beneficiaries, who included those with disabilities to form cooperatives and engage in income generating activities.

 “Begging can never be a solution to improve our lives, but we must make all efforts to ride high or overcome challenges to engage in creative business to improve our lives,” he said.

Christopher Cyubahiro, the  information officer RBSD, said that many of the disabled persons still consider begging as their own way of earning a livelihood, but they need to get involved in income-generating activities to become self reliant.



Solutions 

“Self employment will be the only solution to fight unemployment among people living with disabilities,” he said.

He called on all people who have the tendency of begging to focus on developmental ideas instead of sitting on the streets to beg.

It was noted that employed people with disabilities are still very few which leaves them in extreme poverty.

One of the former beggars, John Bumvumwe who trained in basket weaving said life was not easy because of his physical disability.  And he hoped the new skills will help him lead a dignified life.

Walking on crutches, the father of three recalled that he used to leave Nyamirambo in Nyarugenge every morning to sit on strategic streets in downtown Kigali to beg.

“Since I had no job and no money to run my own business, begging was my last option to survive,” said the elderly man who lost a leg to  polio at a very tender age.

“I resorted to begging in order to fend for my primary school going children and wife, who is also physically handicapped due to a road accident.”

But he is now on a new trajectory. 

“With the skills I now have, life is going to be diffrent,” he said.

Contact email: editorial[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

City dwellers frustrated by persistent water shortage

Kigali residents buy water stored in a ‘bladder’ reservoir. The New Times/File
They say water is life. And because life is a whole bank of absurdity, perhaps there is no paradox at all in the situation in which City of Kigali dwellers find themselves in as taps keep dry, only sputtering to life once in a while.
For the better part of last month, Gikondo, Kicukiro, Samuduha, Kimisange, Busanza, Remera, Nyamirambo,  Kanombe, and Kabeza suburbs suffered water shortage. The trend has yet to be reversed. This has affected most businesses in the areas.
When The New Times visited Kajecye well in Kabeza at the weekend, there were winding queues of residents from the neighbouring Remera and Kanombe suburbs waiting to fetch water from the only source in the area. 
Andre Rumanzi, a resident of Kabeza, said he had returned home to dry taps for a whole week.
The Energy, Water and Sanitation Authority (EWSA) attributes the shortage to “irresponsible and excessive” use of water and the dry season amid rising demand mostly in the City of Kigali.  
Water consumption per capita, according to EWSA, has significantly increased as a result of economic development of the country and the increasing number of Kigali residents, in particular, yet the investment in water has not increased at the same pace in the last 20 years. 
Seeing the roses in crisis
Augustin ‘Mzee’ Ruremesha, a businessman in Giporoso, Remera, is cashing in on the shortage. 
Ruremesha says he sells more than 100 jerrycans of water daily and sometimes doubles when there is a water crisis in neighbourhoods like Samuduha, Kanombe and Kabeza.
“I sell a  jerrycan of water at Rwf100 and there are some people who come to fetch here and resell the water at a higher price. I always reserve like 2,000 litres of water in my tanks.”
Adapting to the shortage
The issue of water shortage is affecting many people, but in some areas, residents appear resigned to the scarcity.
Geoffrey Tumushime, from Gikondo, said at times they go for two weeks without water, forcing them to buy jerrycans of water each at Rwf100.
“Doing laundry is now a luxury. Sometimes I don’t cook and just eat in a restaurant. I also have a problem with sanitation since there is no running water. EWSA should seriously look into this issue.”
However, Theoneste Minani, the director of water in EWSA, dismissed the general outcry as “exaggerated.”
“People should not exaggerate; since it’s now raining, water shortage is not a problem to cause us headache,” Minani said.
He said it is southern Kigali that is still experiencing shortage, especially in areas like Gikondo, Kicukiro, Samuduha, Kimisange and Busanza in Kicukiro District. 
Institutions
Many institutions say their operations have been affected because the water supply does not meet the demand.
At Riviera High School in Rusororo, Gasabo District, administration said they have not had water for the past three weeks. The school says already it has spent about Rwf4m on water, which they buy at Rwf100,000 a truck. 
“We have no choice and can’t close the school,” John Okech, the director, said. “We hope for the best with the onset of rain.” 
Yet EWSA officials refuted the Riviera claims, saying the school’s neighbourhood has no problem of water shortage.
At Kigali Institute of Education (KIE), they use 100,000 litres cubic meters (100 m3) of water per day, yet EWSA provides them with barely half of that unit.
Jean Damascène Niyonzima, in charge of maintenance at the university, said: “Since 2003, we asked EWSA to give us a private channel that we do not share with the other clients, we had even paid Rwf6m for the project, but they did not consider it.”
He added: “We are obliged to share the little we have but there is a cost for that; we have a big population and sanitation might become a problem if nothing changes.”
KIE has more than 8,000 students, plus 300 staff. Much of the water goes to the toilets, kitchen and general cleaning.
EWSA said KIE case is special because the school is actually supplied through lower capacity infrastructure and water reaches their tanks at lower pressure.
A study of the project that would address the issue is worth Rwf20 million, he said.
“It’s an issue we shall discuss with the Ministry of Education”, said Minani.
Contact email: editorial[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

 

Danish firm to construct packaging plant in Kigali

A Danish company has announced plans to set up a plant in Kigali to make Oxo-biodegradable packaging materials.
Field Advice APS, manufacturers of food packaging materials, is currently carrying out feasibility study to set up a factory in Kigali Special Economic Zone.
It is not yet clear how much the company will sink into the project, although some sources intimated to this paper it could range between $3 million (Rwf1.9 billion) and $5 million (Rwf3.2 billion). 
Mark Remmy, the company’s general manager, said the move is in line with their trade plan to expand to the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States.
“We plan to have our factory operational in Kigali Economic Zone by January 2014 if all goes as planned. Rwanda is one the fastest growing economies in Africa, and as investors, we must be there,” he said. 
Remmy said they will be shipping the production machines to Kigali as soon as the licensing and related paperwork is concluded.
Robert Muhizi, the division manager in charge of manufacturing in the trade at Rwanda Development Board, said they are facilitating the company to get started by next month.
Muhizi said the structure to operate from is already in place at the Special Economic Zone, adding that the sample materials presented were found to meet the required environmental standards.
Burden of scarcity
Lack of locally produced packaging materials has continued to affect local producers, especially exporters, as they continue to import expensive materials for packaging.
Expensive packaging materials means an increase in the cost of production, and this affects the price of the finished goods, putting local traders at a competitive disadvantage on the regional and international markets.
Traders say that in banning the use of plastic bags by the government eight years ago, there was no sustainable alternative devised, and while local traders cannot dare pack their products in plastic bags, some products packed in the banned bags from regional countries are still sneaked into shelves of various grocery stores in Kigali.
Warda Umuringa, who owns Umuringa Supermarket in Kisementi, said lack of locally made packaging products is a business hindrance.
“I gave up snacks business because of lack of affordable packaging materials. This could come as a relief if the company produces transparent packaging materials,” she said.
Field Advice APS produces the same products in Europe and the US.
Contact email: eric.kabeera[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

 

City launches new public transport system today

OLD ORDER: Scenes like this are expected to be history as the new order kicks off today. The New Times / File photo
A new public transport system comes into force across the City of Kigali today. The move is backed by the City of Kigali and the Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Authority (Rura). 

This follows the signing of contracts between Rura, the City of Kigali and the three transport companies that won tenders to provide public transport in the city early this month.

The firms are Royal Express Transport Company, Kigali Bus Service and the Rwanda Federation of Transport Co-operatives (RFTC). The companies will operate on four different zones, with Kigali Bus Service covering Zone I, Royal Express operating Zone II, while RFTC takes zones III and IV. The Central Business District is a neutral zone accessed by by all the public transport vehicles, city authorities said.

Routes for Zone I

Zone I routes are Remera Taxi park-kuri 15-Ndera, Remera Taxi park-kuri 15-Murindi-Masaka and Masaka-Musaka Hospital-Gahoromani market-Kabuga Taxi Park. Others are Remera Taxi park-Sonatubes-Kicukiro Centre and Remera Taxi Park- Sonatubes-Rwandex-Gikondo (Nyenyeri)- Bwerankoli.

Routes for Zone II

Routes for Zone II are Saint Joseph-Kicukiro Centre de Sante- Sonatubes-Rwandex- Chez Rubangura-EWSA HQ, Saint Joseph-La Luna d’or- Kicukiro Centre-Zone Temple-Rwandex-Chez Rubangura- EWSA HQ, and Nyanza Taxi Park- Kicukiro centre- Gatenga- Magerwa-Chez Rubangura-EWASA HQ. Nyanza Taxi Park-Kicukiro centre- Zione Temple- Rwandex- Nyabugogo Taxi Park, Bwerankoli- Nyenyeri- SEGEM- Rugunga- ETO-Statistique, Bwerankoli- Nyenyeri-SEGEM- Kanogo-Nyabugogo, and Kicukiro centre-Sonatubes-Gishushu-Kacyiru Minisitere. Others include Kicukiro Centre-Nyanza-Karembure, Kicukiro Centre-Nyanza-Gahanga, Kicukiro Centre-Kagarama-Ku Muyange, and Kicukiro Centre-Gatenga-Magerwa-Nyenyeri-Bwerankoli.

Routes for Zone III

Zone III  routes are ETO-CHUK-BK-Kimihurura-RDB-Nyarutarama-Kagugu-FAWE-ULK- Kinamba-Muhima- ETO, Bumbogo (Azam roundabout)-Zindiro-Kimironko Taxi Park-Lando-Kimihurura-ETO-CHUK-BK, and ETO-Muhima-Kinamba-Gakinjiro-FAWE-Kagugu Primary School-Batsinda. Others are ETO-Kimihurura-KBC-Kacyiru Ministeres-Kacyiru sector office-Mama Sportif, and Nyabugogo Taxi Park-Kinamba-Kacyiru-Kimironko Taxi Park, Kimironko Taxi Park-Bibare-Prison Kimironko-Kimironko Taxi Park, and Kimironko Taxi Park-KIE-Bibare-Mushumba mwiza-Ku Cya Mitzig-Remera Taxi park- KIE-Kimironko Taxi Park.

Kimironko Taxi park- Controle technique-Umudugudu Urwego-RDB, Kimironko Taxi park-Kibagabaga Hospital-Caima- Nyarutarama-Kabuga ka Nyarutarama-Junction Kinyinya, and Kibagabaga- Kibagabaga Hospital-Kimironko Taxi Park, and Bumbogo (Zindiro)-Rutunga.

Zone IV routes  

Zone IV routes are CHUK-BK-ETO-Gakinjiro-Gitega-Biryogo-Rafiki-Ku rya Nyuma, Sulfo-ETO-Muhima-Nyabugogo-Kimisagara-Nyakabanda-Tapis Rouge, Sulfo-ETO-Muhima-Nyabugogo-Gatsata-Karuruma- Nyacyonga, Nyabugogo-Giticyinyoni-Runda, and Nyamirambo (ku rya nyuma)-kuri 40-Biryogo-Cercle sportif de Rugunga-Kanogo-Poids Lourd-Nyabugogo Taxi Park.Others include Nyamirambo-Rwarutabura-Mageragere, Nyacyonga- Rutunga, Karuruma-Gihogwe-Jali and Jabana-Nduba.

The five-year contracts to operate the routes are renewable on satisfactory service delivery, city authorities said.  

The firms will be operating from 5am through 11pm, according to officials. The officials noted that the move aims at improving public transport in the city in accordance with the Public Transport Policy and Strategy for Rwanda.

Fidele Ndayisaba, the City of Kigali mayor, challenged the new operators to serve according to public expectations and standards set by the city authority.  

“We would like to see a more organised public transport in the city and its suburbs. An organised public transport system provides safety and efficiency, which will expand business opportunities,” he said.

State minister for infrastructure Alexis Nzahabwanimana said route allocation and bundling will reduce traffic congestion in the city while inspecting transport operators on Tuesday.

Contact email: business[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

Plans underway to decentralise family planning

Community health workers could soon start distributing family planning products in their respective areas if plans to decentralise the programme are endorsed.

According to Dr Leonald Kagabo, the in charge of family planning programme at the Ministry of Health, involving community health workers in family planning campaigns would increase the percentage of women using contraceptives in the country.

This is because the health workers operate right within the villages and can easily spearhead the programme thus making it more successful. 

“Community health workers are the ones who have a daily contact with residents in their village; mobilisation and service provision are thus very easy for them,” he told The New Times. 

Health workers will be highly trained on the use of contraceptive methods, including injection, pills, condoms as well as providing advice for the various family planning methods, Kagabo said.   

However, first-time seekers of the services will directly receive them from health centres where they would be advised on which method to use, according to the official.

Family planning products have been distributed majorly through public and private health facilities but officials believe decentralising the programme would help improve the numbers of people using them.

Fifty two per cent of women in Rwanda use contraceptives; 45 per cent use modern contraceptives, while 6 per cent use traditional methods, according to the latest Demographic Health Survey report.

Contact email: editorial[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

Kamonyi farmers get organic fertiliser making skills

With the new skills, the farmers hope to double their production. The New Times/File.
FARMERS in Kamonyi District hope to double their production after learning how to make high-quality organic fertilisers.

In a session held over the weekend, the farmers grouped under several cooperatives were taught how to make the fertiliser by mixing plants, green herbs, household organic waste, ash and water to produce the compost, a rich organic fertiliser.

The training, held in Kayumbu marshland, was organised by Rwanda Rural Rehabilitation Initiative (RWARRI) through its Improving productivity and Market Access project.

The project targets 18,000 farmers in the districts of Kamonyi and Muhanga of the Southern Province and Rwamagana and Ngoma in the East.

Two maize and soya beans farmers from each cooperative operating in Kamonyi were trained and they will in return, train others.    

Celestin Ndahimana, the president of COPABU, one of the cooperatives, said that the acquired skills will help them address the issue of lack of fertilisers. 

Training others  

“It’s very hard for us to find enough household organic waste since we all don’t have cows or goats. With this technique we will no longer face the problem,” said Ndahimana.”

Febronie Mujawabasindi, a member of another cooperative COPABUKI, said she would share the skills with other farmers in her area.

“I will also carry the skills acquired today to my village,” Mujawabasindi said, noting that the whole process is not costly since everybody can find water, dry and green herbs or household waste. 

The Improving Productivity and Market Access project manager, Bel Ange Uwizeye told The New Times that they opted for this technique as it was proven rich and easy to make.

He added that they wanted to align their project with government’s policy of improving agricultural productivity using a mixture of natural and chemical fertilisers. 

The vice mayor of Kamonyi District in charge of economic and development, Claudine Uwineza, said the initiative is in line with efforts to boost agriculture productivity and expressed hope the training would lead to increased agricultural productivity in this district once farmers follow all instructions. 

Contact email: editorial[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

Mentors Trained, Receive Laptops, Projectors, Modems 
Published on 23-08-2013 - at 09:11' by IGIHE Reporter
http://en.igihe.com/news/mentors-trained-receive-laptops-projectors-modems.html
The Rwanda Education Board (REB) and partners held an ICT training in Nyamata, Bugesera for senior mentors from Monday to Friday this week.
Each of the 60 mentors—part of the School-based Mentoring (SBM) Program—received netbooks and projectors, provided by the USAID-funded Literacy, Language, and Learning (L3) Initiative, as well as internet modems, from FHI 360.
The ICT tools will facilitate mentors in planning, reporting, accessing resources and communications forums, and in supporting school-based mentors.
REB’s SBM Program, which began last year, aims to provide primary 1 to senior 3 teachers across the country with continuous professional development to ultimately impact student learning outcomes.
Each of the 60 senior mentors works with 16 school-based mentors, who support teachers at two schools, specifically on English language and pedagogy.
"The program started last year as a follow-up to English language being a medium of instruction in Rwandan schools," said Damian Ntaganzwa, head of REB’s Teacher Development and Management department. "Teachers are receptive to the use of English language; they are eager to learn."
Netbooks, projectors, and modems will support mentors. Templates for planning and reporting are already loaded onto the netbooks, and modems will allow mentors to access forums through the Rwanda Education Portal, where they can access resources, discuss challenges and successes with other mentors, and communicate with REB.
Additionally, mentors will use the projectors to present interactive video modules in their sessions with school-based mentors.
Videos demonstrate professional mentoring behavior, such as example meetings between teachers and mentors, monitoring in the classroom, and staff introduction. "As they watch they learn better, rather than you telling them," said senior mentor Betty Mukashema, who will be based in Nyarugenge district.
At the training, mentors explored Microsoft word, excel, and the internet, particularly for accessing online forums set up for mentors. "I’m very, very confident, and it’s because of this training," said senior mentor Aluma Adnan, from Uganda. "I’m completely changed, I’m an ICT man."
Funded by USAID, the L3 Initiative is implemented by Education Development Center (EDC) in partnership with REB and with assistance from Voluntary Services Overseas (VSO), Concern Worldwide, International Education Exchange, and the Peace Corps.

 

Kagame roots for modern farming

President Kagame discusses the benefits of storage facilities with Joseph Gafaranga, one of the farmers from across the country whose harvest have grown from a few hundred kilogrammes of maize per hectare to one tonne. Saturday Times/ Village Urugwiro.
The private sector should scale up investment in modern farming to help increase food production and create a steady agriculture export base, President Paul Kagame has said.

The Head of State was speaking yesterday at the inauguration of a grain seed processing plant and modern storage facilities at Kigali Special Economic Zone (KSEZ) in Nyandungu Sector, Gasabo District.

The President observed that a new approach was needed if the country is to achieve a total transformation of the agriculture sector.

“Focus should shift to directly working with smallholding farmers across the country to add value to their agricultural practices through modern farming methods; that way, will be able to produce enough for domestic consumption and get surplus for markets,” he said.

Among the inaugurated facilities include a grain plant, warehouses, power tiller assembly plant as well as a fish collection, processing and distribution facility.

Kagame pointed out that there are available markets out there but one would only benefit from them if they used modern farming methods that would guarantee high yields consequently satisfying the demand.

He said improving agriculture remained a top government priority since transforming the sector would present an opportunity to further eradicate poverty.

The President hailed the investors in the new Agriculture Park saying the new facilities will serve as a vehicle to help achieve the country’s economic targets.

“Our country’s economy is heavily dependent on agriculture since almost all Rwandans are engaged in agriculture, therefore modern farming techniques would have a huge impact on our economy,” the President noted.

Rwandans are aware of the benefits of modern farming but few translated that knowledge into action, Kagame said.

“Knowledge is very important but it’s not enough. From knowledge, we must get something tangible that impacts people’s lives and makes a difference.

“We can’t just feel proud of having knowledge and skills and at the end of the day we are not getting what we should be getting out of that, it doesn’t make sense.”

He added: “We must get something out of that knowledge. We have been saying the same thing time and again. For instance, in subsistence agriculture one can only harvest hundreds of kilogrammes of maize on one hectare but with modern farming, you can produce more than 10 tonnes on the same area.”

“Imagine from hundreds of kilogrammes to tonnes; what is lacking to realise this? Kagame wondered.

Pledging government’s support and saying that development partners were willing to lend a hand in this campaign,   President Kagame challenged the private sector and Rwandans in general to work harder to develop themselves and country, with the ultimate goal of being self-reliant.

“The private sector should be an integral part of lifting Rwandans out of poverty. We shouldn’t remain in a situation of being recipients of aid, why can’t we strive to be the ones who provide assistance to others. We cannot afford slow progress, our circumstances demand that we move fast.”

The President emphasised that modern agriculture would not only help ensure food security but also help eradicate malnutrition and lift the people out of poverty.

The inaugurated agriculture facilities at KSEZ are part of a broader national blueprint to help revolutionalise the sector making it a major pillar for national development.

A storage facility, one of the components of the newly inaugurated Agriculture Park, includes a storeroom with capacity of 20,000 metric tonnes that can keep grain for a period of five years.

There is also a grain seed processing plant with a capacity to produce 10,000 tonnes of high quality seeds annually.

Dr Agnes Kalibata, the Agriculture Minister, said that Rwanda remained steadfast in its bid to ensure uninterrupted food security and food exports. 

“We are committed to increasing production and modern agriculture will help us to achieve our goals,” she said.

In the 2013/14 budget, the agriculture sector received a whopping Rwf164 billion, equivalent to 10 per cent of the national cake.

Attended by business leaders, government officials and farmers, the event also attracted scientists and researchers from several countries who are in Kigali to attend a conference on agricultural research and extension.

Contact email: frank.kanyesigye[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

Govt launches multi-million water and electricity projects

Prof. Lwakabamba (C), Amb. Ogawa (3rd L) and other officials at Musha electricity sub-station. The New Times S. Rwembeho. The New Times/ Stephen Rwemb eho.
The government has launched two multi-million projects that will ease access to clean water and electricity in Eastern Province.

The clean water project was completed at $15 million (about Rwf10 billion) and will serve at least 55,000 residents from Kirehe and Ngoma districts.

Prof. Silas Lwakabamba, the minister for infrastructure, who launched the water project, also flagged off another to upgrade, rehabilitate and expand the Musha sub-station, an energy distribution facility, which will be completed at a cost of $30m (about Rwf20b).

Both projects are executed by Energy, Water and Sanitation Authority (EWSA) with the support of Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica).

Speaking at the event in Rwamagana, Prof. Lwakabamba said the energy project will mitigate low access rate and severe power outages caused by the deteriorated equipment in the sub-station and distribution networks.

“Specifically, the plan is to upgrade the power system voltage in Musha and Rwinkwavu from 70kV to 110kV. It is a reinforcement that will reduce loss and increase reliability of power supply system in the province,” he said.

The minister said this was in line with government plan to increase access to electricity in the country to at least 70 per cent by 2017.

“We use different sources to access electricity. This is in line with the EDPRS long term programme. Target is that every sector in the country will have sufficient electricity,” he said.

Japanese Ambassador to Rwanda Kazuya Ogawa said his government was committed to helping Africa and Rwanda access water and electricity.

He said the projects would play a key role in the country’s socio-economic progress.

“Japan attaches much importance to economic development in Africa. Accelerating infrastructure development is one of the main enablers. Energy in rural and urban will move Rwanda faster, to a middle economy,” Ogawa said.

Steel plant sees roses

Mohd Zaheeruddin, the general manager of Rwamagana Steel Factory, was optimistic that the increase of electricity capacity at Musha sub-station would benefit his plant, which has for years struggled for sufficient energy.

The sub-station’s capacity will increase from 12 megawatts to 20 megawatts by April next year.

“Shortage of power greatly hampers our production. We currently operate below capacity because of electricity. That there is an increase of power at Musha is great news for us,” he said.

Access to electricity in Eastern Province is currently at 22 per cent.

Contact email: stephen.rwembeho[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

 

 

The road to generating 560 megawatts of energy

Nyabarongo Hydro Power Project in its first stages. EWSA estimates that the 563 MW target will require an investment capital equivalent to $1.8 billion over four years. The New Times/ File.
Government has set an ambitious energy production target to see 563 megawatts (MW) of energy realised by 2017 in order to reduce the country’s electricity deficit.

The target may seem far-fetched; however, considering the ongoing developments in the hydropower and alternative energy sources in the country, the government is on track to meet the high energy demands of a rapidly increasing population.

For Rwanda, like any other country in the region, lack of access to adequate power remains an obstacle to achieving development targets.

According to available statistics only 17 per cent of the population in Rwanda has access to electricity.

For the past few years, a lot has been invested in the extraction of methane gas in Lake Kivu and geothermal energy on Mount  Karisimbi. While no power has been extracted so far, officials have remained optimistic. Numerous targets were set for the power generation from the lake Kivu methane gas, however, none have been met. Yet, considering that additional financial agreements have been signed and works on site have proceeded, hope is not lost.

Promising projects

Speaking to The New Times last week Vincent Bahingana, a technical advisor at the Energy Water and Sanitation Authority (EWSA), said that 563MW target will require an investment capital estimated at $1.8 billion.

According to the energy sector strategic plan and roadmap 2013-2017, the government plans to increase the country’s installed capacity from 110.8MW to 563 MW by 2017 mainly from hydro, peat, methane, geothermal and solar.

“The target is achievable because of the promising ongoing projects and those ones in the pipeline. We hope to add 87MW to the national grid by the end of 2014 from 28MW Nyabarongo hydro power plant, Rukarara II hydro power plant (2.2MW), Giciye hydro power plant (4MW),  six micro hydro plants  with 4MW of Shili 1, Nyabahanga, Nyirabuhombohombo, Mukungwa II, Janja and Gashashi,” he explained.

He added that 25MW from Kivuwatt methane project, Gigawatt Global Solar Plant (8.5MW) and Gishoma peat plant (15MW) are among the projects that will enable the country achieve the set target.

According to EWSA, the planned power generation will comprise peat (estimated at 200MW), methane (additional 100MW), hydro (additional 63MW), geothermal (90MW) and solar 18.5MW).

Bahingana said that Rwanda is playing an active role in interconnection projects (mainly 220KV lines) with her neighbours especially Uganda, Burundi and Tanzania to import and export high capacity of energy.

He stated that the target was set based on projected growth in power demand for households, industries and commercial establishments, however, achieving the 2017 electricity target, requires massive investment from the private sector.

Since the beginning of 2013, Rwanda has signed million dollar projects including the $23 million (Rwf15 billion) energy deal with a Dutch firm to develop an 8.5 Megawatts solar power plant, Rwf241 billion agreement with an Indian company, Punj Lloyd to develop 100 MW of peat energy and a $15 million (Rwf9.7billion) with a Swiss firm, Renewable Energy For Accelerated Development (REFAD) to develop a 5 MW hydro power plants in the Southern Province among others.

Last week, the World Bank approved $340 million (about Rwf220 billion) toward financing of the long-awaited 80 MW Rusumo hydropower project that is expected to serve Rwanda, Tanzania and Burundi. 

Last year, in September, the government also signed 120MW peat energy pact with Hakan Mining and Generation Industry and Trade Inc, a Turkish firm to develop and manage a peat extraction and electricity generating plant.

The 220 million Euros plant will be located at South Akanyaru in Gisagara District in the Southern Province. It will be implemented in two phases with the first 80 MW coming by End of 2017 and remaining 40 MW by 2020.

Beyond the signing of finance deals

While there are questions whether Rwanda will realise the power generation targets within the agreed period, officials are determined to meet the goals. Electricity is central to enhancing the country’s competitiveness making increased access to power a top priority.

According to Bahingana who is also the advisor to the EWSA Deputy Director General in charge of Energy, some of the recently signed projects were at their initial stages of implementation but it doesn’t mean that their operation will not be realised.

To achieve a middle income status, according to EWSA, electricity generation will have to grow by at least 100 MW annually for the next four years to sustain the expected growth across sectors.

According to Rwanda Development Board, 40 to 50 per cent of investment projects become operational within one year.

Solar, peat and geothermal energy potential

The current generation capacity for solar is 280 kilowatt-peak (KWp) which is generated by two on-grid plants of  250KWp located at Mont Jali and a 30KWp at Nelson Mandela Education Centre in Bugesera district, Eastern Province.

Bahingana said that presently there is no generation from peat despite the fact that the plans to extract power from peat are underway.

The total geothermal potential is 320 MW and plans are underway to add 60 MW to the national Grid by 2017. There are four prospects of geothermal in the districts of Nyabihu, Gisenyi, Rubavu, Musanze, Bugarama and Rusizi.

As for the methane project, Kivuwatt ltd, a Rwandan subsidiary of an American company Contour Global is currently extracting methane from Lake Kivu in Karongi District, western province.

“The construction of the power plant was completed however the gas extraction has reached 70 percent completion,” said EWSA official.

Phasing out expensive rental diesel powered plants

According to EWSA, major challenges facing Rwanda’s energy sector include the imbalance in demand and supply of power, inadequate financing and expensive thermal power.

“The power demand is currently almost equal to the available capacity which leaves hardly any reserve margin. Measures have been undertaken to address the above issues,” noted Bahingana.

According to the Energy plan of 2013-2017,EWSA expects  to gradually ensure a more sustainable energy mix and phase out expensive rental diesel by 2016 that constitutes 40 per cent of the current electricity capacity.

“With 563MW by 2017 and having phased out rental power, electricity prices are expected to reduce gradually.”

Boosting energy generation will not only attract investment to the country, but will also greatly improve the welfare of ordinary Rwandans. The stakes are high, leaving the concerned authorities with no option but to closely follow up on each of the projects, right from signing all through to power generation, giving whatever support may be necessary.

Contact email: frank.kanyesigye[at]newtimes.co.rw


NGOs unite to promote rural women’s land rights

A group of local and international women’s rights organisations on Monday launched a coalition that seeks to promote socio-economic development of rural women, through advocating for their rights to land. 

The NGOs unveiled the ‘Rwandan Coalition for Women’s Access to Land’ (“CRAFT), the first platform in the country that seeks to address the socio-economic challenges faced by women in rural communities.

It also aims to coordinate the advocacy efforts from member organisations to promote policies and laws for equal access to land, management, administration and use for all women, and especially the most vulnerable, according to Odette Musengimana, Executive Secretary Women’s network for rural development.

She added that the platform focuses on creating awareness among the public and civil society on the social and cultural barriers women face when trying to access land.

 Despite significant progress of Rwandan legislation concerning women’s rights during recent years, women’s access to land still faces challenges.

The coalition is made of up of Haguruka, a local NGO that fights for the rights of women and children, Association Nzambazamariya Veneranda, a social justice, peace and sustainable development organisation,  Association of the Genocide widows Agahozo (AVEGA) and Women’s network for rural development.

Other organisations that make up the union include, Rwanda Network of People living with HIV/AIDS (RRP+) and RCN Justice and Démocratie, a Belgian organisation that focuses on strengthening of justice delivery, prevention and resolution of conflicts at local level.

Musengimana said: “Pooling together each member’s expertise and field experience, the CRAFT will act as a driving force for the enhancement of the policy framework, and as a key partner on equal land access for women.”

According to the statement from CRAFT, to achieve the set goals, members will organise several discussion forums and set up research activities on the effectiveness of women’s access to land and the challenges they are facing. 

Improved livelihoods 

CRAFT is being coordinated by Women’s network for rural development and RCN Justice and Démocratie. The coordination board is annually elected among the members. 

According to 2012 Action Aid report, Rwanda’s land reforms have allowed women to safeguard their rights on land which has significantly improved livelihoods among communities.

The report, titled ‘Lay of the Land Improving Land Governance to Stop Land Grabs’, was a result of a survey that covered 24 countries worldwide.

The survey says that women-focused legislation in Rwanda improved women’s access to land, removing, on paper and customary gender discrimination.

In 2004, the government enacted an organic law on land to guarantee a safe and stable form of land tenure. Before that, the country never had a proper land policy.

In order to define and decide how the land registration process should be carried out, a Ministerial Decree determining modalities of registration was enacted in 2008 and a year later, the land registration process kicked off.

Contact email: frank.kanyesigye[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

Over 20,000 evacuated from high risk zones

Houses built in high-risk zones on the slopes of a hill. Such settlements are susceptible to mudslides during heavy rains. The New Times/Timothy Kisambira.
The government has reaffirmed commitment to resettle all people residing in disaster-prone areas countrywide as the rainy season approaches.
According to Augustin Kampayana, the head of the Rural Settlement Taskforce in the Ministry of Local Government, the exercise is making good progress despite threats of the rains striking before the deadline set by the department.
“By the end of July, we had constructed houses for 20,548 families out of 47,680 residing in areas regarded as prone to disasters across the country,” he said.
Kampayana said despite persistent calls from government to vacate high risk zones, some dwellers remain adamant, especially those who are capable of building their own houses in safe areas.
Last year, 75 people died from disasters in risky zone areas. This year alone, 58 people have died, which has prompted the government to resettle the high-risk zone dwellers.
Priority relocation
The government allocated Rwf6.5 billion toward the relocation of people in the disaster prone areas. However, the most vulnerable are the ones to benefit from the support in terms of housing facilities.
Kampayana cited Muhanga District where out of more than 12,000 people in high-risk zones, about 3,000 have been given new homes in safer areas.
“We are now worried because the rainy season is approaching. We are putting our focus on the people living in the most high-risk zones ahead of September deadline,” he said.
According to the Ministry of Local Government, about 20 districts have people living in high-risk zones although some are more prone to disasters than others.
The families to be supported by government were identified and categorised in collaboration with grassroots leaders through the Ubudehe classification programme.
Warning systems
Séraphine Mukantabana, the minister for disaster management and refugee affairs, said they are in touch with every district to ensure that people in disaster zones resettled in safer areas before the deadline.
“We are embarking on a campaign to ensure that relocation is implemented and nobody will be allowed to stay in disaster-prone areas. There are people who don’t want to be relocated but we are putting much effort to make sure that they relocate to safer areas,” Mukantabana said.
The minister said they have installed disaster communication system for early warnings.
She warned people resisting relocation, saying the relocation was for own safety.
Last week, the Rwanda Meteorology Agency indicated in their weather forecasts that the period of August to October will experience near-normal or slightly above normal rainfall across the country.
The agency warned that the prediction should not be used in isolation of “more detailed forecasts and warnings that are available from the agency.
Rusizi District in Western Province is expected to experience the heaviest rain of up to 352mm, while Ngoma District in Eastern Province will have the least with 191mm of rainfall.
Contact email: frank.kanyesigye[at]newtimes.co.rw
http://www.newtimes.co.rw/news/index.php?i=15443&a=69367

 

Tuesday, July 30th, 2013 | Posted by Jean Damascène Niyitegeka
Gikomero residents to receive clean water
http://focus.rw/wp/2013/07/gikomero-residents-to-receive-clean-water/

Vice nayor Jean Claude Munara with executive secretary of Gikomero opening the taps.
Residents with the worst access to clean water in the country received new water pipes last weekend. Gasabo District officials finalized the pipes in Gikomero sector last weekend.
Where residents previously walked dozens of kilometers to fetch often dirty water, now fresh, clean water flows. With the new pipes, the last sector in Gasabo with water insecurity now has well access.
Residents expressed their feelings of joy that they no longer had to spend hours looking for water. At the well, residents crowded around, excited and eager to fill their buckets.
“For a young person, he should spend at least an hour to get water but for me.As an old mum, I used to spend two hours,” explained Seraphine Mukantagara, a resident from Munini cell.
“It was impossible for a student to fetch water before going to school in the morning. If he did not fetch it at the evening, he would miss school while fetching water in the morning,” she added.
Jean Claude Munara, the vice mayor in charge of economic affairs who presided the event said that the district worries about the welfare of its residents that there is no good welfare without clean water.
He said that the money spent on the project came from the people’s activities, both taxes and other sources, and that they have to be the ones to protect the newwell infrastructure for it to be sustainable.
“Make sure that this water is protected from its source, all the way up to the spout, in order to ensure its sustainability”, he says. “Itwould be shameful to have water pipes that no longer function after  one month,” added Munara.
The project has cost Frw 220 million and is totally funded by the district.
Posted by Jean Damascène Niyitegeka on Jul 30 2013.

 

Govt,AfDB sign $41.5m energy deal

The government and the African Development Bank (AfDB) have signed an agreement worth US$41.5 million (Rwf26.9 billion) to scale up energy access projects in the country.

According to Claver Gatete, the Minister for Finance, the financing which comprises a loan of US$23.4 million and a US$17.9 million grant will be used to upgrade Northern energy projects of Gifurwe to 10MVA, as well as relocate the Rulindo substation.

 “Access to electricity in rural areas is crucial and in line with our midterm development strategy. AfDB has been our partner in this through this programme,” Gatete said yesterday after the signing ceremony in Kigali.

 “The project will be implemented over a period of two years and will connect 25,438 households, 179 schools, 29 health centres and 25 sector administration offices to the grid along the distribution network areas.”

The AfDB Country Representative, Negatu Makonnen, added: “The Scaling-up Energy Access Project (SEAP) will catalyse economic activity in the countryside with both SMEs and large commercial and industrial clients benefiting from the reliable electricity supply.”

 The Energy Water and Sanitation Authority (EWSA) maintains its target is to connect 70 per cent of Rwandan homes to electricity by 2017.

 According to Director General of EWSA, Ntare Karitanyi, the target will be achieved through several ongoing projects, such as the 25 megawatts (MW) KivuWatt project of methane gas expected next year and small micro hydropower projects of six megawatts being commissioned gradually since two months back.

Others are 28MW Nyabarongo Power Project to be ready by early 2014 and a new 15MW peat power project among others.

Access to electricity currently stands at 17 per cent.  

Contact email: ivan.mugisha[at]newtimes.co.rw
Model Forests to be Planted in six Districts 
Published on 2-08-2013 - at 07:12' by IGIHE
http://en.igihe.com/environment/model-forests-to-be-planted-in-six-districts.html
Six model forests are scheduled to be planted in six districts including; Ngororero Musanze, Rutsiro,Burera, Rubavu and Nyabihu districts aimed at increasing forest cover countrywide.
According to Dismas Bakundukize, the director of forestry management unit in the Natural Resources Authority, “The idea of a model forest will enable Rwandans to have a common understanding on environmental protection.”
The forests will be established under a partnership between Canada and Rwanda’s Ministry of Natural Resources.
An interim committee has been setup to follow up on activities and mobilise residents in the pilot districts.
Human activities including; Agriculture and construction have been cited as major threats to the environment and that need to be carried out properly.

 

Public Warned over Cutting Trees 
Published on 2-08-2013 - at 05:50' by IGIHE
http://en.igihe.com/news/public-warned-over-cutting-trees.html
Police in Bugesera District intercepted a vehicle full of tree trunks locally known as Umushikiri, which were allegedly cut illegally in a forest in the area.
The car registration number RAB 903J, Toyota Dyna type, was seized on July 31 in Kamabuye cell.
Umushikiri trunks are used as a raw material in the production of perfumes. It is said that the stumps are smuggled through porous borders to Uganda and Tanzania before transporting them to Asia, where they have market.
The District Police Commander, Superintendent (SP) Donat Kinani warned those involved in “any criminal activity” to desist before they are arrested.
“The law is clear, and this umushikiri business is against it (law). It is an act of environmental degradation, which we can’t allow as law enforcers,” SP Kanani said.
Article 416 of the organic law on environment, partly stipulates that anyone who illegally cuts trees in a forest or any public place, is punishable with a term of imprisonment of between six months and two years and a fine of Rwf300, 000 to Rwf2 million or one of the two penalties.
SP Kanani said they are still looking for the driver of the car, who escaped leaving the car behind.
This illegal act is normally registered in the Eastern districts of Kayonza, Gatsibo and Bugesera.
Normally, anyone who wants to cut trees first seeks authorization from authorities.
SP Emmanuel Karuranga, the Eastern Region Police Spokesperson, urged the population to be part of the campaign to protect the environment and fighting crimes in general.
“The public are crucial in this case. We need their input, by providing us with information on such wrongdoers,” SP Karuranga said.
agencies

 

Huye closes down old city structures, eyes overhaul

Huye district plans to overhaul the city with old structures to pave way for redevelopment. The New Times/ Jean Pierre Bucyensenge.
AUTHORITIES in Huye District have ordered traders to vacate all old buildings in the city centre and instructed landlords to redevelop the area according to the district master plan. 

The directive, conveyed in a letter to owners of commercial buildings in the town, sets Wednesday as the deadline.

In a July 9 letter, Mayor Eugene Kayiranga Muzuka instructed all traders to vacate the buildings so as to pave way for the redevelopment of the city’s central business district. 

The mayor also ordered landlords to start erecting modern buildings, according to the town’s master plan. 

Local authorities and the Private Sector Federation (PSF) could not, by press time, provide the exact number of those to be affected by the decision. However, Muzuka told The New Times last week that all traders operating in old structures should vacate by the set date. 

Most businesses operate largely in old structures, some dating back over sixty or seventy years. 

In a meeting last Thursday, Muzuka told traders and owners of commercial buildings that it is imperative that the city centre be redeveloped to give it a facelift and attract more businesses to the district, long considered as the second city after the City of Kigali. 

“Shall we continue to have such an old city?” Muzuka asked. “I believe none of us is pleased to operate in a city that doesn’t grow. For many years, we have been asking landlords to think of how to redevelop their structures according to the master plan. But it seems that they have just ignored our pleas.”

In January, authorities met the business community to discuss the issue and greed on the July 31 deadline, the mayor said. 

“The time has come to act,” Muzuka said. 

According to the leader, traders who had been operating in the zone that is set to be closed should relocate to a newly-constructed multi-million commercial market, which was constructed by Abishyizehamwe cooperative just metres down the current Huye city market complex. 

The new market, which is set for launch on Thursday, can accommodate more than 300 traders, according to officials.
 
Anxiety 

The redevelopment plan, however, has raised concerns and fear among the business community, with many claiming that it is beyond their means or might cause significant losses to their businesses. 

Wellars Munyangeri, 73, an owner of a commercial building in the area, said closing down his building would cause significant losses to his business. 

Munyangeri said building a desired modern house in the area could cost at least Rwf140 million. 

“If they close down my house, I will lose an important source of revenue that I use to sustain my family,” Munyangeri said.  

“I am not against development but I don’t have the means to develop the place as they want,” he added. 

Mayor Muzuka said those who will fail to comply with the city’s master plan will see their land given to others who can develop it. 

Francoise Semwiza, who owns two retail shops in the area, also said the plan could affect her businesses. 

“We might lose some of our clients,” she said. “Some could also be compelled to temporary close their businesses as they look up for suitable places where to operate.” 

Although she commended the redevelopment plan, saying it can help improve businesses in the future, Semwiza prayed authorities are cautious while implementing the plan so as not to hurt businesses in the district. 

The new directive comes barely three years after authorities had ordered the closure and redevelopment of Huye’s central business district, commonly known as ‘Icyarabu’. 

Currently, many of the commercial buildings in the city remain closed and it seems there are no plans to redevelop them. 

Only two buildings, of between two and four storeys, have been completed in the Icyarabu area, while three others are under construction. 

However, according to the mayor, efforts are being made to ensure that the whole area is redeveloped.  

Muzuka also said the construction of tarmac roads in the area and its surroundings will start soon.  

However, he did not give the exact time for the activities to start. In a past interview, the mayor told this paper that the nine-kilometre road network will be complete in six months. 

The roads, which are full of potholes, had for long been considered a serious challenge to the redevelopment of the town.

Contact email: jp.bucyensenge[at]newtimes.co.rw

A clear recipe for a failure. If i make it short, Mr Makuza is going to shut down dozen if not hundreds of businesses simply because the buildings they operate in simply doesn't appeal him !!!Am i the only one who's shocked or what?
First of all, according to the journalist the city council closed businesses three years ago for redevelopment in Huye's cbd and only 2 buildings have been erected since then. What makes him feel, that closing more will bring development. This is nonsense.
Secondly, did he mesured the economic loss for the city center with all these businesses closing down? Where are people going to go when their shops will be closed? Is it there a report made by experts that clearly shows an urgent demand for development in the area? Why pushing people to invest in costly buildings when they clearly don't have the means? What's the real benefit for the district other than the image?
There's a lot of unclear points that need to be clarified.
Finally, isn't this another exemple of urban policy failure in our beloved Rwanda. A kind of fetishization of modernity, poeple confused by the notion, awkwardly thinking that modernity is first of all a question of image while is more a way of thinking.
Clearing a whole area so harshly simply because the buildings are not "modern" shows a complete lack of knowledge in urbanism and how to build a city. I am afraid by poeple like mayor Makuza, those same people who look at older and vernacular structures and totally miss their intense degree of embedded life and humanity.
Stop putting your ego as a the main driver for your urban policies (mr makuza or any rwandan mayor) and replace it with humanism.

 11:20:03 Monday 29th, July 2013 Brussel - Jean
Reply | Close
i totally agree with this mans comments the government should not wast time on leaders who luck wisdom and proper planning but instead are pushed by their ego and lack of professionalism in development policies
1-Where are thousands of these local shops and businesses going to end up
2-these hundreds are the ones paying RRA and millions are made hence the country is built who will pay all those taxes?
Karabu was evacuated as my colleague has said up to now 2 houses have been erected and they are not even complete.where is this man taking huye really?please.watch out.

 15:08:22 Monday 29th, July 2013 kigali - richard
Reply | Close
Achieving the ambitious EDPRS II will mostly have to be driven by the private sector. Not only Rwanda will have to achieve a double digit growth it will also have to create jobs for its young population.
Wanting the private sector to become the engine of our economy one would think that the entrepreneurs will be enabled to invest in our country. Having already huge barriers through high transportation costs, unskilled labor etc. the private sector, mostly in rural or semi-urban areas, is already struggling a lot.
The ease of doing business in Rwanda unfortunately did not bring the results one would have thought of. This means that we will have to rely on our local investors to achieve local economic development in order to reduce poverty, create non-farm jobs, be self reliant and in the long term become a middle income country.
Is this really the way we shall achieve our ambitious goals by closing down running business that are making profits, generating incomes for households, creating non-farm jobs and paying taxes?
One of the major problems for micro-businesses in our country is access to finance in order to invest further, expand businesses and improve services. Providing loans for refinancing and development should be a priority to local and central government (through credit schemes by private and public banks) to enable local investors willing to invest in their country instead of shutting them down.
Having say this, the experiences made by closing the old commercial area “Icyarabu” as the article says did not boost the Huye economy…worse it stopped it. One of the great successes of Rwanda is to change the course when the target we are aiming at can not be achieved with the actions taken- “try and fail”.
It is high time to truly enable private sector efforts.

 15:13:10 Monday 29th, July 2013 Kigali - Anne
Reply | Close
True, our leaders should dig deep and learn form other countries' experiences. I am sure we are not the first country to pass through this journey of ambitious plans to development. If Korea, China, and many other countries did it in very few years, and achieved it. How did they do it, and how can it fit in our context. Well, our mayors may have promised to achieve that in their IMIHIGO, but how is it going to affect our business community? We may need to think again!

 21:21:10 Monday 29th, July 2013 EAC - Andrew to Anne

 

UN boosts Agaseke with equipment

The UN donation will boost production in Agaseke and see more handcrafts exported. The New Times/ John Mbanda.
The United Nations Industrial Development Organisation has donated equipment worth Rwf45 million to women’s Handcrafts Making Project in Gatsata, Gasabo District, in Kigali. 

The equipment, which includes dyeing machines and dryers, is expected to enhance quality, quantity and efficiency in production of the women’s handcrafts, according to Lamin Momodou Manneh, the UN resident coordinator.

The donation follows consultations between UN and the City of Kigali on how best to address market challenges to expand the handcraft industry in the country. 

“UN believes that the only way to address market challenges is through usage of a more efficient and modern technology, a reason Unido had to move in with this donation so as quality and efficiency can be enhanced at this centre,” Momodou said at the hand-over of the donation. 

Fidele Ndayisaba, the City of Kigali mayor, challenged Agaseke women to exploit the new technology not only to increase on their productivity but also to favourably compete on the international market. 

“You should not sit back and watch now that the technology is here, take advantage and improve on the quality of your products so that you can be able to compete favourably on the international market,” he said, adding that producing at a low cost will ultimately grow the women’s business.

More support 

Ndayisaba added that the City of Kigali is ready to continue supporting the centre because it believes women have a big role to play toward the realisation of Vision 2020.

Olivier Mbera, the national expert at Rwanda Resource Efficient and Cleaner Production Centre said with the new machines, the unit will move from mixing eight colours per day to 64 colours, which will help the centre to deliver consignments on time.  

“The centre sends consignments to the US and European markets, having this technology means delivering on time,” Mbera said.

Agaseke is a crafts making project established in 2007 in Kigali, with support and partnership of Imbuto Foundation and Rwanda Investment and Export Promotion Agency. 

The project provides an opportunity for vulnerable unemployed and landless women in Kigali City, by supporting them to create their own jobs and redeem themselves and their families, out of extreme poverty. 

Since its launch in 2007, the project has attracted over 54 cooperatives and more than 2000 members across all the three districts of the City of Kigali (Gasabo, Kicukiro and Nyarugenge).

Contact email: editorial[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

Ruhango Children Abandoning School for Odd Jobs 
Published on 23-07-2013 - at 09:20' by IGIHE Reporter
http://en.igihe.com/news/ruhango-children-abandoning-school-for-odd-jobs.html
Despite local admnistration efforts, more pupils of Ruhango sector in Ruhango District are allegedly abandoning school to engage in various jobs to earn some money.
Some pupils who spoke to media cited poverty and sometimes disobedience that contribute largely to dropping out of school.
Ruhango sector official Gasore Richard says alot has been done to contain the pupils in school but not much success has been registered.
Its a common sight in Ruhango sector having shool going children hired to carry construction materials, local brew among other jobs during class hours.

source: RBC

 

Historically marginalised in Musanze appeal for support

Nyiranyenyeri stands outside the ramshackle shelter she calls a house. The New Times/ Seraphine Habimana.
A community of 31 families of the so-called historically marginalised persons, formerly living in forests in Musanze District, have appealed for support, saying much as they were helped out of the bushes, they are faced with an acute housing problem.

The community was part of the more than 5,000 Musanze families that benefitted from the nationwide campaign against grass-thatched houses that was rolled out a few years ago.

When a 38-year-old Agnes Nyiranyenyeri, a resident of Bisate in Kinigi Sector, was routed from the bushes as part of the anti-Nyakatsi campaign, as the drive to eradicate thatched houses was called, she had the feelings things were changing for the better.

The mother of eight said when they left the bushes in 2011, they were given iron sheets but that is all they could ever get; they had to improvise a shack which they roofed with the donated iron sheets.

However, the majority in this community had lived in the jungle for decades. 

Their survival instincts seemed primed to the jungle laws. Putting up a ‘decent’ shelter out of the iron sheets they were provided with has been a chapter of its own.

Mosquito net walls

For some like Nyiranyenyeri, the mosquito nets they were given to guard against malaria-inducing parasites is now the wall for the ramshackle shelter they call houses; they simply wedged woods here and there and hit the iron sheets on them, the rest is mosquito nets.

She said most of them do not even have land to cultivate.

“We live here in the village where we own not even a square metre of land. No one in my family works, meaning we can not get money to complete the house,” she said.

According to Emmanuel Seburanyiga, another member of the community, the only means of survival is to work for other people in the village, either on pyrethrum or potato plantations.

Bad soil

He said what they get from labour goes to feeding because they have to buy everything, and they are left with nothing to complete the houses.

Seburanyiga said their woes are further complicated by the nature of the soil in the area, which cannot produce mud and wattle to plaster the houses.

“The soil in this area is volcanic and to get the mud to use on a house, one has to buy it from Musanze town where it is sold at Rwf35,000 and Rwf50,000 and this is too expensive for us,” he said.

“Since the government tried to integrate us into village life from the forests, they should help us complete our houses because even the iron sheets they gave us are being put to waste by others,” he said.

He added that life becomes difficult at night when it gets windy with the insufficiently covered houses.

“We live near the park where it often rains, we do not know what will happen to us when the heavy rains come in the next few months,” he added.

However, Seburanyiga said they recognise where they were in the past and are happy to live in villages with other Rwandans.

Hope

Since these families were integrated into this village, some have benefited from community work by neighbours who gave them poles to erect their houses but not all the 31 families got the help.

Jerome Mugenzi, the vice mayor in charge of economic affairs in Musanze District, said they are aware of the problem and efforts are being made to ensure that the affected families get decent housing.

“Our wish is to see all people who lived in grass-thatched houses, especially marginalised people, move into decent shelters not later than November,” Mugenzi said.

“The challenge we had was that the region of Bisate where they live does not have soil that is suitable for construction but we have purchased a piece of land from where mud will be excavated and transported to the village to ensure these houses are completed as soon as possible.”

He said dealing with all post-Nyakatsi problems in Musanze is one of their main priority projects this fiscal year.

“If it rains it will be disastrous and that is why we wish to sort this out before the rainy season starts,” he said.

Contact email: editorial[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

Visually-impaired persons demand inclusion in devt projects

People living with visual impairment can be assisted to achieve self-reliance instead of living dependent lives, the Rwanda Union of the Blind (RUB) has said. 

“There is wrong society’s perception that the blind do not deserve opportunities or assistance offered to other people engaged in income generating projects,’’  said Rachel Musabyimana, RUB communication and advocacy officer. 

“Local leaders should include people living with disability in their development planning.” 

Musabyimana was speaking, last week, in Kigali during a meeting with local leaders at sector level from areas where the cooperatives of the disabled people operate. 

“It has been proved that many blind people have achieved personal economic development through agriculture. Some have generated income through cultivating groundnuts, cassava and maize and the same is seen in their livestock projects,’’ Musabyimana said. 

Obed Rugerero, from Musenyi Sector, Bugesera District, blamed local leaders, especially at Cell level, for not involving the blind in government poverty eradication programmes such as Vision 2020 Umurenge and Girinka.

Come out

However, the in- charge of social affairs in Musenyi Sector, Joyce Murebwayire, who attended the meeting, blamed some people with disability for not identifying themselves to local leaders, saying it is not possible for the leaders to help people they do not know. 

The families of the disabled are to blame when they keep the disabled at home without informing local leaders, she added. 

Eugene Twizeyimana, who represented the National Union of Disabilities’ Organisations of Rwanda, said disabled persons should not take anything done for them as a favour, saying it’s their right. 

Musabyimana said RUB has since 2009 financed small income generating projects of 26 agricultural cooperatives of people with disability throughout the country with a total loan of Rwf10 million. 

“We must encourage the culture of self-reliance among the blind,’’ Musabyimana said.

Contact email: editorial[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

 

Govt signs 8.5MW solar energy deal

The State Minister for Energy and Water, Emma Françoise Isumbingabo (L, signs a $23 million ( Rwf15 billion) energy agreement with Gigawatt Global’s Vice President Chaim Motzen yesterday. Under the deal,, the Dutch firm will develop an 8.5 Megawatt solar power plant in Rwamagana District, Eastern Province. The New Times/ J. Mbanda.
Government has sealed a $23 million (Rwf15 billion) energy deal with a Dutch firm to develop an 8.5 Megawatts solar power plant in Rwamagana District,  Eastern Province.

The purchasing power agreement was signed yesterday by the Minister of State in Charge of Energy and Water, Eng. Emma Francoise Isumbingabo, and Chaim Motzen, the Vice President, GigaWatt Global, and witnessed by Tony Nsanganira, the Acting Chief Operating Officer of the Rwanda Development Board (RDB).

GigaWatt Global is a multi-national renewable energy company focused on development and management of utility-scale solar fields in renewable energy in emerging markets.

According to the deal, GigaWatt Global will construct, finance and operate a solar power plant at Agahozo Shalom Youth Village.

 “So far this is the biggest solar energy project we are going to implement in Rwanda.  Previously we have seen mini-solar power plants being developed in several areas of the country,” said Eng. Isumbigabo shortly after penning the agreement in Kigali.

She stated that, the project is timely and very important as the government focuses on generating affordable, reliable and accessible energy for the betterment of the citizens.  

 “The efficiency of solar energy in Rwanda is more than 50 per cent and with operational of 8.5MW by June next year, the government will have taken great steps in bridging the current energy gap,” she said.

The minister hailed GigaWatt Global for honouring their investment plan and pledged support towards ensuring that the project becomes a reality.

According to Motzen, the company is looking forward to generate 8.5 MW within the next 11 months and the construction works will start soon.

“We are going to fully finance the project through equity finances and acquire debts from financial institutions,” he added.     

With over 2,800MW of solar projects under development worldwide, the Dutch firm brings to Rwanda an extensive experience in renewable energy project finance and development.

Two weeks ago, Rwanda signed a Rwf241 billion energy agreement with an Indian company, Punj Lloyd to generate 100 MW of peat energy in North Akanyaru, Bugesera District, Eastern Province.

According to RDB, 40 to 50 per cent of investment projects become operational within one year. 

The government unveiled Rwf3 trillion ($4.7bn)-road map for energy production and accessibility over the next five years.

The target is to gradually tap 215MW from peat, 310MW from geothermal, 320MW from hydro power, and 300MW from methane gas, among others.

At the moment the country produces 110.8MW equivalent to 16 per cent in terms of domestic accessibility.  With 1, 000MW, accessibility could reach 70 per cent.

Contact email: frank.kanyesigye[at]newtimes.co.rw
'According to the deal, GigaWatt Global will construct, finance and operate a peat power plant at Agahozo Shalom Youth Village'.How is a 'Peat power plant' a 'Solar plant??'

 08:34:25 Tuesday 23rd, July 2013 Kigali - Jean
Reply | Close
8.5 megawatts is equivalent to 8500 kilowatts; at the investment cost of usd 23 million, the production cost of one kw will be slightly over usd 2.7 (frw 1800); am wondering at what price will they sell the unit given such high production cost? At the moment EWSA sells a unit at about frw 145 which is already prohibitive, yet it is subsidized.

 11:27:54 Tuesday 23rd, July 2013 Kigali - Bart Gasana
Reply | Close
I completely agree with you. I think that the current cost of production doesn't make any sense if the power is to be used by regular consumers. I also wonder, since I am far away from the field, who exactly pays for this deal. Does Rwanda take this deal as a loan that will be paid back one way or another? I appreciate any information on details of this "deal".Cheers!

 21:59:08 Tuesday 23rd, July 2013 Seattle, WA - Marvin to Bart Gasana

 

 

 

Closing of orphanages on track, but 2,000 children still need families

Some of the last children leave Mpore Pefa orphanage in May last year. The New Times, File
In 2009, Pruckeria Mutendezangohe, a mother of five, was overwhelmed by a sense of betrayal after her foster daughter delivered a child and dumped it on the streets.  Mutendezangohe, 53, had rescued her foster daughter from the streets three years earlier. 

Three years later, Mutendezangohe learnt that the baby was living at Mpore PEFA, an orphanage located in Kicukiro District. The orphanage was in the process of closing as part of the government’s plan to ensure all children are brought up in a family set-up.

She applied for and was given permission to take the child under her wings.

“I took the little girl as my grandchild because I had previously rescued her mother from the street and paid for her school fees. I could not leave the child of my foster daughter to suffer since it was my obligation.”

The four-year-old girl is now living with Mutendezangohe in Muhima Sector, Nyarugenge District as one of her five children. She is now in nursery school.

That is the spirit that the National Council for Children (NCC) is encouraging – that the Rwandan community accommodates children still in orphanages and to prevent any development of such structures.

This comes a year after the institution started to implement the strategy for national child care reform, which is championing the process of closing orphanages.

With one year left to the deadline, only three of the 34 orphanages spread across the country have been completely closed, thus integrating over 700 children in several families.

Over 2,000 children are still waiting for their parents, relatives or well wishers to take them in.

Of these, 70 per cent still have relatives that have failed or refused to come for them, the council says.

“We have realised that in most cases, children are sent to orphanages, when for example, a mother dies and the father pretends to have difficulties to raise the child, or when girls just dump children after delivery,” said Alexia Mukashema, the adoption and orphans officer at NCC said. 

According to Mukashema, Orphelinat Saint Noel de Nyundo was the first orphanage to open its doors in 1954 with the aim of helping children from poor families - even those with parents.

“At the time, the religious well-wishers who started the orphanage did not think about empowering the families to ensure they raise their own children,” Mukashema says. 

This orphanage in Rubavu District is owned by Nyundo Catholic Diocese.

Its administrator, Augustin Twagira blamed parents ‘for ignoring their responsibilities of raising their children’ and thus sending them to orphanages with the belief that they will get clothes and school fees.

“It’s a shame,” Twagira told The New Times. “But ours is a charitable activity from the Catholic Church and not business centered like some other facilities. Which is why when government announced their phasing out, some were not happy.”

Some of the business minded orphanages are those that opened doors after the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi to cater for children who lost their families and relatives during the period.  Recently, three more orphanages opened up, even after the plans to close the existing ones were underway.

“We are very thankful that some people took up children and catered for them, because it was an emergency. But now we are telling Rwandans that there is no need for orphanages,” Mukashema said.

Slow progress? 

Orphelinat Saint Noel de Nyundo has over 400 children waiting for families or individuals to adopt them. 

Since December last year, 207 children have found families.

The slow process, according to Twagira is because ‘Rwandans have not fully embraced the spirit of adopting children.’

Grace Mukabirasa, whose family recently adopted a baby girl from the orphanage echoed the same view.

“The society should be concerned about the children scattered out there. If you plan to raise three children, there is nothing wrong with giving birth to two and adopting the third one,” she advises.

Policy framework

In 2010, the Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion signed a contract with Hope and Homes for Children, an international NGO that deals with sheltering the needy children. The ministry tasked the NGO to carry out the reintegration and adoption programme.

As part of the government’s strategy of child care reform. The move aims at transforming Rwanda’s current child care and protection system into a family-based one. It also needs to ensure opportunities for the effective transformation of existing orphanages into child centered community based services.  

Since then, over 700 children were taken from three orphanages, namely Mpore Pefa/Kicukiro, La Cite de la Misercorde/ Huye, Centre Girimpuhwe Remera / Gatsibo.

The children found new families through three distinctive arrangements. These include reintegration; where a children are returned to their families, through adoption; where a family takes on a child and treats them like their own, giving them rights to property (inheritance). The third is foster care, an arrangement where parents take a child through their childhood and let them fend for themselves once they grow up.

If not reintegrated, NCC officials say they encourage adoption because children, not only need to have a family, but also to enjoy such rights that come with adoption. In any case, a foreign application to have the children is considered a last option.

According to NCC, most of the families that received children are in the adoption category. 

But they say a lot is still needed, as only one third of the children have been integrated a year after the policy was announced. 

NCC is also optimistic following the recruitment of 60 psychologists and sociologists to drive the exercise at the decentralised entities.

They will also carry an evaluation of the families prior to giving them a child. Some of the things to consider are how a family socialises with neighbours and how it responds to the government’s programmes.

The capability of the family to look after the children will also be considered at some point.

“Some families might think that government will assist them if they take a child, but it is out of question. One takes a child when they are determined to feed them because this is not a tool for begging,” said Mukashema.

After implementation of the orphanages closure, NCC and its partners will continue prevention of their possible redevelopment and follow up of the children in families.

Contact email: jean.tabaro[at]newtimes.co.rw, maria.kaitesi[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

Minagri hands over fertiliser distribution to private dealers

Farmers, like these in a rice paddy in Kibungo District, will buy fertlisers from private companies . The New Times/File.
Plans to facilitate private companies to import and distribute fertilisers in the country are underway, a top official has said.

This follows news that the Ministry of Agriculture plans to cease the importation and distribution of fertilisers. Minagri has been overseeing the activity through its private distributors in each district.  

So far, ENAS, Top Service and Tubura will be importing the fertilisers and sell them to distribution companies or agro-dealers, which will, in turn, will sell them to cooperatives or individual farmers. 

According to Egide Gatali, the head of fertilisers inspection at Minagri, the new system will start with the next agriculture season, due to start in September.

Minagri will take mobilisation campaigns in all districts to bring together import and distribution companies, agro-dealers, farmers and financial institutions to discuss the new system and come up with the memorandum of understanding to make the business successful. 

 While presenting the new system to agro-dealers and bank managers in Muhanga District, last week, Gatali said that “the whole system has been privatised”.

“There will not be any credit from the government or a subsidised price. The ministry will only set a working framework,” he said.

However, he noted, farmers who will manage to consolidate 50 hectares of land and they will be helped to get fertilisers on credit, with the support from the ministry.
Working with banks

Josiane Karisoni Iradukunda, the Head of Crop Intensification Programme, urged dealers to establish strong ties with financial institutions so that they can benefit from the new system. 

“Agro-dealers need money to make their business efficient and banks need profits. Give them that money and you will all have what you want [profits],” Karisoni told bank managers.

She also urged farmers to tap into the business opportunities.  With the new system, the net profit on one kilo is due to increase from Rwf15 to Rwf30, according to officials.

Data released in 2008 by the National Bank of Rwanda indicates that the banking system’s agricultural credit portfolio was only beteen 3 per cent and 4 per cent of total business credit. The gap is attributed to the lack of information on the sector’s risks and products and heavy interest rate required by banks. But farmers don’t have enough financial literacy and lack guarantee to support them. 

As a way forward, Minagri advocates for a synergetic work as a team at district level, where all stakeholders will create a kind of platform under which problems raised will be discussed and solutions sought.

 

Govt to launch new project to reduce disaster risks

http://www.newtimes.co.rw/news/index.php?i=15420&a=68695THE government plans to launch a project aimed at building it’s capacity to reduce disaster risks by enhancing preparedness.

The five-year project dubbed “Building National and Local Capacities for Disaster Risk Management” will be implemented by the Ministry for Disaster Management and Refugee Affairs (Midmar). It will be funded by  UNDP, World Bank, and the European Union at a tune of $8.8 million (Rwf5.7 billion).

The project is also geared to improve coordination mechanisms for disaster management at both national and local levels, mainstream disaster risk reduction into districts plans, establish effective and operational early warning systems, reduce vulnerabilities and increase household’s resilience to disasters, Midmar said in a statement.

The signing ceremony for the project is scheduled to take place this week in Kigali.

The project, whose implementation is extended from 2013 to 2018 of  builds upon the project initiation plan signed in 2011, and whose first phase implementation started in June 2012 and ended in June 2013, according to the ministry.

Last year, 75 people died from disasters in risky zone areas in the country. This year alone, 58 people have died, prompting the government to launch relocation plan for people from high risk zones.

The injured in the same period are around 150 people. About 10,000 houses were destroyed by the disasters which included floods and heavy storms countrywide.

The construction of houses for 30,822 families meant to be resettled by September from areas regarded as prone to disasters across the country was launched in June by government.

Contact email: editorial[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

Premier to highlight govt social protection chart

PM Habumuremyi will address Parliament tomorrow. The New Times/ File.
Prime Minister Pierre Damien Habumuremyi is tomorrow expected to brief both chambers of Parliament about the government social protection activities. 

One-Cow-Per-Family project has elevated many out of poverty and enabled self-reliance. The New Times/ File.
This is as provided for in article 134 of the Constitution, which stipulates that the Premier, once in a session of the Parliament, shall inform Parliament on government activities. 

When he briefs lawmakers, the Prime Minister will most likely highlight achievements and possible challenges as well as envisaged plans to augment all the government’s development initiatives especially aimed at improving the country’s most vulnerable folks. 

Home-grown social protection programmes based on Rwanda’s culture of mutual assistance and community approach in addressing common challenges such as Ubudehe, Girinka, Vision 2020 Umurenge Programme (VUP), and Mutuelle de Santé, are likely to be highlighted.

Under Girinka project alone, more than 143,000 cows have been distributed to vulnerable households country wide. The plan is to distribute cows to 350,000 households, or more, by 2017. 

As social protection continues to be at the heart of all government’s development policies, officials have been pushed to own these different social protection programmes so that they duly offer sustainable and lasting solutions to improve social welfare.

Focus is being put on, among others, assessing if the programmes are having a real impact on the beneficiaries rather than transforming them to continuous aid dependants. 

In March, the World Bank agreed to help Rwanda further cut poverty with stronger safety nets for vulnerable families after it approved a grant of $50 million (about Rwf31.7 billion) to help the country expand and manage its social protection system, to ensure that benefits reach those most in need. 

Rwanda has made record reduction in poverty levels, from 57 per cent in 2006 to 45 per cent in 2011, an achievement government partly attributes to the success of its social safety net programmes such as VUP.

Contact email: james.karuhanga[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

Govt to scale up Ibyiringiro project

http://www.newtimes.co.rw/news/index.php?i=15419&a=68663

The Government plans to scale up activities covered under a project dubbed Ibyiringiro that aims at enhancing food security and improving nutrition for vulnerable people living with HIV/Aids and Orphan Vulnerable Children (OVC).

This was announced last week as the Catholic Relief Services formally handed over the project to government after five years of operation. The project covered 24 districts countrywide.

The Ibyiringiro activities have since 2008 been implemented through a consortium comprising ACDI/VOCA, Africare, Caritas Nyundo, EGPAF and World Vision, all led by Catholic Relief Services, through the USAID support and collaboration of Rwanda Biomedical Centre and the Ministry of Agriculture.

The project puts emphasis on food security through agriculture activities, to improve nutrition through food processing, enhancing savings culture through Saccos and enabling beneficiaries to join income-generating activities through cooperatives, and health services by fighting mother to child HIV new infection.

According to the head of the project, Dr Salomon Rakotovazaha, 89 per cent of the project beneficiaries are HIV-positive. 

Benefits

Not only has the programme benefited them in improving their nutrition but it has also promoted self esteem among HIV-positive persons and some of them have become models in their areas depending on what they deliver to the society, Dr Rakotovazaha said at the handover ceremony in Kigali. 

Statistics show that after five years, 93 per cent are out of malnutrition, 51 per cent of households initiated economic activities, 50 per cent of beneficiaries covered their health insurance, 98 per cent got small animals, whereas 99 per cent of households have modern kitchen garden in the areas of operation.

Dr Mark Herant, the director of Rwanda Biomedical Centre, who represented Ministry of Health at the function, said they are targeting to scale up the best practices from the projects to other districts.

Catholic Relief Society Country Director LeAnn Hager said they chose to hand over the project to government since they have seen its commitment to the project. She said they are looking forward to invest in other projects with positive impact on the population.

Jessica Lapenn, who represented the US Embassy, commended the project partners for their achievements and called on government and beneficiaries to ensure sustainability.

The project has benefited 24 districts countrywide and reached 26,000 beneficiaries. 
 
Beneficiaries speak out

Joseph Munyaneza, 56, from Kayonza, said he was bedridden when he learnt that he was HIV-positive in 2008, but the lessons from Ibyiringiro helped him ‘recover’ and undertake economical activities using loans from savings groups and their internal lending.

“We were the first to undertake establishment of kitchen gardens which were then considered as gardens for HIV-positive people. But the whole country has embraced the project. Since I learned hygiene, balanced nutrition, I am growing healthier, from 38 kilogrammes in 2008 I now weigh 56,” he said.

Philomène Mukangenzi, 52, from Nyamagabe District, represents Kodemeri cooperative from where she learned food processing. They make bread, biscuits and cakes from sweet potatoes. She said beyond generating income from food processing, they have been able to tackle malnutrition.

Contact email: editorial[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

First Lady inaugurates integrated Development Program 
Published on 12-07-2013 - at 03:27' by IGIHE Reporter
http://en.igihe.com/news/first-lady-inaugurates-integrated-development.html
The First Lady of Rwanda Mrs. Jeannette Kagame will June 12, officially inaugurate an integrated development program (IDP) in Kayonza district, Nyagatovu and Kitazigurwa sectors.
Included in the integrated program is an Early Childhood development and family center (ECD & F) a community hall and a village. The IDP has been in operation for 4 years.
In an effort to ensure that children are physically healthy, mentally alert, emotionally secure, socially competent and ready to learn, Imbuto Foundation developed and implemented an integrated community-based Early childhood development model centre addressing cognitive stimulation and school readiness of 0-3 year olds and 4-6.
The ECD & F center provides space for professionals to reach out to children, families and caregivers. Families and caregivers also learn how to best nurture and care for young children.
All aspects of child development will be monitored and children and families in need will be taken care either through support at the facility or referral to existing professional services. So far 135 children aged 0-6years benefit from ECD services.
The village is made up of 69 homes where 130 community members live.They now have access to clean water, electricity and have been trained on smart agricultural practices.
The multipurpose hall belongs to the community and will be used for various activities.
The idea behind the integrated program is to provide holistic development to communities, this program was developed and implemented in partnership with MINALOC, ONE UN family, Kayonza and Rwamagana districts.

 

Rwamagana to construct more houses for the disadvantaged

One of the houses that have been built for residents in Rwamagana district of who have been living in grass-thatched houses. The New Times/T. Kisambira
Another 90 houses will be built for vulnerable residents of Rwamagana District.  So far, over 100 houses have been built for some who lived in thatched houses commonly known as nyakatsi.
Beatrice Mukaminega, who one of such residents and a mother of four, said that she and her family used to live in a Nyakatsi  and had no access to electricity, water and other services.
She was always worried about the security of her children who used to walk long distances to fetch water and firewood and the poor state of the house they lived in.
However, her life changed when the Ministry of Local Government (MINALOC), One UN and other partners built her a modern house and she got access to clean water and electricity.
“Now I am also living a good life. My children no longer have to walk long distances looking for water or firewood as we now also use biogas. My other colleagues and I who were living impoverished lives are also in cooperatives now. We are now farmers  and have received cows. We don’t even envy people who live in the city because our lives are good here. The only thing we buy is salt as we have everything else,” she said.
According to Nehemiah Uwimana, the Mayor of Rwamagana, 30 per cent of the residents of the area live below poverty line. He noted that the construction of the houses was one of the strategies put in place to fight poverty.
“We have put a number of strategies in place such as EDPRS2 to ensure that in five years’ time, this number drops at least by 20 per cent. We are also improving agriculture as a way of getting our people out of poverty.
Contact email: maria.kaitesi[at]newtimes.co.rw
 

 

Free legal services paying off

When Alex Mugire had a misunderstanding with his neighbour over land demarcation before the land registration process, it resulted into a serious grudge to the extent that the two families never cooperated again – even during hard times. 
Mugire, a resident of Remera Sector, Kicukiro District, says the two families were involved in land wrangles for about three years as none of them took the initiative to report the issue to relevant authorities. 
“I decided to keep quiet but this did not mean that I had completely given up. I was just looking for enough money to take the matter to courts of law,” says Mugire.
According to the 50-year-old, land issues should never be taken lightly. As long as they are not solved, he argues, they stay in people’s minds forever. 
One day, Mugire attended a hearing by local mediators – commonly known as Abunzi – who amicably solved a land dispute in the area. It was then that he decided that it was time now for him to report his case as well.
The two parties were summoned and their case was dealt with in the presence of all other residents who also served as witnesses. The Abunzi subsequently solved the Mugire and his neighbour’s land dispute. 
Mugire’s case is just one of several land disputes Abunzi have helped solve. Operating under the Ministry of Justice, the Abunzi are elected from their respective communities and trained in legal matters so that they can freely handle minor legal cases in their communities to avoid or reduce on the number of minor cases being taken to courts of law.
In a survey that was conducted by Rwanda Initiative for Sustainable Development (RISD) between 2010 and 2012 in ten districts, 6,000 land-related unsolved disputes were identified.
RISD is a local nongovernmental ogranisation which, among other things, helps local communities solve land disputes. To achieve its goals, the organisation liaises with various government institutions, including the Ombudsman’s office, Rwanda Natural Resource Authority (RNRA) and the Justice Ministry among others. According to the organisation’s boss, Annie Kairaba, liaising with these institutions helps them avoid duplication of work.
Kairaba says that in the districts where the survey was conducted, some of the unsolved cases that were identified were a result of inefficiency. 
The survey was conducted in the districts of Muhanga, Nyaruguru, Musanze, Kamonyi and Kirehe. Others were Kayonza, Kicukiro Karongi, Gasabo, and Rubavu.
“In addition to intensifying training for the Abunzi through training more trainers of trainees, we are also considering distributing materials that will enable these people to effectively carry out their respective responsibilities professionally,” Kairaba says.
Recently, over 20 trainers of trainees were trained by RISD and sent to ten districts. This is part of the three-year programme the organisation is implementing with support from the Netherlands government through the Netherlands Embassy in Kigali. It is being implemented in collaboration with CLADHO, which is the umbrella body of local Human Rights organisations.   
Kairaba is optimistic that the land registration exercise is such a perfect initiative that will help give locals ownership of their land. However, she avers that there is need for stakeholders to come up with mechanisms of solving problems that might also arise from the benefits that come with legal ownership of land.
She insists that Rwandans have now realised that through owning land, there are many opportunities that can easily transform their lives unlike before. Among others, Kairaba points out access to loans from institutions.
Until 2004 when the government enacted the Organic Law on Land, there was no proper land policy, meaning that land was owned by the government. However, the Organic Law on Land grants a safe and stable form of land tenure and gives the public an opportunity to enjoy their legal rights after registration.     
Anastase Balinda, the National Coordinator of the Abunzi Secretariat, says training programmes to empower the Abunzi will supplement efforts by the government to have the committees perform even better.  
He observes that giving free legal services has helped the public – especially those in rural areas – avoid incurring unnecessary expenses in cases that could otherwise be solved without necessarily going to courts of law.

 

Govt acquires 790 abandoned properties

PAC members are expected to conclude amending the law on abandoned property. The New Times/ File.
Statistics from the Ministry of Justice show that at least 790 units of abandoned property, including land, houses, money and bank accounts are unclaimed and have been repossessed by the State.

It is, however, a continuous process to identify more of such property that might still be lying idle, or that have been taken over ‘fraudulently’ by people or by unrecognised heirs or beneficiaries.

The situation could lead to conflict in case the rightful owners or heirs finally show up and find their property taken; which compels government to take charge of such property and protect it from encroachment. 

Much of this property belongs to families that perished in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi as well as to individuals who live in exile for various reasons.

In September 2009, a Cabinet meeting recommended that a department be established under the Ministry of Justice to cater for abandoned property and subsequently, it awakened an absolete law relating to the management of abandoned property that had been passed in 2004.

By the end of this week, the parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC) is expected to have concluded amending articles in the law in order to make it more relevant and effective.

“We have credible statistics showing that 790 units of abandoned property exist in Kigali, Gakenke District, and beyond and these have been repossessed by government. We know, however, that there is more than just that and we continue to do research in order to protect these properties,” Mary Saba, the head of the unit charged with management of abandoned property at the Ministry of Justice, said in an interview yesterday.

Saba added that much of these properties are enjoyed by people who have no connection whatsoever to the rightful owners and, therefore, may not be held accountable for the losses they cause when the rightful owners finally return.

“What we ask of Rwandans is to provide information wherever they find abandoned property instead of claiming ownership illegally,” Saba said.

Handling claims

PAC Chairperson Juvenal Nkusi said although most unclaimed property belongs to Genocide victims, many other cases involve property such as land and farms that have been inhabited illegally for more than 30 years.

“In such cases where a person has been using property which is not theirs for a very long period, they will be given the opportunity to retain and use it in an acceptable manner but be ready to hand it over once the rightful owners claim it,” Nkusi said.

“Property like land and a house is a very crucial matter and we know that sooner or later the owners or heirs will demand for what is legally theirs and government has a duty to make sure they get it back.”

By law, each sector is required to coordinate inventories of abandoned property at the cell and village levels, as well as determine the former owners, reason for their abandonment and how the property is currently utilised.

Individuals who conceal information of abandoned property or forge documents to prove ownership are expelled from the property and required to reimburse the produce they accrued from using it.

If the owner of the property declares themselves with proof, the government is expected by law to automatically hand it back to them within 60 days.

In case of abandoned bank accounts, rightful owners are required to inform the Ministry of Justice of the amount they hold on such accounts, which is transferred to them after being certified by court.

Contact email: ivan.mugisha[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

Giving today’s street children a better future

Mzee Antoine Bizimana with one of his “children”. Sunday Times/Joseph Oindo
Inside his quaint house situated deep in the slums of Kimisagara, there are pictures of religious icons like Mother Teresa, Jesus Christ, and the Uganda Martyrs emblazoned on all corners of the wall. 
“These are people who made a difference in others’ lives,” Mzee Antoine Bizimana tells us.
Before, we had to make it passed Street Kids of Rwanda Centre, where we met children ranging from three-year-olds to adults who are now in various vocational training centres and schools. We were met by one Claude Hashakimana at the bus stop who told us that his “father” would meet us shortly in his house.
At the centre, the small children are busy playing in the dusty backyard – not with toys like small children of more affluent backgrounds – but with ashes and some pieces of wood. Later, they are called into some small derelict building to be served food – rice and beans, to be exact. 
After their meals, the young ones frolic around the compound while the older ones wash their clothes and “dormitories.” Some are also in a classroom being taught by their peers.
The buildings are stark and simple; they have shared bedrooms, a classroom, pit latrine, and cooking areas. There is no running water or electricity, so water must be carried in jugs. The buildings are located on a steep hillside accessible only by footpaths. 
We are told that funds are needed to complete the newer building and to connect water and electricity to the centre. 
But even though the place looks “frugal” by any standard, it’s what these children call home, where they have immense hope for the future and the happiness in their faces attest to this.
We later meet Mzee Antoine Bizimana at his house, some 200 meters away from the centre. It’s a winding road, climbing the steep hills and narrow streets through Kimisagara slums. When we finally arrive there, we are stricken by his humility. 
Bizimana tells us that the centre is not an orphanage but a family, and the 60 children we passed by at the centre are all his “children.”
He says that he started the centre to rescue children who were traumatized by the Genocide in 1998. He narrates that the 1994 Genocide, which brutally claimed the lives of more than one million people, left behind thousands of orphans. In addition, HIV/Aids and poverty continue to force many of them to the streets. 
These are the children Bizimana picks from the streets and gives them hope at the centre. He provides them with food, education, and accommodation with his meager resources that he gets from his work as a mechanic. A former street child himself, Bizimana says he was inspired by the story of children who suffered cruelly from the tragic Genocide to give them the opportunity to reconstruct their lives.
“We even pick infants from the streets that have been thrown away by their mothers,” he says, adding that even though he doesn’t have enough resources to take care of all their needs, he normally makes sure that they never go to bed hungry. He tells us that over 300 former street children have been trained at his garage and most of them are now doing something with their lives.
Currently, his garage, aptly called Fashya Umuana (We Help the Child) employs some 400 street children, though some do not live at his centre. 
“This world is dirty but if everybody can take a broom and sweep a corner, then we can have a world free of dirt. I try as much as possible to ensure that the unfortunate children have some hope to look forward to,” he says.
Claude Hashakimana, who refers to the old man as his father, tells us that Mzee Bizimana has been their pillar of hope and that despite his scant resources, he is the type of a person who denies himself luxuries just to make sure the children have something to eat and some form of education.
“Father is not an ordinary person. His philanthropic heart raises him to the pantheon of saints,” says Hashakimana. 
He adds that Mzee Bizimana has provided many street children with an opportunity to reconstruct their lives and as one of the beneficiaries of such a big heart, he has learned that “a big heart doesn’t require big money”.

 

65 Primary Schools Receive Solar Panels 
Published on 5-07-2013 - at 09:47' by IGIHE
http://en.igihe.com/news/65-primary-schools-receive-solar-panels.html

The Rwanda Education Board (REB) and the USAID-funded Literacy, Language, and Learning (L3) Initiative has been distributing solar panels to 65 primary schools over the past two weeks.
The solar panels will support the schools, in 5 districts across the country, in using technology in the classroom to enhance teaching and learning. Today a launching ceremony was held at Kindama Primary School in Ruhuha, Bugesera.
Specifically, the schools will be charging cell phones, netbooks, and projectors, which REB and L3 distributed earlier this year. The cell phones are used to play L3’s Interactive Audio Instruction (IAI) programs, which are one component of a comprehensive English, Kinyarwanda, and math program.
"In the quest to improve education quality, REB is constantly looking for innovative platforms to deliver effective and proven content to both teachers and students," said L3’s Chief of Party Said Yasin. "The audio materials are a research-proven mechanism for supporting REB in achieving that goal."
The IAI programs support teachers in delivering fun, learner-centered, and effective lessons, guiding them in using new instructional methods and modeling fluent English. An "audio teacher" and "audio students" guide the teacher and children in the classroom and demonstrate learning activities.
"Especially for those teachers who haven’t mastered English language, I think those lessons are very useful," remarked REB Education and Quality Standards department head Janvier Gasana.
At the launch, a P2 classroom demonstrated a Kinyarwanda lesson. The teacher wrote several letter blends on the board and pointed to one at a time. The children quickly called out the sound the letters make, increasing the speed at which they match letters to sounds.
Additionally, students read aloud together from a text they had studied the previous week. According to Yasin, choral reading improves students’ reading fluency, an essential reading skill.
When asked whether students have improved in reading during the three months of using IAI, Kindama Head Teacher Rwingina Moses replied, "very much."
The solar panels will also charge netbooks and projectors, which are used as part of REB’s School-based Mentoring Program (SBM Program). The mentors, now deployed across the country, work with teachers at two schools each.
Using the netbooks and projectors, mentors show interactive video modules to support teachers in using appropriate English and in adopting new, effective teaching methodologies.
The 65 schools receiving solar panels are among the 90 schools piloting the L3 print and audio instructional materials. By 2016, all public schools across the country will use these materials to support P1 to P4 English, Kinyarwanda, and math.
Funded by USAID, the L3 Initiative is implemented by Education Development Center (EDC) in partnership with REB and with assistance from Voluntary Services Overseas (VSO), Concern Worldwide, International Education Exchange, and the Peace Corps.

 

Solar energy training ends

A five-day training on the use of solar photovoltaic Energy ended last week with a call on the trainees to preach the importance and use of solar energy to other Rwandans.

The training was organised by Energy Water and Sanitation Authority (EWSA) and Workforce development Authority (WDA) with support from the World Bank.

Lucien Ruterana, the strategic Advisor to Director General EWSA, said the training is a solution to the lack of technicians. 

He advised the trainees to be more ambitious and transform theory into practical and being job creators than job seekers.

Chantal Nikuzwe, a trainee, said she was ready to train Rwandans on the use of solar energy so that they can use it better after acquiring  skills.

 

Nyabihu residents start rain water harvesting

Residents of Mudende Sector, Nyabihu District have stepped up the usage of traditional methods of rain water harvesting, as a means to tackle water scarcity that has remained a challenge in years.

Traditional rain water harvesting involves digging a hole and laying waterproof canvas – commonly known as tarpaulins in the hole. Water is then trapped in by the tarpaulins during the rainy season.

Residents say that this method has saved them from making kilometres to get water.

 “Before I set up the facility in my home, I would walk for about 10 kilometres to get to the well. Others used to walk longer distances so we decided to adopt rain water harvesting, for a sustainable solution,” Eneas Serugendo, a resident of Bihungwe cell, in Mudende Sector says, adding that rain water harvesting started after the government successfully embarked on a programme to eradicate thatched houses countrywide. 

“When one was unable to fetch the water, they paid between Rwf200 and Rwf300 per jerrycan (of 20 litres) which was a lot.  These facilities came in handy and the money that would have been used to buy water is saved,” he says

According to Serugendo, the water collected during rainy season is sometimes used way into the dry season or until the next rainy season. 

“Life has changed in terms of hygiene because we regularly bathe and wash our clothes which was rare before because of water scarcity,” he said.

For safety, residents use a water purifying chemical called Sur Eau. Some residents, however, still expereince water shortage during the dry season because of small reserves.

More efforts 

And with government planning to ensure that 100 per cent Rwandans have access to clean water by 2017, this particular area has been singled out for special attention.  In April, a water supply scheme was built by the Energy, Water and Sanitation Authority and the Netherlands Development Organisation.

The scheme will not only benefit about 15,000 people out of 22,000 residents in dire need of clean water in Mudende Sector but it will also provide 53,000 people with clean water in all the seven sectors in the area.
 

Contact email: jmbonyinshuti[at]newtimes.co.rw.

 

 

PSF recruits 30 district agric extension workers

The private Sector Federation has recruited 30 extension workers in a move aimed at modernising crop agriculture and livestock farming.

The workers will be based at districts in order to take services nearer to farmers under a four-year project, the federation added. 

Livingstone Byamungu, the Linking Farmers to Markets (LIFAM) project national co-ordinator, said the extension workers would help strengthen farmers’ associations and co-operatives, helping them transform into modern farming groups. They will also assist farmers access financial services and market their produce. 

About 5m euros (over Rfw4b) has been injected into the project that is also aimed at training farmers in enterprise management, market sourcing and developing market-oriented farming approaches, Byamungu said.

The project is supported by The Netherlands government. It was launched about two months ago in Musanze district, Northern Province.  

Byamungu said the project would in the long-run improve production through enhanced skills and better farming methods. 

“We want to ensure that farmers take crop agriculture and livestock farming as any other business. This will facilitate the shift from subsistence farming to commercial agriculture,” he explained. 

Hannington Namara, the PSF chief executive officer, said the project would strengthen agro-business and improve farmers’ income since Rwanda is an agro-based economy.

He noted that, according to recent research, a lot of farmers’ produce does not reach the market, meaning that “farmers do not gain from their efforts”.

Jean Munyemana, the head of Rwanda Farmers Chamber at PSF, said the project would hasten the realisation of the goals of the second phase of the Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy.

Contact email: business[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

 

Sex workers given new lease of life

A local NGO, Voice of Community Organisation Rwanda, Friday launched a project to teach 120 female sex workers sewing skills. 
Beneficiaries will come from Kicukiro and Nyarugenge districts in Kigali City.
The project that will be funded by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) was launched at Kicukiro District headquarters.
Speaking during the launch, Innocent Musore, the organisation’s coordinator, said the general objective was to gradually empower female sex workers drop the practice.
“From our findings, we noticed that those engaged in prostitution claim they have nowhere to start a new life; and it’s from this line that we want to give them these skills so that they can have a starting point if they leave the practice,” Musore said.
He observed that dealing with prostitution requires combined efforts in a well stipulated manner that enables those involved to willingly give up the vice.
Musore added that the project would also involve sensitisation campaigns to educate female sex workers on how best they can protect themselves against HIV.
“We intend to use education programmes, especially informing female sex workers of the negative effects related to their practice as a way of discouraging them as we believe that this will help us to contribute towards preventing new HIV infections,” he said.  
Clotilde Mukamanzi, the coordinator of the Kicukiro District Aids Control Committee (CDLS), said the project will supplement efforts in the two districts in fighting HIV/AIDS.
“From our records, we established that in the district we have at least 2,851 female sex workers and although we are trying to do our best to empower them, there is need for development partners to come on board,” Mukamanzi said.
She called on more partners to join the fight, saying unprotected sex among sex workers was a big risk for new HIV infection. 
Last year, Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC) released a report that indicated that at least 51 percent of sex workers in the country are infected with HIV.
The report attributed the high HIV prevalence among sex workers to high exposure to unprotected sex with multiple partners.
One of the female sex workers who spoke to The Sunday Times on conditions of anonymity said that she no longer engages in unprotected sex after taking part in various HIV campaigns. 
“I have also been educating my fellow sex workers to avoid it however much a man offers. I am convinced that a man who decides to have unprotected sex with a prostitute must be infected with HIV,” she noted.
Contact email: editorial[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

 

MPs pass royalty Bill on minerals

Miners inside a tunnel in Rulindo District. The New Times/ File.
The Bill establishing a royalty on Rwanda’s precious stones and metals has been passed. The Bill is meant to ensure fair sharing of the country’s natural resources.

While presenting her committee’s report to the House before the Bill was passed last week, MP Constance Rwaka Mukayuhi, chairperson of Parliament’s Standing Committee on Budget and National Patrimony said it would ensure that the country’s natural wealth is able to support and benefit the citizens.

According to Article 4, royalty rates on minerals are fixed as follows: 4 per cent of the norm value for base metals and other mineral substances of that kind; 6 per cent of the norm value for gold and other precious metals of that kind; and 6 per cent of the gross value for diamonds and other precious stones of that kind.

“When scrutinising the Bill, we looked at study results at hand and paid attention on how the royalty rates on minerals were fixed. The taxes won’t be set up arbitrary. It is also important to understand that just like it is with coffee, mineral prices are determined by the international market,” Mukayuhi said.

She was reacting to the chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), MP Juvenal Nkusi’s concern that a high royalty might not spur growth as hoped, but probably deter potential investors.

Nkusi said: “My take is that these taxes are still high. And, there have been such experiences – this won’t be the first time, especially in African countries. I am still worried about the mineral sector.”

Minister of Finance, Amb. Claver Gatete, stressed that Article 8 stipulates that the royalty on minerals is due at the date of exportation of minerals, and the date of Customs Export declaration is considered for the purpose of this Law as the date of export.

Amb. Gatete said sellers will not be obliged to pay royalty before they sell.

“Again, before putting up those rates, we looked at prices all over the world. We started from the region, then all Africa, and then further beyond. The rates we decided on are the lowest. This is why, even the people involved in the sector, automatically accepted when we discussed these things with them,” Amb. Gatete said.

Mukayuhi added that there would be no need to kill competition just so as to get taxes.

“Everything must be considered – we want taxes but we don’t want to kill the tax base. There should really be no worries and, we should also not forget our need for self reliance. All angles were examined. Please understand that royalties must be established,” she said.

The Bill defines norm value to include the monthly average London Metal Exchange cash price per internationally recognised measuring unit multiplied by the quantity of the metal exported certified by the Ministry in charge of minerals.

 It could also be the monthly average Metal Bulletin cash price per internationally recognised measuring unit multiplied by the quantity of metal exported certified by the Ministry in charge of minerals.

The gross value is the export value, while market value means the estimated amount for which a certain mineral would be exchanged competitively between a willing buyer and a willing seller in a transaction where both acted basing upon all the details relating to such minerals knowledgeably, prudently, and without compulsion.

According to the Bill, the paid royalty on minerals shall be deducted from income tax.

Exemption of royalty on minerals

Article 7 also stipulates that any person who exports samples of minerals for trial purposes, analysis or any other examination on quantity as approved by the ministry in charge of minerals is exempt from royalty on such minerals.

Contact email: james.karuhanga[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

JADF members tipped on accountability

MEMBERS OF DISTRICTS Joint Action Development Forums (JADF) have been urged to strengthen their role in enabling people to claim their rights, contribute to shaping development policies and oversee their implementation as a way of speeding up local development.

This was during a two-day workshop on Voice and Accountability organised by the Netherlands Development Organisation (SNV), in collaboration with the Rwanda Governance Board (RGB).

The workshop, which was concluded last week, brought together five JADF members each from Ruhango, Ngororero and Gisagara district. 

It was the last in a series of trainings started early this month targeting JADF members from 15 districts who met to discuss the concepts of Voice, Accountability and service delivery.

The concepts of ‘Voice and Accountability’ refers to the role of JADF members in  enabling people to claim their rights, promoting rights-based approach, shaping development policies and partnership and overseeing their implementation, according to Benjamin Ndahirwa, a consultant with the Kigali-based Capacity Development Advisors (CADEA), a local consultancy firm which was hired to conduct the trainings.

Role of JADF

JADF is a consultative platform for information-sharing and cooperation among the many actors involved in districts’ socio-economic development process. 

It brings together representatives from civil society organisations, private and public sector, NGOs, local authorities, faith-based organisations and cooperatives.

“Strengthening voice and accountability among JADF members increases the visibility of their development interventions, helps avoid duplication and has significant impact on local development,” Ndahirwa said.

Jean Esper Niwemfura, one of the participants, said, “Understanding the issues relating to Voice and Accountability can make JADF more efficient in their interventions.”

Contact email: stephen.rwembeho[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

 

Iwawa passes out over 650 ex-street kids

Six hundred fifty-five former street children have been passed out after completing various courses in different disciplines at the fourth graduation ceremony of Iwawa Rehabilitation and Vocational Skills Development Centre (IRVSDC). 

The students, trained in construction, carpentry and tailoring, among others, graduated on Saturday.

The youth have been undergoing training as well as rehabilitation at the Iwawa Island of Lake Kivu in Rutsiro District, for the past 16 months.

Upon graduation most of the young men interviewed said that they lived a deplorable life before joining the centre, vowing to work hard to live a meaningful life.

Jean Habimana, 22, who hails from Musanze District, said he quit school and went to Kigali where he lived on the streets for more than three years.

“I used to pick-pocket in markets of Kigali, I was only concerned about how to get money to buy cannabis, I was arrested numerous times and released.

“‘When I was brought here with my colleagues, we couldn’t believe in any positive change but here we are. We have been rehabilitated and trained; I am sure from here, I will be an agent of  transformation to others I left on the street,” Habimana narrated. 

Habimana trained in construction and maintains he will have value to add in his community, once he returns home.

Other graduates also witnessed the positive change and promised to play an active role in nation building.

‘Shape your future’

Speaking at the event, Western Province Governor Celestin Kabahizi told the graduates that the knowledge acquired should be the foundation for them to shape their future through self reliance.

He called upon parents and guardians to accept the youth in their respective families, saying they have been reformed.

“Let’s work together to support the youth who graduated today by getting them start up kits to start their own projects,” Kabahizi said.

So far, more than 3,970 former juveniles have been rehabilitated and trained from the centre since it was opened in 2010.

Contact email: jean.mbonyinshuti[at]newtimes.co.rw

French Man commits Suicide over Rwandan Lover 
Published on 15-06-2013 - at 08:40' by IGIHE Reporter
A lifeless body of a French man has been found dangling from a roof of his bedroom at a house in Gisozi a Kigali city suburb.
The French national Philippe Milelet aged 59 is said to have commited suicide on Friday June 14, after a disagreement with his Rwandan lover idenfitied as Umurerwa Pascaline. The two have been cohabiting in the same house located at Murambi, Ruhango in Gasabo district.
A Neighbour who has also been a close friend to the couple told IGIHE that the two lovers had attended a party in the neighbourhood; there were lots of food and music. However, during a dance hour, Milelet sought to dance with his lover Umurerwa but she turned him down.
“Mr. Milelet walked out of the party and headed to his house where he committed suicide,” their neighbour said adding that it was a shocking incidence.

 

Water body calls for more collaboration

Global Water Partnership Eastern Africa (GWPEA) has called on Rwanda and Burundi to collaborate in various ways for effective implementation of the Water, Climate and Development Programme (WACDEP).
Implemented in Bugesera trans-boundary catchment in Kagera River Basin in July last year, WACDEP is a joint program of African Ministerial Council on Water (AMCOW) and the Global Water Partnership (GWP) with the aim of supporting African countries for climate resilience through improved and sustainable water resources management.
The project also aims at integrating water security and climate resilience into national development plans and decision making processes in Rwanda and Burundi.
Speaking to the Sunday Times in an exclusive interview, Patrick Safari, Regional Coordinator of GWP Eastern Africa said that before implementing the project they did a situation analysis and assessment which showed a gap on what is being done on the ground by Rwanda and Burundi.
“The implementation related to the environmental protection, water and natural resource management is still at a low level,” Safari said.
“We need to raise awareness and make sure that the two communities have at least the same level of understanding of environmental degradation and its negative effect on their livelihoods.”
Speaking on behalf of Rwanda Natural Resources Authority (RNRA), Ignace Mpundu who works in the agency’s water department said that many still don’t know how to manage the water bodies around them.
Lake Cyohoha is a good example of a water body that both Rwandans and Burundians have been using for domestic use and farming.
The lake that is found exactly south of Kigali and on the border with Burundi previously faced a water hyacinth problem that was solved on the Rwandan side, Mpundu said.
He added that the Rwandan government was looking for ways to bring much cleaner water closer to the residents through the Energy Water and Sanitation Authority (EWSA), protecting the lake by fencing it 50 meters away from and around the lake as the Rwandan law stipulates and by afforestation in all the catchment areas in order to have soil conservation.
“Since many don’t know the methods they can use to protect the environment, there are sensitisation campaigns that are already in place to ensure that everyone gets to know the value of these resources,” Mpundu said.
Contact email: ben.gasore[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

 2 Sick Children Die as Pastors Pray for Them 
Published on 14-06-2013 - at 09:13' by ISHIMWE M. Bénigne
http://en.igihe.com/news/2-sick-children-die-as-pastors-pray-for-them.html
Police in Kibungo sector in Ngoma district is holding two pastors suspected of having a hand in the death of two children.
The pastors prefered to pray for the sick children instead of refering them to a hospital.
Its alleged that a woman identified as Ingabire Monique -the mother of the two children prefered taking her kids to AVBR-church to be prayed for after she noticed that they were seriously sick.
On June 10, One of the children aged two years was rushed to hospital after prayers had effected no positive changes to the child’s plight -the kid later died in hospital.
Another Child aged 14 remained at the church as pastors continued to pray for him but died the following day June 11.
The sickness the children were suffering from was not yet established by press time but Ingabire Monique said her children were bewitched.
The pastors identified as Munyabugingo Sawuri and Harerimana Etienne bombi both of AVBR church have been arrested pending investigations into the deaths of the children.
Spt. Emmanuel Karuranga the Police Spokesperson in Eastern Province confirmed the death of the children and eventual arrest of the suspects.
On learning about the incidence, the father of the children confronted the in-laws accusing them of negligence that led to the death of his children.
The father of the children has also been arrested over a different case.

 

 

Being an orphan brought out the artist in Rukundo

Rukundo shows off one of his carvings. Saturday Times/Moses Opobo
Rukundo Antoinne was born in Rwanda in 1992. At two years old, his parents sensed something catastrophic was about to happen in the country and fled to neighbouring Congo, where they lived for two years. 

A year later, his parents were killed in the war. He was just three years old. After spending one month in an orphanage in Congo he was brought back to Rwanda, his native home. From this point onwards, he kept shuffling from one place to another, looking for food and shelter. In the course of the next six years, he lived in five different orphanages. 

Rukundo, a solo visual artist, says moving around so much was hard for him, but the most difficult thing throughout his life was coming to terms with the loss of his parents. “I had to become a man before I could even become a boy”, he recalls with a sullen expression. 

In 2001, aged nine, he was moved to L’Esperance Children’s Village Kigarama, where he was finally able to settle. This was after the orphanage he had been staying in closed down due to financial constraints. 

He spent the next eleven years at the facility and attended the nearby primary school. From this early age Rukundo aspired to be an artist, and while away from school, indulged his hobby. 

“I did not enjoy school, and soon I realised the normal education system was not going to allow me to reach my goal. I knew my happiness depended on being able to do what I loved, and it was up to me to make this happen,” he confesses.

For this reason he travelled to a nearby carpentry workshop for a two year course in carpentry. Once finished, he then travelled to Musanze for an additional year to learn how to make wooden hand crafts. 

Today, it is not only his source of livelihood, but also a way of reliving a childhood that orphan hood robbed him of. It is a way of expressing his deeper-most feelings about his immediate surroundings and that of his country. 

At the children’s village, where he plies his trade, Rukundo will be found sitting on a low stool or wooden form, tool box on one side and art pieces in different stages of completion. Below this setting are sacks of high quality timbers from which he moulds his gems. He traverses far and wide in the plains of Kigarama to purchase the timber from tree plantation owners. He confesses that he has a deep inclination toward nature conservation, a fact that easily manifests in his choice of themes. His best pieces are those of the famed mountain gorillas, which sell like hot cake among gorilla tracking tourists on short visits to the orphanage. 

There are also beautiful carvings depicting typical Rwandan beauty and elegance, portraits, kitchen ware, and traditional Rwandan artifacts. 

On average he makes ten pieces a day. He frequently has to leave his workstation and head to the gift shop to explain his carvings to tourists. 

Rukundo is quite happy and proud of what he has achieved so far. For eight hours every day he can be found behind the orphanage’s Bisoke house, sitting peacefully and carving out his passion. He says he loves making people happy, and when he can achieve this, it makes him happy as well. All the ideas he carves are his own, and the abundance of gorillas in his arsenal is a clear testimony to his love for the primates. 

Rukundo sells the bulk of his work at the orphanage, and gives back fifty per cent of the proceeds. He bemoans the fact that he can not reach out sufficiently to other potential buyers than the ones that visit the orphanage. 

In the future Rukundo would like to invest the money he makes into starting his own art instruction school, so he can teach others the skills which he has learned.

Eventually he would like to start a family, and support them with his own carpentry business. His biggest wish is that someday he may be able to sell his carvings not only in Rwanda, but also around the world.

350 stray animals returned to Akagera Park

At least 385 stray animals have been pushed back to Akagera National Park, following the installation of an electronic fence around the park.
According to local leaders and Rwanda Development Board, the animals which had initially been left out of the fence have been menacing villages.
A few days ago a stray buffalo killed a peasant on his way to routine farming activities.
Eugene Mutangana, the deputy CEO, Akagera Management Company, told The New Times yesterday that the operation to send back the animals would continue tomorrow in other areas, targeting several Zebras that destroy crops across villages.
“We sent back 20 buffaloes on Tuesday, totalling to 358 so far...inevitably, hundreds of animals remained behind the fence. There are several Zebras and other small animals that we will continue to push back to the park. We shall involve the population because these animals are not dangerous to people like buffaloes,” he said.
Mutanga warned residents to be careful, while moving along the borders of the park, until all animals are pushed inside the park fence.
“The operation may go as far as next year...this is when we can declare the whole stretch along the park safe. Until then, people should be careful and alert authorities whenever they see the animals.”
Philbert Munyensanga, the Executive Secretary of Mwiri Sector, one of the most affected areas in Kayonza District, said that all residents were waiting for the end of the operation.
He said that the local leadership was working closely with park management to end the crisis.
“It has been a crisis that affects our people in all spheres...unknown number of animals remain among communities. They kill and destroy people’s property, which is why we are always trying to protect them. We however, remain optimistic that the suffering will end,” he said.
Leonard Karinganire, a resident of the area, however complained that the operation to rid the population of the animals was too slow.
Akagera is the largest park in the country.
Contact email: stephen.rwembeho[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

Health centres get CD4, HIV testing machines

Aids Health Care Foundation (AHF) has donated three CD4 machines to help in testingfor HIV and immunity of patients before putting them on antiretroviral therapy.
The machines worth Rwf100m were handed to Dr Jean Baptiste Mazarati, the head of National Reference Laboratory in Kigali yesterday.
They will be distributed to three health centres, including Kimironko and Kinyinya in Gasabo District and Rwankeri in Nyabihu District. 
Dr Mazarati, appreciated the partnership between AHF and the government of Rwanda and their efforts in fighting against HIV/Aids.
“A CD4 machine is critical for HIV care; it allows our clinicians to know when to start Aids patients on life-saving therapy, when to change the medicine and why,” he said.
In HIV positive individuals, CD4 counts help determine the stage of infection, guide drug choices and indicate the response to treatment and virus progression.
The test is repeated every four to six months to track the infection and predict its course.
“Every district hospital has a CD4 machine where other health centres take their tests. This will solve the problem of of delay in getting of results and patients will get their results in time,” he added.
Emilee Musabyimana, the head of Kinyinya health centre said there has been a big challenge in taking the blood for testing to district hospital as it takes long to get results back.
“This will make work easy. Also proper medication can be prescribed because the machines will be available. The distance patients have been travelling to district hospitals has also been cut short,” he said.
Fighting for common goal
It was noted that there is need for qualified laboratory technicians to conduct the tests.  
The head of AHF Africa Bureau, Dr Penninah Iutung affirmed commitment to supplement government efforts to reducing the rate of new HIV infections in the country and Africa in general.
HIV/Aids prevalence is still high in Africa.
“We need to join efforts in fighting for a common goal and control the disease in the Sub –Sahara countries, this will help more patients to get treatment,” Iutung said.
She urged Rwandans to ensure preventive measures against HIV infection.
“When more efforts are taken like to be faithful to your partner, circumcision and use of a condom. It will help control the spread of HIV in Africa,” she added.
AHF provides antiretroviral drugs, CD4 testing and lab monitoring, nutritional supplements and treatment for opportunistic infections and supports the health centres through hands-on clinical mentorship and training.
Rwanda is among the few countries that have attained universal access to antiretroviral therapy (ART’s), according to Millennium Development Goals report 2012.

 

Women told to break silence on GBV, domestic violence

DIGP Nsabimana, ACP Theos Badege, the Police spokesperson, and local leaders in a morale boosting session at Apadem SS during the launch of the campaign. The New Times/Courtesy
Women have been urged to break silence and report gender and domestic violence challenges they face as an effective way of dealing with the vices which are still rated high in the country. 
The Deputy Inspector General of Police, Stanley Nsabimana, while launching the campaign against gender and domestic violence in Nyanza District, yesterday, challenged Rwandans to join efforts in fighting GBV and domestic conflicts by providing information of the affected families.
“There are some people and women, in particular, who face these problems or have information on affected families, but are yet to open up, which is a drawback in this campaign. We need to strengthen the partnership to get rid of anything that can affect our wellbeing and rights,” Nsabimana said. 
The campaign against gender-based and domestic violence, also held in all parts of the country, is part of the activities to commemorate the Rwanda National Police 13th anniversary, which kicked off on Tuesday. 
Appoline Kambayire, the Nyanza vice mayor in charge of Social Affairs, also observed that some victims of gender-based violence are still held back by tradition, thus not reporting the problems they or their children face. 
“Those days are over and its time we say no to such slavery and provide information to concerned authorities,” Kambayire said. 
The campaign held at Busoro Sector ground and attended by students, taxi motor operators and residents of Nyanza, started with a one kilometre anti-GBV and domestic violence march from Busoro Trading Centre to the venue.
The participants partook in pasting stickers with anti-GBV and domestic violence messages on vehicles. 
Plays by students of Apadem Secondary School and Community Policing Committees in Busoro with messages against gender-based and domestic violence especially by fighting the causes such as drug abuse and excessive drinking, graced the event.
Contact email: editorial[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

Government reviews refugee law

Clauses in the Bill include non-refoulement; non-penalisation; as well as others that tackle issues to do with refugee camps management; and others focusing on durable solutions for the refugees’ problem. The New Times/ File.
No refugee shall be penalised on account of illegal entry or presence on Rwandan territory once a new Bill presented to Parliament is passed in its current form.

Government tabled the Bill in Parliament last week, seeking to review the law relating to refugees by introducing critical clauses missing in previous laws.

Tabling the Bill, the Minister for Disaster Management and Refugee Affairs, Seraphine Mukantabana, told lawmakers the law governing refugees and asylum seekers in Rwanda ought to be reviewed because amendments in a 2001 law and the 2006 law do not reflect the current state of affairs.

According to Mukantabana, among other changes, the Bill seeks to streamline work of her ministry in handling refugees’ affairs since the National Refugee Council no longer performs day to day work concerning refugees as stipulated in the current law.

The new Bill will be scrutinised by parliament’s standing committee.

New clauses to the Bill include: non-refoulement; non-penalisation; as well as others that tackle issues to do with refugee camps management; and others focusing on durable solutions for the refugees’ problem.

Non-refoulement

Non-refoulement, a key facet of refugee law, concerns the protection of refugees from being returned to places where their lives or freedoms could be threatened. It is a principle of the international law which forbids the rendering of a true victim of persecution to their persecutor; persecutor generally referring to a state-actor – country or government.

Under the article 23: [Non-refoulement], “no refugee  shall be expelled or returned in any manner whatsoever to the frontiers of the territories where their life or freedom would be threatened on account of race, religion, nationality, membership of à particular social group or political opinion.”

But now Article 24 introduces: non-penalisation, no refugee shall be penalised on account of illegal entry or presence on Rwandan territory.

On refugee camps management, three new clauses – 26, 27 and 28 – are introduced to streamline aspects of: settlement of refugees; mechanisms for entry to and exit from refugee camps; and cooperation with funding organisations.

On the settlement of refugees, the Bill states that the ministry, in collaboration with other concerned government institutions, shall decide on the locations of transit centres, refugee camps and settlement areas. On voluntary repatriation, the ministry, in collaboration with other institutions, may facilitate a refugee’s repatriation upon written request, the Bill states.

Under article 31, integration into Rwanda is also possible as the government “may allocate settlement areas to refugees and integrate them where possible.”

Environmental concerns highlighted

Even though MPs welcomed the Bill, several issues, including environmental degradation brought about by vast refugee settlements in the country, were highlighted.

MP Adolphe Bazatoha, chairperson of the Chamber of Deputies’ standing Committee on Agriculture, Livestock and Environment, observed that refugees’ issues do not only concern the people affected alone but also focus on the place where they are resettled in the host country, among others.

Bazatoha said: “Within the framework of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) there is research that was carried out, and findings indicated that refugees play a big role in destroying the environment, – with many  attendant consequences.”

The minister stressed that once refugees are in Rwanda, they, like Rwandan citizens are obliged to respect all the country’s laws – including laws governing environment.

Mukantabana said: “They are not above the law. When they violate the law they face teh law like Rwandans do.”

MP Emmanuel Gatera asked the minister whether refugees, as stakeholders were consulted when the Bill was drafted. He also requested that government, through the minister, make time, later, to brief the House on matters to do with refugees.

The minister said refugees were adequately consulted as well as other ministries and agencies concerned by the refugee issue.

Contact email: james.karuhanga[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

Govt starts building houses for high risk zone dwellers

Prime Minister Habumuremyi lays a foundation stone to launch the construction of houses for people living in disaster prone areas in Kicukiro District. The New Times/ Courtsey.
The construction of houses for 30,822 families meant to be resettled by September from areas regarded as prone to disasters across the country has started.

The construction was launched over the weekend by the Prime Minister Pierre Damien Habumuremyi, in Rusheshe cell, Masaka sector of Kicukiro District.

The launch saw people participate in special community work, Umuganda, which involved clearing plots in village settlements destined to accommodate the evictees’ houses.

Premier Habumuremyi laid a foundation stone for construction of 32 units for people to be evicted from Kagina marshland in Kicukiro sector and Rwampala marshland in Rugarama sector.

Last year, 75 people died from disasters in risky zone areas. This year alone, 58 people have died, the PM told the residents, justifying the need to urgently relocate people from the high risk zones.

The injured in the same period are to around 150 people.

About 10,000 houses were destroyed by the disasters which included floods and heavy storms.

“Government cannot tolerate this situation because we value a lot our people,” he said.

Warning  

The premier indicated that of 43,000 households that were identified as living in risky zones countrywide, 12,000 have already relocated while 30,822 families are to be resettled by the September deadline.

Premier Habumuremyi warned people resisting eviction, saying they were playing around with their lives.

Virginie Mukazitoni, resident of Gashiha marshland in Kigarama sector, said she could not wait for the day of her relocation from disaster-prone zone.

“In April I lost all my property to rain,” she said.

The eviction plan that will cost the government Rwf6.5bn.

The government will give the very poor completed houses, while those with means will only get a plot of land in the village settlement which every person relocating will be entitled to. 

In this exercise, contribution equivalent to 70 per cent will be provided through community work.

Kicukiro mayor Paul Jules Ndamage said Rusheshe village settlement consists of 20 hectares to accommodate 350 units. Other categories of people, including Genocide survivors and the disabled ex-combatants are expected get houses there.

The units of the high risky zone evictees will cost Rwf9m each upon completion.

Contact email: jean.tabaro[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

Electrification Project Lights up Lives, Boosts Incomes in Rwanda
February 5, 2013

 

http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2013/02/05/electrification-project-lights-up-lives-boosts-incomes-in-rwanda?cid=EXT_TWBN_D_EXT

Nearly one million Rwandans gained access to electricity between 2009 and 2012

• Over 1,400 km of new distribution networks were built and electricity connections tripled
• Schools and health centers achieved a 70% increase in electricity connections

RELATED
WORLD BANK

• Multimedia: Slideshow: Increased Access to Electricity Creates Better Opportunities in Rwanda
• Multimedia: Video: Electricity Project Lights Up Lives, Boosts Incomes in Rwanda
• Website: The World Bank and Energy
• Blog: Sustainable Energy for All
• Website: The World Bank in Rwanda
• Projects: World Bank Projects in Rwanda
• Website: The World Bank in Africa

EXTERNAL

• Document: Press Release: Electricity Access Roll-out Program
• Government of Rwanda:Rwanda: Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy (EDPRS)
• Government of Rwanda:Rwanda: Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy (EDPRS Phase 2)

KIGALI, February 5, 2013—In 2008, only six percent of Rwanda’s 10 million people had electricity in their homes. Even those with access had to put up with frequent power cuts. The low level of access and its unreliability led school principals to suspend computer learning programs. Flagship export industries like coffee and tea produced far below capacity. High fuel costs for back-up generators eroded entrepreneurs’ incomes and limited services provided by health centers.
But this dire situation is changing, thanks to a determined effort by the Government of Rwanda with financing from the World Bank and other development partners. TheRwanda Electricity Access Rollout Program (EARP) has almost tripled connections from 110,000 in 2009 to 332,000 by December 2012.
Lighting Businesses
Having access to electric power has transformed businesses like Jean Claude Habimana’s barber shop in Nyaruguru District, southern Rwanda.  Before getting connected, Habimana served clients with electric razors, lights and music powered by a gasoline-fired generator. It was noisy, polluting—and expensive. While his earnings were $4.75 a day (3,000 Rwandan Francs), he paid US $3.17 a day (Rwf 2,000) for fuel, more than half his total income. But thanks to the EARP, Habimana’s income rose by 30%, while his energy costs dropped by 75%. 
Because two-thirds of Rwandan households are located within five kilometers of the existing grid and connecting them is costly, the project has focused on affordability and energy efficiency. Low-income households are offered ready-to-use switchboards to connect to grid electricity without the need for expensive house wiring.  They can also opt to pay installments over a 12-month period to spread connection costs increasing affordability. In addition, each newly connected household receives three free energy-efficient bulbs that help lower consumption and ease electricity loads.
“At the heart of the World Bank's energy strategy in Africa is supporting transformational projects that achieve large outcomes,” said Lucio Monari, Sector Manager for the Bank's Africa Energy program. “The Rwanda Electricity Rollout Program has helped to triple connections in just three years—a large outcome by any measure, and our Rwandan partners have reason to be proud of this achievement.”
Connecting Homes, Classrooms and Hospitals
Electricity is pulling families out of darkness, bringing technologies to schools, and improving services at health centers. So far, the number of schools connected to the grid has risen by 70%, from 715 in 2009 to 1,226 in 2012. Health centers with electric power have risen in number from 169 to 286.
“The electric light is useful to me and my children,” said Claudette Nyirabazungu of Kigombe, a resident of Kigombe Administrative cell in the northern province of Ruhengeri.  “I can also charge my telephone battery so easily. Life is much better.”
“Electricity is very useful to us,” said Pascaline Uwizera, a first-year student in secondary school. “I can now use a computer and carry out our evening studies properly.”
Before electricity came to Nyange health center in Byumba, northern Rwanda, babies were often delivered in darkness after dusk at considerable risk to expectant mothers and newborns. “Now that we’ve got electric power, all machines are functioning well and the lab is operating perfectly,” said the health center’s deputy director, Spéciose Mukabadege.
Empowering Local Enterprises
Aside from improving the quality of life for Rwandan households, wider and cheaper electricity access has invigorated the Rwandan economy, both small businesses and major industries. Access to the grid makes electric power cheaper for small businesses like barber shops as well as major industries like tea processing plants, making both more competitive and prosperous.
“In the 10 of 15 sectors already electrified, I have seen workshops for carpentry, tailoring and other products spring up. Electricity is being used by villages for irrigation in some areas.  Electricity has changed the district fundamentally, “said Julius Rukundo, Vice Mayor of eastern Rwanda’s Bugesera district.
Coffee and tea are Rwanda’s major export crops. Electrification increased their international competiveness by lowering energy costs. The Mata Tea factory in Rwanda’s southern Nyaruguru District, for example, has reduced its energy costs by at least 50% since its grid connection replaced expensive diesel fuel.  By substituting diesel fuel with electricity for water pumps and lighting, the Maraba coffee washing station in southern Huye District cut energy costs by at least 75%.
The EARP, which was expected to raise electricity connections to 350,000 by the end of 2012 during its first phase, is a vital component of the government of Rwanda’s poverty reduction strategy.  “Enabling productive centers access to electricity is essential to boost the enterprises’ productivity, competitiveness and ability to create jobs,” said Paul Baringanire, the World Bank’s project team leader. 
The World Bank Coordinates Multi-party Support
The EARP is supported by a $70 million zero-interest credit from the World Bank’sInternational Development Association (IDA) in partnership with the African Development Bank, Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa, Belgium, European Union (EU),Japan, Netherlands, OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID) and the Saudi Fundwhich, together, have mobilized $348.2 million for the program.

 

Water harvesting loan scheme targets 250,000 households

The General Manager of Aquasan Limited, Rakesh Vikram Singh says his company has the capacity to cover the entire country. Sunday Times/Peterson Tumwebaze
Nearly 250,000 households could no longer face the problem of water scarcity by 2018 as the government together with Aquasan Limited and FINA Bank move to facilitate each of the households with a rain harvesting tank.
According to Gaston Ndayisaba, Coordinator of the Rain Water Harvesting Project at Rwanda Natural Resources Authority (RNRA), residents in different areas of the country will be able to access a loan of about Rwf440,000 from FINA Bank.
The loan will be payable within a period of one year, which will make it easy for households especially farmers to harvest enough water during the rainy season and use it during the dry season. 
Ndayisaba said that the RNRA has endorsed a memorandum of understanding with FINA Bank, Aquasan and district authorities to enable all residents under eligible conditions to access a loan from the bank without any mortgage required except the tank itself for a period of one year.
“Our target is to help our people solve the problem of water shortage especially during the dry season. That will increase their agricultural productivity,” he said.
The General Manager of Aquasan Limited, Rakesh Vikram Singh, said that the water harvesting loan scheme was designed as a solution to the constraints of limited financial capacity for some families to afford appropriate rain water harvesting facilities. The situation is also seen by the company as a business opportunity since it will make some profits selling water tanks while private stake holders will also have access to water.
Rakesh has called upon more financial institutions to come on board and support the project which has so far spread to districts of Rubavu, Nyabihu, Kicukiro, and Gasabo.
“We have the capacity to cover the entire country if the demand is there. However, we need more banks and other interested partners for this project to be scaled up countrywide,” Rakesh told The New Times.
Rain water harvesting was identified as a mitigating measure to some challenges related to water resources management such as erosion and flooding while contributing towards improving water availability for domestic uses and ground water recharge.
The national strategy for rain water harvest scheme targets to reach 226,502 households, 3,909 primary schools and secondary schools, and 2,596 administrative buildings by 2018.
Contact email: editorial[at]newtimes.co.rw

Tuesday, June 4th, 2013 | Posted by Jean Damascène Niyitegeka
Phase one of YouthConnekt dialogue closed
http://focus.rw/wp/2013/06/phase-one-of-youthconnekt-dialogue-closed/

Rosemary Mbabazi, the permanent secretary in the ministry of youth and ICT, at the closing of the YouthConnekt dialogue. (courtesy photo)
The first phase of the YouthConnekt dialogue has been an occasion to assess which areas of education need more attention to build a better future for the youth. This was said by Rosemary Mbabazi, the permanent secretary in the ministry of youth and ICT, at a closing ceremony in Kirehe on Monday.
She said this dialogue has also brought to light that some youth are still being indoctrinated with false ideologies and that educative campaigns are needed to eradicate them. “This was like an exploration, to know what is going on in the field, and now all stakeholders including the National Unity and Reconciliation Commission (NURC) and FARG know what to do,” Mbabazi explained.
The permanent secretary observed that the dialogue had given youth the confidence to speak out about their worries and concerns. “During this dialogue we saw youth who couldn’t express themselves because they feel isolated but after getting this space and time to express their views and be heard, they showed that there is a hope of a better future,” Mbabazi said.
During the dialogue, testimonies from the youth showed how some felt guilty of the actions of family members during the Genocide and felt ashamed, while others had difficulty to show forgiveness, but after the discussions, they were starting to change their mind.
One of the youth, Zerda Nyiranzage, explained she felt guilty of what her brothers did and decided to participate in the TIG in the place of Genocide perpetrators who were not around. Now, she said, she recognizes that she should not blame herself and focus on the future rather than the past.
“When people saw me in the public service works (TIG), they thought I too participated in Genocide, but I did it because I felt as if I did,” she said.
The first phase of the YouthConnekt dialogue was held in 15 districts, while the second phase will take place in the 15 others in June. Mbabazi said that after the dialogue is over in Rwanda, it will shift to the Diaspora.

 

 

High poverty worry regional MPs

East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) legislators on Tuesday expressed concern over increasing poverty levels among citizens in East Africa despite the region’s huge mineral potential.
The lawmakers were debating the budget estimates for the Financial Year 2013/2014, totalling $130 billion presented to them last week by Shem Bageine, the chairperson of the EAC Council of Ministers and Uganda’s Minister of State for East African Affairs. 
“Our region is highly endowed with oil and gas and water but these don’t benefit our people and we wonder where our leaders are in all this,” Omar Kimbisa, an EALA member from Tanzania, said. 
“Who keeps taking our resources away from us yet our people are languishing in stinking poverty? Time has come for a new strategy in solving this problem and this should be our new agenda.” 
He called for local processing of minerals in the region, saying this will give employment to many unemployed East Africans. 
Budget weaknesses
EALA member from Rwanda Abdul Harelimana decried challenges in the region’s aviation industry and wondered why it’s shorter for one to travel from Kigali to Brussels than it is from Entebbe to Dar es Salaam. 
“We also need action taken on the high charges East Africans are incurring on roaming by regional telecommunication companies,” he said.
“There is need for regulation at regional level. Even when you don’t pick your phone or read messages, MTN, which is the same company in some partner states, charges you.” 
Christophe Bazivamo, an EALA member from Rwanda called for additional budget to the mining industry and the extractive industries. 
For Isabelle Ndahayo, an EALA member from Burundi, said the Budget presented last week fell short on agriculture, which she said is the backbone of all the economies in the region. 
In his Budget speech, Bageine said projects and programmes are being implemented at different stages, including development of a Food Security and Nutrition Policy.
Contact email: editorial[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

Ministry moves to improve education for disabled students

Visually impaired students learn how to read and write. Lack of qualified teachers with special needs training is one of the challenges facing many schools for students with disabilities. The New Times/Timothy Kisambira
As part of efforts to harmonise policies that ensure inclusive education, the Ministry of Education (Mineduc) is set to revamp the education policy to cater for children with disabilities.
The announcement was made in Kigali at a validation workshop aimed at updating stakeholders about the resolution on inclusive education policy passed by the cabinet in 2007. It attracted partners in education including disabled people bodies.
According to Erasme Rwanamiza, the in charge of planning for inclusive education at the ministry, the existing policy was not bad but there are so many things that need improvement to meet the needs of disabled children’s education.
“For instance, the 2007 statement was not clarifying needs for public buildings, especially schools to conform to disabled persons’ needs, thus this workshop will expose issues to be modified and the ones to be added,” he added.
The plans 
Some of the plans include providing inclusive education training to teachers in the country effective this year, according to Dr Evariste Karangwa, the founder of Faculty of Special Education at Kigali Institute of Education (KIE) and chairperson, National Task Force for the Development of Inclusive Education (NTFDIE).
“We will start a school of inclusive education and rehabilitation in KIE, with seven programmes designed to give teachers’ inclusive education knowledge,” he said.
The project implementation has been allocated Rwf400m by Mineduc. Karangwa noted that the school will enhance training for teachers nationwide.
The move seeks to improve disabled education policy in order to meet inclusive education, which will require disabled persons to have their specific schools.
He was responding to a query by Jean Pierre Nteziryayo, the head teacher of Gatara School of the Blind in Rwamagana District, who said that the lack of qualified teachers with special needs training a another major challenge that many schools faced.
Atleast 10 per cent of young people in Rwanda have disabilities, according to an Education ministry report. A few attend their local mainstream school, though most go to special schools and centres in urban areas, too far for most Rwandans.
Contact email: editorial[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

Visually impaired students get support from telecom firm

Visually impaired students of HVP Gatagara School have received educational materials and sporting equipment from MTN Rwanda.
The donation was made during a visit by MTN staff to the school during the company’s annual “21 Days of Y’ello Care” which includes outreach activities by the staff of the country’s telecom giants.
On behalf of the company, Mary Ashimwe said, “We brought Braille papers to encourage the blind children and to show them that they are not alone. We also gave the school a big water tank, because we know that water is important for hygiene.”
HVP Gatagara School for the Blind in Rwamagana started in 1998 and has both primary and a secondary section.
Jean Pierre Nteziryayo, the director of the school, said MTN’s support was timely, adding that the Braille papers were very much needed by the 212 students.
“The papers we use are very expensive and have a guarantee of only one year.our school population has been growing,” he said. 
Visual impairment, one critical component of disability, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), has affected about 285 million people in the world.
Contact email: stephen.rwembeho[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

City authorities unveil plan to reduce housing shortage

Kigali is facing a growing shortage of houses, especially for low income earners. The New Times / File photo
The City of Kigali has unveiled an ambitious plan under which thousands of houses will be built in a space of ten years to meet the demand for affordable houses in the city.
The projects will provide about 34,000 affordable housing units to people of various income brackets, Liliane Mupende, the city’s director of the One Stop Centre (OSC), said.
“We project the total demand for new dwellings in Kigali to hit 344,068 units by 2022,” she said.
Mupende said works on the Gacuriro Vision City phase I project have already started and detailed designs for the Kinyinya and Batsinda projects submitted to the OSC and are currently under review.
The Akumunigo project’s pre-feasibility study was completed and is currently under review by the OSC, while the Gacuriro, Kinyinya and Batsinda projects are undertaken in partnership with the Rwanda Social Security Board (RSSB).
Moses Kazoora, the RSSB communications director, said they have started basic infrastructure works at Vision City project in Gacuriro where 500 units are planned.
The Kinyinya and Batsinda projects will consist of apartments. RSSB is the main supplier of housing in the formal market, according to the Housing market demand survey, conducted by City of Kigali last year.
Mupende said the Akumunigo project was being developed in partnership with Rwanda Development Bank (BRD) and Shelter Afrique. “The cost of this project is still being established as designs are still underway,” Mupende noted. 
She added that the project would be developed in phases spread over five years.
“They will be of varying sizes and the targeted beneficiaries include government employees, co-operatives and individuals,” she said.
According to Mupende, the Akumunigo estate will have an estimated 3,000 units while Gacuriro will have about 4,530 units when completed.
Between 1,650 and 2,000 units will be built in Kinyinya and 300-500 at the Batsinda project. But these projects are still under review, she pointed out.
Mupende said the city has offered subsidies to developers on several properties, especially those earmarked for affordable housing such as the sites that RSSB will develop, the Central Business District Phase I (Ubumwe) and Akumunigo, among others.
“We are trying to organise an affordable housing symposium. Before this, we will work with Rwanda Housing Authority (RHA) to establish an incentive package that will attract more investors to develop affordable housing,” she added.
She added that the city will facilitate the establishment of a bank to guarantee a reserve of land that will be dedicated to the development of public interest projects such as affordable housing, infrastructure and services development, as well as public facilities like schools and hospitals.
On whether the city authorities were giving local developers priority to undertake these projects, Mupende said they offer uniform incentive packages and opportunities to both local and foreign firms, arguing that capacity of developers to complete projects remains paramount.
“We facilitate all capable investors by availing them land at a subsidised rate, subject to the costing of the final unit at an affordable charge for a targeted income bracket, particularly low and middle income earners. 
In some cases, the city may contribute to the infrastructure cost where possible,” Mupende explained.
According to Norbert Kamana, the director general for planning at City of Kigali, close to 2,000 hectares of land were identified across the city to build affordable houses.
Challenges
However, officials admit that this grand plan faces some hiccups, such as lack of mortgage financing.
“There is a high cost of construction and building materials which are imported. We are in collaboration with Rwanda Housing Authority (RHA) and the Ministry of Infrastructure to find alternative construction technologies that can promote the use of local materials and bring down the cost of construction,” Mupende pointed out.
Limited skilled labour is another challenge, although this would be solved in a few years through technical and vocational training centres, according to Mupende.
She added that RHA was playing a major role in addressing the capacity gap in collaboration with the private sector.
Another challenge she cited out was the rapid increase of land prices in Kigali, which she believes may become a serious bottleneck for developing affordable housing.
Therefore, special analysis should be undertaken to determine the most effective strategies to ensure availability of sufficient land for affordable housing, at reasonable cost.
Housing demand and supply in the city
According to the EU-funded survey conducted last year, the total housing requirements in Kigali by 2022 are projected to be 458,265 dwelling units.
Kigali’s population as of 2012 reached 1.1 million inhabitants, and is anticipated to grow to nearly two million by 2022.
The study aimed at estimating the demand and supply of housing in Kigali, as well as to provide investors and stakeholders with a clear understanding of the market.
Demand drivers
Housing demand in Kigali is driven by two main factors: first, by demographic change resulting from population growth (including natural growth and immigration) and, second, by economic and policy factors, such as economic transition, geographic location of economic opportunity in rural and urban areas, changes in household income and government policy and regulations that manage growth.
Housing supply
The formal housing market, as it is currently operating, supplies around 1,000 units per year, but the city will demand around 31,000 units every year.
It is estimated that between 2013 and 2018, around 17,280 units will be up and running, which represent an average of 1,234 units per year.
These will be supplied into the formal housing of Kigali, of which 28 per cent are apartments and the rest are detached units.
Statistics show that it is also important to signal that ongoing and planned projects concentrate on unit cost of about Rwf15m.
As the city tries to enhance housing supply, experts advise that Kigali should find ways to work around natural barriers like swamps and hilly terrain by concentrating on sky-rise structures.
Contact email: stephen.nuwagira[at]newtimes.co.rw

That is a good idea that is timely. Unfortunately, you are talking of putting up affordable houses, but you are not telling us how affordable. It is better to give an estimated amount at least in US Dollars, a currency that has an international convertability character and isn't so easily affected by market fluctuations. That way, the message well go down well, especially to some of us. Otherwise i thank you for the good news, though incomplete as it is.

 07:30:10 Tuesday 04th, June 2013 Muhima, Nyarugenge District, Kigali - KAGGWA Mustapher
Reply | Close
well, instead rssb constructs mansionettes, so they are saying low cost housing project will end in 2022? where is a short term solution? why don't you help people construct their own houses short-term?

 11:08:47 Tuesday 04th, June 2013 muhima - philip k
Reply | Close
Please stop pretending the "Good Samaritan" ! Yesterday I was being told that "...nobody owe me anything..." yet, RSSB- "the main supplier of housing..." is using my money to build storied buildings throughout the country, in almost every province...because it wants to make money...!
Today, a certain newspaper is feeding me with a piece of article which insinuate that I should be patient, that before 2020 I may get an affordable space to call home....WHAT IS ANA AFFORDABLE HOUSE? THIS IS SIMPLY NONSENSE !!
Please Mupende and Kazoora stop the "seek and hide game", take a paper and juggle with numbers to achieve your imihigo,.... We fully understand the realities and what they mean to us.

 12:06:25 Tuesday 04th, June 2013 Kigali - John
Reply | Close
Kigali city authorities should think of people with low income. They are many in this city, we can say that they represent more than half of the population living in Kigali city, and they need modest dwellings that are at the height of their income.
Most of these people have a monthly income arising between Rwf 50,000 and Rwf 200,000. Therefore, Kigali city should facilitate construction of affordable houses that people can rent at reasonable cost without compromising their subsistence.

 14:13:05 Tuesday 04th, June 2013 Kigali - Peter

 

Report faults districts on abetting land conflicts against Genocide survivors

The disputed piece of land located in Niboye Sector, Kicukiro District that is occupied by a number of families. The New Times/ File.
Districts have been faulted for poor implementation of the land sharing policy initiated in 1996, leading to endless land wrangles involving Genocide survivors.   
This is according to the Special Justice Taskforce instituted by Prime Minister Pierre Damien Habumuremyi, this year, to analyse injustice faced by Genocide survivors. 
The nine-member committee, comprised officials from various public institutions, was chaired by Deputy Ombudsman Bernadette Kanzayire. 
It was set up to analyse injustice faced by Genocide survivors in relation to regaining their property. 
The report, a copy of which The New Times has seen, says while executing the land sharing policy it was found out that land sharing was implemented differently in all districts. 
“Some local authorities never implemented land sharing policy as required. They never put into consideration reserving land for child survivors of the Genocide,” the report says. 
It also indicates that basing on the policy of land use for community settlements “imidugudu”, some local authorities allocated land belonging to Genocide survivors who either didn’t return home or were still minors to other people without providing compensation to the owners. 
The report details land cases which have been handled in the various districts of the country. 
Within a three month period starting January 11, it identified 1202 cases involving Genocide survivors’ property countrywide. 
Ignorance of issue                                         
More than 300 were resolved, while an estimated 800 issues are still pending and were recommended to the local authorities. 
By the time land sharing policy was implemented, the population was not informed about the compensation they were required to provide consequently the value of that compensation today is higher, it said. 
It was an obligation for all the beneficiaries of imidugudu policy to compensate land owners. 
But people occupying land in settlements reportedly refused to remit compensation arguing that it was public land. 
According to the report, there are cases where local authorities put public infrastructure on the land without providing fair compensation to the Genocide survivors. 
The report adds that many Genocide survivors are still seeking justice to regain their properties occupied by illegitimately. 
It cites a case of seven orphaned children of late Nyirumuringa in Kicukiro district among the many cases of land grabbing. 
Family forced out
One of the children, who talked to this paper on condition of anonymity for fear of witch-hunt by the tenants on their land, their three-hectare piece of land in Nyakabanda Cell, Niboye Sector, was grabbed by 30 families who have since kept the plots of land, developed houses and used some part for animal husbandry. 
The land grabbers allegedly include one of a prominent leader in the Kicukiro District. 
A source said the affected family was forced to vacate this land in February 1994. The family settled in Kabeza, also in Kicukiro. 
“The land belongs to Nyirumuringa family and their ancestors. I am a witness,” Mohamed Rwakazayire, the then leader of Nyakabanda Cell, whose family is just adjacent to the claimed land, said. 
He said the land was divided up by city authorities to people who were relocating from other person’s houses. 
Rwakazayire said it was in 1997 when around 30 people formed an association dubbed “Twiyubakire” and reclaimed the land for residential purposes and the Nyirumuringa family tried to halt it in vain. 
“We tried to convince the meeting, which was called by local leaders, that the land belonged to us. When we realised no one was sympathising with us, we preferred to keep quiet,” said one of the children. 
The task force recommended to the district commission to resolve the problem, but Nyirumuringa family says, the occupants gave this commission mislreating information since none of them acknowledged that they owe the family property.  
Kanyarwanda and Ibuka, associations that promote the interests of Genocide survivors, have started assessment of the property issues for further advocacy. 
Theoneste Murangira, the president of Kanyarwanda, said the associations are preparing different recommendations to submit to the Prime Minister’s office, the Ministry of Local Government and Office of the Ombudsman.
Contact email: jean.tabaro[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

How feeding scheme keeps children in school

Pupils have their meal at school. The New Times/ Timothy Kisambira.
EVERY MORNING, hundreds of children leave their homes to school where they are expected to spend several hours attending classes. But educators, particularly those in developing countries, struggle with a serious hurdle: teaching hungry students. 
International charity Save the Children said in the “Food for Thought” report released last week that a-quarter of the world’s children are at risk of underperforming at school because of chronic malnutrition. 
Earlier, the World Food Programme, in its 2013 “State of School Feeding Worldwide” report, warned that thousands of children still lacked enough and nutrient-rich food to allow them study in the most favourable environment. 
This culminated in high rates of school dropouts, irregular attendances, exaggerated lateness and poor performances in schools, it said. 
The introduction of school feeding programmes, targeting mainly pre-primary and primary school children in hunger-stricken areas, came to address these issues. 
For the last 10 years, Mugombwa Primary School in Nyamagabe District benefited from a WFP-funded scheme to provide students with free lunch at school daily.  
The school, located in the rural Cyanika Sector of Nyamagabe District, is just one of the about 300 countrywide that have benefited from the same scheme since 2002. It is also one of the few remaining schools under the sponsorship, which today targets select schools in Nyaruguru and Nyamagabe districts. 
Every day, the more than 1,000 Mugombwa students are served with free meals–often a dish of maize bread ( , as it is locally known) with fried peas. 
Alvera Mukarubayiza, the head teacher, said the scheme has been critical in maintaining students in class. 
“Before, the school dropout rate, absenteeism and late coming were high, but since the school feeding programme began, these cases have drastically reduced,” Mukarubayiza, who has served in the education sector since 1976, said.
She said some parents used to force their children out of schools. In other cases, children were employed as house-helps.
“It was difficult for students to study on empty stomachs, so they preferred small chores which helped them gain little money to survive over their education,” Mukarubayiza said. 
She said the school feeding programme has not only helped improve students’ performance, but also made them healthier. 
“A hungry child lacks concentration. But when they are satisfied, their performance improves,” Mukarubayiza said. “Malnutrition among school children has also been stamped out.” 
Theophile Mutimura, a Primary Six teacher at the same school, said ‘satisfied’ students are able to memorise, learn and understand without difficulties. 
“It is a bit complicated to teach a student who is dozing because of hunger,” Mutimura said. “Teaching and learning become easier when students are satisfied.”
Parents, pupils speak out 
For Phenias Dusengimana, a P6 pupil, the school feeding programme came as a boost to his class performance. He says whenever he went back home for lunch, he was always late to return to school and that affected his studies. 
“With this programme, it means you have food and time for respite so when you go back in class, you feel well and you concentrate on studies,” Dusengimana said. 
Valerie Uwimana, 39, a resident of Buhiga Village in Cyanika Sector, said the programme relieved her from the pressure of preparing lunch for her three school-going children. 
“It’s not that I fear my responsibilities as a parent, but serving them [students] meals at school allows them to properly manage their time and dedicate much of their time to studies rather than spending hours to and fro school during lunch hours,” she said. 
“It also allows me to concentrate on other things so as to be more productive, raise my income and obviously improve my social status.”
Silas Rwakayiro, 50, also a parent, said: “It is rare for children to drop out nowadays. The school meals have improved their love for education and that plays a big role in the way they perform academically.” 
Sustainable feeding
WFP has called on countries to establish strong mechanisms to recover costs involved in the programme and, thus, guarantee its sustainability.  
According to education officials, plans are underway to have the school feeding programme introduced in all schools across the country but, he noted, the process will depend on the availability of funds to support it. 
The Director-General of Education Planning in the Ministry of Education, Dr Erasme Rwanamiza, said although there is no quantified data to measure its impact, school feeding was critical in improving punctuality and attendance at school, the decrease of diseases related to malnutrition as well as strengthening ties and relationships among students. 
Dr Rwanamiza said to guarantee the programme’s sustainability, it is imperative that parents get involved. The government plans to spend more than Rwf5 billion to boost the school feeding programme in the next fiscal year.
Contact email: editorial[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

REMA to reward best environmental performers

REMA head, Rose Mukankomeje.
The Rwanda Environment Management Authority (REMA) is set to reward best performing districts cooperatives and media in its 2012/2013 Best Environmental Performance Awards to celebrate the World Environment Day on Wednesday and a National Environment week  that is ongoing.
The Director General of REMA, Rose Mukankomeje, encouraged people to think about this year’s global theme for World Environment Day; “Think, Eat, Save”.
She noted that in homes, hotels, and restaurants people still cook more food than they need, contributing to a large amount of global food production that is wasted every year.
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimate that every year 1.3 billion tons of food is wasted or lost while one in every seven people in the world go to bed hungry and more than 20,000 children under the age of five die daily from hunger.
“Waste of food also means waste of all the resources and inputs like water and energy which are used in the production of all the food. That means more and more energy is used in food processing and the final disposal generates green house gases,” she said.
She added that the most important goal of the theme for World Environment Day 2013 was to promote resource efficiency and sustainable production and consumption by reducing our food print and wasteful practices.
According to the Mayor of Kigali, Fidele Ndayisaba, awareness and sensitisation on how to be smart about the way we eat, serve, shop for and dispose our food, was essential.
Best practices in that direction that have been initiated in Rwanda include having a family organic garden--commonly called Akarima k’igikoni.
The mayor also encouraged the use of post harvest storage facilities across the country for fruits vegetables, potatoes, maize, and milk.
“We shouldn’t only think about ourselves or our households, but the global community. Everything each of us does matters, and affects our neighbours. We all need to act for the global environment and food,” Ndayisaba said.
Contact email: editorial[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

 

Over 100 couples in mass wedding

108 couples in Kayonza District on Friday took part in a mass civil wedding jointly organised by non governmental organisation (NGO) Women for Women International and the district. 
They were greeted by families, friends, and local leaders who came to share in the festivities. 
“I am now expecting to live in harmony with my husband. I will, from now on, be protected by the laws,” said Nadia Muhoracyeye after legalising her marriage. 
She said that she and her husband have resolved to abide by the laws for the wellbeing of their family.
The Executive Secretary of Rukara Sector, Gervais Ntirenganya, said that a healthy relationship requires knowing the skills necessary for “friendly fighting” dealing with conflict respectfully and working together to find a workable solution.
“Knowing when to apologise and how to forgive are important issues in marriage.,” he advised the couples.
According to Violet Kabarenzi in charge of life skills and sponsorship at Women for Women International (WFWI) in Rwanda, the organisation’s aim is to fight against abuse of any kind for the poor, illiterate, or marginalised people.
The overall goal is to build a society where members of communities have full and equal participation in the processes that ensure their health, well-being and economic independence, Kabarenzi said.
Contact email: editorial[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

Condom prices slashed by 50%

The spread of HIV/AIDS could be reduced by tremendous percentage in the districts of Ruhango, Karongi, Muhanga, Nyanza, Rutsiro and Ngororero, among many other places in the country if an ongoing national campaign by Society for Family Health (SFH) and Global Fund that has pledged to reduce condom prices for PLAISIR brand by 50 percent proves effective.
According to John Butera, Regional Manager for SFH, prices for the condoms have been reduced from Rwf400 to Rwf200 a packet making them more affordable.
“Many of our people are not using condoms not because they cannot access them but because of high condom prices. As a result many are contracting HIV/AIDS due to the fear to spend. So making condoms affordable for people to use will reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS by tremendous percentages,” Butera said.
He also said that there is need to increase awareness as far as using condoms is concerned because many people are still stuck with cultural and religious briefs. 
“The challenge of many people not using condoms because of their religion or cultural briefs is the reason we have decided to take condom campaigns closer to the people to try to address such challenges,” he said.  
Many residents in areas where the campaign has reached so far, such as Rwirangira Christopher in Ruhango Distrcit, have shown excitement at the news that condom prices will be reduced.
Contact email: editorial[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

 

Company loses contract to manage city landfill

Workers at Nduba dumping site. The New Times/ T. Kisambira.
The City of Kigali has terminated the contract with Green and White Investment Limited, a company that has been managing the Nduba dumping site, citing failure to comply with terms. 

Bruno Rangira, the City director of media and communication, said the company was given three hectares to use, but they [the company] widened the land to 13 hectares. 

This paper understands the contract was terminated last week.

“We had agreed that they would use three hectares and leave the remaining eight for recycling activities to turn waste into useful products, for the waste to be profitable instead of posing a threat to the communities in the vicinity,” said Rangira. 

He said such “poor management” is the reason the previous site located in Nyanza, Kicukiro District, was closed. 

Through recycling, the company is expected to produce fertilisers and charcoal bricks. 

Jean Damascène Ndayambaje, the representative of Green and White Limited Company, said they, too, wished to terminate the contract, claiming the City did not fulfil some of its obligations.

“We agreed they should build roads at the site to facilitate disposal, but they did not,” he said.

Ndayambaje said during the rainy season, trucks cannot reach the site, dumping waste half-way.

Denial 

The company also denies using the 13 hectares, saying they took one-and-a-half extra hectares and they had already brought the machines for recycling. 

“The City is not supportive and it is no longer a viable business. I think the City still wants to manage the landfill as was the case for Nyanza,” Ndayambaje said. 

However, Rangira said the City demarcated roads soon after signing the contract with White and Green Limited in May last year. 

Patrice Munyaneza, the financial manager at Cooped, a cleaning and recycling company in Kigali, said if a company is overloaded by the garbage, capacity to manage them becomes challenging.

In the cleaning industry, Rangira said, there has been progress, especially in garbage collection, with companies no longer creating transit dumpsite in the city, before carrying them to Nduba site as it was the practice in the past. 

With the termination of the contract, the City will repossess the site management within 45 days while looking for another firm to manage waste. 

Rangira added that bidders will have to make recycling a priority. 

“We will apply if the City opens the tender to manage the dumpsite; we qualify for it,” Munyaneza said. 

John Mugabo, the City officer in charge of waste management, last year told this paper that cleaning companies collect 186 tonnes of solid waste daily. Of these, he said, only two per cent get recycled. 

Nduba dumpsite is located in Muremure Cell, Nduba Sector in Gasabo District. The Rwf1.3b facility replaced the decade-old Nyanza-Kicukiro dumping site.

Contact email: jean.tabaro[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

Musanze disaster victims call for district’s support

Women wade through flood water in Rwaza last year. Residents evacuated from the area say they need more assistance. The New Times/ File.
Former residents of Musezero Cell, Rwaza Sector in Musanze District,  have asked authorities to come to their rescue, saying the facilitation they got following a disaster in their former abode has not been enough.

The residents were forced to leave after a landslide buried homes following heavy rain. Sixteen families with more than 70 people were evacuated from the place. 

The residents say they were given a plot of land and iron sheets to resettle. They also say the district  promised them Rwf300,000 to pay landowners, but they have not received this money and the owners are demanding the money.  

Besides, they claim the land they were given was not enough to set up a house and other household partitions. 

“We have built houses on our neighbours’ land, which we did not pay for. We uprooted their crops before we built and now they are complaining. I have no land to trade off because my entire plot was ravaged,” Protais Uzabakiriho, one of the affected residents, said. 

“The place I was given isn’t enough, I don’t have where to build a toilet.”

The residents say they were advised by sector officials to trade off their former land with the plot they were given.

However, they say no one is willing to take the ravaged plots of land. 

“Our situation may worsen. We don’t have land for farming, we are hungry,” Belansille Akimanizanye said

However, district officials say the evacuated were promised Rwf300,000 only if a person’s land has completely sunk, which was never the case. 

One of the people whose land was given to the affected said he was not satisfied with the way his land was given away. 

“I didn’t give the land willingly. They said we would be compensated but we waited in vain,” a landowner, who preferred anonymity, said. 

Winfride Mpembyemungu, the district mayor, said the residents should not wait for government support because what government did was to evacuate them to save their lives and gave them primary support such as roofing and the plot of land. 

“We should have compensated them with that amount if their land had been totally damaged, which is not the case. If the plot is not enough local leaders will help the parties because it is an issue of coming up with a negotiated solution,” said Mpembyemungu. 

She added that the district will keep supporting the residents.

Contact email: jmbonyinshuti[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

May 19th, 2013 | Posted by Jean-Christophe Nsanzimana

Unauthorized settlement led to evictions – Gasabo mayor

Gasabo district Mayor Willy Ndayizeye has declared that claims made by evictees in the district (Kimicanga, Gaculiro, Gisozi, etc.) are unfounded because they were evicted because of unauthorized settlement.
In the recent past, people liv­ing mainly around Gisozi marsh­land and Kimicanga have been asked to leave those areas for re­spectively environment protection and not matching the city’s master plan. While some of them received compensation for their demolished properties, others did not because they had settled without permits provided by the district authorities. Yet the evictees denounce what they call unfair treatment.

“Those evictees had been warned on settling in these areas because even those already living there were about to be expropriated.”

Yet Ndayizeye rubbishes those claims. “Those evictees had been warned on settling in these areas because even those already living there were about to be expropriated. Yet they ignored our warnings, and put up their houses nevertheless.”
The mayor says that they used techniques which made it hard to notice to the local leaders that their houses were new and illegally con­structed. “Some chose to do their construction work at night or dur­ing the weekend, others were seek­ing official papers to dig toilets and build kitchens for their homes when they were actually building living houses,” he said.
What made it even harder to no­tice is the fact that they were utiliz­ing already used bricks and iron sheets to make the authorities be­lieve that the houses have been there for a long time. “We don’t have staff to oversee all of that, so we request citizens to cooperate and report such cases whenever they see their neighbors putting up an unau­thorized building,” Ndayizeye re­marked.
According to the mayor, the dis­trict has spent a lot of money to get those settled in unauthorized areas moved to other places. “We have for instance paid around Frw 5 bil­lion to clear the Kimicanga area,” he pointed out.
He added that those from the oth­er areas are also being moved and the district is paying huge sums for their compensation (if they qualify) and expropriation.

Related Posts

• ‘Without compensation, our future looks bleak’ – evictees
• To implement master plan for Kigali, substantial investment is needed

Posted by Jean-Christophe Nsanzimana on May 19 2013. 

 

Initiative powers sockets in Nyarugenge District homes

Residents of Gakoni Sector will now have electricity in their homes. The New Times/ File.
Thirty-five homes in Gakoni Sector, Nyarugenge District are set to benefit from an initiative that will extend electricity to the area.

The initiative is supported by the continental Access Bank Rwanda.

Marie Gorette Dusabe, the bank’s country manager, said the initiative is in line with government programme of enabling the population get connected to electricity as a key mechanism of empowering the population to fight poverty and improve their standard of living. 

“As a bank, we are not only concerned about making business, but also contributing to national priorities; and we are optimistic that residents will engage in more income-generating activities,” said Dusabe. 

Appreciating goodwill

She made the remarks when employees of the bank paid a visit to the area. 

Dusabe said the support from the bank to the widoes in the area should be a starting point for beneficiaries to start a new life. 

Leocadie Mukandanga, one of the beneficiaries, appreciated the donation.

“Without power, it is impossible to start even a simple salon where our young boys and girls can engage in some business; but with this initiative, I am optimistic that we shall be creative to come up with ways through which we can earn and develop just like other people in areas with electricity,” she said.

Contact email: editorial[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

Youth Leadership Forum set up

Students from at least 20 institutions of higher learning in seven regional countries met in Kigali on Saturday to launch the Africa Youth Leadership Forum.

The event was held at Integrated Polytechnic Regional Centre, Kigali. 

At the launch, Tim Kreutter, the founder and director of Cornerstone Development Africa, an organisation that seeks to build effective leadership academies in Rwanda and Uganda, urged university students to focus on unity and relationships when they become leaders. 

“History shows us that those who have achieved much or impacted the world have always been the kind of people who knew how to form strong bonds with a few like-minded friends while pursuing shared vision,” he said. 

A conflict-free world

“If you want to succeed in life, you have to go with others because you do not know the challenges that may come to you.” 

AYLF was designed to operate as a youth leadership movement that is owned and advanced by members in the countries it operates in. 

According to Kreutter, training the youth in leadership  is to prepare  a  world free of conflicts. 

The national coordinator of AYLF Rwanda chapter, Godfrey Lugoloobi, said even if leadership training is not accessed to by all the youth in Rwanda, there is hope that those trained passes the skills to others.

Contact email: editorial[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

Huye residents champion clean, safe environment

A resident makes use of a roadside trashbin near Kuri Arreté trading centre. The New Times/JP Bucyensenge.
IN THE past, residents and traders of Kinazi trading centre, Huye District, littered the area with plastic bags, water bottles, food wastes and scraps of papers. But, today it is difficult to find trash strewn all over. 

“There was all kind of rubbish across this centre and all over the street,” recalls Jean Claude Nzabandora, an area resident. “But, that has gone with time and the place is now very clean”.

The new face is attributed to better  management of waste and the involvement of the local population in the initiative to keep the district clean.

Last December, local authorities launched an initiative which sought to improve the state of hygiene and environmental protection throughout the sector.

The authorities wanted to encourage local residents to adopt best practices and awaken their sense of responsibilities towards protecting the environment, according to Vital Migabo, Kinazi Sector Executive Secretary.

After consultations and discussions with residents, it was decided that roadside trash-bins be introduced for proper waste disposal.

“But the task was so challenging because we wanted residents to own up the initiative for it to be successful,” Migabo notes.

So, local authorities asked families living by the road to “make a small sacrifice and buy at least one plastic bucket per family” which were then turned into dustbins.

The containers were pierced to let rainwater flow down and then hanged on roadside trees where they still line the Huye-Kigali Highway on a distance of eight kilometres.

“We did not meet any opposition because residents welcomed the move as they realised it would benefit them,” Migabo assures.

“Our overall target is to promote hygiene within the local communities while at the same time contribute to safeguarding our environment,” the official tells The New Times.

“We are very proud that our population did indeed support us in this venture. Apart from their contribution through purchasing the buckets turned dustbins, they are also the ones who empty them whenever there is need”.

Mindset change

“We are also proud that other neighbouring sectors have started to emulate our initiative,” Migabo adds, as he appeals to residents to keep championing for a ‘clean and safe environment’.

But local officials and residents say the major result of the initiative has been the awareness of how litter poses serious health and environmental threats to the community.

“It is very rare to find someone throwing trash on the roadside,” Migabo proudly says. 

Marie Lucie Uwera, a teacher at a local Nine-Year Basic Education School, told this paper that the campaign has won the hearts of residents of all ages.

“Even children have understood that it is bad to throw trash anywhere,” the educator says.  “Sometimes they [children] even voluntarily collect flying papers and take them to the trash bins.”

Uwera believes that this innitiative will help the children grow with a sense of responsibility and the understanding that wastes should not be disposed off anywhere.

But, while Kinazi residents continue to work towards a clean environment, they still face litter. The residents mainly blame bus passengers whom they accuse of continuously throwing food wastes, papers and plastic bags everywhere.

But local authorities say they are working towards addressing that issue as well. 

According to Migabo, local leaders and security forces are working together and mulling over the possibility of establishing the ‘Guardians of Hygiene’ or ‘Abarinzi b’Isuku’– people who will be reporting  any vehicle with passengers who carelessly drop rubbish on the road.

“They [Guardians of Hygiene] should report the vehicle to the Traffic Police and the later will ensure that the bus is intercepted and asked to return back to clean where they have messed up,” Migabo notes, emphasising, however, that the proposal is still being discussed.

“As people know that they cannot throw rubbish on the streets in Kigali, we want also them to know that they cannot do that in this area,” he states.

Experts have warned that the absence of proper waste management practices and facilities leads to environmental degradation and poses serious threats to people’s health. 

Wastes contaminate surface and ground water, soil, and air which causes problems for humans, other species, and ecosystems they argue.

Contact email: editorial[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

Labor ministry urges elimination of child labor

http://focus.rw/wp/2013/05/labor-ministry-urges-elimination-of-child-labor/

Poverty is among the main causes of child labor. (file photo)
District labor inspectors, social affairs and education officers have been called upon to effectively play their role in the fight against child labor.
The call was made on Monday by officials from the ministry of public service and labor (Mifotra) during a training for sector officials from the three districts of Kigali city, Bugesera and Rwamagana that was meant to enhance the protection of children from child labor.
Damien Nzamwita, who is in charge of social security policy and child labor control at the ministry, said the activities are in line with implementing the recently approved five-year policy on the elimination of child labor.
He explained that they will be working hand in hand with district labor inspectors as well as other local entities to identify and eliminate cases where children younger than 18 years are engaged in some of the worst forms of labor. “The problem is there, but it is not really alarming,” he pointed out.
The EICV3 (2010/11) survey conducted by the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda revealed that 367,810 children (10.14% of those under 18) were found working either in their own households or outside. The same survey indicated that 110,742 children within the age of 6-17 were working outside their own households in economic activities.
Byamurongo Rutekereza, the labor inspector in Kicukiro district, said that most of the cases are found in informal sector such as domestic worker and agriculture activities where it’s not easy to control the issue.
According to officials, poverty, orphans living in vulnerable conditions, limited information on child labor as well as low education status of parents are highlighted among other causes for the problem.
Posted by Eric Didier Karinganire on May 13 2013

 

World Bank approves $50m grant for decentralization
http://focus.rw/wp/2013/05/world-bank-approves-50m-grant-for-decentralization/

Carolyn Turk, the World Bank country manager for Rwanda. (file photo)
The World Bank has approved a grant of US$ 50 million to support the government’s efforts to improve decentralized service delivery through the Quality of Decentralized Service Delivery Development Policy Operation.
Under the newly approved medium-term development strategy covering 2013-18, the second Rwanda Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy (EDPRS 2), the government seeks to strengthen accountability in local government. “In order to achieve their goals, the government has committed itself to promoting greater citizen participation in government policy and decision-making and enhancing the quality of decentralized public service delivery,” the World Bank said in a statement.
In accordance with EDPRS 2, this operation supports the government to clarify the institutional roles and responsibilities for decentralized service delivery and to enhance public accountability and transparency, fiduciary accountability, and local government capacity for improved citizen access to quality services.
“While Rwanda has achieved impressive poverty reduction in the past decade, progress in improving capacities and institutions at sub-national levels will be essential to achieving the goals established in the new EDPRS 2,” said Carolyn Turk, the World Bank country manager for Rwanda. “We are very glad to continue supporting Rwanda’s efforts to improve the quality of service delivery at the local government level so that Rwandan citizens can participate fully in decisions and processes that influence service delivery.”
Yoichiro Ishihara, World Bank task leader for this operation, said that it helps mitigate the short-term economic and social impacts of the aid shortfall and prevent a spillover effect to poverty reduction and MDGs in the medium and long-term, while sustaining policy dialogue on accountable governance and service delivery.

 

Government signs $15m energy deal
http://focus.rw/wp/2013/05/government-signs-15m-energy-deal/

Infrastructure Minister Silas Lwakabamba. (photo Farouk Kaweesi)
The government on Thursday signed a power-purchase agreement (PPA) between the Energy, Water & Sanitation Authority (EWSA) and Renewable Energy for Accelerated Development Rwanda (REFAD) to develop and manage a hydro-power plant.
The objective of the PPA is to increase power generating capacity, to lessen power import, to provide waterway access for local communities, to realize economic gains and to enhance development of renewable energy technologies.
“In order to achieve our 80MW target by 2014, we need the private sector involved in the energy sector,” said Infrastructure Minister Professor Silas Lwakabamba. “It is therefore good to see this increasing involvement with REFAD’s investment.”
Under the agreement, REFAD plans to design, finance, construct, and operate a hydro-power plant on Mushishito and Rukarara rivers in the Southern Province of 5MW with an estimated value of $15 million. The facility is expected to be completed within 26 months.
“Increased investments in the energy sector indicate the ongoing resilience of this emerging sector in the economy,” remarked the CEO of the Rwanda Development Board, Clare Akamanzi. “For the fourth straight year, investment reached more than $680 million. Rwanda has predictable policies, which REFAD has taken advantage of, which will increasingly lead to increased private investments in the energy sector and eventually lead to growth in especially the manufacturing sector and job creation.”
REFAD Rwanda is a subsidy of Omnicane, a Mauritius stock market listed company and REFAD group AG, a Swiss Company. This is a development and holding company focusing on renewable energy sources in Africa. Their experience and expertise is in building and managing power plants in hydro, wind, thermal (gas), biomass (liquid and solid) and solar.

 

UN to support rural women development

The government, together with agencies under the One UN family, has organised a forum to discuss a new initiative aimed at economically empower women in rural areas.

Sonia Gujral, from the World Food Programme, said the initiative was launched globally in October, last year, in Rome and will cost $35 million (about Rwf22 trillion).

The project will run for five years, with each country receiving $1 million (about Rwf640m) annually.

 “We need to help rural women to break through to the top by training them in life skills, equipping them with materials, educating them on various opportunities and facilitating market for their products,” Gujral said.

The programme will run in seven countries; Rwanda, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Nepal, Niger, Liberia and Kyrgyzstan.

Each country will develop a tailor-made programme.

The Minister for Gender and Family Promotion, Oda Gasinzigwa, said women are central to the development of rural areas and to the nation as a whole.

She said women account for a significant proportion of the agricultural labour force, play a key role in food production, especially in subsistence farming, and perform most of the unpaid care work in rural areas.

Gasinzigwa said the challenges facing rural women have been increased by the combined impact of the recent economic and financial crisis, the unstable energy and food prices, climate change, the lack of investment in rural development and agriculture, and demographic changes.

“Eighty per cent of women in Rwanda are rural-based, so we have to ensure that they have access to the new farming technology, access to markets, and information to uplift their standards,” Gasinzigwa said.

FAO Country Representative Attaher Maiga said it is time to scale up investment in food and nutrition security in rural areas.

Contact email: editorial[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

Step-up fight against human trafficking, Rwandan tells UN Summit

A Rwandan diplomat at the Rwandan mission at the UN has asked the world body to devise urgent measures to curtail human trafficking as the crime is on the increase. 

Jeanne d’Arc Byaje, Rwanda’s deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, on Tuesday, told the General Assembly meeting on the Appraisal of the UN Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons that the stakes in human trafficking are too high to be ignored any further. 

“Since 2009, 130 cases of human trafficking have been recorded in Rwanda. These include cases of victims who have been recovered or intercepted and others that are still in the hands of criminals,” Byaje said. 

She said the crime is exacerbated by poverty, unemployment, inequality, social exclusion, marginalisation and racism. 

Human trafficking is an offence in Rwandan. It emerged as a threat in 2009 when Police started receiving complaints. 

How Rwanda fights the crime

Byaje said investigations in the country show that the most targeted group is girls aged between 16-22, especially from vulnerable groups such as orphans and those from low-income families. 

In March, Rwanda National Police intercepted a foreign agent, who had recruited 12 young Genocide orphans, promising them work and opportunity to study abroad. 

“Rwanda established, equipped and staffed Transnational Organised crime division in the Criminal Investigation of the Rwanda National Police with competent officers to investigate and lay out strategies to combat this crime,” said Byaje. 

She said the legislation on human trafficking has also been reviewed and amended to suit the current trends of the crime. 

“Rwanda has recognised the importance of coordinating efforts across agencies, including working with new partners such as non-governmental organisations dedicated to combating human trafficking and various other service providers,” she said. 

During the meeting, top UN officials also urged the Assembly to implement key anti-human trafficking treaties and to cooperate more closely to counter the multi-billion dollar crime, which has trapped some 21 million people in forced labour. 

Assembly President Vuk Jeremic said, “No effort must be spared to bring to an end the servitude of millions, while helping the survivors rebuild their lives.” 

UN chief Ban Ki-moon said human trafficking is a vicious chain that binds victims to criminals, adding that this chain must be broken with the force of human solidarity.

“To achieve justice, we need a strong foundation in the rule of law. This demands putting a stop to the corruption that pollutes many transactions. We have to strengthen judicial systems and help governments earn the trust of their people,” Ban said.

Contact email: edwin.musoni[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

Nyaruguru promotes cash crops to fight poverty

Women process grains. Nyaruguru District has embarked on promoting cash crops that suit its topography and soil type. The New Times/ File.
NYARUGURU DISTRICT LEADERS have embarked on promoting tea and coffee farming to boost household incomes and fight poverty among residents.

With about 62 per cent of its population living under the poverty line, the district remains one of the poorest in the country.

As majority of its population relies entirely on agriculture, local leaders believe developing the sector would significantly uplift the lives of residents and speed up development.

Mayor Francois Habitegeko said the plan is to support tea and coffee farmers to keep on improving the quality and quantity of their crops.

The hilly district is favourable to tea and coffee production due to its climate and soil acidity.

Increasing production and value addition for the yield will ensure that local farmers get a share on the market, according to Habitegeko.

Officials said a new tea processing factory will soon open in Nyaruguru, bringing the number of such facilities in the district to three.

Plans to set up another two factories are also underway, in partnership with the National Agriculture Export Development Board, Habitegeko added.

He said the factories are expected to improve the quality of tea produced in the area.

Habitegeko said coffee will also receive attention with farmers benefiting from a three-year project planned under the district’s five-year development plan (2013-2017).

“The project will reach more than 3,000 coffee farmers who will be linked to markets,” Habitegeko said.

However, local leaders say they will not only promote growing of cash crops, but also champion the increase of soil fertility, reducing  soil erosion and improving land consolidation.

Contact email: editorial[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

 

 

NCDs clinic opens in Kayonza District

The Ministry of Health, in collaboration with Partners In Health (PIH) launched a clinic dedicated to Non-Communicable Disease (NCDs) in Kabarondo Sector of Kayonza District, yesterday.

Partners In Health (PIH-IMB), works with the Ministry of Health in the decentralisation and national scale up of care and treatment of NCDs.

According to Dr. Fulgence Nyekabahizi, the director of Rwinkwavu Hospital, which is also supported by PIH, the health centre symbolised a long-term plan, to take health services closer to the population.

Rwinkwavu Hospital is also located in Kayonza District. 

“This is a milestone in the health services...NCDs remain the most common silent killers. We have been busy attending to diseases that show immediate symptoms forgetting ailments like cardiac, diabetes,” he said.

“We have specialised doctors who will handle NCDs including cancer. Our work includes sensitisation so that people with epilepsy, for instance, are not stigmatised.”

Alphonse Ngarambe, the officer in charge of health in the district, said that the clinic was timely, since many cases went unnoticed in communities.

“NCDs are very common and yet unattended to. It is a sad reality that people die of hypertension due to ignorance, we cannot afford that situation in the 21st century,” he said.

John Muhirwe, one of the patients diagnosed with diabetes at the new health centre, urged the government to increase awareness campaign in society.

Contact email: stephen.rwembeho[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

Survey unearths 60,000 land-related cases

A farmer tilling her land. At least 60,000 land related cases need urgent response to settle wrangles in ten districts. The Sunday Times / Timothy Kisambira.
A survey conducted between 2010 and 2012 identified at least 60,000 land-related cases that need urgent response to settle wrangles in ten districts.
The survey was conducted by Rwanda Initiative for Sustainable Development (RISD) in ten districts of Kirehe, Kayonza, Karongi, Rubavu, Musanze, Kamonyi, Muhanga, Nyaruguru, Gasabo, and Kicukiro.
“There are various reasons we identified why the cases were not solved and among them were local mediators (Abunzi) had no capacity in terms of knowledge or skills to handle the cases,” said Annie Kairaba, the Director of RISD.
She made the remarks during the opening of a training of trainers the organization will be sending out into the ten districts to build capacity of Abunzi so that they can better handle the said cases.
Abunzi are elected from their respective communities and trained in legal matters so that they can handle minor legal cases to avoid or reduce minor cases being taken to courts of law. They operate under the Ministry of Justice.
Kairaba said that the 60,000 cases were registered at the very time when the land registration exercise was at its peak..
Kairaba said that the survey indicated that some resort to courts when they feel decisions taken by Abunzi committees do not favour them and that the lack of records to prove this has seen many cases taking long in courts.
The initiative is part of the three year programme funded by the Dutch government through the Netherland’s Embassy. This programme is being conducted in collaboration with CLADHO- an umbrella of eight local Human Rights organizations.  
Speaking during the event, Anastase Balinda, the National Coordinator of Abunzi Secretariat, noted that RISD`s initiative will complement government efforts in making the mediators competent.
Contact email: editorial[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

Help on the way for disabled beggars

Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) who are street beggars soon to be integrated into different cooperatives. The New Times / T. Kisambira.
Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) who are street beggars may soon be integrated into various cooperatives to engage them in income generating activities as opposed to begging.
During the 3rd General Assembly of the National Council of Persons with Disabilities (NCPD) yesterday, the Executive Secretary of the Council, Emmanuel Ndayisaba, said that one of their key priorities this year is to increase the number of cooperatives and members, especially those begging from streets, to engage in income generating activities.
Ndayisaba said that the council currently has more than 30 cooperatives across the country with all the necessary facilities for use by PWDs.
“We are also planning to hold an anti-begging campaign throughout the country because we know they have the potential to do something and fend for themselves. We plan to increase the number of cooperatives to provide PWDs with skills,” he added.
Meanwhile, the government has reduced funds allocated to persons living with disabilities to Rwf 450,727,228 in the next fiscal year 2013-2014, down from Rwf 514,777,526 in the current fiscal year.
Ndayisaba noted that the council has a lot of strategies it needs to implement in order to improve the livelihoods of PWDs, plans that he fears may be hindered by the budget reduction even if they plan to put the available money to good use.
The State Minister for Local Government, Dr Alivera Mukabaramba, stated that the government will continue to support PWDs through educating them among other strategies.
“We shall work hand in hand with NCPD to help PWDs join cooperatives so they can have skills and be able to generate income for themselves and sustain their families,” she said.
Other challenges that currently face PWDs include the lack of the exact number of all the PWDs in the country, the lack of lawyers to handle their cases when their rights are abused, and lack of facilities to allow them access to public buildings.
Ndayisaba said the council was working with the National Housing Authority to ensure that public buildings are built in a way that allows easy access for PWDs.
Contact email: maria.kaitesi[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

Govt postpones high risk zones evictions

Nyanza slopes in Muvumba cell, Nyabinoni Sector. Houses at the foot of the slopes are located within 50 meters of River Nyabarongo. The New Times/ Jean de la Croix Tabaro.
Government has postponed, until September, the eviction of residents living in areas regarded as prone to disasters. The initial ultimatum passed on April 30.

Augustin Kampayana , the chairperson of Rural Settlement taskforce in the Ministry of Local Government, told The New Times last week that the eviction deadline was postponed to allow government to secure resettlement areas for all the affected households before eviction.

“Only about 40,000 out of the 80,000 households meant to be evicted countrywide from high risk zones have already got places where they can resettle,” he said.

According to Kampayana, the exercise of identifying households in risky zone started last year by a team that included local leaders, police and the military under the supervision of the Ministry of Disaster Management and Refugee Affairs.

The team visited village by village and enumerated visibly disaster-prone households.

Prime Minister’s team

Another team was put in place by the Prime Minister last month, after a meeting with concerned ministries and local authorities on the best approach to ensure the eviction from risk zone is effective.

“The teams are looking at the needs of every person to be evicted, so that they can be supported, as opposed to the past when people were told to do their best and find alternative resettlement. So, on the list, some were found in need of a fully constructed house, others need only iron sheets while others needed only transport to the new settlement,” Kampayana added. 

For emergency relocation, it was decided that the local leaders will rent a house for the evictees until theirs – in a designated village settlement– umudugudu (communal settlement) is available.

Kampayana said the eviction will cost the government 30 per  cent of the yet to be finalised budget, while the 70 per cent of the activities regarding construction will be provided by residents through community works (Umuganda).

An insight into high risk zones

The areas regarded as high risk zones include households in steep slopes, in swamp areas, or other adjacent land which can be affected by the nearest risky zones but the pending eviction of residents in these areas has sparked concerns, rather than excitement.

Residents of Muvumba cell, Nyabinoni Sector in Muhanga District believe that they are safe although they live in steep slopes adjacent to Nyabarongo River.

According to Executive secretary of the cell, Muhanga district Isidore Nzeyimana, the eviction task force assessed the area and concluded that residents are prone to landslides and floods from Nyabarongo River.

Consequently, all the 724 households of the cell will move to the nearest Muyebe cell in Rongi Sector. 

At least 100 of them should have been evicted already because their homesteads are most exposed.

Other residents of Muvumba said they are not against eviction from the risk zone, but they say the area of relocation Rongi is a two hour walk which would not facilitate them to go back for farming activities. 

They say those in the hilly side can come down in the valley and acquire plots from their neighbours in exchange of the hilly land which would serve for agriculture purposes.

Authorities in Muhanga, the district with the most households living in risky zones in the country (10,000 households), insist that the residents are exposed and the nearest relocation area is Rongi.

Muhanga District mayor Yvone Mutakwasuku said six classrooms of Kibingo Primary School were last year destroyed  when disaster struck. Fortunately, it was night and no human loss was registered.

According to Mutakwasuku, expropriation of Rongi citizens where Muvumba households will relocate to is being supported by Rwanda Housing Authority and the Ministry of Local Government which contributed Rwf86 million and Rwf 100million, respectively.

Every household will get a plot of 50 by 50 metres. 

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Agriculture is conducting a study to establish what the land in Muvumba will be designated for. 

Mutakwasuku says the land could be allocated to coffee/tea farmers.

Disasters claimed 97 lives in one year, according to  recent Ministry of Disaster Preparedness and Refugees affairs statistics.

In the same period, 5468 houses were either damaged or demolished, while 3048.1 hectares of land, including crops were destroyed.

Heavy rains and winds, land slides, floods, and thunderstorms and lightning are at the main causes of these calamities.

Contact email: jean.tabaro[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

 

Tragedy: Ten injured in industrial accident

Worried STEELRWA workers want safety insurance. The New Times/S. Rwembeho.
At least four people were seriously injured and six others suffered minor injuries, in an accident that occurred at SteelRwa Industry in Rwamagana yesterday.
A blast destroyed a furnace of the plant that recycles scrap metal to produce steel bars. The injured were moved to a local hospital, Police said.
According to eye witnesses, the victims suffered potentially life-threatening injuries after being trapped in very hot metal flowing fluid.
Casual workers at the industry were still in big panic by the time The Sunday Times visited the scene. 
Speaking on condition of anonimity, a worker at the factory said accidents were the order of the day and that they are never compensated.
He said that most workers were filled with fear and only continued to work due to lack of alternatives.
“These workers were burnt seriously by the hot liquid…most of them won’t be back here at work. And I can assure you that none of them will be compensated. They will only receive treatment.”
“Recently, a worker lost a finger…no one cared; he was instead expelled from work. Several other workers were injured in the past, but none has been compensated. In such circumstances, one wonders. Whether we have any insurance as claimed by our employers,” he said. The factory employs over 270 workers both on permanent and temporary terms.
Mohd Zaheeruddin, the  general manager, confirmed the accident, saying the injured would be catered for.
He however refuted claims by the workers that they worked under dangerous conditions without any insurance.
“We have Group Accident Insurance Policy for such cases…it is not true that we don’t guarantee workers’ safety. The injured are treated and fed, until they are discharged from hospitals,” he said. 
“You know this is a heavy industry prone to accidents…but the presence of fire extinguishers reduces the risks. What happened was simple, just human error causing minor burns on workers’ bodies,” he added.
SteelRWA started operations in 2011. It has a production capacity of 36,000 tons annually, which allows it to cover 80 per cent  of the national market of steel bars.
Contact email: stephen.rwembeho[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

Military Hospital offers free treatment to survivors

Kanombe Military Hospital treating Genocide survivors for free. The New Times/ File.
Genocide survivors with different ailments in Bugesera district on Monday started receiving free treatment offered by Rwanda Military Hospital medical personnel at Nyamata Hospital and Ngeruka Health Centre. 

Françoise Uwera Kabanda, the in-charge of health at the Fund for the Support of Genocide Survivors (FARG), said the one-week treatment exercise targets some 826 patients who were recently registered. 

“The treatment they used to receive was not effective to heal them considering the gravity of their ailments. There was a need for more experienced and expert medical personnel to help them,” Kabanda said, adding that others who failed to register would be considered later. 

“There is no progress if people are not healthy. These drugs will improve their health, and enable them to work for the good of their families as well as the country,” Kabanda said. 

She said the programme is beneficial to patients as the treatment is timely, cheaper, swift and promising.
 
Beneficiaries speak out 

“The initial drugs I used to be given were not of much help. But I expect these new ones to heal me so I can be able to look after my family,” said Gilbert Gatari, 57, a widower. 

He re-married and now is responsible for a family of eight. 

Gatari said he was drabbed in the backbone during the Genocide, sustaining permanent injury which has incapacitated him. 

Walking out of the consultation room, Alice Mukashyaka, 31, another beneficiary, said permanent headache never permits her to do any constructive work.  

“I used to be fed like a kid. This is the first time I’m going to use this kind of medicine. I’m sure it will heal me so I work like others do,” the mother of three told The New Times. 

She said a club was used to hit her head during the Genocide. 

Dr King Kayondo, the director of medical and allied services at Rwanda Military Hospital, said about 54 military staff are involved in the outreach programme, including specialists, therapists, technicians, nurses, among others. 

Dr Kayondo said those meant for surgery will be treated two weeks later. 

Trauma, mental, and surgery related issues are among the cases they have been experiencing since they started the treatment.

“Obviously, this programme is good in that it will help heal these vulnerable people to enable them to work so they develop themselves. The healing contributes to the fight against poverty and the safety sustainability,” Dr Kayondo said. 

FARG Kabanda said, so far, more than 9,500 patients from Nyaruguru, Rusizi, Nyamasheke, Ngoma, Huye, Gisagara, Karongi, Rutsiro and Kirehe districts have received free treatment. 

He said all the 18,756 patients who were  registered across the country are treated.

Contact email: editorial[at]newtimes.co.rw

For Uwizeye, blindness was just a hiccup in life

Uwizeye weaves threads through the needles in her sewing machine, while inset, she gets the appropriate thread colour to start of her sewing. The New Times/ Laurent Kamana.
That she was born with a visual impairment is a fate she was resigned to. That she was stigmatised and scorned as a social life doomed to suffering is not something she was going to accept. Marie Denyse Uwizeye was determined to fight her way in life, even if  it was an oracle chiming that she is destined to suffer just because of her visual impairment, she was ready to fights the gods.

The 33-year-old started weaving in June 2010 in her home area in Ruhango sector, Ruhango district. She was driven by the desire to be self-reliant and avoid begging. 

Uwizeye works with two other women with similar impairment as a coordinator of the project known as Brilliant Weaving Company. The trio was born with visual impairment. 

They neatly knit sweaters, scarves, hats, and arm floats. 

“After realising it was not possible to go on with studies, I thought of something I could do so as not to remain a burden to anybody. I found tailoring feasible for me,” Uwizeye said. 

She dropped out of school in 2006 while in Primary Six at Gatagara Secondary School in Rwamagana district as persistent headache that lasted three years took its toll on her.   

In 2010, she took up a four-month tailoring training at Cyahafi VocationalSchool in Kigali in 2010. 

“It needed much attention to learn what was being taught considering that I was the only student with disability. But I thank the school management and tutors who believed in my dreams until I completed my course,” Uwizeye said. 

“Many people I talked to for the first time about my project laughed it off as a farfetched dream, but some understood and encouraged me.” 

Her idea got down rolling after she took a Rwf500,000 loan from Rwandan Union of the Blinds to buy two sewing machines and other materials to offset the project.

“I only use my brain and my fingers to weave. By touching, I can, for instance, know how to set the measurements for the machine, how and where to insert the thread and use the blurred sight to choose the colour of thread,” she said. 

Uwizeye did not only fight the odds named scorn, but also  marketing challenges when the project started.

“Some of the clients used to watch us closely to see how we manage to weave given that we can’t see clearly. Some thought we rely on other people, but the trust increased over the time as our work spoke for us,” she said. 

Getting the ‘fame’

Many people came to know about the kind of clothes they make during a mini-exhibition in Ruhango two years ago. 

“People at the exhibition were not only excited to see us weave but also the quality of work, which gave us an opportunity to attract some of them,” she said. 

Each of the three members can knit at least three sweaters per day. Each sweater is valued at about Rwf7,000. 

Uwizeye said they also took a Rwf900,000 loan from Goshen Finance, last year, to boost their project. This loan enabled them to buy another machine for the third member. 

Ruhango Secondary School is among their clients where they supplied 310 sweaters this academic year and plan to supply 600 scarves. The trio has taught two other persons with such impairment weaving to enable them become self-reliant. 

Their plan is to get more spacious premises where other people with various disabilities could be access them for training.

“Our plan is to produce the best quality to not only build more trust among our clients but also attract more of them,” she said. 

“Persons with disabilities should not feel like they are incapable of doing what other normal people can do. What matters is determination and confidence,” she said. 

Uwizeye appeals to the public to stop discriminating people with disabilities, adding that those with children with disability should not hide them but let them enjoy their rights, including education and talent development. 

“You are able, what remains is to show it by putting your talent into practice and develop yourself. There is no need of begging after seeing that we are can,” she said. 

Oswald Tuyizere, the director of Economic and Social Empowerment Unit at National Council for Persons with Disabilities, said their plan is to eliminate the culture of begging among people with disabilities through psycho-social, cultural and economic approach. 

“We are proud of these ladies. Persons with disabilities have stomachs they have to feed like any other people, so they should think of ways to survive,” Tuyizere said.  

He said the council helped Brillian Weaving Company with Rwf350,000 and they are considering more support.

Contact email: editorial[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

Over 5,000 Gender Based Violence cases recorded at Isange Centre

The One Stop Centre has registered a significant number of GBV related cases. The New Times/File.
At least 5,216 Gender Based Violence (GBV) cases have so far been registered at the Kacyiru Police Hospital based Isange One Stop Centre since July, 2009.

In an interview with The New Times, Dr Daniel Nyamwasa, the Director of the Police hospital which houses Isange Centre, attributed the relative high number to the fact that, lately, people are more open to report GBV cases than in the past.

Nyamwasa said youth below 18 years comprise 84 per cent of the victims.

“Thirty-one per cent of the GBV victims we receive here are men, while 69 per cent are women. We are glad that people can now at least be open and report these cases which makes it easier for us to help them,” he said on Monday.

The physician also said that 14 per cent of the victims received are children below the age of five. He called upon people to always report GBV  cases to the authorities or even call the toll free line-3029.

Once these cases are reported, Nyamwasa says they follow up and help the victims medically and facilitate the prosecution of the culprits.

Defilement tops

Isange Centre was established in 2009 by the Rwanda National Police (RNP) in partnership with Imbuto Foundation and the UN to provide medical, legal and psychosocial services, such as counselling to GBV victims.

According to 2011-12  report from RNP, defilement topped the list of all the GBV committed crimes, with 1,247 defilement cases committed between January and September last year.  Twenty nine were male victims.

There were 401 cases of defilement between October and December of last year, with 15 committed against men. Defilement recorded 1,733 cases in 2011, up from 1,654 registered in the year 2010.

The second most prevalent crime last year, was assault, with 578 cases throughout the year, according to the police report released last week

Rape came third with 255 cases registered between January and December.

Contact email: maria.kaitesi[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

May 5th, 2013 | Posted by Eric Didier Karinganire
Regional wildlife collaboration to improve ownership
http://focus.rw/wp/2013/05/regional-wildlife-collaboration-to-improve-ownership/

Rica Rwigamba, the head of tourism at the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) and current chair of GVTC. (file photo)
Members of the Greater Virun­ga Trans-boundary Collabora­tion (GVTC) have vowed to en­force actions to suitably sustain wildlife in the region. They did so at the conclusion of a review of the Trans-boundary strategic plan on Friday, which will en­able the collaboration to embark on sustainable development missions through the existing trans-boundary mechanisms.
Rica Rwigamba, the head of tourism at the Rwanda Devel­opment Board (RDB) and cur­rent chair of the organization, pointed out their aim is to work together to find solutions to any conservation problem in the region. GVTC is a mechanism for trans-boundary, collabora­tive management of the Greater Virunga area where park au­thorities in Virunga National Park (DRC), Volcanoes National Park (Rwanda), Mgahinga Go­rilla and Bwindi Impenetrable National Parks (Uganda) collab­orate in wildlife conservation.
According to officials, the goal of the GVTC is to improve con­servation of wildlife and habi­tats in the three countries and strengthen the ecological servic­es, thus contributing to improv­ing the socio-economic benefits of communities. A secretariat for the strategic plan was set up in 2008 in Kigali to coordinate the implementation of the plan.
The review indicated that one of the main reasons why the implementation of the trans-boundary strategic plan (2006-2016) moves ahead only slowly is a lack of ownership by stake­holders.
On a more positive note, one form of collaboration that works rather well, Rwigamba explained, is communicating to one another whenever gorillas cross borders, so that both sides equally share revenues in case those primates generate income. In 2012, RDB has transferred to DRC over US$ 400,000 as the revenue shared for the tourism of Kwitonda gorilla group.
The Greater Virunga Land­scape is estimated to have 880 Mountain Gorillas, which ac­counts for almost half of the total number of such primates in the world. In 2012, Rwan­da received 28,483 visitors just for gorilla trekking, generating some US$ 9 million.
Posted by Eric Didier Karinganire on May 5 2013. Filed under Daily News,National. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry

Heavy Rains Killed 10 in Northern Province 
Published on 6-05-2013 - at 06:59' by IGIHE
http://en.igihe.com/news/heavy-rains-killed-10-in-northern-province.html
Ten People in Northern Province have reportedly died from heavy rains that had hit the province in the past week. The worst affected areas are in Rulindo district.
Kangwage Justus the Mayor of Rulindo district told IGIHE that the ten people killed last week succumbed to runoff water from steep hills and landslides caused by heavy soaking of parts of hills.
The Sectors of Burega and Kinzuzi were worst hit by landslides where 8 people died. A child was also killed when a chunk of land fell on him as he was walking to school.
Another child died when a house fell on him at Shyorongi.
The heavy rains led to the collapse of a section of a highway linking Musanze to Kigali. Rehabilitation of the broken section is ongoing at the site.

 

 

Unlocking Rwanda’s employment puzzle

Murekezi says the government has started initiatives to ease the problem. The New Times / File
Every year, 125,000 young Rwandans storm the market in search for jobs; some are lucky and others are left frustrated. Just like in other economies, Rwanda continuously faces the challenge of creating the required quantity and quality of jobs to march market demands. ivan r. mugisha examines the magnitude of the challenge and looks at measures being taken to create more jobs in the economy. 

Every year, 125,000 young Rwandans storm the market in search for jobs; some are lucky and others are left frustrated. Just like in other economies, Rwanda continuously faces the challenge of creating the required quantity and quality of jobs to meet market demands.

Globally, unemployment figures have been ascending, from 8.2 per cent in 2009 to 9.2 per cent in 2012, while in developing countries, the combined rate of unemployment and underemployment shot to as much as 30 per cent, signifying the severe need for job-creation.

Although no definite figures exist on the rate of unemployment in Rwanda, the Ministry of Labour estimates that about 13 per cent of the population in Kigali and 8 per cent in other urban areas are unemployed.

In 2011, two thirds of the population was underemployed on time-related basis, according to Francois Ngoboka, the director of labour research and employment promotion at the Ministry of labour and Public Service.

By targeting co-operatives for job-creation, the government started plans to reduce unemployment to 4 per cent by 2018 from 8 per cent.

Although the country seeks an answer by shifting from subsistence production to industrial, only 28 per cent of its population is employed in industry and service provision, the rest is in agriculture. With most of the labour being none-mechanised, the Minister of Labour and Public Service, Anastase Murekezi, places much hope on the youth, who comprise 65 per cent of the country’s labour force. 

A week after Labour Day, the government is still in the spirit to reflect on its labour aspects, with the theme, “Promote employment through providing seed to startup capital to unemployed”.

“On this occasion, our country takes the opportunity to evaluate progress of different employment and labour initiatives that have contributed to the development of Rwanda. It is the time of sharing information on achievements, challenges and other related experiences in employment promotion,” Murekezi said in his Labour Day speech.

According to the 2012 population Census, labour force participation stands at 5,006,000 (in 2011) against a population of 10,537,222. Majority of employed population are in agriculture, but the number has declined from 80 per cent in 2006 to 72 per cent in 2011, attracted by the growth of the industrial sector or public service.

“Rwandans of working age increased from 4.3 million in 2006 to five million in 2011 and on average, 125,000 new individuals join the labour market each year,” Murekezi told Business Times.

These young men and women coming onto the labour market join the other unemployed individuals. This implies that the country needs to create jobs at a rate exceeding the number of new entrants on the labour market, experts say.

“The EDPRS 2 (Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy), as well as the seven years government programme target the creation of at least 200,000 jobs annually to address the challenge. The capacity of the economy to generate jobs has been on average in last five years 104,000 jobs. This calls for more strategic interventions geared to generate more productive jobs,” Murekezi said.

However, creation of jobs alone is not the answer. A survey conducted by Karisimbi Business Partners, Employment and Compensation Review 2013, shows that business leaders and employers are not content with the general levels of the capability available in the labour market.

The survey found that management, finance and accounting skills scored within the range of satisfactory, while creativity and innovation received the lowest score.

As a result, business owners feel that technical operations are too critical to leave to unqualified and uncreative people and have, thus, turned to expatriates from the region and beyond.

According to the survey, an overwhelming 90 per cent of managers surveyed felt the need to hire an expert often because the required capability was not available locally.

“Managers are convinced that management capability is a major constraint in Rwanda’s further growth and development…If the private sector is key to unlocking the potential of this country, management capability is the key to unlocking the potential of the private sector,” the survey states.

The challenge has not eluded the government, however, which has sought for policies to improve the technical capacity of the local labour force.

Through the creation of countrywide business incubation centres, internship programmes and business advisory centres, fresh graduates have the opportunity to enhance their skills, as well as improve their knowledge to start their own businesses.

“The aim of career advisory centers is to build a Rwandan workforce through student’s career path development that is based on ability, passion and relevant information,” Murekezi said.

“Business incubation centres will facilitate fresh graduates by having easy and cheap access to physical facilities, machinery and equipment in order to start their own small businesses and be able to create their own jobs.”

The minister explained further that internship and apprenticeship programmes provide tangible work experience required by most employers.

“They prepare graduates who have dedicated themselves to complete their studies, but lack opportunities to gain experience and often fail to find productive employment,” he added.

On top of that, a Business Development Fund was initiated to support the youth who have good business ideas, but lack collateral to acquire loans from financial institutions.

Much as these efforts are commendable, a larger problem still dogs government, which is the lack of a minimum wage law.

The government ratified 28 international labour conventions and a range of national employment Acts in order to enable a favourable working environment and protect workers’ interests, but unfortunately, none of those stipulate a minimum wage bill, leaving many casual labourers at the mercy of their bosses.

After several complaints from trade and workers unions, the Ministry of Labour teamed up with the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda early this year to collect data, which is expected to help government determine a new minimum wage.

“Setting a minimum wage has to be a careful undertaking. Yes, it protects workers, especially those in low-paying jobs, but it has to take into account the productivity of specific factors,” Ngoboka said in an earlier interview with The New Times.

The challenge of setting a minimum wage to protect workers has been previously worked on by government albeit inconclusively and unsatisfactorily.

In previous attempts, a Tanzanian firm was contracted to do research on minimum wage, but its findings were deemed sub-standard, whereas another Kenyan firm proposed a wage that government was not willing to accept.

The latest development, therefore, is expected to give hope to both causal workers and trade unionists, who have consistently complained about the pace at which the government was responding to the need of a minimum wage bill.

New project to benefit over 5,000 vulnerable Rwandans

Mukantabana (R) and Northing during the meeting to streamline efforts reintegrate returnees. The New Times/ John Mbanda.
At least 5,000 returnees and some vulnerable nationals are set to benefit from a Japan-funded project to be implemented by International Organisation for Migration (IOM).

The project, “Enhancing socio-economic reintegration of Rwandan returnees and other vulnerable groups,” will be implemented in phases and see returnees obtain vocational and technical training skills and micro-business start-ups, livestock assistance as well as construction materials, including iron sheets.

The beneficiaries will be drawn from ten districts in Western, Southern and Northern provinces. 

This is the fourth phase of the general project to reintegrate Rwandans returning from different countries.   

The project also intends to rehabilitate some infrastructure such as primary schools and health posts in communities where the returnees are being resettled.

While launching the phase IV of the project, Disaster Management and Refugee Affairs minister Seraphine Mukantabana said this signifies how returnees are assisted in the reintegration process.

“It has come at the right time, especially as we prepare for the implementation of Cessation Clause; we already involved in reintegration process, we need even those who are still refugees not to worry about their lives once they return,” she said.

The UNHCR Cessation Clause, which will come into force on June 30, implies that beyond this date, all Rwandan refugees will lose their status. 

Rwandans who fled between 1959 and December 31, 1998, must either voluntarily return home or apply for citizenship in their host countries.

While more than 3.4 million refugees have voluntarily returned since 1994, an estimated 70,000 are still living on foreign lands, mainly on the African continent.

Impact of the project

Since 2010, about 8,300 returnees and other vulnerable Rwandans have been provided with direct reintegration assistance to secure sustainable livelihood.

More than 2600 beneficiaries were trained in vocational skills in carpentry, masonry, tailoring, mechanics, hairdressing and other market-driven skills.

More than 4500 beneficiaries received assistance in livestock farming though provision of cows, sheep goats and pigs. Around 1300 households received construction materials.

Catherine Northing, the IOM-Rwanda Chief of Mission, said they will continue collaborating with the government in the reintegration process.

“We are happy to collaborate with  the Rwandan government in providing assistance to the returnees and vulnerable Rwandans and we shall continue as more refugees return home,” Northing said.

She said the one year project will cost $3 million (about Rwf1.9 billion).

Contact email: eric.kabeera[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

Government advised to buy fistula surgery equipment

The International Organisation for Women and Development has called on government to buy the necessary equipment that will enable them carry out fistula surgery.

Barbara Margolies, the Executive Director of the NGO that carries out fistula surgery, says currently they carry almost all the equipment used because of lack of equipment. 

“The doctors we have trained here need to carry out the surgery and therefore need the equipment,” she said.

Margolies leads a team of volunteer surgeons and nurses whose purpose is to operate and care for women who are affected by obstetric fistula, and at the same time, train Rwandan surgeons. 

The team, which consists of 21 volunteer doctors and nurses, offers free fistula surgery three times a year – in February, April and October– since 2006. The surgery is carried out in conjunction with the Ministry of Health. 

Normally, the operation and follow-up treatment cost between Rwf200,000 and 300,000. 

In the February clinic about 220 women came to Kibagabaga hospital for treatment. However, according to Dr Christian Ntizimira, the Director of Kibagabaga hospital, this time around, they received less patients.

 “We received 60 new cases within a week and 40 of the patients underwent surgery,” he said. The clinic has been running since mid-April.

Obstetric fistula is when a hole develops in the birth canal which is usually caused by prolonged obstructed labour that leaves the woman suffering from a range of health problems which include urinary incontinence.

According to medics, most of the cases can aggravate when mothers give birth without the  help of qualified medical personnel. The unceasing incontinence often has severe psychosocial and socioeconomic consequences  caused by social segregation. 

 

250 Women with Fistula Treated 
Published on 1-05-2013 - at 11:39' by IGIHE Reporter
http://en.igihe.com/health/250-women-with-fistula-treated.html
Over 250 Rwandan women suffering from Fistula have been successfully treated by a group of visiting volunteer Doctors from the United States.
Fistula is a medical condition in which a fistula (hole) develops between either the rectum and vagina or between the bladder and vagina after severe or failed childbirth, when adequate medical care is not available.
It is considered a disease of poverty because of its tendency to occur in women in poor countries who do not have health resources comparable to developed nations.
Barbara Margolies the group leader told IGIHE that about 250 women with fistula condition have been treated.
The physicians are part of the Interntational Organization for Women & Development Inc. IOWD which brings American physicians trained in fistula repair.

600 Pupils Dropped out of school in Rwinkwavu Sector 
Published on 2-05-2013 - at 03:04' by IGIHE
http://en.igihe.com/news/600-pupils-dropped-out-of-school-in-rwinkwavu.html
In the past 16 months, over 600 pupils in Rwinkwavu Sector of Kayonza District have reportedly dropped out of school citing poverty as the major cause.
Some Families told IGIHE that they cannot afford meals twice a day and this has pushed their children into mining activities in the area and other forms of hard labour to earn some income.l
Local authorities in Nkondo cell within Rwinkwavu sector told IGIHE that over 30 pupils have dropped out the school from January to April 2013.
In 2012, about 600 pupils dropped out of school citing poverty as leading cause.
IGIHE noticed several school-going age children loitering around in Nkondo Cell of Rwinkwavu Sector.
One of the Children told IGIHE that he failed to attend school because his parents couldn’t afford to buy School uniform.
He also revealed that he owes the school some money which the family can not raise because it surpasses the family’s own income.
The area Local Leaders confirmed the growing numbers of school dropouts However; some measures have been taken to deal with the challenge.
Local leaders also said some families in the area only manage one meal a day forcing children to work instead of going to school.

 

500 teenage pregnancies recorded in 2012 – report

Harebamungu (R) and Kabageni during yesterday’s function. The New Times/T.Kisambira
There were 522 unwanted pregnancies among girls between 10-18 years registered last year in several schools countrywide, a Gender Based Violence (GBV) in Schools report, released yesterday, indicates.

The report, released by the Gender Monitoring Office indicates that most of the cases were in Karongi (58), Kayonza (53), Gatsibo (52) and Gasabo (50).

It was a culmination of an August 2011 meeting between the Ministry of Education and several stakeholders to find out the root causes of the existence of GBV in schools.

The biggest perpetrators of sexual violence which leads to unwanted pregnancies are older men, commonly referred to as sugar daddies, fellow students, teachers, and motorcyclists.

While releasing the findings, Eugenie Kabageni, the Deputy Chief Gender Monitor in charge of fighting Injustices and GBV, said many teenage girls give in to sexual abuse because of poverty. 

She noted that according to the research they carried out in schools, many students claimed that they give in to sexual abuse when they are promised money to meet their needs or wants they can’t get from their parents or guardians.

Neglect by parents/guardians, peer pressure and poor discipline were also among the major causes of sexual crimes which lead to unwanted pregnancies.

“Some parents have also been very negligent; they abandoned the role of parenting to the teachers. They don’t take time to talk to their children about pertinent issues such as reproductive health,” she said.

The report cited police statistics which indicate that 1,682 defilement cases were registered in 2012, while in January and February this year, 318 defilement cases were recorded.

Dr. Mathias Harebamungu, the State Minister in charge of Primary and Secondary Education, said the report will guide the ministry and other stakeholders in devising means to curb unwanted pregnancies in schools.

He stated that in 2011, the ministry discovered that there is a high dropout rate due to early pregnancies in schools and called upon teenagers faced with sexual violence in their communities, whether at school or home, to always report these cases.

“Children need proper parenting in order for them to make the right decisions. Everyone in community should play a role of proper parenting and not leave it to teachers or biological parents. Perpetrators of the different forms of GBV should also be punished,” said Harebamungu.

Early this year, in a Rwamagana based school, 26 students were found to be carrying unwanted pregnancies.

Currently, there are no administrative records on unwanted pregnancies in schools. The report, therefore, urges the ministry to compel schools to keep records and follow-up on pregnant girls to return to school.

It also proposes communication between parents and children on reproductive health by using existing channels like parents’ meetings locally called akagoroba k’ababyeyi.

Contact email: maria.kaitesi[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

 

High operational costs choke bread makers

A worker packing bread at a store in town. The prices of bread are bound to rise as bakers try to cover operations costs. The New Times / Peterson Tumwebaze
The confectionary sector has been growing rapidly over the years, but this has not been without challenges. In fact today, the sector is grappling with high operational costs and taxes. Business Times’ Peterson Tumwebaze spoke with Augustine Shema, the chairman of Bread Manufacturers Association about these problems and what industry players are doing to overcome them. 

if you do not find your favourite bread on supermarket shelves this evening, do not be surprised; the producer could have failed to raise money to buy raw materials. And when it does make it to shelves, the bread might be at a higher price than you usually buy it, thanks to the high cost of many of the factors of production. 

According to Augustine Shema, the chairman Bread Manufacturers Association (BMA), the high costs of production is choking the industry. 

“The prices of raw materials, such as wheat, which is a major ingredient in bread baking, are too high. You cannot make profits when you are spending Rwf15,000 for every 25kg of wheat… Remember, this is besides costs like water and workers’ salaries,” Shema told Business Times in an exclusive interview over the weekend. He also noted that because of high power tariffs, most of the bakers have resorted to using firewood. “This compromises quality, which in the end hurts our market,” he said. 

He added that dependence on wood fuel could eventually hurt the environment as thousands of trees are felled to fill the power gap, especially as the number of bread makers is increasing.       Shema noted that consumers will have to bear the brunt of these problems in form of high bread prices in the near future.

According Mike Fietzek, the managing director of La-Galette Bread Industry, high power tariffs is one of the major factors hiking the cost of producing bread. 

Fietzek, who said he spends between Rwf6m and Rw7m on power alone per month, pointed out that if no solution is found, many local bakers could close shop in the near future. 

“Power charges are too high for producers… Unstable electricity supply has also compounded the problem, which is hurting us greatly since we are dealing with perishable products,” Mike said.

However, EWSA encouraged the bakers to work at night to benefit from low power fees.

Felix Gatanazi, the communications officer at Energy, Water and Sanitation Authority (EWSA), said the bakers could cut power expenses if they used ‘the time of use tariff plan’ that targets industrialists. 

“That’s why we introduced this package, which allows industrialists, bread bakers inclusive, to choose to operate from 11:00pm to 7:00am, where they pay Rwf96 per unit compared to Rwf126 charged during the day. Therefore, we encourage them to operate at night when tariffs are low,” Gatanazi said. Domestic consumers pay Rwf134 per unit any time of day. All the charges, for both the industrialists and domestic consumers, are VAT exclusive.

The bakers said some raw materials, especially yeast, are imported from outside the region and, therefore, have no import duty waiver.  

Although wheat production increased from 67,868 tonnes to 130,938 tonnes in 2011 and about 159,767 tonnes in 2012, prices of wheat has increased from Rwf600 per kilogramme to Rwf650 a kilo in the past few months. This has caused further uncertainty among bread manufacturers.

However, experts at the Rwanda Agricultural Board said the rise in wheat prices is occasioned by the increasing demand for the cereal. 

“People think that whenever prices of a commodity go up, it’s always due to low production. That’s not the case because, sometimes, this is due to high demand as is the case for wheat in Rwanda today. However, we are doing all possible to ensure that production increases further in the coming seasons to ease demand pressures,” Jean de Dieu Dushimimana, the extension and mobilisation officer at Rwanda Agricultural Board, said. 

There are presently 280 bread makers in Rwanda, up from 35 bakers in 2001. They produce over 11 million loaves of bread (of varying sizes) daily, BMA chief said. 

The bakers’ boss also pointed out that value added tax (VAT) payment is affecting the sector, especially with the local raw material suppliers who do not issue receipts. As a result, bread makers opt for imported raw materials, which affects their business cycles, besides being expensive. 

The bakers are supposed to use the receipts to file their VAT returns with the Rwanda Revenue Authority.

“Our main suppliers, Azam and Pembe, are doing us a disservice when they ignore such simple, yet very important things like issuing receipts. This has forced many producers to stop using local raw materials,” Shema explained.

However, Richard Tushabe, the Rwanda Revenue Authority deputy commissioner general, said for a product to qualify for preferential tax treatment, it must fulfill the criteria of value addition. He the yeast imported from Kenya was being taxed because the manufacturer has not yet fulfilled the above requirement. 

Tushabe, who is also the commissioner for domestic taxes, said the revenue body was not taxing packaging materials to support manufacturers. Under this scheme, raw materials are not taxed; semi-processed goods have a 10 per cent tax waiver, while a 25 per cent tax waiver is for finished products.

He advised tax defaulter to pay up before they are apprehended and penalised. Defaulters face a 50 per cent to 100 per cent, depending on the nature of transaction.

The bakers said they would soon increase the cost of bread and other confectionary products to offset some of the expenses.

“We don’t want to hurt customers because we know that when the wholesale price is high, the retail price will rise too. This affects demand for our products negatively, hurting our earnings,” Eric Mugabo, the managing director of Oven Bakery, said. 

According to the recently released consumer price index figures, bread consumption rose from 111 indices in 2012 to 116.8 indices in March 2013, making the commodity one of those with the highest demand when compared to other foods and beverages. 

To produce quality bread from every 50 kilogrammes of wheat flour, one needs 6kg of sugar, 2kg of cooking fat, 500 grammes of yeast, 100 grammes of salt and another 100 grammes of improvers. 

“This is the reason why producing bread is expensive,” Mugabo, who has since closed one of his bread factory branches in Kicukiro to cut operational costs, said.    

Most bakers, who spoke to us on condition of anonymity, said the cost of packaging is also very high. “The government should help us find an alternative packaging material.”      

Fietzek noted that if a certain gauge of polythene paper was allowed into the country, his packing expenses would drop from Rwf7m per month to about Rwf1.5m per month. “This would enable us reduce the price of bread and make some profits,” he explained.

Contact email: business[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

 

Labour minister asks Rwandans to support new entrepreneurs

Under the Kuremera, every Rwanda is tasked with supporting new entrepreneurs with either money or equipment to help them implement their business ideas. The New Times/File
Labour Minister Anastase Murekezi used Labour Day celebrations yesterday to rally Rwandans on supporting Kuremera programme, an initiative that the government introduced recently to speed up job creation in the country.
Murekezi urged ordinary Rwandans, officials at all the country’s administrative levels, and members of the civil society to help young people without capital start their own businesses.
“We urge government institutions, districts, sectors, cells and villages, private institutions, churches, the civil society, and parents with adult children to help them start their own jobs. Helping them start their own business should be a common practice just like the ‘one cow per family’ programme was scaled up to help poor farmers who had no livestock to their name,” Murekezi said.
Kuremera is a Kinyarwanda word that is rooted in the Rwandan culture where family and friends donate to young adults to get them started as they become independent and sometimes get married to start a family of their own.
Since last year, the government has emulated the age old tradition to help unemployed Rwandans get off the street, especially those who are most vulnerable, like the youth and women.  Under the drive, every Rwandan is encouraged to support new entrepreneurs with either money or equipment to help them implement their business ideas.
“Job creation as we all know is at the core of self-reliance. It is the way to go when it comes to realising the government’s Vision 2020,” the minister noted.
He reminded Rwandans that the government’s Business Development Fund (BDF) ensures 75 per cent of collateral when Small and Medium Sized Enterprises or local cooperatives apply for loans in banks.
He also urged Rwandans to help new entrepreneurs get the remaining 25 per cent to complete the banks’ requirement of 100 pe rcent collateral in order to access business loans.
Analysts project positive impact but call for a framework for evaluation. 
The Ministry of Public Service and Labour announced intentions to streamline the Kuremera programme across the country last week.
According to Prof. Herman Musahara, an expert in development studies at the National University of Rwanda, the programme is likely to help the country’s overall job creation policy trickle down in the society.
“It will by all means have a positive impact,” he said, highlighting that home-grown approaches to implementing the country’s policies have always had positive effects. “It is putting more emphasis on what has already been in place.”
The government hopes that the initiative would reduce unemployment rate in the country with reports by the Labour ministry indicating that 125,000 people join the labour market annually, with only 2 per cent getting jobs in tpublic service, while 98 per cent have to be self-employed or seek employment in private entities.
Musahara called for a clearer framework for both the implementation and evaluation of the new Kuremera drive.
Contact email: eugene.kwibuka[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

YouthConnekt month to assess youth achievements

The Ministry of Youth and ICT has launched the “Youth Connekt Month”. The month is aimed at assessing youth achievements in the country’s development.
It is also one of the resolutions from the 2012 YouthConnekt convention held last year
Speaking at a news briefing on Tuesday, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Youth ad ICT, Rose Mary Mbabazi said, “This month will be a platform for youth advocacy and clear strategy for youth to be able to meaningfully contribute to national building, especially focusing on the role of youth to build our society.”
Mbabazi said youth from all districts will participate in different activities ranging from those in line with economic empowerment, social contribution and the use of ICT as tool for development as well as activities related to sport and entertainment.
Under the theme, “A Promise of a generation towards self reliance”, other activities will include visiting different youth initiatives to witness their contribution in national development and the role of ICT.
The Executive Secretary of National Youth Council, Alphonse Nkuranga, said there will be also be a YouthConnekt dialogue, where youth will discuss their role in fighting against genocide ideology to build a bright future.
According to officials, other activities will include support ing vulnerable persons, awareness campaign for ‘one cell one cooperative’ and visit to role model youth cooperatives at cell level, and facilitate registration of new cooperatives.

The life of a woman mechanic

Aloysie Benimana (Mama Gatoya) repairing a motorbike. The Sunday Times / Courtesy.
With some mechanical knowledge she learnt from her husband, she is earning between 3000 and 5000 Rwandan francs per day by repairing motorcycles and she is proud that she contributes to her family and doesn’t have to rely on her husband to survive.
Aloysie Benimana, known as Mama Gatoya in Muyumbu Sector of Rwamagana District in the Eastern Province, is a 31-year-old mother of three children who attracted a lot of criticism from fellow women when she was learning from her husband how to repair motorcycles.
But while comparing the time back when she didn’t have a profession with today when she provides motor repair services in partnership with her husband, she lauds her chosen attitude of taking on jobs that were previously left for men.
Together with her husband, they managed to build a house in Muyumbu where they live and their family.
“It is the first high earning profession I have ever done in my life. It has eased my life and the benefit is totally different from what I earned from my former profession of farming,” Benimana said, also revealing that her dream now is to become a car driver.
She started her motorcycle repair career eight years ago when her and husband arrived in Kigali from Rutongo in Rulindo District of the Northern Province where they hail from.
While she started the career at a location nearby the offices of the Rwanda Development Board in Gishushu, she is now operating from Rugende fuel station in Rusororo Sector of Gasabo District.
“When we arrived in Kigali my husband was used to working alone as he was a motorcycle technician. I had to stay at home till he decided to teach me the profession that totally changed our life,” she said.
Warning fellow women
Many motorists from the area where Benimana operates said that her work is not different from that of men.
Her message for fellow women is to never reject any work saying it is not for their kind because they are able to do the same job as men.
“From my experience I realized that all jobs belong to both men and women,” she said.
In the past, Rwandans used to separate jobs whereby women would stay at home looking after children and doing domestic works and would depend on their husbands for cash because the latter were the ones to perform income generating activities.
Contact email: editorial[at]newtimes.co.rw

April 25th, 2013 | Posted by Eric Didier Karinganire
Heavy rains, electricity black-outs blamed for water scarcity
http://focus.rw/wp/2013/04/heavy-rains-electricity-black-outs-blamed-for-water-scarcity/

James Sano, the deputy director general in charge of water and sanitation (R) and Theoneste Minani, the director of water at EWSA. (photo Farouk Kaweesi)
Some areas of Kigali city such as Kicukiro, Gikondo, Samuduha, Kimironko and Gatsata are reported to have been experiencing water scarcity for some time now. According to officials at the public utility EWSA, heavy rains and lack of power at water treatment plants and pumps are the main reasons.
The capital consumes about 60% of EWSA’s entire water supply.
According to the officials, heavy rains in most areas of the Western and Northern part of the country, which are the main sources of water for treatment plants, have caused soil erosion, flood and landslides. “This has affected EWSA water supply systems due to the high turbidity of raw water and springs which has made raw water muddy and untreatable,” a statement by the institution said.
As a result, water production at Kimisagara, Nzove and Karenge water treatment plants has been drastically reduced.  The officials say that the situation was worsened by electricity black-outs at some water treatment plants and pump stations.
All these problems combined have caused a decrease in production of 124,692 m3 (a 20% reduction) between January and April.
The Rwanda Meteorological Agency had in February warned that unusual rainfall should be expected from March through May. While areas of Eastern and Southern Province would experience minimal rainfall, Kigali city, Northern and Western Province as well as some areas in the south would be hit by heavier rains than usual.
Theoneste Minani, the director of water at EWSA, on Thursday said that these heavy rains are still affecting some of their water treatment plants. He noted that for instance the water level of Lake Mugesera in the East had risen by 73 cm, threatening nearby Karenge water treatment plant.
While emergency measures such as dikes were taken, Minani said that these are not sustainable solutions to deal with the problem.
To cope with the water scarcity, on the other hand, EWSA officials say that they are finalizing a water rationing program to ensure equitable supply to the affected areas.
In addition, EWSA also faces a problem of water that is consumed but not paid for. “This causes us the loss of 20% of the money that we should be gaining,” said James Sano, EWSA’s deputy director general in charge of water and sanitation.
According to Sano, the commercial losses are mainly the result of EWSA having accepted that some people are connected to the water network without having water meters, paying based on average consumption estimate. However, that practice will come to an end soon. “By the end of May, no one will be allowed to be connected to the EWSA network without a meter,” Sano warned.
Technical losses – water produced and lost before reaching consumers – also cause EWSA headaches, with 32% lost reduced from 40%. Sano notes that it’s not possible to completely eliminate such losses and that even the best water managers around the world can experience a loss of at least 5%.
In a move to minimize its own technical losses, EWSA is working closely with utilities from Germany and The Netherlands in addition to the body’s team that is on standby 24/7 to intervene in case of a technical mishap.
The country’s target has been to achieve 100% of access to clean water by 2017; in 2012, 70% was reached.

Rwimbogo Sector Students Abandon School to Engage in Mining 
Published on 26-04-2013 - at 09:21' by IGIHE Reporter

http://en.igihe.com/news/rwimbogo-sector-students-abandon-school-to-engage.html

Gatsibo district authorities have warned students against abandoning classes to engage in mining activities with intention to earn quick money.
The affected areas include Rwimbogo Sector where high rate of school absenteesm has been reported in schools in the area.
The district authorities told IGIHE that such mining activities require mature people not young children.
The high demand for expensive minerals coupled with handsome returns has attracted more people including children in the area.
A resident told IGIHE that some students have dropped out of school to be able to engage in mining activities where they earn quick money.
However, Mushumba John the Executive secretary of Rwimbogo Sector told IGIHE that in a recent children census, 63 students had abandoned school to engage in mining jobs, but of these, 48 children have returned to school.
Mushumba said, "sector residents are sensitised on the benefits of enrolling children in schools. We also conduct frequent surveys at mining sites to ensure there are no children involved in mining".

 

 

Dozens of stray buffaloes stomp Kayonza farms

At least 40 stray buffaloes from Akagera National Park went on rampage, on Tuesday, destroying crops in villages of Mwiri and Murundi sectors in Kayonza district.
According to residents, the herd of buffaloes attacked Mucucu and Kagyeyo villages of Mwiri and Murundi sectors, respectively.
John Mugabo, the mayor of Kayonza, confirmed the animal attack, saying the herd was large. He said the animals would be pushed back to the park with the assistance of Rwanda Development Board (RDB).
“There is a big herd of buffaloes moving around villages. We are not sure whether they jumped the fence or were fenced out of the park,” he said. “There is a fence, but it can’t hold some animals. A leopard recently attacked villages, killed seven cows and injured two people.”
Benoit Nsengiyumva, the Eastern region Police spokesman, said no one was hurt in the animal attacks on farms. He said Police, RDB and park managers were doing everything it takes to push the animals back in the park.
“It is good news that no one was injured. We are working round the clock to force the animals back into the park,” he said.
Mwiri and Murundi sector residents, however, claimed that although many complaints have been made to concerned authorities, nothing much has been done.
Aloys Musana, one of the residents, said:  “We can’t develop as our crops are constantly destroyed by wild animals. The fencing has done little to help us,” he said.
Akagera, the largest park in the country, is being given electric fencing to keep animals from straying into surrounding human settlement.
Contact email: stephen.rwembeho[at]newtimes.co.rw

Rain wrecks infrastructure in Musanze

Heavy rain, on Wednesday, destroyed several houses in Musanze district and damaged other infrastructure.

The heavy downpour, coupled with storm, also destroyed Muhoza Primary Court and several billboards in the town. 

However, no deaths or injuries were reported in the aftermath of the downpour. 

Vincent Ndayambaje, the district vice mayor in charge of social affairs, put the number of destroyed houses at 52.

However, he added that authorities were still collecting statistics from four affected sectors.

About 300 houses are said to have been destroyed in the district.

Bertin Mbangukira, a businessman whose house was affected, said the rain ruined the whole of his property.

Life first

“I was inside my shop around 5:30pm when it rained, it was windy with hailstorms. I fled as I realised my life was at stake. I couldn’t take anything and almost the whole property, apart from beer, other property in boxes was damaged,” said Mbangukira.

“I am now homeless and trying to rebuild but it is not easy as the roof was totally ruined,” he said.

Patrick Sebuzu, whose house was also destroyed, said he also lost property.

“I can’t estimate the loss but all electrical appliances were damaged including TV set, radio, among others, other household materials were also damaged. I and my family are now homeless,” he said.

The executive secretary of Kigombe cell Jean Claude Nizeyimana, said at least 15 houses in his cell, were destroyed, five of them seriously.

The rain also triggered fire blackouts in Ruhengeri cell in Muhoza sector.

District officials said after getting statistics they will provide relief support in conjunction with the Ministry of Disaster Management and Refugees Affairs.

Contact email: jmbonyinshuti[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

Nocturnal miners die in tunnel

The government has persistently warned that illegal miners are at high risk. The New Times/ File.
FOUR people died and three others sustained serious injuries on Wednesday night while trying to mine in Ruli coltan mining, Ruli sector in Gakenke district.

They were working with EPROCOMI, a mining company in the area.

The deceased are reported to have gone for mining during the night while their co-workers were still away.

Chief Supertendent Francis Gahima, the Northern Police spokesperson, confirmed the incident, saying the group was burglars who went to steal at night. 

Gahima said four died on the spot, three sustained injuries, while three more have not been accounted for.

Police suspect the mines walls in the tunnels caved in on the miners.

“Illegal miners are at high risk,” said Gahima.

The identities of the deceased were yet to be identified by press time.

Contact email: jmbonyinshuti[at]newtimes.com

 

Landslides displace 48 families in Ruhango

The flooded Nyabarongo power project. The New Times/ Courtesy.
AT LEAST 40 families in Gasare cell, Kinazi sector in Ruhango district, have been left homeless after their village was washed away by landslides which hit the area last weekend, an assessment by the Ministry of Disaster Management and Refugee Affairs indicates.

The landslides displaced the entire hill stretching 1.5km, Frederic Ntawukuriryayo, the public relations and communications officer at the Ministry of Disaster Management, said.

In total, 48 houses and four shops were destroyed, while 12 hectares of rice and other crops were washed away, he said, adding that no life was lost in the disaster.

Ntawukuriryayo said the ministry has started extending support to the affected families.

“We are giving them non-food items, including sauce pans, jerrycans, bed covers and kitchen sets, as the district tries to find where to relocate them,” he said.

Meanwhile, heavy rain in the Nyabarongo hydro-electric power catchment area triggered unprecedented floods at the site. 

However, Gopi Krishna, the regional project manager, said the power project withstood the floods.

“The engineers and staff of the project took prompt and effective measures during floods to avoid any damage,” Krishna said.

The construction of the power plant, which started in 2009, is expected to be completed by April 2014.

Contact email: editorial[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

African MPs warn govts on land deals

A section of African legislators during yesterday’s sitting in Kigali . The New Times/ John Mbanda.
African legislators meeting in Kigali have called for a cautious approach before dishing out land to international investors.

The lawmakers argue that though agricultural foreign direct investments (FDIs) are key to Africa’s food security, it must be properly harnessed to ensure that they deliver on associated benefits. 

The two-day meeting which opened yesterday drew members of the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA), the Pan African Parliament (PAP), and Rwanda’s lawmakers.

Under the them: Making Agricultural Investments work for Africa–a parliamentarian’s response to the land rush, lawmakers will identify priorities and make concrete suggestions for parliamentary initiatives at national, regional and African level.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, EALA Speaker Margaret Zziwa, said past trends of FDIs in African natural resources show that in many cases, they failed to deliver, leaving the continent grappling with risks and potentially severe negative consequences.

Zziwa said such consequences include loss of smaller holder farmers’ livelihoods; increased landlessness; 

marginalising the poor; unsustainable exploitation of natural resources and severe environmental degradation.

“The continent continues to be at the epi-centre of the FDI wave because of the perceived abundance of available land and water, favourable tax and fiscal incentives, a weak or nonexistent land tenure system and the failure of African governments to adequately protect land users,” Zziwa said. 

Zziwa added that many agricultural projects are not bringing benefits to the people, or the countries, in terms of tax revenues since investors benefit from tax holidays and do not pay land rates, economic growth, meaningful job creation, technology transfer, improved skills and capacity building. 

“The begging question thus, is, ‘what should our roles as Parliamentarians be in managing, if not all together, stopping the land rush by foreign investors?’” Zziwa asked, adding that it is essential that lawmakers commit to raising the concerns on land lease, promoting food security and in advocating for timely review of land laws.

Wave of investors

The joint Pap-EALA endeavour is part of a series of similar workshops launched by the PAP, each targeting specific regional economic blocs. 

Julianna Kantengwa, the fourth vice president of Pap, said since 2008, there has been “a wave of foreign investment in land and water, especially in Africa.” 

“Triggered by the recent food crises, threats of hunger, biofuel need, rich countries started buying up and leasing fertile land of the developing world,” Kantengwa said. 

A 2010 World Bank study reported land deals amounting to 45 million hectares in 2009 alone, she said, adding that in the past few years, a series of studies confirmed the scale and consequences of this new phenomenon of large-scale land acquisitions.

Attractive continent

Africa remains attractive because it has abundant land and water, Kantengwa said, but unfortunately, it also “remains attractive because of its weak or non-existent land tenure systems or because of the inability or failure of government to adequately protect land users.” 

“The land rush phenomenon and its implications deserve to be analysed and understood, if we are to know how best to respond as decision makers,” Kantengwa said. 

“This epic scramble poses a double-edged dilemma to policymakers; is foreign direct investment in agriculture a threat or an opportunity for prosperity?” 

Annie Kairaba, the director-general of the Rwanda Initiative for Sustainable Development, who also doubles as the coordinator for LandNet Rwanda Chapter, told The New Times that she is “pleased to see parliamentarians engaging like this.” 

“For the civil society in Rwanda, we are already engaged in this, and all these participants are signatories to the African land forum framework,” Kairaba said.

“What is important to us is the issue of marginalising people, of investors taking on more land and I am glad that even parliamentarians are realising the issues of transparency, issues of land grabbing. It is not yet a big problem in Rwanda, but it is a problem in the region, which can impact on us too.”

Contact email: james.karuhanga[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

 

Kirehe rice factory privatized

Kirehe rice factory which was recently constructed by the government in Eastern Province was on Friday handed over to a private company known as ENAS.
In a colourful ceremony, the factory was officially handed over to businessman Alfred Nkubiri, the owner of ENAS Enterprise Ltd.
The private company will own the factory at 60 percent, while the government will remain with 40 percent of the factory’s total shares through people’s rice growing cooperatives in the district.
The representative of the Ministry of Agriculture during the take-over function, Norbert Sendege, said that the overall aim of the factory’s privatisation was to increase rice production.
Sendege reiterated the government’s commitment towards reinvigorating its agricultural sector, noting that it was only through such plans that Rwanda can handle its economic challenges. 
“We are beginning to see progress and a clear path towards establishing a sustainable agriculture. Investment through development of infrastructure, input, budgetary allocation and funding for farmers will continue,” he said.
Naphtali Kazoora, in charge of privatization in Rwanda Development Board (RDB), noted that Rwanda was working hard to be self-reliant on rice.
“We want to end import of rice and move towards exporting it in the near future. Advantages accrued in agricultural privatisation cannot be overemphasized. The establishment of the rice factory is a journey in realising the objective,” he said.
Meanwhile, the mayor of Kirehe District, Protais Murayire, has urged farmers to take advantage of the recently found electricity to maximize agricultural production. 
“The time for wealth without work is over… the factory provides the framework for you to get your hands busy, get out of bars and go to the farm. Take advantage of factories emerging after Kirehe got electricity,” he said.
“Government gives you all it takes. If you put your mind to rice growing, there is prosperity. Our land is too green for us to be hungry. Youths must be ready to work in the farms that we are creating,” he told hundreds of cheerful farmers.
Kirehe District is regarded as one of the country’s food baskets for its high production of rice, coffee, and maize.
Contact email: stephen.rwembeho[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

 

Giving widows and orphans hope

A 300-metre ride on a motorbike from Kabuga town in Gasabo district, Eastern Province, leads one to Hope Vocational Training Centre. This establishment is rectangular in shape, with a small, well manicured garden right in the centre. In brief, it looks like an ordinary Rwandan upcountry high school. 
On arrival at this place, I go straight to the director’s office. Innocent Hahirwa, a lanky, soft-spoken fellow, leads me to the tailoring class, which comprises mainly women. Some of them are bent on their respective sewing machines, trying to come up with various creations. Others are standing over tables somewhere in the corner, making necessary measurements on fabrics. All under the watchful eyes of a tutor, they seem too engrossed in their work to even notice our presence.  
From here we head to the carpentry class, where we find a bunch of teenage students splitting wood using a heavy duty-motorized saw. Outside, another bunch of students are scrubbing wooden stools using sand paper. These ones, too, are under keen supervision of their trainer. 
I visit a few more classrooms before sitting down to quiz Hahirwa on the background of this institution. I later learn that Hope Vocational Training Centre was not established by some business people for purposes of making money. No. It was a noble cause. 
The school was founded in 2006 by a nonprofit Christian NGO called Equipping, Restoring and Multiplying Ministries Rwanda (ERM) with an overriding objective of providing survival skills to orphans, widows and generally young people from financially challenged backgrounds. The subjects offered here include carpentry, welding, hair dressing, tailoring, construction and masonry. 
“There is no financial gain in this project. For us this is God’s calling to help society’s underprivileged. Students here pay only Rwf1o,600 per term (a term is nine months) and that also caters for their school uniforms and health insurance packages. And upon completion of their courses we award them certificates,” says Hahirwa. 
He goes on: “When these young people join us, we not only equip them with life skills, but also try to impart Christian principles in them. So, they leave this place when they are wholly transformed.” 
Lionel Uwamariya, a tailoring student, testifies: “Before joining this institution I had practically lost hope in life. Everything seemed to be falling apart. However, I have not only acquired survival skills but also learnt about the existence of God and His kindness. I hope to start a fashion and design store after here.” 
The school now wants to apply for a license at the Work Force Development Authority (WDA), so that they can start offering diploma programmers. A plan to open branches countrywide is also in the pipeline.
However, Hahirwa says their biggest challenge right now is lack of enough funds. Hope Vocational Training Centre has inadequate facilities so they cannot handle the overwhelming number of people who apply to join the school, which currently has over 190 students. About the same number of students graduate every year.

 

33 Pending Prosecution over Genocide Ideology 
Published on 15-04-2013 - at 10:22' by IGIHE
http://en.igihe.com/news/33-pending-prosecution-over-genocide-ideology.html
Police has revealed that 42 suspects were arrested during the Marking of 19 Commemoration of Genocide against ethnic Tutsi.
Senior Superintendent of Police Marcel Higiro noted that the suspects were arrested in connection with harbouring the genocide ideology during the commemoration week.
He said that the arrested suspects uttered inflammatory speeches that negated the genocide.
“33 have been handed over to the prosecution while investigations are still ongoing for the rest so that we can gather factual evidence behind their suspected inflammatory speech, as for those suspects handed over to the prosecution, we do have evidence.” He noted.
Higiro however said there were no cases of physical harm inflicted on anyone and that all cases were related to expressions made that were characterized by the genocide ideology.
Dr Bideri Diogene, a legal advisor at the national anti genocide commission who was also an invited guest at the talk show Also said that aside from legal penalties for the suspects, an extensive investigation should be done to examine the reason behind people who harbor the genocide ideology.

 

S. Korea to construct ICT innovation centre in Kigali

Upon completion, the centre which is targeting 78 per cent per cent youth, will be a major leap for the ICT industry.
The Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) has signed an agreement with the Ministry of Youth and ICT aimed at enhancing Information and Communication Technology.

Under the agreement, KOICA will construct an ICT innovation centre in Kicukiro , Kigali. The centre will be a major step in the Information Technology front in the entire East African Region, according to officials.

The agreement was signed on Wednesday by Rosemary Mbabazi, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Youth and ICT, and Sang Chul Kim, the resident representative of KOICA.

The centre, which will be constructed late next year over a period of 24 months and will cost $5.6 million, will be under Rwanda Development Board’s IT department.

Speaking at the ceremony Kim said, “This agreement is another significant step for the friendship between Rwanda and South Korea. This is the 50th year of our friendship. So we had to move it a step further by starting this important journey as well as helping Rwanda move further towards its Vision 2020.”

KOICA affirmed to continue its support of the ICT development in the country with a plan to put up other IT centres around the country to help rural youth access information.

“This signed document represents another milestone for ICT in our country,” Mbabazi said.

Upon completion, the centre which is targeting 78 per cent per cent youth will be a major leap for the ICT industry.

“It will also help in job creation and give more exposure for the youth in the country. Not only will it be good for the urban youth which is our main target but also for the rural youth,” Mbabazi asserted.

The ceremony was a culmination of a six months survey by a Basic Design Survey Team (BDST) that consisted of members from KOICA and officials from RDB who took a Kigali–wide research to determine the essential tools and strategies which were necessary for the commencement of construction of the centre.

 

Gatsata residents wary as rains pound risk zone

A view of Gatsata, a suburb of Kigali. Most of the houses in the sector are built on steep slopes. The New Times/ Timothy Kisambira.
Fear and anxiety has engulfed high risk zone residents of Gasatsa sector, Gasabo district following last Sunday’s torrential rains which left one person dead.

The heavy rains also destroyed several houses, and left scores injured in Rubonobono village, Nyamabuye cell, Gatsata sector.

Despite persistent calls from the government to vacate the high risk zone, the residents have refused to leave even as their lives are in harm’s way.

The sector has over 500 households that are in disaster prone areas, and plans are underway to relocate them to safer zones, according to authorities.

Nyamabuye cell, for example is  dotted  with houses in a sorry state and on verge of collapse. They are built on steep slopes with hardly any support.

“At around 2am on Sunday night,   I  suddenly heard a loud bang. I immediately got out of the house only to find my that neighbour’s perimeter wall had fallen on one of my houses, triggering its collapse,” Elizabeth Nyiraneza, the landlady of a recently collapsed house told The New Times on Tuesday. “I called for help. People came and started digging through the rubble for my tenants, but unfortunately one died on the way to hospital.”  

According to Nyiraneza, the deceased, Maria Nyandwi, had come to visit her boyfriend and stayed overnight only for the collapsing house to end her life. The boyfriend escaped with minor injuries but has since recovered and found alternative housing.

The 50-year-old landlady, now fears that her other house will also give way due to the April rains.

“I appeal to the government to help me get a safer place. I would love to leave this area right now but I do not have anywhere to go. Currently,  I cannot afford another piece of land or a house in safer areas in Kigali,” she said.

She is not alone. According to Vivince Twagirayezu, the Rubonobono village leader, there are about 55 families in this villlage.

“We have been experiencing mudslides during heavy rains but nobody had lost a life. The death of Nyandwi should serve as a warning for us to vacate this place,” he said. “But most people say they do nothave anywhere to go.”

Colonel Mbarushimana, the in charge of development, finance and social affairs in Nyamabuye, cell said the area, that shelters 2,300 people, is one of the most risky zones due to its topography.  

 “We have issued an ultimatum to residents to leave the place but they are reluctant to relocate saying they don’t have where to go. I have told them to find temporary shelters where they can stay as the government plans what to do for them,” he said. 

Nyamabuye, alongside other cells like Nyamugali and Karuruma in Gatsata sector, have been marked as disaster prone zones, and the government has issued a directive to residents to relocate to safer areas. In Kimihurura sector, at a place commonly known as Kosovo, 44 households living in the risk area are also yet to move.

Currently, about 10,000 families live in houses built on steep hillsides and around marshlands which are identified as high risk zones, 45 per cent are renting while 55 per cent are living in their own houses, according to City of Kigali officials.

About Rwf56 billion has been earmarked by the City authorities to facilitate the relocation of the most vulnerable among the affected population. 

“We have issued the directive (to relocate) to them as a precaution following the heavy downpour that continues to trigger disasters in the area,” said Joseph Kayibanda, the executive secretary of Gatsata sector.

He added that, the people in the area have been given relocation notices and perhaps the affected and most vulnerable will be moved to Mont Jari area.

“They have been indentified based on Ubudehe classification. They will be given plots and iron sheets to construct their own houses,” Kayibanda explained.

Fidele Ndayisaba, the Mayor of City of Kigali insisted that residents in the  designated high risk areas in Kigali have been advised to relocate but they have turned deaf ears.

“We have realised that most victims of heavy downpour are tenants in the risky areas, so they should look for houses in safe zones around Kigali instead of risking their lives,” he said.

Contact email: frank.kanyesigye[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

Eight dead as mudslide buries five family members

The house in which the Karongi family perished. courtesy pgoto
Eight people, including five members of a family, died in two separate mudslide incidents in Rutsiro and Karongi districts in Western Province on Wednesday.

In Rutsiro, a father and his two sons, died in Twabugezi cell, Murunda sector.

The deceased have been identified as Antoine Bizimungu, 43, and his sons, Jean d’Amour Siborurema, 13, and Bonaventure Habimana, 11. 

Witnesses told The New Times that the deceased’s wife, whom they identified as Dorothée Nyiraminani, and their three other children miraculously survived the mudslide which tore out part of the house.

The incident occurred at 10am, residents said.

They described seeing Bizimungu unsuccessfully fleeing the disaster in which the mudslide buried him while he was on the run.

It took residents about two hours to dig through the pile of mud to reach the lifeless bodies, according to eyewitnesses.

Rutsiro district vice mayor for social affairs Jacqueline Nyirabagurinzira told this paper that the area has been hit by downpour since Tuesday.

She said local leaders have visited the area to console the affected family and organised support for them.

Apart from the recorded deaths, Wednesday’s rain also destroyed about 60 houses, but Nyirabangurinzira said the number is likely to increase as the identification was still ongoing by press time.

Crops and roads were also  destroyed, she added.

Rutsiro district, in the north-western part of the country, has steep and rugged topography, which makes it vulnerable to disasters such as landslides.

Mudslide and lightning are common in the area, officials said.

Last month, heavy rain damaged a bridge on River Sebeya, cutting the communication between Nyabirasi sector and the neighbouring Rubavu district.

Meanwhile, two people were admitted to Muhororo Hospital in Ngororero district after sustaining injuries in Wednesday’s heavy rain.

The district vice mayor for economic affairs, Emmanuel Mazimpaka, told this paper the rain also destroyed an estimated 100 hectares of crops. 

Traffic on the Muhanga-Ngororero road was also partly diverted on Wednesday due to flooding in Nyabarongo River.

Family of five crushed

Five people from the same family in Karongi district, Mutuntu sector in Western Province were  asleep on Wednesday when the road near their house caved in, leaving rubbles to bury the house.

The deceased family members were identified as daughters Nyirahabimana, 7, Nyiransengiyumva, 5, and son Theophile Irasubiza, 4, and their parents Stephen Bahizi and Jacqueline Uwizampa of Kinyonzwe cell.

The family house was located along the road linking Nyamagabe town to Gisovu Tea Plantation, an area the district mayor says is not part of the disaster-prone areas. 

Mayor Bernard Kayumba said the area was “considered a safe place.” The family members were buried yesterday.

Contact email: editorial[at]newtimes.co.rw

Rema installs early warning systems

A family, whose house was destroyed by rain in Gatsata sector recently, tries to salvage some property from the rubble. The New Times/T. Kisambira.
Rwanda Environmental Management Authority (Rema) has installed 22 modern meteorological early warning systems.

According to Coletha Ruhamya, the deputy director general of REMA, the Automatic Weather Stations   worth about US$ 800,000 (approx Rwf510.5m) will enable various organisations to monitor and address issues relating to weather changes.

Ruhamya disclosed this in Kigali yesterday as she opened a training workshop for officers from different institutions on the use of the  Automatic Weather Stations.

“Early action can help prevent loss of life and damage to infrastructure. The stations will also help to prepare for disasters and take the appropriate measures at the right time,” she said.

According to Ruhamya, the new equipment will minimise effects of abrupt weather changes during the season which normally affect growth and crop yields.

The system will also help determine delays in rains, untimely or excessive rains, droughts, or spells of too-high or too-low temperatures.

Seven of the 22 stations, according to Alphonse Mutabazi, the Climate Change Programme Manager at Rema, will serve to ascertain the level and the temperature of water whereas the remaining ones are for monitoring the temperature and humidity of soil.

Besides the 22 stations, two other mobile facilities will be used to check their efficiency.

Mutabazi said the equipment are fixed with SIM cards and gather the information on weather which it sends to a server in Rwanda Meteorological Agency, which, in turn,  shares it with the Ministry of Disaster Management and Refugees Affairs (Midimar) and other relevant institutions for timely response in case of disaster warning.

According to Mutabazi, the new warning systems are expected to reduce the consequences of climate change by 50 per cent and that there are two technicians to look after the tools.

Timely 

The equipment, according to Faustin Munyazikwiye, Director of Climate Change, International Obligations Unit at Rwanda Meteorological Agency are timely as they will reinforce the existing ones.

“If the number of equipment to predict weather change increases, the weather forecast becomes more accurate and effective too and people can do their routines in safety,” Munyazikwiye said.

According to Midimar, 37 people have died countrywide and another 45 sustained injuries due to natural disasters, mainly floods and landslides caused by heavy rains between January and April.

Over 1,600 houses and 660 hectares of crops were also destroyed over the same period of time.

One of the equipment will be stationed in Bigogwe, Nyabihu district, one of the disaster prone- areas where floods have previously claimed lives and destroyed crops.  Others will be stationed in Nyagatare, Kirehe, in Eastern Province and Rutongo in Kigali among other places.

Contact email: editorial[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

 

Former street vendors find solace in new beginnings

The new market that is under construction. The New Times/Laurent Kamana.
After several running battles with the Police and City of Kigali law enforcement officers, 74 street vendors from different corners of Kigali pooled resources to construct a commercial premises in 2009. 
The 33 men and 41 women each contributed Rwf 250,000 and formed an association known as Duhahirane –Gisozi. 
This contribution, according to Eric Shirubute, the vice-president of the project, was given in two instalments. 
Gasabo district then awarded them the 6,000 metres of land on which they built their workplace. But that was just the starting point. 
Shirubute says they then secured a Rwf2 billion loan, which they used to construct their first market at a cost of Rwf560 million. The market was a hall with stands covered with iron sheets and surrounded by smaller shops.
Two years later, the number of members increased from 74 to 250 (120 men and 130 women) transforming from an association to a cooperative.
The rapid rise was partly due to awareness campaign by the original members of the cooperative and district officials on the benefits of operating in a cooperative.
Unitied 
Shirubute says bringing together people whose mindsets were different and whose financial ability was low to raise capital was just one of the challenges that pushed them to achieve their target. 
“When we started sensitising them about the project, some could not believe the project was possible. But all things are possible when people are united,” Shirubute said.
In March 2012, the group started to construct a Rwf1.6 billion modern three storey market started, and according to Prosper Nsengiyumva, one of the managers, will be operational by the end of the month. 
Today, Cooperative Duhahirane boasts 321 members who all have stalls in the old market or are operating in surrounding buildings, depending on one’s business capacity. These will be entitled to space in the new market. 
However, another block will be constructed later to cater for another 44 members.
The Gasabo district Vice Mayor in charge of economic development, Jean Claude Munara, said the district helped to link members of the cooperative to financial institutions. 
“Out first role was to sensitise them to leave streets, help  them to form cooperatives, link them with banks, and then after assessing their capacities, we gave them a plot to operate on,” said Munara.
Testimonies
“The Police jailed me at Remera Police Station for three days after they caught me selling merchandise on the street,” Rose Nzabonimpa, a mother of four, living in Kigugu cell, recalls.
She is a former street vendor and one of the project initiators. 
Now she has no regrets. With the new market, her business is worth Rwf5 million after investing Rwf 30,000. 
“I am now safer as I have my own house to live in. I have a precise and recognised place to sell from,” she declared.
Another vendor, Francois Nsabimana 25, a former street child was taught how to make charcoal stoves and metallic cases by one of the project initiators.
Today, he has a working place free from the freezing nights and rain. 
“I can now make money instead of begging for it to survive,” he said, adding, “I am now married and built my own house; I could not have achieved all of these if I remained on the street.” 
Nsengiyumva said apart from changing the lives of former street vendors and their families, the project has offered jobs to at least six thousand other people.
He is optimistic the project members will benefit more in the forthcoming days once their new market is complete.  
In order to develop the area, Munara said the district is planning to pave all the commercial area roads with stones.
Contact email: editorial[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

Japan to give relief to Congolese refugees in Rwanda

A refugee prepares a meal at Nkamira transit centre last year. The New Times/ File.
More than 32,000 Congolese refugees in Rwanda are set to get food, relief, medical treatment, better sanitation and education, thanks to a $5.9 million donation from Japanese government.

A statement from the UNHCR Kigali office quotes Shigeru Kondo, the charger d’affaires at the Embassy of Japan in Kigali as saying the donation is aimed at improving the welfare of Congolese in the country.

“The Japanese government decided to contribute towards refugee protection programmes by the UN in Rwanda because these organisations provide life-sustaining assistance to the most vulnerable. It is our hope that these funds will help alleviate the suffering of the Congolese refugees while we all work together towards a durable solution,” the statement reads in part.

The contribution goes to Unicef, WFP and the UNHCR, which coordinates the overall humanitarian response to the continuing refugee influx from war-torn eastern DR Congo.

“We express our deep gratitude to the people and the Government of Japan for their unwavering support to the on-going humanitarian crisis in the region,” said Neimah Warsame, UNHCR’s representative in Rwanda.

The statement said $2 million of the contribution will go to UNHCR for immediate humanitarian needs of refugees. Unicef received $2.2m, and WFP $1.7m. 

“We are grateful to the support from Japan, which strongly commits itself to funding a protective child care system so that we can address the educational, protection, and psychosocial needs of refugee children,” said Unicef Representative Noala Skinner.

“Last year we experienced a shortage of funds which almost led to a temporary shortage of food items,” said Abdoulaye Balde, the WFP Country Director. 

Since April, last year, at least 32,000 Congolese refugees have  crossed into the country, and are sheltered at various transit centres.

Contact email: eric.kabeera[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

 

Landslide kills one in Gasabo after heavy rain

One person was killed and another escaped with injuries when a rock rolled onto the house they were sleeping in, in Kimihurura, Gasabo district.

The Monday night downpour loosened soil that supported the rock, leaving it to roll onto the house in which Noel Gakuru and his housemate Dominique Habimana were sleeping. The former died on the spot while the latter is admitted to Kibagabaga Hospital.

The deceased is the second victim of rockslides from a perimeter fencing.

“I am scared of sleeping in any house here as this fence has again killed a person,” said Claire Mugwaneza whose house also borders the fence.

Residents said local leaders had previously asked a landlord, whose wall fence collapsed, to repair it in vain.

“He never listens to me as a neighbour or the village leaders, even when the first person died in 2011, he did not repair the fence,” Mugwaneza said.

Nyiridandi Mapambano, the executive secretary of Kimuhurura sector, said the matter has been reported to the landlord’s superiors in the military

Residents at the risky zone have also been urged to relocate, Mapambano said.

About 150 families from  Urwego, Ubumwe and Intwambwe a.k.a Kosovo villages in Kimihurura cell have been asked to relocate from the area, which has been marked as a high-risk zone.

However, the residents said they are too poor to relocate on their own. 

“I know staying here is risky, but I am waiting for the roofing materials and a plot, wherever they will tell me to go, I will,” said Viateur Iyamuremye, a father of five whose house also succumbed to the Monday night-long downpour.

Meanwhile, all tenants in the three villages have been asked to stop paying rent and await to relocate. The total cost for the relocation of residents living in Kigali suburbs deemed vulnerable to natural disasters could shoot to Rwf56 billion, officials said.

Contact email: editorial[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

Nyamagabe to turn trash into charcoal

The dumpsite under construction. The New Times/ Jean Pierre Bucyensenge.
AUTHORITIES in Nyamagabe district are setting up a modern dumpsite with a machine to process garbage into charcoal.

According to the district mayor, Philbert Mugisha, the site which is under construction in Nyabivumu cell, Gasaka sector, will rid urban dwellers of a large chunk of the solid waste, thus improving hygiene and sanitation in the town and some of the district’s biggest business centres, mainly Gasarenda and Kitabi.

The Rwf257-million dumping site is expected to be complete and operational next month.

Nyamagabe Integrated Dumping Site will also boost environment protection in the area, Mugisha said.

The place will be a collection centre for waste from homes and business premises. The waste would be sorted out and processed into charcoal, the officials said.

It will also reduce the need for burning charcoal from trees by providing an alternative, thus reducing deforestation.

Nyamagabe is one of the main charcoal– a common source of cooking energy in most households–producing areas in the country.

Off-farm jobs

“It will  significantly improve the lives of our residents as it will create jobs for the locals,” Mugisha said. 

In the beginning, about 500 people will be absorbed, mainly in the collection, transportation and segregation and processing of the waste, according to the district chief planner, Jean de Dieu Karemera.

Others will also be employed in making special charcoal stoves to use the products.

“This project is part of our efforts to create off-farm jobs for our people,” the mayor said.

Contact email: editorial[at]newtimes.co.rw

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Community Volunteers Preventing Child Abandonment 
Published on 3-04-2013 - at 02:15' by IGIHE

At the end of December 2012, an eleven months old baby boy was discovered abandoned in Rutoki village, Karugira cell, Kigarama Sector in Kicukiro district.
Because of their awareness on the negative effects of deinstitutionalisation, Karugira community volunteers, did not rush the child to an orphanage,but found another solution.
They took him to one of the Malayika Murinzi who, in turn took care of him until they finally succeeded to locate his relatives.
He is now in safe family environment. Since then those volunteers are ready to deal with cases of child abandonment wherever and whenever they may occur in that cell.
These community volunteers who have since formed a solid child care network were recruited and trained by Hope and Homes for children, an International development organisation that works to ensure that children do not suffer the effects of institutional care in Rwanda.
Community volunteers aim to prevent child abandonment, institutionalisation and to ensure the children’s right are protected and promoted.
In a meeting held with Community volunteers on April 1, 2013, the Cell officer in charge of social and economic development in Karugira informed participants that through their network they were able to handle cases of child abandonment in their community.
They attributed their success to the trainings they received and the presence of people with a good heart to care for abandoned children.
One of their top priorities is to prevent child abandonment that leads children to orphanages or other institutional care.
According to Hope and Homes for Children, long-term stay in residential care can have lasting negative impact on children particularly those less than three years of age.
“They are at risk of permanent developmental damage by not being cared for in a family setting” said Claudine Murebwayire a Social Worker from Hope and Homes for Children.
Claudine emphasized the importance of recruiting more foster carers. She reminded participants to recruit more ‘Malayika Murinzi’ given the fact that there are many people at risk of abandoning children.
“If you can manage to recruit as many Malayika Murinzi as possible, then every abandoned children will enjoy the right to live in loving families not in orphanages”.
According to Mr Vedaste Uwimana the cell officer in charge of social and economic development, there are many single mothers, sex workers and other vulnerable persons whose signs show they can abandon their children at any time.
Margaret Mukangoma, one of those community volunteers said “when quarrel erupted between one couple in my neighbourhood, I knew that there would be a family breakdown leading to children abandonment.
Afterwards, the wife decided to run away and the husband was unable to cater for his children.
To prevent those children from institutionalisation, we convinced their grandmother to accept them into her home. Now they are happy.”

More Rwandans to be Settled in ’Midugudu’ 
Published on 4-04-2013 - at 06:00' by Dusabemungu Ange De La Victoire
http://en.igihe.com/news/more-rwandans-to-be-settled-in-midugudu.html
More Rwandans shall be settled in mudugudu (planned villages) during the implementation of EDPRS II-an Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy.
This new move is aimed at settling Rwandans in well planned villages as opposed to scattered forms of settlement.
The Minister of finance and economic planning, Amb. Claver Gatete, said settling Rwandans in midugudu, government easily deliver services to residents as well as making more infrastructures available to them.
Amb. Gatete said this was part of resolutions of the recently conclused 10th National Leadership retreat which held under the theme “"Working together to deliver EDPRS 2".
He said that some time people failed to be connected to Electricity grid and many other infrastructure developments due to the nature of their settlement.
The settlement nature will also contribute to the environment protections as well as making more land available for other economic development.
Through EDPRS2, Rwanda eyes to improve the socio economic development as well as targeting the country’s GDP grows to 11.5% by 2017 having shifted from 8.1% in EDPRS 1.
The Urban housing is expected to increase at 30 percent and more effort will be put in solving housing problem as far as the matter of accommodations is concerned.

Kabarore Sector Residents Want Water & Electricity 
Published on 5-04-2013 - at 06:22' by IGIHE
http://en.igihe.com/news/kabarore-sector-residents-want-water-electricity.html

The lack of connectivity to water and electricity supply in villages in Kabarore sector has pushed residents in affected villages to push local authorities to explain this anomaly and find solutions to the challenges.
The affected villages include Bihinga, Kanyobwa, Simbwa, Kabeza, Kabingo and Mishenyi. Residents in the affected villages complained that the existing water infrastructure is dilapidated and that it requires urgent repair.
They also say, Electric transmission lines pass through their areas to provide electricity to distant villages leaving them not connected to the national grid.
In a telephone interview, the Kabarore sector leader told IGIHE that he has since been transferred to another sector(Kibondo sector) and cannot comment on matters of Kabarore sector.
The current government policy requires all people to settle in planned villages where they can easily access electricity, water ,schools,hospitals and other public infrastructure.
 
Senate Says ’Congolese Refugees’ Issue Sorted 
Published on 5-04-2013 - at 09:43' by Dusabemungu Ange De La Victoire
http://en.igihe.com/news/senate-says-congolese-refugees-issue-sorted.html
Following research conducted by the Rwandan Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, Cooperation and Security, it has been decided that the issue of Congolese refugees in Rwanda be discussed based on the truth of the matter.
The commission headed by Senator Mukakalisa Jean d’Arc revealed that Rwanda hosts about 60,000 Congolese refugees.
Shelters are so small and nobody realized including the International NGOs.
“More than 15 refugees share a space of 3x4 m. This is a problem to be seriously taken by the Government of Rwanda and UNHCR,” she said. The commission has been asked whether Congolese refugees have hope in the camps.
It’s noted that most are optimistic about their lives in Rwanda while others do not wish to return to their native country fearing insecurity threats there.

 

Foreign Firm to Harvest 8500 Trees in Rwanda 
Published on 11-04-2013 - at 04:18' by IGIHE Reporter
http://en.igihe.com/business/foreign-firm-to-harvest-8500-trees-in-rwanda.html
Rwanda is set to gain from a deal that will see over 8,500 hectares trees harvested for Timber.
The New Forests Company (NFC) signed a 49-year deal with Rwanda that will lead to the lucrative harvest of thousands of hectares of pine, cypress, eucalyptus and acacia trees planted around Nyungwe Forest.
Most of the trees to be harvested are those planted in the buffer zone around the Nyungwe National Forest.
In a Press statement, NFC noted “We want to add value to the timber locally in a series of processing plants over the next few years directed at wood products for the construction, energy and infrastructure industries both for the local and the East African market.”
The South African Firm has also pledged construct two energy and infrastructure industries.
NFC seeks to empower Rwanda’s entrepreneurial rural farmers through the provision of capacity building and critical capital investment interventions to unlock economic development potential.
According to the NFC website;
The New Forests Company is a UK-based sustainable and socially responsible forestry company with established, rapidly growing plantations and the prospect of a diversified product base for local and regional export markets which will deliver both attractive returns to investors and significant social and environmental benefits.
NFC has operations in Uganda, Mozambique, Tanzania, South Africa and other countries on the continent.

 

Floods Destroy Property in Rubavu 
Published on 11-04-2013 - at 05:14' by IGIHE
Floods have engulfed three sectors in Rubavu district destroying property and damaging crops following heavy rains in the area on Wednesday.
http://en.igihe.com/environment/floods-destroy-property-in-rubavu.html
IGIHE reporter in the district said three sectors affected include; Kanama, Nyakiriba and Nyundo.
The floods were more severe after River Buceri burst its banks letting water to overflow and submerging the entire Mahoko trading center.
Several houses were destroyed after soaking into water.
Rescue efforts to save valuable property from submerged houses were fruitless by press time. No causalities were reported at the time of filing this story.
Jeannette Uwajeneza the Kanama sector leader revealed that Karambo river bridge had been washed away by the floods.
The bridge was a major link of Kanama residents to other sectors especially in promoting trade links.
Uwajeneza noted that during the month of April heavy rains affect the area coupled by the disastrous Sebeya River.

 

LG Electronics Gives Back to Rwandan Community
Published on 12-04-2013 - at 03:52' by IGIHE
http://en.igihe.com/news/lg-electronics-gives-back-to-rwandan-community.html
LG Electronics through Hotpoint Rwanda Appliances has offered to DUHOZANYE Association a 32” TV flat screen to place in their training room for future activities.
DUHOZANYE is an association of widows of the 1994 genocide against Tutsi based in gisagara district.
This association brings together more than 150 orphans from sectors of Gisagara district.
Most of these orphans have been raising themselves alone since 1994 while receiving support from DUHOZANYE association.
LG Electronics has provided not only TV but also foods that will help Duhozanye association feed the children for the rest of days of INGANDO.
LG Electronics representative in Rwanda stated “TV is a powerful source of knowledge for the youth if well used” to emphasize on the benefits of a TV echoing the recently launched government campaign TUNGA TV that aims at increasing TV penetration in RWANDA.
Hotpoint members and LG Electronics representative had also time during this short visit to share lunch with the children while listening to their stories.
This was an opportunity for the children on their side to share their dreams for the future that will make them self reliance.
James from Hotpoint through his speech reminded the youth that self reliance does not come overnight; but rather requires a day to day hard work in everything.
LG Electronics through its legal distributor Hotpoint Rwanda appliances offers in Rwanda market a variety of Electronics such as, Fridges, Microwaves, Washing machine, Televisions, DVD and home theater with a reliable after sale service with a warranty of 2years valid in most of east African countries. .



For further information, contact Manoj at 0788381777.

 

S. African firm gets Nyungwe forest deal

Part of Nyungwe forest, which straddles the Southern and Western provinces. The New Times/Courtesy.
The Nyungwe National Forest concessionaire will set up factories to process timber locally to boost the construction sector. The company will also set up two energy and infrastructure industries. 
New Forests Company (NFC), a South African firm, recently signed a 49-year concession with the government to harvest 8,500 hectares of pine, cypress, eucalyptus and acacia planted as a buffer zone around the Nyungwe National Forest in the south-western part of the country.
“We want to add value to the timber locally in a series of processing plants over the next few years directed at wood products for the construction, energy and infrastructure industries both for the local and the East African market,” the firm said in a press release.
It added that they would proactively engage with communities, communicate company plans and targets and work collaboratively to erect and improve development infrastructure.
“We will invest in establishing micro-enterprises that grow in harmony with and are strengthened by the presence of the forest,” the company noted.
The firm said it would also empower Rwanda’s entrepreneurial rural farmers through the provision of capacity building and critical capital investment interventions to unlock economic development potential.
“Learning from previous income generation schemes, New Forest would focus its livelihoods enhancement projects in areas where it has technical expertise and can relate well to its overall business of tree growing and timber products,” it explained.
The micro-enterprises on which NFC will focus in Rwanda include apiculture and, once the company begins replanting the buffer zone, a tree out-growers programme.
“We have already identified the first industrial site in the east of the buffer zone, with earth and civil works having started last month,” the release stated. The site involves a nine-month project roll out, with project completion expected by October this year. 
The Minister of Natural Resources, Stanislaus Kamanzi, said the investment would define the delicate balance between harvesting and replanting to maximise sustainability and yield from the trees.
Most of the trees found in the buffer zone are fully mature and were planted in the early to mid-1970s.
The move makes Rwanda NFC’s fourth African country to invest in after Uganda, Tanzania and Mozambique.
Contact email: ben.gasore[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

New anti-retroviral treatment rolled out

The government has of recent rolled out the third line of Anti-Retroviral (ARVs) treatment for HIV-positive persons who are facing resistance with the first and second line ARV treatment.
For each HIV infected person on third-line treatment, government spends $3,000 annually, according to Dr Sabin Nsanzimana, the coordinator of HIV and Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) Care and Treatment Department at the Rwanda Biomedical Centre.
Dr Nsanzimana said the medication is quite expensive compared to the first two line treatments, which cost government $250 and $400 per patient annually.
“So far, we have around 50 HIV-infected people on the third line treatment. This treatment is world-approved, but very costly, yet there is a big number of people on ARVs–which government provides for free. People should, therefore, take their medication as prescribed,” he said.
Dr Nsanzimana added that this medication was initiated a year ago in Rwanda when they got cases of patients who were not responding to first- and second-line treatment regimens.
He noted that drug resistance is, however, very rare in the first and second line treatments unless there is non-adherence on the patients’ side.
It is reported that after third line treatment, there is no other option. However, research is currently being carried out on new HIV treatments.
HIV resistance
HIV drug resistance can be acquired, in which resistance develops following an infected person’s poor adherence to treatment.
Resistance can also be transmitted when a person is infected with a drug-resistant strain of the virus.
The rate of new infections was at 25,000 people every year in Rwanda five years ago, but now it has gone down to 15,000 new infections every year. Every hour, two people get infected with HIV in Rwanda.
ARVs use now stands at 94 per cent from less than 30 per cent five years ago. More than 100,000 patients are on Anti-retroviral treatment.
The HIV/AIDS prevalence rate in the country is presently at 3.1 per cent among 15-49 age bracket.
Contact email: maria.kaitesi[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

 

Students flock Musanze Prison for holiday studies

Students in Musanze district are flocking Musanze Prison to attend holiday coaching provided by jailed teachers.

The over 300 students from both primary and secondary schools, attend the coaching sessions in two shifts. 

Aline Mukashema, 17, a Senior Four student benefiting from the programme that has been going on for more than 10 years, started attending the sessions while still in Senior Two.

“I was coached in sciences and languages and this helped me pass my national exams. My family and I, therefore, decided to continue with the sessions,” said Mukashema.

The students usually pay Rwf100 for each hour coached. 

The subjects often taught are sciences and languages but some prefer combining them with ICT.

The arrangement is preferred by many students, according to Dominique Gatsimbanyi, the teachers’ representative at the prison, because they are taught courses related to what they learn at school. 

Teachers speak 

“We teach each student individually so that each can grasp what is being taught,” said Gatsimbanyi, a holder of languages degree.

“We have permission from education officials at the provincial level to coach the students following the Ministry of Education curricula.”
The coaching centre which started in 2001, has teachers with various qualifications.

Francois Ntirushwa, the Musanze Prison chief, says prisoners have played a significant role for the community in various forms, including teaching.

Contact email: jmbonyinshuti[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

 

South Africa to host meet on Rwandan refugees

Returnees at Gatuna border post last year. African ministers for refugee affairs will meet in Johannesburg over refugee status. The New Times/ Timothy Kisambira.
Ministers in charge of refugees in the countries that host Rwandan refugees will convene this month in Pretoria, South Africa to discuss the implementation of the Cessation Clause before it comes into effect.

Most of the refugees are in African countries.

The United Nation High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) Cessation Clause will come into effect on June 30. 

The conference will be held on April 18. 

Seraphine Mukantabana, the Minister of Disaster Preparedness and Refugee Affairs, said they want to evaluate how countries are prepared to implement the cessation clause before the clause comes into force.

“We will demonstrate how we are prepared to welcome all refugees who want to voluntarily return home,” the minister told The New Times yesterday.

The minister reiterated that government was more than ready for the returnees.

“We don’t want the dates to be extended, we are well prepared as a country to receive all the refugees wherever they are,” 

How the clause fits

The Cessation Clause is invoked once UNHCR concludes that reasons that led people to become refugees were no more and that the socio-economic conditions in their country of origin had changed for the better.

The Clause stipulates that, after its implementation a person recognised as a refugee must either voluntarily return to the country of origin or apply for residence in the host country.

An estimated 70,000 Rwandans live as refugees in different parts of the world, while more than 3.4 million have voluntarily repatriated since 1994. 

African countries that host the majority of Rwandan refugees are Congo Brazzaville, DRC, Uganda, Zambia, Malawi Kenya and South Africa.

The declaration does not prevent individuals applying for fresh refugee status, but in that case, the outcome is entirely dependent on the judgment of the recipient country.

The conference is organised by UNHCR.

Contact email: eric.kabeera[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

Lawmakers raise concern over high birth rates in refugee camps

Children play in Nkamira transit camp. The New Times/ Timothy Kisambira.
SENATORS have expressed concern over reports of high birth rates in Congolese refugee camps in the country.

The lawmakers called on international organisations charged with refugee affairs to work more closely with the government in ensuring that measures are put in place to control the birth rates and sexually transmitted diseases in the camps.

They were reacting to a senatorial report compiled by a group of Senators after touring the camps.

Presenting the report on Monday, the vice chairperson of the senatorial standing committee on foreign affairs, Jeanne d’Arc Mukakalisa, pointed out that, the situation in the camps is worrying, tricky and needs urgent attention.

Currently there are five refugee camps in Rwanda with more than 60,000 Congolese  citizens, including those who fled to Rwanda after a crisis broke out between the government of DRC and the M23 rebel group early last year.

“When we talked to the refugees they told us that the bigger the family the more food relief they get, and that that’s why they have to give birth to as many children as possible,” said Senator Mukakalisa. 

Although Mukakalisa didn’t give figures, the Ministry of Disaster and Refugee Affairs  concurred with the Senate but pointed out that there are measures in place to deal with the problem.

The Director of Refugee Affairs in the ministry, Jean Claude Rwahama, says refugees believe that having many children is an advantage.

“We always tell them not to look at life in terms of food. We are also working with international NGOs like African Refugee Committee and African Humanitarian Action in supplying contraceptives to these refugees,” said Ruhama.

Cultural hindrance 

The camps housing Congolese refugees include Gihembe Nyabiheke, and Kiziba. The other two which are considered as transit centers are Nkamira and Nyagatare.

The majority of the people in these camps are women and children.

Speaking to The New Times, Dr Morgetta Tenna of African Humanitarian Action, which operaes in Kiziba camp, said one of the major hindrances which cause high birth rates in camps is culture.

“On average, about 40 babies are born in Kiziba camp every month, this is a big number. The quantity of food supplied to a family in a refugee camp is based on the size of the family and this is why they tend to give birth to many children so as to get more food,” said Dr Tenna.

He, however, added that all types of contraceptives are available but the problem is that refugees deliberately refuse to use them.

The Head of Health Communication Centre at Rwanda Biomedical Center, Arthur Asiimwe, said the Health ministry provides refugee camps with the same package of family planning services that Rwandans access. 

“We treat them like our own citizens. We train nurses working in health facilities within these camps on administering different family planning packages such as the use of pills, injectables, in-plants, among others,” said Asiimwe.

Contact email: edwin.musoni[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

Govt urged to increase access to sanitary towels in schools

Stakeholders working to improve women’s health have urged the government to increase access to sanitary towels in schools in order to improve menstrual health management.
Bridget Mukanyandwi, a teacher at Duha Complex School in Eastern Province’s Rwamagana District, said the budget allocated for pads was insufficient as not all girls can have access to them.
She said some students end up using rags because they can’t afford pads and the schools don’t receive enough pads for use by their students.
“If girls are in their monthly periods and have no access to pads, most likely they will miss school which will also affect their grades,” she said.
Around 2011, the teacher said, the government initiated girls’ rooms in schools where they can rest whenever they are hurting from cramps and provide some pads as well, though they were not enough.
Mukanyandwi said that most children start their periods around their primary five or at age twelve. She called upon parents to also play a role in telling their daughters about menstruation early enough and not leave it all to teachers.
She also noted that some parents, especially in villages, still hold negative cultural perceptions whereby they believe it’s a taboo to talk to their daughters about menstrual health, therefore calling upon them to break the silence and educate their children.
According to Jackline Mupenzi, the Advocacy and Policy Manager at Sustainable Health Enterprises, which invests in services to improve women’s health globally, the government allocates Rwf 300,000 for each school every term that is supposed to be used for sanitation which includes purchasing sanitary pads for students.
She said the money is not enough since some students don’t access the pads in their schools. Her organisation is planning to make less costly sanitary pads at Rwf 300 to boost access to the towels.
Mupenzi added that they came up with the idea after a survey conducted at FAWE Girls School a few years ago found that 36 percent of female students were reported to have missed school because pads were too expensive for them.
13 percent of the students interviewed during the survey had also missed school because the cloth rags they were using didn’t work well.
“If such is the situation among FAWE students, then the situation could be worse in village schools. More awareness needs to be raised on menstrual health management and provision of pads as well. Those on the market should also be made cheaper for easier availability for all,” she said.
Mupenzi noted that Sustainable Health Enterprises will start a pilot project in 10 schools in the Eastern region where they will provide easy access to sanitary pads at Rwf 300. One packet of sanitary pads costs between Rwf600 and Rwf1500 depending on the type of brand.
Female students have their say
Jolie Ishimwe, a 14-year-old senior one student at ESS Nyamirambo Secondary School, said she started her periods in her Primary five yet they taught them about this in primary six.
“There is need for more awareness about menstrual health even at home. Parents and other elders like aunts and big sisters should educate their young sisters about menstrual health. Some youth are also still shy about asking for pads because they think it isn’t something to talk about so the barriers should be broken,” she said.
Most students from poor families use rags according to Ishimwe who noted that pads are available in her school but may not be available to everyone at all times.
Eighteen-year-old Ange Nyinawumuntu  a Senior Five student of Duha Complex School, said she normally has access to pads in her school and a room where to shower from and rest if suffering from abdominal cramps.
But she noted that pads aren’t enough for all the students and remain too expensive in shops.
In 2010, Sustainable Health Enterprisesstarted an initiative to educate and advocate the making of sanitary pads from banana fiber to make it easy for school girls to access to sanitary towels.

Contact email: maria.kaitesi[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

Avega highlights plight of aged needy widows

Jeannette Gahongayire, Avega-Agahozo Coordinator Eastern Province, is determined to provide homes for the widows. The New Times/S. Rwembeho.
The Genocide Widows Association, Avega-Agahozo, has stressed that needy elderly widows of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi need help.
Avega officials disclosed this Friday during an interview with Sunday Times as they prepared for the 19th commemoration of the Genocide in Rwamagana District, Eastern Province.
The Executive Secretary of Avega, Odette Kayirere, said most elderly widows were experiencing a painful period of bereavement, severe loneliness, as well as poor mental, emotional, and physical well-being.
Kayirere noted that Avega was working around the clock to avail the widows with homes and more meaningful welfare.
“We started thinking about the idea of improving the welfare of the aged last year...it is a process that was meant to sensitise all levels. I am however convinced that we are at a stage where we can discuss implementation,” she said.
Kayirere added that some widows would fit better in nursing homes but would need people to look after them.
“We are at a difficult stage because some genocide widows were born in the early 1900s. They are very old, which means that their bodies are more susceptible to illness and physical weakness. They were severely injured during the genocide. Finding them nursing homes would make a difference,” she said.
For Jeannette Gahongayire, Avega Coordinator for Eastern Province, the commemoration period will be characterised by arrangements to house and care for them. She urged all Rwandans to come together and address the plight of the needy aged widows in communities.
“The theme during this commemoration calls us to help the widows live as we do...we shall leave no stone unturned to help them live meaningful lives. We are pre-occupied with this as we remember those who perished during the genocide,” she said.
Among the aged needy widows is Ancille Nyirampunga, a charming 102 years old. She told The New Times that at her age she never feared death but dying.
“Let me tell you sons and daughters of Rwanda...a person at my age doesn’t fear death but the process of dying. You know it is the process of leaving this world that bothers me only. I have lived in this country, witnessed all evils orchestrated by despotic regimes against the Tutsi, and enough is enough,” she said.
Nyirampunga is one of the more than 500 aged needy genocide widows in the country.
Contact email: stephen.rwembeho[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

 

New movie ‘‘Izingiro ry’Amahoro’’ highlights Rwanda’s tragic history

Sports and Culture minister Protais Mitali speaking at the movie screening.
For any history not to be lost completely with the years, it has to be recorded. Leopold Gasigwa, a film director, lives by this philosophy. He joined a number of people in and outside of the country to document the history of Rwanda with regard to the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi through a documentary titled, Izingiro ry’Amahoro.

Local filmmaker Edouard Bamporiki testifies at the screening.
Although the major killings lasted 100 days, in his documentary, Gasigwa shows that the ideology of genocide started way before. 

The documentary starts by telling how Rwandans were peaceful people, living in harmony until the colonialists set foot on the land. The Belgians arrived in mid-19th century and things were never the same again. 

The audience at the screening, the movie talks about Rwanda’s history.
The Belgians created divisions among Rwandans for their selfish reasons.  

On April 6, 1994 when President Juvenal Habyarimana’s plane was shot down, the mass killings of the Tutsi by the Hutu started. This went on for 100 days until the Rwandese Patriotic Army (RPA) interjected, stopping the killings. 

The Author, Leopold Gasigwa(L), with Immaculee Ingabire,a rights activist.
“I made a documentary to show the history of Rwanda but also to show my gratitude to the Rwandese Patriotic Army,” Gasigwa said. 

In his film, Gasigwa, talks to the genocide survivors who are also thankful to the ruling party for saving their lives and giving them hope to live again. 

The documentary is divided into two parts running for 40 minutes. The first part documents the previous events before 1994 that led up to the Genocide.  

The second looks at how Rwanda has moved forward after the Genocide. In both parts, the director talks to individuals who lived and witnessed events before and after the Genocide.

He says the main reason for his title of the documentary is so that people can give value to those that stopped the Genocide and share the plight of the survivors. “Instead of revenging, the victims decided that they seek peace; which calls for respect,” he said. 

The documentary that has been worked on since 2006 has been screened twice to the public in commemoration of the Genocide against the Tutsi. However, this time around, it didn’t attract the desired audience on Friday at Sports View Hotel, Remera. Because there were a few people, the screening started two and a half hours late and ended at 10p.m.

Contact email: sharon.omurungi[at]newtimes.co.r

 

Orphans get new home

Twenty eight orphans and abandoned children, last week, received a new home in Gacaca sector, Musanze district.

The home, dubbed ‘New Hope Home,’ is worth Rfw300 million and was built by Chantal Mbanda, a returnee with support from donors.

“I used to meet street children and was shocked. So I told my husband that once I returned to Rwanda, I will start the project to help them move from that sad situation,” she said.

“In 2005 when I returned from USA, I said it was my opportunity to start the project but the challenge was that I had no means. I told a friend about the project and she asked me to give her a proposal of what I wanted to do. I submitted and got support.” 

Mbanda started the project with 11 children in Kigali’s Kicukiro district working in rented premises before moving to Musanze in 2006.

 “I tell people that I have 31 children and they laugh, these children used to be orphans but it is not the case now, these are my children, I can educate them, feed them, and even die for them as my own. When I am with them I don’t see any difference between them and my real children,” the mother of three said.

The building is located on specious land which will be cultivated to feed the children. 

The children will also be trained in agriculture and livestock farming.

Some of the children are in nursery, primary and one of them is in secondary school.

The children were picked from various areas of the country. Some of them were found abandoned by their parents as infants, weeks after birth.

During the commissioning of the building at the weekend the Governor of Northern Province, Aimé Bosenibamwe, commended Mbanda for taking on the children as her own.

“This is not an orphanage; it is a home of Mbanda’s children. What she did is a tangible example which should be emulated by other well–wishers of Rwanda to strengthen the culture of self-reliance.,” said Bosenibamwe.

Contact email: jmbonyinshuti[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

Kigali City to Evict 10,000 Families by 31st March 
Published on 28-03-2013 - at 02:27' by Dusabemungu Ange De La Victoire
http://en.igihe.com/news/kigali-city-to-evict-10-000-families-by-31st.html
The Mayor of Kigali City Fidèle Ndayisaba has announced that by 31st March, 2013, about 10,000 families living in critical areas will have to relocate.
Out of the 10,000 families that live in the risky areas, 45% are renting while 55% are living in their own houses.
Most of families to be relocated are found in city quarters of Gatsata, Gisozi, Kimihurura, Remera and Kacyiru.
Ndayisaba said some of the relocated families will go to rent in other areas; those who have financial means will purchase new accommodation houses while 1,500 poor families will get public and Government support.
The Mayor said about Frw56 billion will be used to relocate some of the families.

Kigali housing in disaster prone zone

 

Rwf56b for relocation of high risk zone dwellers

A woman cries after her house was hit by floods. City authorities say about 10,000 families live in houses located on steep hillsides and marshland. The New Times/John Mbanda.
The total cost for the relocation of residents living in Kigali City areas deemed vulnerable to natural disasters will come to Rwf56 billion, officials have said.

According to City of Kigali officials, the money will be sourced from different channels.

Currently, about 10,000 families live in houses located on steep hillsides and around marshlands which are identified as high risk zones, according to the Mayor of Kigali, Fidele Ndayisaba.

“We have prepared sites in the three districts where we will relocate these people, but as an emergency plan, we are sensitising these people to move out of these areas before the April rains,” said the Mayor. About 9,000 families are targeted under this emergence plan.

Since December last year, Rwanda has experienced extremely heavy rains which have claimed many lives and destroyed houses, mainly in these high risk areas.

“We intend to generate the money partly from the districts’ budgets and from well wishers. We will also construct houses for the needy outside the risk zones through community work (Umuganda),” Ndayisaba said.

Out of the 10,000 families that live in the risky areas, 45 per cent are renting while 55 per cent are living in their own houses.

Those who are renting were advised to seek houses elsewhere and vacate these areas.

The government, according to the mayor, embarked on the crisis plan as a way of dealing with recent disasters like floods and landslides.

Relocation

Part of the relocation plan, according to the mayor, will include a complete and partial compensation. 

So far 1,500 families have been identified and categorised as those who will be relocated and given houses. The identification of the vulnerable is done in collaboration with grassroots leaders through the Ubudehe classification programme.

“There are also others that we will be given plots and iron sheets to construct their own houses while there are those that are financially stable whom we will just give plots,” Ndayisaba said.

He, however added that construction of houses for the needy living in risky zones is scheduled to commence in August, this year, and said that those that can should seek temporary shelter elsewhere before the rain, even before the houses are constructed for them to avoid disasters.

According to Angelique Kayitesi, a Kigali lawyer citizens should not be evicted without being compensated. “Normally, their properties should be valuated, paid, then given one month for the preparation,” she said in a previous interview.

Likewise, MP Desire Nyandwi, the deputy chairman of the Parliamentary  standing committee on Agriculture, Environment and Livestock, argues that residents who settled in areas in question before the current law came into force and have land titles have right to compensation.

Nyandwi referred to the 2005 Law on Environment, according to which the government gives a-two-year grace period to people who live in wetlands and slopes to leave. After this time, the government can use the same law and force them to relocate.

Figures from the Ministry of Disaster Management and Refugees Affairs indicate that the February heavy downpour affected 11,346 people countrywide.

The floods started in early February, the result of torrential rains that have also led to soil erosion in some hilly regions, and Kigali areas are more vulnerable because of its topography being surrounded by hills.

Contact email: edwin.musoni[at]newtimes.co.rw
Geothermal drilling starts next month

Government has allocated $27 million (Rwf17.1bn) towards the drilling of three geothermal wells on the southern slopes of the Karisimbi volcano, an official from Energy, Water and Sanitation Authority (EWSA) has said.

Uwera Rutagarama, EWSA’s head of geothermal development, told The New Times last week that the drilling is planned for April 15, and is expected to last about six months. 

The exercise was supposed to start December last year but was delayed due to some physical works needed to be done, at the sites before the drilling exercise. 

“We are currently looking at Karisimbi geothermal prospect in Nyabihu district. We are planning to drill three exploration wells to three kilometers depth to prove the existence of geothermal. If the exercise becomes successful, the pilot phase will see the construction of 10 megawatts (MW) of energy,” she said.

Rutagarama stated that to achieve the target, contracts for drilling services were awarded early 2012 to several local and international companies.  

She explained: “The contracts were awarded to the Great Wall Drilling Company, a Chinese firm, the supply of drilling materials will be handled by China Petroleum Development and Technology Corporation (CPTDC), rehabilitation of the road to the drilling site will be undertaken by ERGECO, a local firm, and the water supply to the site and civil works will be done by Yashinoya Ltd, a Kenyan company.”

Geothermal energy exploitation involves extracting hot water from geologically active areas and using it to provide heat to generate electricity.

Preliminary findings, in early 2011, by the Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen), which was contracted in 2010 to conduct a thorough surface exploration of geothermal energy, indicated that Rwanda’s potential is estimated to be more than 700 MW.

At the time, based on the preliminary KenGen data, the western region geothermal spot was divided into three regions of Karisimbi, Gisenyi and Kinigi that could be developed separately.

Nevertheless, Rutagarama said that previous studies identified four main geothermal prospects in the areas of Karisimbi, Kinigi, Gisenyi and Bugarama and the plan is to generate 300 MW by 2017.

“The drilling of Karisimbi area will be followed by Kinigi region next year,” she noted. The search for geothermal resources in Rwanda started in 2006 as government looked to diversify energy sources in the generation of electricity.

While appearing before parliament last December, Prime Minister Pierre Damien Habumuremyi presented the government’s Rwf3 trillion ($4.7bn)-road map for energy production and accessibility over the next five years.

Government plans to progressively tap 200MW from peat, 310MW from geothermal, 320MW from hydro power, and 300MW from methane gas, among others. Presently, the country produces 110.8MW which equals to 16 per cent in terms of domestic accessibility. 

With 1, 000MW, accessibility could reach 70 per cent.

Contact email: frank.kanyesigye[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

Girls in ICT launch Network

A UNITED STATES oFFICIAL has challenged women in Rwanda to embrace ICT and challenge the dominance of men in the sector.

Ann Mei Chang, the senior advisor for Women and Technology in the US Department of State, was speaking, last week, at a Networking Night organised by Girls in ICT Rwanda, a networking group for women, in Kigali.

“The importance of your career is to stay true to yourself, otherwise you will lose your identity as you try and merge with your colleagues. Information Technology is a male-dominated field, but not out of bounds to women,” Chang said.

The event  was held as a networking opportunity for female ICT entrepreneurs and professionals in Rwanda, representatives of Rwandan ICT public institutions involved with ICT, including the Ministry of Youth and ICT, and Rwanda Development Board as well as other related initiatives such as NIKE GIRL HUB, Imbuto Foundation and DOT Rwanda.

Akaliza Keza Gara, the leader of GIRLS IN ICT RWANDA, said the idea to form group was borne of the International Telecommunications Union’s Girls in ICT Day, which was celebrated for the first time in Rwanda last year.

“Our aim is to see girls in Rwanda embrace information technology because that is the direction Rwanda is taking,” she said.

Leap in career

Chang, besides her advisory job at the US Department of State, has more than 20 years of engineering and leadership experience in Silicon Valley.

Most recently, she served as a Senior Engineering Director at Google for eight years, where she led worldwide engineering for Google’s mobile applications and services, including mobile search, ads, maps, GMail and YouTube across all major platforms.

At Google, she led the product development team for Emerging Markets, which aims to bring relevant mobile and Internet services to the two-thirds of global population yet to get online.

Contact email: grace.gatera[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

Water Crisis Hits Gicumbi District 
Published on 27-03-2013 - at 02:14' by Dusabemungu Ange De La Victoire
http://en.igihe.com/news/water-crisis-hits-gicumbi-district.html
Residents of Mutete Sector in Gicumbi District are facing lack of clean water supply saying they depend on rain water.
However, residents added that during the dry season they travel long distances of about 2 hours to fetch water to satisfy their domestic needs. Residents say a jerican of water costs Frw 200.
Ntaganda Boniface, a farmer in Mutete Sector said he lacks water for his cattle a situation that hinders livestock farming activities.
The executive Secretary of Mutete Sector, Mbonyi Paul, confirmed the problem adding that they have tried to connect water pumps to area residents.

 

New project to curb land wrangles

A new project by the Rwanda Initiative for Sustainable Development was launched in Muhanga, yesterday, and is expected to bring down the alarming number of land-related cases that courts are bogged down with. 

At least 46 per cent of court cases are related to land wrangles, a recent study conducted by Rwanda Initiative for Sustainable Development (RISD) shows. 

The report, released yesterday, indicates that out of 13,101 cases in several courts in ten sampled districts, about 6,060 of these cases constituting 46 per cent were land related disputes. 

The figures are derived from the pilot phase of the ‘Securing Land Rights program’ that commenced in March last year and the developments were made public during the official launch, yesterday, of  the new project which aims at equipping Rwandans with knowledge on land laws with the use of local mediators (Abunzi) in solving land wrangles. 

The major cause of land disputes in Rwanda is high population density, where many people scramble for small pieces of land. The disputes end up in courts. Most of those cases are related to inheritance, land transaction disputes and polygamy.

“Kamonyi district came up with majority of the cases related to inheritance. However the major cause of these misunderstandings is lack of knowledge on land related laws. We found that 74 per cent Rwandans in 10 districts lack knowledge of land-related laws,” said Alphonse Muhire from RISD. 

Solutions

Justice minister Tharcisse Karugarama officiated at the launch of the Rwf674m project. 

The project will spread out countrywide and according to the minister, by solving land disputes, many other related problems, such as murder, are solved. 

Rwanda is famously known for initiating home grown solutions to tackle some of the post-genocide challenges, and according to Karugarama, government, together with RISD, opted to use the mediators in solving the land disputes.

“Everyone should look at this new initiative in a bigger perspective. In a broader sense, if you solve a land dispute, you have as well solved all other wrangles that come along with it. This is why we opt to use our home-grown mechanisms in handling such problems,” Karugarama said.

Most of the land disputes came to light when government initiated nationwide land registration exercises through the Rwanda Natural Resources Authority. 

Annie Kairaba, the director of RISD, said, “When government started land registration, people also started getting a notion of their rights to land and this new programme will look into solving land disputes, educating people, and planning on how future disputes can be handled.” 

Currently, there are about 30,000 Abunzi countrywide and, according to Kairaba, they will be part of the project.

Contact email: edwin.musoni[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

Governance board in media reforms awareness campaign

Prof. Shyaka wants media laws observed
The Rwanda Governance Board (RGB) has embarked on a campaign to sensitise private and public institutions to understand the core principles of the recent media reforms.

The reforms have seen the Access to Information Act, Media Law and the Media High Council (MHC) gazetted.

The Access to Information law guarantees access to information in possession of the State and some private institutions, while media law lays the ground for self-regulation with  print media self regulating entirely, while the broadcast media will partially self-regulate. 

Previously, the media was regulated by MHC, a government body.

However, the new MHC law scales down the mandate of the institution to solely focus on capacity development of the media sector in the country.

“The media reforms should be the basis of improving the media environment and facilitate journalists to do their work in a conducive and comfortable manner,” Prof. Anastase Shyaka, the RGB chief executive officer, said yesterday at an awareness campaign meeting.

Cooperate with the media

He called upon public and private institutions to implement the media laws and cooperate with the media fraternity to exercise their rights to report accurate, reliable and balanced information.

However, Shyaka stated that media self regulation doesn’t mean lack of regulation by the State, but allowing the media sector to do the work in a flexible manner without any hindrance.

More than 90 countries around the world have implemented some form of freedom of access to information legislation with only six in Africa. Rwanda is the seventh.

According to RGB, the awareness drive has been carried out in almost all the provinces in the country. It involves meeting government officials, private sector, members of academia, journalists, among others.

Robert Bimenyimana, the communication specialist at the Ministry of Trade and Industry, said public authorities should be fully sensitised to respect the media.

“Rwanda’s media industry will take a step forward once the reforms are implemented and journalists are able to regulate themselves without government’s intervention,” Bimenyimana said.

At the forum, journalists were called on to report facts about the country.

 Brig. Gen.  Joseph Nzabamwita, the military and defence spokesperson, said media reforms are crucial to every Rwandan.

“It’s good to have a self-regulatory media but journalists shouldn’t abuse the initiative, but be irresponsible in executing their work, saying irresponsibility can be dangerous to the country’s development,” Gen. Nzabamwita said.

Contact email: frank.kanyesigye[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

 

Garbage collectors decry lack of protective gear

Waste collectors go about their business without protective gear. Most are at risk of contacting life threatening diseases. The New Times/Timothy Kisambira.
Waste collectors are at risk of contacting poor hygiene-borne and blood transmissible diseases if not well protected, a medical director at Kigali University Teaching Hospital (CHUK) has warned. 

Dr Martin Nyundo also warns that exposure to the foul smell can lead to the contraction of diseases such as tuberculosis. 

The warning came after complaints by a group of waste collectors from Real Cleaning Company in Gitega sector, Nyarugenge district, about the lack of protective gear even though City of Kigali officials have set guidelines regarding the protection of workers. The garbage collectors say they load and carry waste bags without mouth masks and gloves.  

“While on duty, it is difficult to properly breathe with the stench that is emitted from the waste bags. I have also noticed that every time I belch, it is the same stench that comes out,” 30-year-old Claudine Uwineza told The New Times.

She added that she and her colleagues use bare hands to collect waste.

“This is really dangerous. Right now, I feel sore right from the throat, down to all the other internal organs and this is probably as a result of the bad smell of the waste I always collect unprotected,” Uwineza said. 

Asked why they do not have mouth masks and gloves, the mother of three, who earns Rwf9,000 per week, said the company promised to provide the gear within a month but they are still waiting.

Uwineza’s claims are supported by Dr Nyundo, who said the smell from waste is contaminated with numerous germs that may have long-term repercussions. 

“When they are unprotected, they will most definitely want to blow their noses and this is a very good opportunity for the germs to strike,” warned the medic.

In a recent interview, a Solid Waste Management expert at the City of Kigali, John Mugabo, said long term inhaling of waste stench can cause various diseases that could have been prevented by the use of protection tools like masks. 

Besides, Mugabo said, any contact with hazardous, electronic or toxic waste when unprotected can cause ill-health.

“The effects vary, depending on what type of waste you are exposed to,” Mugabo explained, adding that some of the effects are long-term, which may mislead some to think they are immune.

He, however, said city authorities will follow-up on companies in the business, and find out whether they adhere to the set guidelines.

Companies in the waste collection business are given guidelines to follow prior to getting a license, and one of them is to provide workers with the full protective gear, namely boots, gloves and mouth masks.

But Thacienne Uwineza, Real Cleaning Company managing director, says the firm gives each new staff protective gear, but most of them lose them.

Showing no value 

“We don’t have a store to keep these materials and redistribute them every morning. So we decided that  workers keep themselves. Sometimes, they show up at work empty handed yet we provided them with the gear,” Uwineza explained.

Prior to acquiring licenses to operate, companies are required to have the equipment including cars, boots, gloves, mouth masks, uniforms and effective environmentally friendly bags. 

Mugabo said that 23 urban sectors of the city each have at least one waste collecting company. Some of the companies operating in the city are AGRUNI, Baheza, Real Cleaning Company, Real Environment, COECEN, COPED and Ubumwe Cleaning Company. 

The companies are paid by households on a monthly basis, with payments ranging from Rwf3,000 to 10,000 a month and the garbage is collected on a weekly basis for most companies.
http://www.cpj.org/africa/rwanda/

Attacks on the Press in 2012: Rwanda

 President Paul Kagame used his August address before the East African Community Media Summit to cast the domestic press “as an important partner in our country’s development” while accusing Western journalists of misrepresentation that “derails our progress or even fuels conflict.” The dual theme--calling on domestic journalists to advance a government agenda while depicting international news media as adversaries--has become common among regional leaders. But critical journalists are seen as foes, not partners, by Kagame’s government. The authorities have engaged in several years of aggressive harassment of critical journalists, forcing many into exile, landing some in prison, and sowing self-censorship among the rest. CPJ identified three imprisoned journalists when it conducted its annual worldwide survey on December 1, and at least two others who were detained for significant periods during the year. Red lines appeared to be easily crossed and harshly punished: The authorities detained a radio presenter for nearly 100 days after the journalist mistakenly used a phrase deemed offensive to survivors of the 1994 genocide. Although Kagame spoke in support of media reform at the summit, three bills backed by the Rwandan press remained stalled in parliament. The bills would provide access to government information, create a media ombudsman independent of the government, and establish a public broadcaster.

 

High Court Upholds Sentence of Umusingi Editor 
Published on 25-03-2013 - at 09:39' by IGIHE Reporter
http://en.igihe.com/news/high-court-upholds-sentence-of-umusingi-editor.html
The Rwanda High Court has upheld a one year prison sentence of Local journalist Gatera Stanley of Umusingi vernacular tabloid.
Gasabo Intermediate Court in the capital, Kigali, sentenced Gatera, 22, to a one-year jail term and fines of Frw30,000 (US$50) for inciting divisionism and gender discrimination in an opinion column he published in Umusingi in June, according to local journalists and news reports.
In his article “Shangazi” (Dear Aunt), Gatera suggested that men may regret marrying a Tutsi woman solely for her beauty.
However, Gatera, who defended himself in court, said that the paper had run an apology from him in a subsequent issue.

 

Police Arrests 2 For Inciting Public Violence 
Published on 25-03-2013 - at 14:13' by IGIHE

Police has arrested two men in connection with inciting public demonstration and causing commotion.
The duo – Sylvain Sibomana and Dominique Shyirambere – were arrested on March 25 at about 9am, outside the Supreme Court in Kimihurura, Gasabo District, where Victoire Ingabire had gone to appeal against last year’s High Court ruling.
The duo headed a group of about 20 people, who were causing commotion outside the courtroom.
The Inspector General of Police, Emmanuel K. Gasana, cautioned anyone trying to violate the law adding that Police will not put up with anyone involved in such subversive activities.
“Police will not tolerate anyone, who wants to cause insecurity. It is not accepted and it’s against the law to hold such illegal demonstrations and gathering, which results into violence and cause insecurity,” he said.
The two men are also facing charges of assaulting security agents at work and incite negative propaganda.
It is said that the duo assaulted police officers, who tried to stop them from causing commotion and causing insecurity in the area.
Sibomana was also a wanted man following a case filed in Karongi High Court, for allegedly holding an illegal public meeting in Rutsiro District, Western Province, late last year.
According to article 685 of the penal code, “any person who holds a public meeting or demonstration on public ways without notifying the competent authority shall be liable to a term of imprisonment of eight days but less than six months and a fine of Frw100, 000 to Frw1 million these penalties.”
However, under the same article, If a person holds a public meeting or demonstration on public ways despite refusal by a competent authority, that person shall be liable to a term of imprisonment of six months to one year and a fine of Frw200, 000 to Frw3million or one of these penalties.

 

Horizon Group donates to Genocide survivors

Rusagara hands over a house key to Jacqueline Kayitesi, a beneficiary. The New Times/ Laurent Kamana.
Horizon Group Limited, last week, donated livestock and handed over houses it constructed for Genocide survivors in Rukumberi sector, Ngoma district.

Fourteen families benefited from the donation.

The Horizon Group staff first paid respects to more than 35,000 victims interred at Rukumberi memorial site.

“I can’t find the right words to express my joy. May all the God’s blessings be upon you. We will always remember and pray for you so you can do more and greater  things,” Anastase Mazimpaka, the Ibuka (Genocide survivors’ umbrella)  leader in Rukumberi, said.

“I’m going to have milk in the forthcoming days,” Innocent Gisheke, 75, one of the  beneficiaries, said.

Alex Rusagara, the Horizon Group acting CEO, said “it is just the beginning.”

“We will keep helping you as long as the means allow us. This is a sign that we care about you,” Rusagara said.

He urged beneficiaries to take care of the donation.

“Remember, we are the ones to seek for the solutions to our problems,” Gerard Muzungu, the Ngoma district executive secretary, told the beneficiaries.

Gaspard Gasasira, the representative of the National Commission to Fight against the Genocide at the event, urged survivors to work hard.

Contact email: laurent.kamana[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

Simba, one of the country’s biggest supermarkets, is owned by businessmen Charles Gasana, a Rwandan, and Teklay Teame from Eritrea. It has been operating since 1998.

Nyamagabe embarks on fish farming

Some of the fish ponds in Rwamagabe district. The New Times/ File.
Authorities in Nyamagabe district are working on a project to develop fish farming with the aim of helping local residents boost their revenues and improve their livelihoods.

The project, which is supported by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), will mainly benefit residents of Kamegeri and Gasaka sectors.

The construction of fish ponds, covering an area of about 5 hectares, is in its final stage, while farming is expected to start not later than May, the district mayor Philbert Mugisha said.

The fish farming initiative is part of a bigger project which seeks to develop fish breeding, poultry and mulberry cultivation in the area.

Over 2000 local residents, mainly members of local farming cooperatives, are set to benefit from the project.

Mugisha told The New Times that fish farming will be done both for subsistence and commercial purposes.

He said apart from consuming fish, farmers will also be able to sell a part of their produce to boost their income.

“There is high demand for fish. Hotels, restaurants, bars and even local people are all in need of fish. We believe this is a highly lucrative business which will help improve the lives of the population,” Mugisha said. 

Experts have tipped Rwanda as a country which still offers business opportunities and trade in the sector of fish farming and there have been constant calls on the private sector to venture into the field, with experts projecting an increasing demand and growing prices for the fish.

Rich in calcium and phosphorus and a great source of minerals such as iron, zinc, iodine, magnesium, and potassium, fish is a recommended great dietary choice.

Rwanda’s fish production grew from 7,000 tonnes in 2006 to 17,000 tonnes last year, according to official figures. 

This year, the country targets to produce at least 25,000 tonnes of fish while it projects a production of 120,000 tonnes by 2020.

Contact email: jean.bucyensenge[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

Rugando cell dwellers pool Rwf40m for street lighting

Street lights in Kigali. The New Times/ File.
Residents of Rugando cell, Kimihurura sector in Gasabo district have pooled resources to advance their own security by contributing resources towards security infrastructure in the area.

The residents raised Rwf40 million for fitting and installing street and security lights in the area.

Rugando cell borders the forest near the Republican Guard headquarters.

The residents said at night, thugs hide in the forest and waylay passersby, creating the necessity of lighting up the place to stop them.

“Previously, women would have to rush home before the night falls to avoid attacks from thugs attack them,” Gérvain Rurangirwa, a resident, said adding that the situation has changed following the installation of the lights.

According to John Bosco Kagaba, the executive secretary of the cell, the idea came from the residents themselves and they have so far lit up 2.7 kilometres at a cost of Rwf40 million.

The streets to be covered stretch about 9.1 kilometres.

“If you are determined to reach something, you definitely find it, especially united citizens,” Kagaba said.

He said the contributions varied depending on the capability and the least contribution by a resident was Rwf10,000.

Jean Claude Munara, the Gasabo vice mayor for economic development, said the district will lend a hand to the residents by contributing Rwf5m towards the dream.

Contact email: laurent.kamana[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

 

 

Habyarimana plane missiles fired from Kanombe – French court

Karugarama yesterday welcomed the French appeal court ruling. The New Times/ File.
The Paris Court of Appeal has dismissed attempts by the widow of Juvenal Habyarimana to disallow the results of a ballistics report that supported the finding that the missiles that brought down the former president’s plane was fired from Kanombe Military Barracks.

Agathe Kanziga Habyarimana and her family had challenged the experts’ report and wanted a second opinion, but their petition was thrown out in June 2012.

However, the court confirmed the ruling by a lower court, yesterday, on the that ballistics had been proven that the barracks was the launch site.

The ruling is a boost to French anti-terrorist judge Marc Trévidic and Nathalie Poux, who identified Kanombe Barracks as the launch site of the missile that brought down the Head of State’s plane. The plane was shot down as it prepared to land at Kigali International Airport as Habyarimana returned from Tanzania.

The crash served as an excuse for key perpetrators to execute a meticulously planned Genocide against the Tutsi.

Trevidic, who investigated the cause of the April 6, 1994 crash for years, had based on ballistic experts’ findings to rule that Habyarimana was killed by his inner circle. However, following his decision, a group of people, including Habyarimana’s widow, filed an appeal challenging Trevidic’s conclusions.

Minister of Justice, Tharcisse Karugarama, yesterday, told The New Times that Rwanda welcomes the judgement.

“We have learnt that the French Court of Appeal has dismissed an appeal filed against Trevidic’s ruling on grounds that the ballistic experts conducted an authentic work,” said Karugarama.  “Rwanda highly welcomes the decision of the French Court of Appeal.”

The experts’ findings corroborated what the government had earlier confirmed which vindicated Rwanda’s long-held position on the circumstances surrounding events of April 1994.

Controversies 

In 2006, a French judge, Jean-Louis Bruguiere, accused members of the current government of involvement in the assassination of Habyarimana and his Burundian counterpart, Cyprien Ntaryamira.

However, the two judges who replaced Bruguière after Rwanda and France restored diplomatic relations in 2009, agreed to carry out fresh investigations into the crash. Bruguière’s approach was criticised as being highly politicised and his methods neglected physical evidence as he favoured hearsay accounts.

The findings of the French report vindicated the 2009 findings of an independent Committee of Experts created in April 2007 to establish the truth regarding the circumstances of the crash of the Falcon-50 airplane.

The Mutsinzi Report, a product of a commission led by Justice Jean Mutsinzi ,also established that the missile that downed the plane was fired from Kanombe Barracks.

With help from ballistics experts and others from the UK’s National Defence Academy, who provided scientific advice and analysis, the team collected and analysed thousands of documents and interviewed nearly 600 witnesses, who either observed what happened or had information directly related to the attack.

French blamed

Meanwhile, other reports have instead implicated the French government in the death of the former president.

Early this year, a French newspaper, Libération, revived questions about the role of Paris in the plane crash.

The paper points to the mysterious death of three French citizens, including two policemen manning radio transmissions between the French embassy in Kigali and the Rwandan army at the time, and the wife of one of the officers.

Libération reported that circumstances surrounding the deaths have remained a top secret within the French system, adding that a death certificate issued by the French army for one of the officers was falsified.

There are suspicions that the two French gendarmes, Alain René Maier and Didot, intercepted confidential radio conversation just minutes before the shooting down of Falcon 50 jet.

Contact email: edwin.musoni[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

New project to protect children with disability

Disabled perform a skit on their rights at a recent function. The New Times/ J. Mbanda.
Handicap International, a disability movement, launched a project dubbed “Ubuntu Care Project” to confront sexual violence against children with disabilities.

The project, launched yesterday in Kigali, is a response to a research conducted in 2010 in Burundi, Madagascar, Mozambique and Tanzania, which shows that children with disabilities are four times sexually violated compared to their normal counterparts.

The three-year project, which will operate in Rwanda, Burundi, and Kenya, aims at addressing the root causes and to mitigate the consequences of violence against children, especially those with disabilities.

Sofia Hedjam, the regional coordinator of the project, said they will focus on empowering children as actors in their own protection, empowering communities and families to better protect children, especially those with disabilities, among others. 

Hedjam said emphasis will be put on families and communities, saying the institutions are the biggest culprits of violence.

Though there are a continuing mobilisation and fight against violence against children, especially those with disabilities, some disabled children argue that they still face various kinds of violence in families.

Jean Pierre Ntirenganya, a senor one disabled student of Ecole Secondaire de Kabuga, said though there is a clear improvement on the exclusion of disabled children, awareness exercise for family members must continue as some cases of discrimination are still evident.

Charles Karangwa, the country manager of Ubuntu Project, said they will on pilot basis focus on Rutsiro district.

He said the project will work closely with institutions targeting the children, including the Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion, the National Commission for People with Disabilities, the National Commission for Children and other stakeholders.

Contact email: jean.niyitegeka[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

Northern Citizens to solve Problem through Community work 
Published on 17-03-2013 - at 00:45' by Dusabemungu Ange De La Victoire
http://en.igihe.com/news/northern-citizens-to-solve-problem-through.html
Through the mandatory community service day “Umuganda” Rwandans can make greater contribution to the socio Economic development of the Country-RNA has established.
The Governor of the Northern Province, Aime Bosenibamwe has urged Northern residents to actively participate in community work because it solves some of the challenges faced by Rwandan citizens.
The Governor made the statement earlier this week while joining resident of Nemba Sector in Burera District where they were constructing the Nyamugali Cell’s office.
"The challenges of Rwanda will never be solved by strangers. It is we who must do it. Thus, I ask Rwandans to give enough importance to the community work, "he insisted.
The Mayor of Burera, Sembagare Samuel told residents that Rwandans have opted for self-determination to able to solve the challenges they face.
Citizens appreciated the fact that senior leaders of the country join them in a community work.

Congolese rebels surrender, flee after defeat by rivals 
Published on 16-03-2013 - at 22:34' by IGIHE

Hundreds of Congolese rebels loyal to warlord Bosco Ntaganda have fled into neighboring Rwanda or surrendered to United Nations peacekeepers after being routed by a rival faction, rebel and U.N. sources said on Saturday.
Ntaganda’s apparent defeat comes after weeks of infighting within the M23 insurgency and could open the way for rival rebel leader Sultani Makenga to sign a peace deal with Kinshasa, bringing an end to a year-long rebellion in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
Rebel spokesman Vianney Kazarama said Makenga seized control of the town of Kibumba, 30 km (19 miles) north of Goma, capital of mineral-rich North Kivu province, early on Saturday.
Ntaganda and an estimated 200 fighters fled into the forest while hundreds of others crossed the border into Rwanda, Kazarama said. At least seven were killed.
"We’re sweeping the area and placing our soldiers at strategic points," Kazarama said. "It is finished."
Ntaganda is wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of killing civilians during a previous rebellion. His links to M23 have been a stumbling block to peace talks with Kinshasa, which says it wants him brought to justice.
"We’re following the situation very closely. The only thing we want is for Ntaganda to be arrested," government spokesman Lambert Mende said.
Ntaganda’s whereabouts could not be confirmed independently and members of his faction were not reachable by telephone......

 

Broadband transcends connectivity — Kagame

President Kagame (C) co-chairs the 7th meeting of the Broadband Commission for Digital Development in Mexico City, Mexico, yesterday. He is flanked by the Director-General of Unesco, Irina Bokova (L), and Carlos Slim Helu, the co-chairperson for the Broadband Commission. The New Times/Village Urugwiro.
President Paul Kagame has urged private and public sectors to look at broadband beyond connectivity and deliberate more on the transformation agenda. 

The President, co-chair of the Broadband Commission for Digital Development, was speaking yesterday in Mexico City at the opening of the seventh meeting of the global commission.

The two-day meeting brings together more than 60 high-level representatives from the private and public sectors with a shared commitment to increase access to broadband to underserved communities. 

Opening the morning session, President Kagame shared Rwanda’s experience and called upon the commissioners present to move the debate beyond the issue of affordable access to broadband. 

“Broadband is both an enabler and an engine of transformation. In Rwanda, we have witnessed the transformative power of broadband in crucial economic sectors and public service delivery.

I believe the time has come for us to shift our thinking beyond connectivity and deliberate more on the transformation agenda.” 

The President also pointed to Aldea Digital —the digital village sponsored by Carlos Slim, co-chair of the Broadband Commission, and toured during the first day of the meetings— as a clear example of the transformational power of digital technology. 

“I congratulate Carlos Slim upon his personal efforts and partnership with the government in ensuring broadband is impacting the lives of ordinary citizens of this country.” 

With more than 5,000 computers, Aldea Digital aims to bridge the digital access gap through workshops, early childhood education, adult literacy as well as a contest to design applications that provide solutions to the community. 

Digital for social sector

Echoing President Kagame’s call to broaden the meeting’s debates, Carlos Slim also emphasised the need to use broadband and digital technologies to contribute to the social sector. 

“As we discuss access we must also encourage content development for our national as well as global needs including health and education.”

Vice Chairman of the Broadband Commission and Secretary-General of ITU, Dr Hamadoun Tourealso, reminded the commissioners of the role of broadband in equalising societies.

“The power of knowledge is based on one key ingredient; the human brain, which is equally distributed everywhere in the world. We must work for a world where every citizen can use information, create information and share information.” 

The 7th Broadband Commission Meeting was also attended by the Mayor of the City of Mexico, Miguel Ángel Espinosa, Mexican Minister of Communication Gerardo Esparza as well as Foreign Minister José Antonio Meade Kuribreña. 

Rwanda in the picture

Kuribreña invited Rwanda to work with Mexico and share lessons on the use of broadband to improve citizens’ lives. The meeting’s main topic of discussions included; gender and broadband, the role of broadband in the global development agenda and a roadmap towards 2015. 

Established in 2010, the Broadband Commission aims to boost the importance of broadband on the international policy agenda and believes that expanding broadband access in every country is key to accelerating progress and achieving the Millennium Development Goals.  

The  commission works to define practical ways to ensure that no country is excluded from participating in the global digital economy. 

Rwanda has more than 4,500 kilometres of broadband fibre optic cables laid across the country.

President Kagame also invited all Broadband Commissioners to the “Transform Africa Summit” which will be held in Kigali in October 2013. The summit will serve to review the progress made since Connect Africa Summit held in October 2007 and will be an opportunity to consolidate the work of the Broadband Commission with the various initiatives across the continent including those of the African Union-NEPAD.

The commission comprises a high-level community leaders, including top CEOs and industry leaders, senior policy-makers and government representatives, international agencies, academia and organisations concerned with development. Commissioners include President of Azerbaidjan, President of Macedonia, Prof. Jeffrey Sachs and Prof. Muhammad Yunus.

 

700 M23 rebels flee to Rwanda

Fierce fighting between two DR Congo rebel factions of M23 broke out on Friday with one group led by Gen. Sultani Makenga causing 718 rebel fighters led by ex-political leader Jean-Marie Runiga to flee to Rwanda. 

For the past three weeks, two factions have emerged in M23 – with one led by former M23 president Runiga and another by Sultani Makenga, M23 military leader and the vice president of the movement. Runiga has been detained separately for his safety. He has requested to go to Uganda.

Among those who fled to Rwanda include close to 50 politicians in Runiga’s faction as well as Col. Bauduoin Ngaruye, who a few weeks defected to Runiga’s camp. 

Upon arrival in Rwanda, the rebels were disarmed and secured at Gasizi and Kabuhanga hills in Rubavu District along the Rwanda-DR Congo border, Army spokesman Brig. Gen. Joseph Nzabamwita said. 

At Gasizi, the rebels looked worn out, dressed in civilian and military attires. Among them were 159 casualties. 

The rebels crossed over with weapons that included submachine guns, machine guns, 12.5mm, Rocket Propelled Grenade Launchers (RPGs) pistols and ammunition. 

“We disarmed the fighters upon arrival; we separated them from the civilians. We will handle the combatants, the refugees and the ammunition according to the provisions of the international humanitarian laws and conventions,” said Gen. Nzabamwita. 

Runiga’s military commander, Ngaruye, said they were attacked by Gen. Makenga, the Congolese army (FARDC) and the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR). 

“We ran out of ammunition and couldn’t hold the battle front any longer; we had to run and that’s how we ended up here,” said Ngaruye. 

He alleged that one of the reasons why they split from the original M23 was because Makenga was planning to re-integrate the forces in FARDC. 

However, a statement released three weeks ago dismissing Runiga from the post of president accused him of corruption, misconduct and supporting Bosco Ntaganda, a wanted war crimes suspect.

Ngaruye, however, denied the allegations, claiming that he last saw Ntaganda years back when he was still serving in the FARDC. 

Asked about his next plan, the rebel fighter said at the moment they haven’t decided, but they don’t intend to rejoin M23 or be re-integrated into the FARDC. 

In a related development, following the Friday fighting, close to 1,150 civilian refugees also crossed over to Rwanda and camped less than 50 meters away from the border. 

The permanent secretary in the Ministry of Refugee Affairs and Disaster Management, Antoine Ruvebana, addressed the refugees and informed them of their rights that they are free to stay or return home. 

“Those who want to stay will be taken to a refugee camp and fed, while those who what to return back home, it is your right,” said Ruvebana. Shortly after, a big number of refugees crossed back into DR Congo. 

A government statement quoted the Minister of Foreign Affairs Louise Mushikiwabo as saying: “...we are consulting several regional and international organisations to facilitate appropriate handling of this new group of refugees.”

The statement also added that instability in the DRC continues to directly affect Rwanda as demonstrated by this new wave of refugees. 

“Rwanda recently signed on to the UN-led Peace Framework for the DRC and we remain committed to working with our neighbour states and other partners for an end to conflict in eastern DRC,” reads the statement

Over 25,000 Congolese entered Rwanda as a result of resurgence of conflict in eastern DRC last year. Close to 18,000 live in the Kigeme refugee camp in Southern Rwanda and another 7,766 are housed at the Nkamira transit camp in Rubavu.

The crisis in the DRC escalated in April 2009 following mutiny by a group of soldiers of the Congolese army claiming the Congolese government had violated a 2009 peace agreement.

They formed the M23 rebel group, which is mainly made up of soldiers from a now-defunct National Congress for the Defense of the People (CNDP). 

This is the heaviest fighting since April 2012 when the rebels mutinied from the Congolese army, after the peace agreement that saw CNDP disband and their fighters integrate in the national army.                        

M23 fighters accused President Kabila’s government of reneging on the terms of that deal, which was brokered by former presidents Olusegun Obasanjo (Nigeria) and Benjamin Mkapa (Tanzania).

The rebels fought against the Congolese army and captured the eastern DRC capital of Goma but withdrew a few days later after the two parties agreed to a ceasefire. 

This resulted into the peace negotiations which are currently ongoing in Kampala, Uganda, brokered by the International Conference for the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR).

Contact email: edwin.musoni[at]newtimes.co.rw
WB approves $50m grant for social protection programme

A neighbourhood hit by floods. The New Times / John Mbanda.
The World Bank has agreed to help Rwanda further cut poverty with stronger safety nets for vulnerable families after it approved a grant of $50 million (about Rwf31.7bn) to help the country expand and manage its social protection system.

By cushioning more people from the full impact of various shocks, from unemployment or illness to sudden natural disasters, Rwanda will be able to make further dramatic cuts in poverty and inequality, reads a statement from World Bank country office.

The improved social protection system will help ensure that benefits reach those most in need, according to the World Bank.

“This grant will also help Rwanda to build a link between its social protection system and its disaster risk management framework through climate-related early warning mechanisms,” Alex Kamurase, World Bank Task Team Leader for the programme is quoted as saying.

“The government will then be able to quickly scale up support to poor people living in rural areas during hard times such as drought”.

 

Rwanda has made record reduction in poverty levels, from 57 percent in 2006 to 45 percent in 2011, an achievement that the government partly attributes to the success of its social safety net programmes such as the Vision 2020 Umurenge Programme (VUP). 

World Bank support to VUP helped the programme cover nearly half of the country’s 416 geographical sectors in 2012, up from just 30 when it was launched in 2008.

The number of poor people benefiting from the programme has reportedly grown from less than 10,000 to over half a million in the same period.

Viviane Nyiramahigura, 45, a widow and mother of three, from Nyamirama sector in Kayonza district, Eastern Province, is among the many beneficiaries of public works employment under the VUP.

“If it was not for the VUP public works programme, there is no way I could have raised money to send my son to secondary school, pay the health insurance subscription for my family, or clothe and feed my children,” Nyiramahigura said.

“We are happy to continue supporting Rwanda’s efforts to manage its social safety net programs more efficiently, so that poor people can withstand economic and climatic shocks better and benefit more from economic growth,” Carolyn Turk, the World Bank Country Manager, said.

The Second Support to the Social Protection System program, funded through the World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA), will help the Government to implement its National Social Protection Strategy.

It will boost government capacity to expand and move towards managing various programs—including cash transfer elements of the VUP, the Genocide Survivors Support Fund, and the Rwanda Demobilisation and Reintegration Program, under a single system.

The World Bank’s support to social protection in Sub-Saharan Africa has grown from an average of US$260 million a year during 2001-2005 to US$600 million a year during 2006-2010.

Contact email: james.karuhanga[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

New influx of Congolese refugees enter Rwanda

Bishop Jean-Marie Runiga, former president of M23, in Rwanda.
A new wave of Congolese refugees including combatants fleeing recent fighting between two factions of M23 rebels have crossed into North Western Rwanda overnight.
Foreign Minister and Government spokesperson Louise Mushikiwabo confirmed that among the recent influx  are over 200 combatants:
"The soldiers and officers from DRC that have entered Rwanda have been disarmed and detained. Several wounded among them are receiving treatment with assistance from the Red Cross. We are consulting several regional and international organisations to facilitate appropriate handling of this new group of refugees."
Among those who have sought refuge in Rwanda is Bishop Jean-Marie Runiga, former president of M23, who has been detained separately away from the refugee camp for his own safety.
"Instability in the DRC continues to directly affect Rwanda as demonstrated by this new wave of refugees. Rwanda recently signed on to the UN-led Peace Framework for the DRC and we remain committed to working with our neighbour states and other partners for an end to conflict in Eastern DRC."
Over 25,000 Congolese entered Rwanda as a result of resurgence of conflict in Eastern DRC last year. Close to 18,000 live in the Kigeme refugee camp in Southern Rwanda and another 7,766 are housed at the Nkamira transit camp in Rubavu.

 

Innovation for education project launched

The project will help identify urgently needed and cost effective approaches to dramatically improving the quality of education. The New Times/ File.
The Ministry of Education, in collaboration with the UK Department for International Development (DFID), on Thursday, officially launched the Innovation for Education, a scheme that will fund 26 projects expected to help in promoting the quality of education in the country.

The 26 projects were identified fit for the funding out of the 39 that managed to present their full proposals in a time frame the ministry set. Funds range from  £50,000 (Rwf49.3 million) to  £800,000 (Rwf789.6 million). The whole project is expected to use about  £13 million (Rwf12.5 billion). The 26 projects include civil society and organisations within and outside the country. 

“Innovations are a proven method of accelerating the pace of change in education and creating real impact. Innovation for Education will enable this to happen in our schools too,” said the Minister of Education, Vincent Biruta, while launching the project at the Groupe Scolaire Muhondo in Gicumbi District.

Biruta is confident that innovations will play a critical role to further improve the education sector and to achieve the targets set out in the government’s Vision 2020.

Innovation for Education offers a major opportunity to test new ideas and those that will be identified as effective will either be given more support to carry on or even find ways of incorporating such projects in the Ministry of Education. The pilot project is being implemented and tested on the ground in classrooms, schools and other education institutions across the country over a two-year period.

Organisations implementing the project have various tasks based on the areas to tackle. For example, Save the Children, one of the implementers, will focus on ensuring that Rwandan children have access to high quality books.

With this, the organsation will support publishers to produce high quality, Kinyarwanda books and distribute them to schools as well as improving teacher’s skills, knowledge and confidence to use books in support of literacy acquistaion and learning outcome.

Other organisations will work in areas of early childhood care giver, teacher self-learning, setting up technical schools and empowering educational professionals among others.

“This project will stimulate supply and demand for this material by agreeing to purchase the materials with the condition that publishers produce more books,” reads a statement.

The head of DFID Rwanda, Mike Hammond, said this is the first project of its kind his government has supported in Africa.

“The UK Government remains committed to helping Rwanda get more boys and girls into school, and ensuring that children learn and gain relevant skills whilst in the classroom,” he said.

He pointed out that the project will help in identifying urgently needed and cost effective approaches to dramatically improving the quality of education.

Contact email: susan.babijja[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

Tubakunde Urges Local Community to support Vulnerable Children 
Published on 14-03-2013 - at 03:07' by Dusabemungu Ange De La Victoire
http://en.igihe.com/news/tubakunde-urges-local-community-to-support.html
Tubakunde Association is organizing an open day scheduled to take place on Tuesday, 19th, March, 2013 as an opportunity to involve local communities and donors to support children with mental disabilities.
Tubakunde is a collective Associations operating in 23 Districts of Rwanda with the objective of promoting the rights of children with mental disabilities.
Being supported by the Ministry of Local Government, Tubakunde is currently supporting nearly 3,000 Children, according Léoncie Mukamwezi, the president of the Association.
President of "Tubakunde" Ms. Mukamwezi Leoncia justifies the need for such advocacy saying that financial means needed to deal with this category of children.
"Caring for children with disabilities goes hands in hands with medical care of any kind, such as those against epilepsy, In another aspect, since we give priority to their education, they are taught special education, which means it is very expensive. 

Farmers with model gardens reap where they sowed

Farmers enjoy boiled maize during the function. The New Times/ Steven Rwembeho.
Rwanda Rural Rehabilitation Initiative (RRWARI), a local organisation, at the weekend, exhibited harvest from model gardens while teaching farmers modern methods of cultivation

The event that was characterised by traditional maize-feasting and dancing were attended by, among others, officials from the Ministry of Agriculture, and Rwanda Grains and Cereals Corporation among others.

RRWARI has been training farmers from the districts of Kayonza, Gatsibo and Rwamagana on how best to grow maize, beans and soya.

According to agronomists attached to the developmental initiative, the gardens were aimed at equipping farmers with modern techniques right from planting to harvesting.

“Using all input in a timely manner and in the right proportion is what makes a difference. Today’s demonstration shows the difference between traditional and the modern crop growing,” said Bellange Uwizeye, one of the agronomists.

“Farmers have mastered all the necessary steps from spacing, proper fertiliser application, pests control, weeding, harvesting and storage. This is what the model gardens are all about,” Uwizeye added.

Immaculate Mwandeka, the chairperson of a farmer’s cooperative only identified as COHUNYA, said the model gardens left them with tangible experience to increase production.

“This is the hands-on experience we lacked. It doesn’t help us when we are only exposed on theories of farming,” Mwandeka said.

Moise Ruzigura, the in-charge of cooperatives in Rwamagana district, said the initiative would also help farmers select crops known to grow well in their areas, adding that modern farming could check food insecurity and earn additional surplus income.

He said agriculture was still the main economic activity worth maximum support from all stakeholders.

“Traditional farmers have now graduated to modern ones. We shall continue to empower farmers. The bottom line is uplifting the living standards of the rural poor,” he said.

Contact email: stephen.rwembeho[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

 

Turning prisons into centres of production

A prisoner at work inside Huye Prison carpentry workshop. The programme plays a great role in rehabilitating prisoners. The New Times/ JP Bucyensenge.
JUST MOMENTS after the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, Rwanda’s prisons were left overcrowded. This was partly due to the thousands of individuals who were suspected of taking part in the killings which claimed over one million lives in a record space of about three months.

As the country embarked on a journey of reconstruction and reconciliation, the justice machine was put into motion: some of the suspects were convicted while others were cleared of the charges and thus released.

The government also devised measures to try and decongest the prisons,through such initiatives as the  ‘Travaux d’Interets Generaux” or TIG, a programme that allows Genocide convicts to serve all or part of their sentences doing community service.

But, though decongesting prisons remained an issue to address, rehabilitating inmates and re-shaping them into a productive workforce-rather than a destructive force - remained a priority.

Efforts were then put on psychologically and intellectually rehabilitating convicts to make them responsible citizens, especially at a time when they eventually complete their punishment and return into the community. That way, they would become productive forces within their respective communities, thus contributing to their growth as well as to the national development.

There are currently about 55,000 inmates in Rwandan prisons, according to officials.

Income generating activities

A group of women wearing the regular bright pink prison uniforms and white T-shirts are exhibiting traditional dances to visitors inside Huye prison, located on the outskirts of Butare town in Huye district.

It is around 10am and that is a sign of hospitality to the visitors - one of the core values of Rwanda’s culture.

But, a few metres away, another group of inmates is busy at work: they are building a two-storey house which will serve as another dormitory block for prisoners incarcerated at the facility.

Likewise, other prisoners are busy working in crop plantations as well as craft workshops.

That is the mood in many prison facilities across the country: an image of prisoners who are not confined to their cells but rather are allowed to maximise their skills, knowledge and strengths to better their lives while at the same time contributing to the nation’s economy.

According to the Rwanda Correctional Services Commissioner General, Paul Rwarakabije, this is part of efforts to  transform prisons across the country into self-sustaining entities.

And, the inmates seem to have understood the core objective of the programme.

“We have developed. We have grown rice, banana and other crops,” the women dancers repeatedly sing.

Rwarakabije says involving prisoners in income generating activities is beneficial to the prisoners themselves, their facilities and the country as a whole.

According to the official, a part of the inmates’ production is used to supplement their diet.

Rwarajabije says, apart from contributing to the welfare of inmates, it is also a way of educating and helping them to become productive individuals upon completion of their sentences

“Remaining active helps them [inmates] acquire new skills which they can use to sustain their lives once they are released from jail,” Rwarakabije says.

“If, for instance, a prisoner is trained in carpentry and that they work in a workshop they are likely to increase their skills, something which will certainly benefit them once they are out. They can use the acquired skills to start their own workshops or seek employment,” he notes.

Convicts are mostly involved in agriculture, livestock farming, construction of houses, brick-making, carpentry and craft activities, among others.

Revenue generated helps boost the nation’s coffers.

Recently, the Rwanda Correctional Services signed performance contracts in a bid to improve efficiency and increase production.

According to Rwarakabije, the target is to raise at least Rwf1 billion from inmates’ activities – something he says is a significant contribution to the   economy.

“Without the programme, such a contribution would not be possible,” he says.

Inmates also benefit from their efforts as a tenth of the money generated goes back to them, officials at RCS say.

But apart from the income generating activities, prisoners are also offered lessons in various fields, including reading courses, languages lessons and religion. They also train  in craft making and do receive vocational training in a range of fields.

The programmes, which all aim at helping rehabilitate inmates and prepare them for re-intergration in society, allow them to earn hands on skills,  thus opening to them doors to a better life once out of prison.

Contact email: jean.bucyensenge[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

 

City authorities urged to speed up devt programmes

Officials from districts that fall within the City of Kigali have been challenged to expeditiously implement different government programmes to lift city dwellers out of poverty.

According to Francine Tumushime, an official from the Ministry of Local Government, programmes such as Ubudehe, VUP-Umurenge and One Cow Per-Family, commonly known as Gir’inka, should not only be promoted in villages because there are many city residents who remain poor. 

“The mission is to ensure that all poor and vulnerable men, women and children are guaranteed a minimum standard of living and access to core public services,” she said.

The official was speaking, yesterday, at a meeting that brought together different vice mayors together with city authorities and officials from the Ministry of Local Government. 

“You have to base on personal analysis considering the category of people you want to support such as families with many children, families of people with disability, widows and other vulnerable groups,” Tumushime said.

She said people who can work are provided with the opportunities for escaping poverty, and that increasing numbers of people are able to access risk sharing mechanisms that protect them from crises and shocks.

Contact email: jean.mbonyinshuti[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

 

Denmark pledges more support to EA community

A busy Busia border point at the Uganda-Kenya border. Dr Sezibera told visiting Danish PM that the EAC integration will streamline border trade by lifting tariffs. The New Times/ Net.
Denmark will continue supporting the East African Community integration process so the bloc can achieve its goals, Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt has said.

Thorning-Schmidt, who was paying a courtesy call on the EAC Secretary-General Richard Sezibera, said Denmark is “a very strong supporter of regional integration” adding that her country would do everything possible to collaborate with the community.

She encouraged EAC to expedite the deal with the EU on Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs), which she said would mutually benefit the two parties and “will help integrate the region into the global market.”

Negotiations for EAC-EU trade deals, known as EPAs, are going on, and if consensus is reached, it will provide market framework for the regional business community in Europe.

During the meeting, the officials covered a variety of issues, including implementation of the EAC Customs Union and the Common Market protocols, negotiations for the Monetary Union and prospects of increasing renewable energy in the region.

‘Excellent friend’

Dr Sezibera described Denmark as “an excellent friend of the community.”

“There is a sense of urgency among all of us,” Dr Sezibera said, reaffirming commitment by member states to speed up the integration process.

He also said the EAC Single Customs Territory would soon yield fruits.

“I expect that this year we shall reach an agreement on this. That’s the priority,” he said, adding that the Single Customs Territory would significantly effect on the inter-state customs borders, leading to a reduction in barriers to trade in the region.

He also said he looked forward to the EAC collaborating with Denmark to tap the bloc’s renewable energy potential.

“This is our area of emphasis. We want to grow and we want to grow green,” Dr Sezibera said. 

He said renewable energy is a critical component of the region’s bid to industrialise, saying the bloc’s energy production levels are far from adequate if it is to realise the 40 per cent target contribution to GDP by the manufacturing sector.

Contact email: eric.kabeera[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

Clerics donate to needy residents of Nyarugenge

Mukasonga (2nd R) and AEE’s Phanuel Sindayiheba (R) hand over a motorcycle to a beneficiary. The New Times/ Laurent Kamana.
African Evangelistic Enterprise (AEE), a religious organisation, last week, donated an assortment of items to vulnerable residents of Nyarugenge district, which included motorcycles, cows and goats. 

The beneficiaries were from Nyamirambo, Nyakabanda, Rwezamenyo and Nyarugenge sectors.

Those from Nyamirambo were given 15 cows and 45 goats since they had land from where to graze, while those from Nyakabanda, Nyarugenge and Rwezamenyo, which are in the urban areas were given motorcycles.

Some of the beneficiaries are said to have been street vendors.

The donations

The cows and goats were given to individuals drawn from three groups, and each group is made of twenty people.

Each cow is valued at Rwf296,000 whereas a goat is Rwf 21,500. Ten motorcycles were given out to 10 groups, each comprising 20 people.

Each motorcylce, according to Solange Mukasonga, the Nyarugenge district mayor, is worth at least Rwf1.3m.

Mukasonga said the management of the motorcycles has been put under SYTRAMORWA, an association of taxi-moto operators.

“A motocycle is worth four grown-up cows. This is why we gave it to groups and not individuals. You have to take good care of them to help you and your families out of poverty,” the mayor said.

Contact email: laurent.kamana[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

Imbuto rewards more girls, guardian angels

Some of last year’s best performing girls check through gifts received from Imbuto Foundation yesterday. The New Times/ Timothy Kisambira.
A total of 82 female students from Gasabo, Kicukiro and Nyarugenge, the districts that make up Kigali City, who excelled in last year’s national exams were yesterday recognised by Imbuto Foundation at a ceremony held at Nyamirambo stadium.

Some of the 12 Guardian Angels, (Malayika Murinzi) recieve certificates from Imbuto Foundation’s Director General, Radegonde Ndejuru and mayor Mukasonga yesterday. The New Times/ Timothy Kisambira.
The event was presided over by Education minister, Vincent Biruta on behalf of First Lady Jeannette Kagame, the Imbuto Foundation patron.

At the same occasion, 12 Guardian Angels (Malayika Murinzi) were given cows and certificates for showing remarkable compassion and selflessness, by adopting and caring for orphaned children.

Those who excelled at primary and ordinary level received certificates as well as bags with scholastic materials, cash and watches, while those who excelled at A’ level received certificates, laptops and money.

Nyarugenge district mayor Solange Mukasonga thanked Imbuto Foundation for its continuous concern for Rwanda’s future.



She also stressed the importance of awarding the Guardian Angels, saying they are model citizens taking care of children who in no way are related to them.

“The Guardian Angels placed enough importance on children, who are Rwanda’s future, to take care of them without asking for help or complaining. They truly deserve to be rewarded,” she said.

There was also a discussion moderated by Imbuto role model Germaine Abayezu where parents and children discussed the reasons for poor grades that are still registered by female students.

The students blamed it on domestic chores, saying parents still have the mentality that it is the girls who should work. On the other hand, parents blamed the low grades on television and negative groups. 

The parents berated today’s permissive society, saying without all the ‘immoral ideas being transmitted to their children’, academic standards would not be compromised.

However, a teacher from Ecole Notre Dame de Citeaux who asked not to be named, said the problem lies in the increasingly shaky families where some children come from.

“Girls are naturally more sensitive than boys. She cannot concentrate in class if she is scared that her parents will divorce at any moment,” the teacher asserted.

In his closing remarks, Minister Biruta asked parents to closely monitor their children to avoid them being corrupted by the immoral ideas the parents had pointed out.

He also urged them to keep girls in school since most of them dropped out before reaching A level.

“A child’s rights, a girl’s rights are never going to be respected in a dysfunctional family. Dignity and claritycomes from the grass roots. It is time we looked at the stem from the roots, not from the branches,” he said.

The national campaign to reward best performing female students was launched last Friday by Mrs Kagame, where close to 90 best performing girls from the districts of Musanze, Rubavu, Gakenke, Burera and Rulindo were awarded for their outstanding performance in last year’s national exams. 

The campaign began in 2005 in an effort to promote girls’ education.

Imbuto Foundation aimed to encourages high academic performances among school girls with support fromparents, teachers and local leaders. More than 400 girls will this year be recognised for their performances.

Contact email: editorial[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

Red Cross in immunisation drive

A mother taking part in the immunasation drive. Sunday Times / File.
Rwanda Red Cross (RRC) has launched a campaign to sensitize the population on the dangers of not taking their children for immunization.

The campaign has started in the three districts making-up Kigali and in Gisagara District, Southern Province and it will last for a month.

RRC volunteers are going house-to-house sensitising parents to immunize their children against diseases.

Jean Damascène Niyirora, in charge of development and social affairs in Gisozi Sector of Gasabo District, said the initiative complements government efforts to ensure that the population utilizes available free medical services.

“Prevention is better than cure and the education that RRC is currently implementing is creating awareness so that parents, especially those who have been reluctant, can also have their children immunized against killer diseases,” Niyirora said.

The head of RRC’s immunisation programme in Gisagara District, Robert Muyenzi, said the target was to make sure that parents take up their responsibilities so as to save lives.

“We realized that there was need to educate the population to avoid losing life to diseases that can be prevented,” he said. “This should actually be a lesson to everyone out there.”

With 1124 volunteers, RRC says that it is ready to do all it takes to reach as many homes as possible.

Alice Mahoro, one of the residents in Gisozi, told The Sunday Times that the sensitization campaign was important in helping help spread the word.

“You find that some parents are not aware of when exactly they are meant to take their children for immunization, but we have been informed that our children must be immunized at ages between 9 and 14,” Mahoro said.

The Ministry of Health recently received measles-rubella combined vaccine that will be used in the mass immunisation exercise. The exercise which is slated for between March12 and 15, will target over five million children under the age of 15.

Contact email: grace.mugoya[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

Clerics in anti-gender violence drive

Gender and Family Promotion Minister Oda Gasinzigwa. Sunday Times /J. Mbanda
Anglican Bishops and other leaders of the church across the country have promised to use their influence and responsibilities to preach against Gender Based Violence (GBV) as one of the ways they believe their works will contribute towards eradicating the habit.

This was one of the major recommendations at the end of their three-day workshop that also attracted officials from the Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion, as well as representatives of the United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS-Rwanda (UNAIDS).

Organised under the theme ‘engaging the church leaders in prevention of gender based violence and HIV’, the workshop took place at St John’s Retreat Centre in Gicumbi District.

“We have been having consultations on regional levels on how the Anglican Church can effectively engage in fighting GBV as one of the mechanisms through which the church can contribute towards controlling HIV infection in our communities,” said Onesphore Rwaje, Archbishop of the Anglican Church of Rwanda.

Rwaje pointed out that previous meetings set the pace and that the workshop had a starting point on which the church leaders will base on to carryout their respective duties.

He explained that HIV infections are sometimes a result of GBV, urging that the initiative by the church will also help in fighting HIV. This particular workshop therefore came up with mechanisms of implementation of the programme in the dioceses.

It was also used as a platform to discuss the current situation of GBV and HIV in the country to further strategize with other member organizations in the fight against HIV. The Archbishop called on others to join them in the fight.

Speaking on behalf of UNAIDS which funded the workshop, the agency’s delegate, Dieudonné Ruturwa, said that although there had been a reduction in the number of new HIV infections, more efforts were needed to achieve the required target.

“We know that the spread of HIV is closely linked with gender inequality and that there are gender differences in the epidemic. We therefore have to find solutions as women and girls are disproportionately infected,” he said.

During a recent meeting with church leaders n preparation of the International Women’s Day, the Minister of Gender and Family Promotion, Oda Gasinzigwa, said that clerics have much influence in the communities they serve, urging them to join hands with the government to play a major role in promoting gender equality.

Contact email: grace.mugoya[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

Action Aid empowers rural women

Action Aid Rwanda, has pledged more commitment towards supporting rural women in fighting hunger. Sunday Times / File.
An International charity organisation, Action Aid Rwanda, has pledged more commitment towards supporting rural women in fighting hunger, enhancing their economic strength through building their capacities and attainment of gender equality.

The renewed commitment was delivered during the International Women’s Day Celebration at Mujyojyo School in Gitesi Sector of Karongi District in the Western Province on Friday.

Action Aid Rwanda Head of Policy and Programmes, Innocent Mutabaruka, presented cheques worth Rwf5 million to the three best performing cooperatives: Isangano, Abadahigwa, and Tuzamurane, to assist them invest more in their activities.

In the same function, Action Aid donated 21 pigs to mothers with malnourished children, pineapple shoots to Abatigamba Cooperative, banana suckers to Tugimbere Cooperative and Rwf2 million to Abadahigwa for work on the trenches and the water distribution system on Mujyojyo hill.

Mutabaruka noted that women cannot continue to be used as domestic tools but as equal partners, with equal participation, voice and sharing of responsibilities in the family.

“Women are partners in the home, colleagues at workplaces and their position anywhere does not come as a favour, but a right,” he said. “They can do what men can, and even supersede them,” he said.

The Director of Finance at the Gender Monitoring Office, Grace Happy, urged men and women to share family responsibilities as this earns more dignity to the family and communities.

“Sharing responsibilities brings more dignity and resilience to the family, but idleness breeds inferiority complex and the dormant member in the set is most likely to be susceptible to suppression and outright subjugation,” Happy cautioned.

The celebrations, which were kicked off with the community work of cleaning trenches and laying a water pipe on Mujyojyo Hill, were characterized by dances and songs.

They attracted members from 14 cooperatives who exhibited products of their labour, including handicrafts, apiculture, farming and a nursery school.

Contact email: editorial[at]newtimes.co.rw

Rain Water Harvesting to Improve Welfare 
Published on 8-03-2013 - at 02:15' by Dusabemungu Ange De La Victoire
http://en.igihe.com/environment/rain-water-harvesting-to-improve-welfare.html
Residents of Rubavu district will begin harvesting rain water from house roofs to enable families reduce water shortages.
This follows a pilot project launched by the Ministry of Natural resources under close supervision by Natural Resources Authority aimed at improving living conditions of targeted groups through protection and sustainable management of the natural resources (soil and water).
The program was started as a pilot project in 2011, however, it has since been a success and will be implemented across the country. The official launch was made in Rubavu District, starting with 60 households.
The program is financed by FINA Bank providing short term loans to families to purchase water tanks from Aquasan and is running based on an agreement facilitated by MINIRENA/RNRA.
MINIRENA exploring with FINA BANK and other Banks prospects to upscale the program country-wide.
The one year loan servicing term may be extended to a longer period to reduce the amount of installments to be paid, which would allow beneficiaries with limited resources to access the scheme.
The program offers multiple win-win benefits from the environmental, business, improved livelihoods perspectives.
Rwanda Minister of Natural resources Stanislas Kamanzi has encouraged Districts to embrace the program to transform the rainwater management challenges into profitable opportunities.

 

Local Leaders Warned Against Destroying Farmers Crops 
Published on 8-03-2013 - at 08:14' by Dusabemungu Ange De La Victoire
http://en.igihe.com/news/local-leaders-warned-against-destroying-farmers.html
The Minister of Local Government James Musoni has warned local leaders against destroying farmers crops that have failed to comply with Crop regionalization policy.
Under the government policy, specific zones in the country have been required to grow specific crops.
However, in some districts, this policy has not been adhered to by some farmers which attracts local leaders to destroy their crops under the guise of implementing the crop regionalization policy.
Instead, Musoni advised local leaders to help such farmers attain high yields for crops they have chosen to plant.
Musoni made the remarks while meeting administrative leaders.
He said, "Destroying farmers’ crops for failure to comply with regionalization policy is not good governance. We even recently sanctioned some leaders that destroyed farmers’ crops in Gicumbi District."
The Minister also said the similar incidences have been reported in Kayonza District where farmers were asked to destroy their sorghum crops.
Minister of Agriculture noted that many districts are below 50% in the implementation crop regionalization policy.
Prime Minister Dr Pierre Damien Habumuremyi ordered that this rate should rise above 50% in each district.

 

Refugee camps to get policing staff

The Rwanda National Police has started a two-day awareness campaign in refugee camps that will see Community Policing Committees (CPCs) created for refugees.

Supt. Sam Rumanzi, the director of Community Policing in RNP, said teams composed of police officers were dispersed to all camps countrywide. The team will meet camp leaders, who will in turn form CPCs.

“It is imperative to engage them in activities such as community policing, which are vital to them and the country in general,” said Rumanzi.

Currently, there are five refugee camps in the country. They include Gihembe in Gicumbi district, Nkamira (Rubavu), Nyabiheke (Gatsibo), Kiziba (Karongo) and Kigeme (Nyamagabe).

Together, they are home to more than 57,000 refugees, mostly Congolese.

“We want to establish a network of community policing in these camps, add value to security by preventing crimes such as Gender-Based Violence, drug abuse, human trafficking and engage them in environmental protection,” said Rumanzi.

 

Rwandans take on solid waste recycling

Waste management not only contributes to the environmental safety but also creates employment and reduces the amount of money the country would spend on importing such products. The New Times/Timothy Kisambira.
KIGALI’s garbage recycling market is steadily growing. Industry experts say this trend could partly explain why the city of over one million people remains one of the cleanest in the region. Wenceslas Habamungu has been involved in the business for the last five years.

He says the garbage recycling market seems to be on its way to expansion as the city keeps expanding outward, swallowing up the suburbs.

Habamungu is one of the few people who heeded the concern of the Rwanda Environment Management Authority (Rema) over the harm plastic products cause to the soil.

After taking study tours on garbage recycling abroad, he thought about a business which would recycle plastic bags into useful items to serve his community.

That’s how he started Ecoplastic, a plant dealing with recycling plastic bags, in 2008.

This plant, located in Mageragere, Nyarugenge district, recycles plastic bags which wrap imported products for hotels, hospitals, customs and local industries, among others. Habamungu’s recycling plant is just one of the few companies in the waste recycling industry.

“At first, I used to go around the city trying to collect bags, but today, workers from different companies who kept my contacts call me so that I can take the products,” said Habamungu.

A part from institutions, cleaning companies also have understood that there is no use to take the plastic waste to dumpsite alongside other waste while there is someone who can provide them with more reward of their collection effort.

One kilo of plastic bags costs Rwf150 when they require more washing, while clean/new plastic stuffs are sold for up to Rwf 400 per kilo.

The plant employs 17 full time workers plus 35 part time workers in the processing.

Every year, the plant produces an average of 50 tonnes of plastic bags used in tree nurseries and 100 tonnes of other material, including green house tents for horticulture, ordinal sheeting and roofing tents, etc.

Their regular consumers include hospitals who take aprons or other items for laboratories, maternity and waste collection.

After selling the output, Habamungu makes a net profit of around Rwf2m per month.

He says the plant doesn’t have any problem to meet customers’ demand with their two machines. 

“The problem is the mindset of our society, people don’t appreciate local products,” he said.

While Ecoplastic deals with plastic materials, Coped (Company for Environment and Development), a cleaning company which has also invested in recycling organic waste,  has established a system of collecting separated waste from clients who include hospitals, hotels, institutions and residences.

To help their customers separate the waste among the 30 tonnes they collect per day, they provide bags of different colours, made from Ecoplastic recycled products: green for organic waste, yellow for paper, black for non-recyclable, blue for recyclable and red for hazardous waste.

Sorting out the waste helps them to get organic waste to recycle and other waste like metals, bottles, etc which they sell to Ugandan recyclers.

COPED recycles one tonne per day of only the organic waste used in the production of fuel briquettes which help in cooking.

“Our machines still have a limited capacity compared to the waste we get,” said Paulin Buregeya the company’s CEO, adding that their major clients are schools, bakeries and prisons.

Low capacity

A part from the metal wastes exported to Uganda for recycling, there are a few other eco-friendly entrepreneurs that include cooperatives, which make bags from vegetable waste. But authorities in Rema say it is still a drop in the ocean, and more businesses should get into the field of recycling.

They say entrepreneurs should consider the fact  that recycling not only safeguards the environment and enhancesthe country’s development through taxes, but also creates employment and reduces amount of money the country would spend on importing such products.

“It’s up to the private sector to develop this sector, not to us [City of Kigali], but for those who do, technical support is guaranteed,” says John Mugabo, in charge of waste management Kigali City.

Mugabo said that the assessment Kigali City did last year showed that 186 tonnes of solid garbage was collected every day and only two per cent get recycled.

Contact email: editorial[at]newtimes.co.rw

I certainly support all efforts to recycle waste, in Kigali, any other Rwandan urban centres, and even private homesteads where that is possible.
My concern is that, given the potential hazards to workers in this activity, the industry does not appear to be sensitive to ensuring their workers were appropriately safe clothing.
I note, for example, that the two women in the picture, above, are wearing neither gloves nor face masks to protect themselves. It is often the same situation on our construction sites where labourers are rarely seen wearing helmets.
What is government doing to ensure an occupational safety and health culture that best reflects the the emphasis our country has rightly put on the health of it's citizenry?
Remember, prevention is usually cheaper and better than cure.

 15:19:41 Friday 08th, March 2013 Jkalinda@gmail.com - Mwene Kalinda

 

KCC donates computers, TVs to outskirts dwellers

Nsengimana browses websites on one of the donated computers in Nyarurama cell, Kicukiro district, yesterday. The New Times/ T. Kisambira.
The City of Kigali, on Wednesday, donated a flat screen television set and a desktop computer to each of the 50 villages in the outskirts of the city to help the citizens remain updated.

The gadgets are to be placed under what is being termed as “Knowledge Room” in each village, and will be accessed by all free of charge.

The benefitting villages were drawn from the three urban districts; Gasabo (20 villages), Nyarugenge (14 villages) and Kicukiro where the programme was launched with the distribution of the facilities to 16 villages.

The television screens have cable signal, while the computers are connected to the Internet.

The launch was held at Nyarurama cell office, Kicukiro district, but the idea, according to city officials, is to eventually work to ensure all households in the city have access to television and Internet.

Kigali City mayor Fidele Ndayisaba said the programme aims at helping Rwandans to have updated information about the various government programmes and what is going on in the world.

“Use this technology to keep updated and to develop by yourselves,” the mayor told the residents.

“ICT is the key driver to development. This is the way of helping them to develop as they already had the fundamental infrastructure such as electricity and roads,” Ndayisaba said.

He said leaders will help look after the equipment and be responsible for meeting operational charges such as Internet cost.

The facilities were donated in partnership with Tigo Rwanda. 

“We’re grateful for being able to partner in initiatives that keep Tigo close to the people and that could potentially change the lives of entire communities,” said Diego Camberos, the Tigo Rwanda chief executive officer.

He said such initiatives are ideal platforms for Rwandans to stay connected with the world and develop new skills as a community.

The event was also attended by the Minister for Youth and ICT, Jean Philbert Nsengimana.

Contact email: laurent.kamana[at]newtimes.co.r

 

How farmers cope with climate change

Farmers work in their rice field in Rwasave marshland, Gisagara district last weekend. The New Times/ JP Bucyensenge.
Tharcisse Semaguge might be 88 today, but to him, age is just a number. And the other numbers in his life that he proudly talks about beside the age makes the figure 75—the number of years he has spent farming.

The resident of Save sector in Gisagara district says agriculture remains his sole bread winner and source of revenue.

But, a few years ago, his fate came to stake mainly due to changes in temperature and precipitation which he says are affecting his production in terms of quality and quantity.

Clad in khaki-like weather-beaten trousers, navy shirt, an old dark-orange cowboy hat on his head and carrying a hoe in his hand, the barefooted Semaguge follows a pathway snaking through Rwasave marshland to Cyinteko, a nearby village.

It is around midday and the old man has been working in his rice plantation in the swamp. His brows are perspiring.

In the past years, Semaguge relied on upland agriculture, but he says it has become unsustainable as a result of changes in times. He has now turned to ‘paddy fields’ in the nearby marshland for survival.

“Rains have dropped. I used to harvest a lot of sorghum in my [upland] field, but today they cannot grow. Crops are performing poorly,” the elder laments. “There have been a lot of changes [in precipitations and temperatures], which have affected our activities and lives in general.”

Hundreds of metres away, Uwimana, 43, another farmer, is busy working in her field. She echoes the old man’s feelings.

“Sometimes you plant but you can’t harvest due to high temperatures which kills the crop before they mature,” the woman says. “I think farming in wet areas is a solution to farmers. Otherwise, upland farming is unpredictable.”

But still, the farmers maintain they still grow beans and some other subsistence crops despite the changes in climate.

“There are some crops that are so important that we can’t do without them. Like beans for instance,” Uwimana says. “You just sow seeds but you are not sure you will harvest.”

Climatic hazards

Statistics indicate that about 90 per cent of Rwanda’s 10.5 million people depend on agriculture. However, the sector still endures rough terrain, erosion, lack of technology as well as climatic hazards.

A few years ago, Semaguge knew exactly when it was the right time to plant. That has since changed. The old man, like many other farmers today, says rains have become more unpredictable.

Narcisse Nyabyenda, 48, says it is increasingly becoming difficult for subsistence farmers to produce enough food they need to survive. To adjust with the times, he says, they have started focusing on crops that are grown in wetland.

Efforts from farmers are supported by policies put in place to improve agricultural production, including the use of improved varieties, land consolidation, extensive use of fertilisers and irrigation.

According to Faustin Munyazikwiye, a climate change expert at the Rwanda Environmental Management Authority, many strategies could help farmers adapt to climate change.

He cites soil conservation techniques, introducing agro-forestry, new crop varieties, irrigation and empowering farmers with information and adaptation toolkits.

Rainfall irregularities 

Rwanda has in the past few years experienced heavy rain in some parts of the country. A fortnight ago, torrential rain, which came with gusty winds and hailstorms battered Kigali, leaving six people dead and scores of property destroyed. 

The Rwanda Meteorological Agency has warned that some districts will experience heavy rains between April and May.

For Munyazikwiye, having a strong early warning system, which can provide accurate forecast and alert farmers before a downpour or drought can be a successful strategy in a sector that relies on weather.

Contact email: jean.bucyensenge[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

 

 

World Bank boosts energy programme with US$60m

Turk and Amb. Gatete after the signing ceremony yesterday. The New Times/ Timothy Kisambira.
The World Bank yesterday signed a financing agreement with Rwanda, which will see the global bank boosting the country’s energy rollout programme with $60 million (approx Rwf38bn).

The money is an additional financing loan agreement under the International Development Association (IDA) and will go to the Electricity Access Roll-out Programme (EARP).

The 30-year loan agreement was signed between the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Amb. Claver Gatete and Carolyn Turk, the World Bank country manager.

“The agreement will avail the $60 million to bridge the financing required to maintain EARP’s momentum as the Government of Rwanda continues to mobilise additional resources to scale up household connections,” said Gatete.

Government plans to have connected at least 70 per cent of the country’s households to the national power grid.

About $45 million of the World Bank grant is allocated for improving the general national grid roll-out while $5m will go to green connections, which involves supporting a range of activities to scale up affordability for consumers, and promote energy efficiency and productive use, according to a statement from the ministry.

The remaining $10m is dedicated to enhancing technical assistance during the implementation of the programme. 

 “We appreciate the brave steps the Rwandan government has continued  to take in providing reliable and affordable energy to its people  and this is what has encouraged us to continue partnering with it,” Turk pointed out.

The programme will be implemented by Energy, Water and Sanitation Authority (EWSA) and will build on the EARP phase 1 and provide connections to an additional 48,000 households over the next three and half  years.

The original programme supported by several partners, particularly the World Bank, saw USD 357 million mobilised for the   phase 1 programme. 

EARP is a multi-donor programme that has mobilised a total of US$348.2 million for the initiative since 2009.

 

Evicted residents petition President

A high-risk dwelling in Kimuhurura. The New Times/ File.
A group comprising at least 30 dwellers from Kanyinya village, Ruhango cell, in Gisozi sector, have written to the President asking him to halt their eviction from areas designated as high-risk zones without compensation.

The February 7 letter was copied to the Minister of Internal Security and that of Infrastructure as well as the Gasabo district leadership and the Rwanda Environment Management Authority (Rura).

“Authorities deliberately disregarded the lease agreement we had with government when we were given this land. We signed that agreement with Gasabo district, but we are being unfairly evicted,” the letter reads in part.

The petitioners say they were referred to the Ombudsman’s office when they went for a reply from the President. But the Permanent Secretary in the Office of the Ombudsman, Xavier Mbarubukeye, said they are yet receive the complaint.

Kigali City advised residents staying in high-risk zones to vacate for their safety, following a series of disasters.

Some of the residents say the land and property was bequeathed to them by their grandparents and they have lived there with their families for decades.

Others say they sold their land upcountry and came to buy land in Kigali many years ago, acquired land certificate from authorities and have been paying taxes and ordering them out without any compensation or even being shown where to set their new building is unfair.

Gallicane Gakuba, one of the affected residents, said: “I sold my land in Rusizi district and bought a plot here. I paid Rwf3.5m in 2003, where am I heading from here?”

“The issue of disasters is common and we understand we should evacuate. However, we don’t have where to go. In this city, you hardly have savings. It’s a hand-to-mouth life; if we leave this area we will be homeless,” said Philemon Tuyishime, another affected party. 

However, officials are adamant on compensation claims, saying the affected are vacating for their own safety and that the city has no plan to set infrastructure in the vacated areas.

 Fidele Ndayisaba, the city mayor, told a meeting last week that the residents should heed the advice and relocate.

“When we tell people to vacate in their interest, they say, ‘pay us’,” Ndayisaba told the meeting that brought together city authorities and residents from various villages.

Contact email: jmbonyinshuti[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

Victims of animals attack in Akagera Park compensated

Part of the Akagera National Park that was fenced to cut off stray wild animals from human settlements. The New Times/ File.
MORE THAN 600 farmers who were affected by stray animals from Akagera National Park were, on Tuesday, compensated for property destroyed. 

The government, through the Special Guarantee Fund, compensated Ndego sector residents affected by the animals to a tune of Rwf130 million.

Following persistent loss of crops and lives to the stray animals from the largest park in the country, government passed a compensation bill in June 2011.

The law allows compensation to persons attacked by wild animals from any gazetted national park.

According to Bernardin Ndashimye, the head of the fund, all people whose crops or other property were destroyed by the animals would be compensated, adding that people handicapped by the animals would also get reparations.

He said the issue of animal attacks would soon be history after the completion of park fencing.

“We shall compensate all the eligible claimants, particularly for their property and lives. The sick will be treated, handicapped given what they need to be mobile, etc,” he said.

No uniform pay

Reacting to victim’s dissatisfaction over what they called small amount of money, Ndayishimiye said there could not be uniform payment.

“It is human nature that people never get satisfied. We paid according to the loss one incurred. Different crops are valued differently, we pay in that line. What we can’t do is bring back the dead; otherwise our commitment can’t be over-emphasised,” he said.

Protegene Niyonzima, the Ndego sector agriculture officer, said the compensation was long overdue.

“The people living in this area have endured for long. They lost everything they planted. Some actually left the area when they could no longer feed their families,” he said. 

“We also have the handicapped that need help, the little money and the electric fencing is a big boost,” he added. 

Measly amount?

Anastase Ngiruwonsanga, a resident who suffered an attack by a hippopotamus, said the compensation for the handicapped was far too small.

“We acknowledge the compensation idea, but again the process the handicapped go through to get compensation is rather tedious. We are told to go through expensive medical examination and obtain proof. Let the government make it easy for us to go through the procedures,” Ngiruwusanga, who says he has a permanent leg injury out of the attack, said.

 Ndego sector executive secretary, Alex Bright Nsoro said the compensation process would benefit over 1,500 people.

“It is a process and registering the affected was done in phases...at least 1525 people await compensation,” he said.

Residents living in 9 sectors neighbouring Akagera Park are waiting for similar compensation.

Contact email: stephen.rwembeho[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

March 4th, 2013 | Posted by Jean-Christophe Nsanzimana

Communities not ready to own school feeding

The revised Mineduc program will target 2.5 million children. (file photo)
During a consultative two-day meeting last week, Brazilian officials explained to their Rwandan counterparts how they manage to run the school-feeding program in their country. It comes at a time when the local program, which had so far been run with assistance of the World Food Program (WFP), was supposed to have been transferred to the local communities. Yet that has been a failure.
To move to the community-owned approach, beginning in May 2011 WFP reduced its food provisions from five to three days per week, while the community was to take re­sponsibility for the two other days. According to officials at the minis­try of education, the plan was for the community’s share to increase steadi­ly, and WFP assistance to phase out by the end of 2012.
That, however, seems not to have worked due to the levels of poverty and food insecurity in the areas as­sisted by WFP. Worse, in the majority of the schools covered, children only receive food three days a week when it is provided by the UN organiza­tion, while they go hungry the other days.
In Bugesera, students even boycot­ted primary school after the WFP had closed shop there and the community was unable to sustain it.

Advantages of school feeding

The promise of at least one nutri­tious meal each school day boosts enrolment and promotes regular attendance. It motivates parents to send their children to school instead of keeping them at home to work or care for siblings.
Not going to school on an empty stomach also helps students to concentrate better on their lessons, and ensures improved nutrition for children from poor families who cannot always offer them a bal­anced diet.
According to the Mineduc perma­nent secretary, Sharon Haba, on 308 schools assisted by WFP, only ten successfully managed to continue offering meals three days per week with the help of the local communi­ty, while 110 have been partially suc­cessful and the rest has failed. “The greatest challenges are faced in dis­tricts of highest food insecurity and poverty,” Haba says, adding North­ern and Westernern provinces are the worst.
The WFP program is now only remaining in Nyaruguru and Nya­magabe districts.
For Haba, there are several rea­sons for this failure. First, the most unsuccessful districts are the ones with a majority of the households affected by malnourishment. Thos are districts like Nyabihu, Rutsiro, Karongi, Nyamasheke and Rusizi of the Western province, and parts of Nyamagabe and Nyaruguru districts located in the South. In all of those parts of the country, a number of 33 to 43 percent of the households have unacceptable food consumption. Haba observes that nationally 43.4% of children under five are stunted, most of them from poorer families. Topping the list in this respect are districts like Burera and Gakenke of the Northern part of the country and Ngororero of the West.
In all the above districts, it was found hard for the community to pro­vide school feeding.
One cup of milk
The school feeding program has various components. There is the one-cup-of-milk-per-child program carried out twice a week and which targets more than 100 nurseries and primary schools countrywide (assist­ed by Minagri). Secondly, there are the actual meals served in 308 schools assisted by WFP on three days. In ad­dition, in more than 1,100 secondary boarding schools pupils’s obviously also receive meals.
“It has contributed to substantial achievements in education with in­creased enrollment, attendance, and achievement, all of which, if not sus­tained, could be ruined,” Haba points out.
Ryan Anderson, program officer at WFP Rwanda, says that there is also the issue of the cost of the school feed­ing. In the one-cup-of-milk program, the cost per child per day is Frw 409. Meals in boarding schools cost Frw 122 per piece, 66% of which is paid by Mineduc and 34% by parents. The meals provided in the WFP-assisted program have the same price.
“If the communities can’t find such amounts, surely it will be hard for them to own the program. Consider­ing the cost per meal, many Rwandan families upcountry can’t afford it, as they also have a lot of other issues to deal with, all on a very tight budget,” Anderson observes.
Now, Mineduc is trying to mend the program. According to its di­rector of planning, Dr Erasme Rwa­namiza, the program has targeted districts and assessed their vulner­ability capacity to assist the school feeding. The top-5 most vulnerable districts in this respect are mostly in Western Province with Ngororero, Rutsiro, Karongi and Rusizi, plus Gakenke (North). Nyamagabe, Gis­agara, Bugesera, Nyanza and Nyabi­hu districts are also among the most vulnerable (second level).
“Communities are the first ben­eficiaries of the program. By owning it, they’ll get to understand its real importance. We want them to be re­sponsible of their children’s growth and education,” Rwanamiza says. “Knowing their resources and abil­ity to own the program, we still want them to be involved at least by fol­lowing up. Those with the means will have to assist.”
He also proposes that this be exam­ined in parents’ committees in order to known in precisely who is able to assist and who is not. “Meanwhile, Mineduc and partners will pilot the program.”
At the beginning, the program will target nursery to P6 levels, compris­ing some 2.5 million children. “We’ll use all the means possible,” the PS says.

 

 

Govt unveils document tracking system

Ndayisaba (L) and Nsengimana listen to a presentation The New Times/ Timothy Kisambira.
The government yesterday launched a document tracking system that would enable quick access of official documents digitally and reduce use of paperwork among government agencies.
How it works

When a document is received, it is scanned and stored in a system. The person who stores it refers it to the concerned personnel who are supposed to receive or work on that document. The receipt of the document
A Document Management System (DMS), dubbed ‘e-mboni’, is a computer system used to track and store documents electronically. It is usually also capable of keeping track of the different versions modified by different users.

City of Kigali is the first beneficiary of the system which will cost the government about $1 million (Rwf 6.3 billion) to purchase the technology.

Speaking at the launch, the Minister of Youth and ICT, Jean-Philbert Nsengimana, said e-mboni system will contribute in time management as well as reduce the use of papers. It’s also a foundation of other platforms while delivering better services, he said.

Nsengimana added that the system will improve the inter and intra governmental efficiencies ultimately geared to serving Rwandans in an efficient and effective manner.

“The advantage of the system is that it is flexible and mobile. One can work from wherever they are,” he said. “The system is customised in a way that a document can be tracked where it is and know who is handling it at that particular moment.”

Agencies connected to the network are interlinked through the fibre optic cable. The minister pointed out that the system is secure from being hacked since information stored is highly encrypted and that it can’t breakdown because of internet failure since its connected to the metropolitan local network.

Increase visibility 

Prime Minister Pierre Damien Habumuremyi recently announced that government spending on logistics like paper will be reduced by 25 per cent from Rwf2.5 billion to Rwf 1.8 billion saving approximately Rwf 650 million.

The Deputy CEO of Rwanda Development Board (RDB) in charge of Information Technology, Patrick Nyirishema, pointed out that the system is currently deployed in all districts, central and local government offices but only operational in the City of Kigali and five ministries.

“We are training IT personnel in all agencies. This system will increase visibility within the government. This technology has the capacity to host all government agencies,” said Nyirishema.

The document tracking system is hosted by the National Data Centre and, according to Nyirishema, institutions won’t require heavy servers to store the document.

“By June, this year, we want to have this system rolled out in all government agencies across the country and by 2014, we want it to be fully functional,” said Nyirishema.

The Mayor of Kigali City Fidele Ndayisaba said that, “e-mboni has come at a time when we actually needed it. We are already using it and the impact is that several services are being offered effectively using less papers and saving time. Files are more secure and are directed to the rightful handler.”

Contact email: edwin.musoni[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

Prisons food supplier shuts down over unpaid debts

Harelimana (L) serves packed food to Huye Prison inmates in July last year. The New Times/ File.
THE RWANDA Agribusiness Limited (RABI Ltd), the firm contracted to supply cooked food to correctional facilities, has closed its doors, citing alleged accumulated unpaid bills by the Rwanda Correctional Services (RCS).

According to officials, more than Rwf500m has accumulated in arrears for food supplied to inmates incarcerated at Huye and Nyamagabe prisons between July 2012 and January this year.

RABI Ltd claims it has been struggling to keep operations, forcing management to call for a  temporary suspension of meal supply.

Jean Claude Umwizerwa, RABI’s director of administration, told this paper that the move was inevitable.

“We were running out of money and we were not being paid. Our capacity to continue operating had really been overstretched,” Umwizerwa said. “It has been about seven months that we had been supplying food to the correctional facilities without pay. We have been engaging the client (RCS) and they just give us promises.”

About 85 full and part-time employees have been affected by the decision to close the factory, Umwizerwa said.

Also affected are three local farmers’ cooperatives and many businesspersons, who had been delivering supplies to the Huye-based plant.

Umwizerwa said apart from halting their operations, the payment delays mean they will not be able to timely service a loan and also face penalties for not paying taxes on time.

Since last July, RABI Ltd was hired to feed prisoners and the programme started with Huye and Nyamagabe prisons in its pilot phase, but it was due to expand to correctional facilities countrywide.

Launching the programme last year, officials said the decision to feed inmates on outsourced ready-cooked food was reached as a way of reducing costs incurred in preparing food for the prisoners.

At the occasion, Internal Security minister Sheik Moussa Fazil Harelimana said the programme would help government save an estimated Rwf2b annually and promote the welfare of inmates.

Procedural verification

RCS Commissioner General Paul Rwarakabije said government still recognises the benefits of feeding inmates on outsourced food.

He attributed the delays in clearing the bills to “ongoing verification by the Ministry of Finance,” which is looking into whether the tender award procedure followed the law before the money is released.

Rwarakabije said RABI Ltd was awarded the tender through single source procedure, mainly because it is the sole producer of processed food in the country.

“The process through which we went [to award the tender] is legal, but there have been suspicion over it. The verification modalities delayed, resulting into delays of payment,” Rwarakabije said.

He assured the issue of payment would soon be resolved.

“It is just an issue of time and, once the verification is complete, they will receive their money and we shall resume the supply.”

Concerns

Valens Munyabagisha, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Internal Security, the overseer of RCS, told this paper that his ministry is following up the issue to ensure it is resolved without further delays.

He said revisiting the contract would still help to meet the cuts on the cost involved in feeding inmates, including the expenses met in obtaining firewood, water and other requirements to prepare food for the prisoners.

“All parties are doing their best to ensure that the programme (to feed prisoners on outsourced food) restarts soon,” Munyabagisha said.

Workers wary

Meanwhile, RABI’s employees have said they are concerned over their future following the decision to temporarily halt the factory’s operations. A number of them told The New Times that the news of the closure, which they labelled sudden and abrupt, came with shock and dismay.

Emmanuel Tuyishime, a machine operator, said the lives of families whose survival depended on the factory would be affected.

“Many residents and the workers’ relatives depended in various ways on the factory. Now that it has closed, surviving will be somehow difficult,” Tuyishime said.

“We have been told we cannot receive salaries while the factory is not functioning. Surviving is now a challenge.”

Contact email: jean. bucyensenge[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

Rwamagana teacher remanded over wife’s murder

The Rwamagana Primary Court, yesterday, remanded a teacher to Nsinda Prison for 30 days for allegedly murdering his wife.

Charles Ngabirwe is accused of killing Denise Mukamunana last month. The couple, who had five children, lived in Kigega village, Nyagasenyi cell in Kigabiro sector.

Prosecution alleges that Ngabirwe, an English teacher at Rwamagana Islamic School, murdered his wife and tried to pass it over as diabetes. The deceased, the court heard, had a fit of diabetes at the time she breathed her last.

A post-mortem report presented to the court showed that the body had internal injuries, bleeding and cuts.

Ngabirwe was alleged to have beaten his wife at 3pm, and death was said to have been caused by serious bodily injuries.

Odette Mudahana, the deceased’s sister, said Mukamunana was constantly beaten by the husband, adding that they had separated many times as a result.

Jean Marie Vianney Kalisa, a village leader, echoed Mudahana’s accusations,  saying the man had been black-listed for domestic violence. 

Ngabirwe, however, denies the charges and claims they are trumped up by his enemies within the deceased’s family.

Meanwhile, an issue of custody of the five children emerged following the death of their mother and the arrest of their father.

According to neighbours, the children were reluctant to go to the father’s relatives, accusing him of killing their mother, while maternal relatives also don’t want to parent children whose father killed their daughter.

Currently at a maternal relative, the children are all below 15.

Contact email: stephen.rwembeho[at]newtimes.co.rw

High risk zone dwellers given new eviction ultimatum

Minister Musoni (L) talks to Ndayisaba after yesterday’s meeting. The New Times/John Mbanda.
Kigali city officials have once again ordered people residing in areas regarded as high risk zones not to stick to demands for compensation, but vacate the places following the City instructions.

The ultimatum which gives residents until April to vacate was announced during the Kigali City General Assembly yesterday.

Those affected include over 216 families living in flood prone areas of Nyamabuye, Nyamugali and Karuruma cells in Gatsata, and 44 households of Kimihurura Sector, living in a place commonly known as Kosovo.

The move by Gasabo district to evict over 216 families from flood prone areas has previously met resistance.

The district has ruled out the possibility of compensation for residents, saying it’s for their safety from possible disasters that they are being asked to move since they settled in high risk zone. 

Apart from needy people who will be sheltered through the Gasabo district budget, the rest are supposed to take care of their own relocation to a place of their choice.

Likewise, a number of residents of Kimihurura Sector who talked to The New Times last week said they were not ready to leave their dwellings without compensation.

“I was born here. How come the authorities can tell me to destroy all my properties then go with nothing,” Jacqueline Faida, 65, told The New Times.

She claimed she has six houses worth Rwf100m.

She said she does not oppose the Government’s plan, instead  she requests for compensation as it is done for others.

Must leave 

“I have been living here for five years. I came from Cyangugu after selling my properties, then bought and renovated these two houses  worth now  Rwf 40m. Telling me to destroy them then go without being compensated, is akin to killing my family,” Vestine Nyirantwari, 39, and a mother of five told The New Times.

But Fidele Ndayisaba, the Kigali City mayor told the Assembly that the residents should heed the advice and relocate.

“When we tell people to vacate in their interest, they say, ‘pay us’,” Ndayisaba, told the Assembly.

“People living where the City plans to put up infrastructure, such as hospitals, schools, and so on, are normally compensated, but for those who settled in dangerous areas, have to relocate.” 

Regular rainfall should be expected from March through May, the Rwanda Meteorological Agency (RMA) warned last Tuesday.

Ndayisaba urged those with means to vacate to safe places to prevent their families from any disasters. 

He told people not to feel like they are being forced to vacate and instead consider the possible cost of their indifference.

He blamed some of the leaders who do not stop people from building in high risk zones.

Besides fighting the mess in building and the evacuation of people in high risk zones, the Mayor of Kigali called upon participants to take care of the built infrastructure, leaders to interact with residents, and ensure speedy services.

The Minister of Local Government, James Musoni, thanked the Kigali City officials for having been the first to think of such a kind of meeting to discuss and have a common understanding on a variety of things.

“The culture of excellence should be the objective of all of you in different innovations based on the opportunities found in your respective areas to fight poverty, then increase the income,” Musoni noted.

Central government support 

He promised the Central Government will support the City in its development related projects.

The Minister also has previously ruled out compensation for the affected residents, saying the eviction was for their own good. 

According to minister Musoni, so far, over 10,000 people have moved from high risk areas countrywide to better locations since June last year.

However, Angelique Kayitesi, a Kigali lawyer says, “Citizens should not be evicted without being compensated. Normally, their properties should be valuated, paid, then given one month for the preparation.”

MP Desire Nyandwi, the deputy chairman of the Parliamentary  standing committee on Agriculture, Environment and Livestock argues that residents who settled in areas in question before the current law came into force and have land titles have right to compensation.

Nyandwi referred to the 2005 Law on Environment, according to which the government gives a-two-year grace period to people who live in wetlands and slopes to leave. After this time, the government can use the same law and force them to relocate.

Contact email: editorial[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

Kigali City residents bemoan KCC policies

Some of the policies lately being established and implemented by the Kigali City Council haven’t been well-received by the public.

They include billboard vetting, whereby all content for billboards in Kigali must be approved by the city authorities prior to being put out for public consumption; and the noise pollution regulation, whereby it’s a requirement for bars, churches, and event organisers to fit sound-proof equipment.

These policies received a lot of negative feedback alleging that the City Council doesn’t involve the public in making these decisions or in their establishment.

With the billboard vetting policy, the mayor of Kigali, Fidele Ndayisaba, said every message to be posted on a billboard shall be subject to approval by the City of Kigali.

This directive raised lots of concerns from the public some of whom thought it would hinder Rwanda’s business environment by causing delays while others thought it was an unnecessary move since there are no indecent billboards and Rwandans in their right state of minds would never put up an indecent billboard.

Another was the noise pollution regulation. The guidelines recommended fines for noise pollution and hotlines for all the districts in Kigali, which residents can call to report noise pollution in their neighborhoods. Offenders risk a fine of up to Rwf100,000.

Joseph Kayibanda who deals in hardware business, said that Rwandans should be treated like mature people without necessarily having KCC imposing policies and rules as if they are dealing with minors who shouldn’t have a say in decisions made.

He especially criticized the policy of flower pots at the front of every shop. All shops are supposed to have flower pots in front of them, a policy that was established in 2011.

“We are struggling with paying taxes which are high on top of that they are asking us to buy flower pots which cost between Rwf 15,000 to 20,000.Not all of us love flowers,” he said. “Every time I see these flower pots in front of my shop, I feel like it’s making my shop ugly because I would prefer something more artistic other than a flower pot but then I also can’t have two decorations at my door.”

Kayibanda says business owners should be given a choice to decide what they want to do and don’t want.

“They shouldn’t just enforce and impose such policies without first consulting with us and getting our ideas,” he said.

Last week, during an inspection, a few shops were locked up because of not having flower pots outside their shops.

WinnieMbabazi who runs a coffee shop in Remera, noted that some of the policies require involvement of the public since they are the ones who are affected. She also noted that policies that sprout every so often might be a hindrance to Rwanda’s business climate thus discouraging investors, although she stressed public involvement as the solution.

“Most or even all of these policies are for the good of the nation, but once KCC just enforces them without enough involvement of the public and sensitization, they are bound to be received negatively at their implementation,” she said.

Mbabazi called upon authorities to always involve the public and sensitize them on all the policies to be implemented. She added that the directives issued should be business friendly other than being business barriers.

The Public Relations and Communication Expert at the City of Kigali, Bruno Rangira, said that public involvement has been part of the policies.

He stated that the mayor meets with members of the public every Wednesday and discusses different issues with them thus involving people before implementing policies.

“KCC also has Councillors who represent the public and always discuss public opinion on different issues before policies are implemented. The investors’ forum and professionals are also engaged. We discuss with various forums that represent different categories of the public before we enforce or implement anything,” Rangira said.

He observed that every change or new policy always receives resistance and criticism and that not everybody can embrace change. He however added that KCC shall continue to engage the public in discussing all the policies that are bound to be implemented.

Contact email: maria.kaitesi[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

 

Researchers urged to disseminate their findings

RESEARCHERS have been urged to actively take part in disseminating their findings and putting them to good use so as to impact communities.

Karrine Sanders, the programmes manager for the association of Commonwealth universities on Developing Research Uptake in Sub-Saharan Africa (DRUSSA), said there is need to shift from the traditional way of doing research to a more pro-active one which involves ensuring that researches benefit communities.

“Often researches stay on library shelves and do not get to where they should. Traditionally—and this applies to all universities around the globe – the emphasis has very much been placed on getting research articles into a journal,” Sanders said.

“But emphasis is no longer on how much research you have done, but how that research made a difference,” she added.

Sanders was speaking, Thursday, after the official launch of the DRUSSA programme at the National University of Rwanda.

The Huye-based university is one of the 24 in sub-Saharan Africa participating in the DRUSSA programme. Kigali Health Institute is the other local higher learning institutions supported by the programme.

Research uptake involves putting in place the right people, the right systems and right processes within universities to ensure that research  makes certain difference in the community and the policy of the government that they are working in, according to Sanders.

Prof. Umaru Garba Wali, a senior lecturer and researcher at NUR, said, “We have to rethink and redirect our research in such a way that the ultimate benefit of what we are doing go to the society – the Rwandan, African and global society.”

Contact email: jean.bucyensenge[at]newtimes.co.rw
 

REMA, private sector partner in conservation

Namara (L) and Mukankomeje exchange the MoU. The New Times/ T. Kisambira.
The Rwanda Environment Management Authority (Rema) and Private Sector Federation have agreed to work togethr to address  environmental degradation.

Rose Mukankomeje, the director-general of Rema, said this Thursday after signing a Memorandum of Understanding with Hannington  Namara, the chief executive officer of Private Sector Federation (PSF), to establish long-term collaboration in a range of issues.

“Capacity building, sharing information and including environmental preservation in Private Sector Federation plans are the main purpose of this agreement,” said Namara.

The pact seeks to enhance protection and promotion of environmental conservation among the business community to ensure a cleaner and healthy environment.

The understanding will also help in conducting awareness campaigns as well as inspection of environmental laws.

Many members of the private sector this paper talked to confessed they are not conversant with environmental laws.

Claude Munyaneza, a businessman in Gikondo, said apart from being told not to pack goods in plastic bags, he knows nothing about the law.

His colleague Bosco Bahati also confessed to similar ignorance and welcomed efforts geared toward creating public awareness.

Namara said they will disseminate information through 72 associations of business operators the private sector works with across the country using various medium.

 

Remera Sector Residents Given 2 weeks to Leave Wetland 
Published on 1-03-2013 - at 03:44' by Dusabemungu Ange De La Victoire
http://en.igihe.com/news/remera-sector-residents-given-2-weaks-to-leave.html
Residents of Kangondo II in Nyarutarama Cell of Remera Sector in Gasabo district are protesting against their expropriation without compensation.
Gasabo District has directed the residents to relocate within two weeks as a measure to protect environment and ensuring their safety of residents living in areas prone to disasters.
Residents said they will not relocate until they are paid for their properties.
District officials said that residents should forget about compensation funds because they settled in this area without adhering to legal procedures.
Residents agree that protecting the environment is something worth but requesting money so they can buy somewhere else to live.
The Mayor of Gasabo District, Ndizeye Willy said that affected families were aware that they had settled in a wetland adding that they should relocate.
However, save those who have legally settled in the area will get compensation.

 

February 27th, 2013 | Posted by Eric Didier Karinganire
Downpour victims get relief from MTN
http://focus.rw/wp/2013/02/downpour-victims-get-relief-from-mtn/

Khaled Mikkawi, CEO of MTN Rwanda handing over iron sheets to Kigali mayor Fidel Ndayisaba (photo Farouk Kaweesi)
At least 188 households remain in need of assistance following heavy rains that hit different parts of Kigali city last Saturday claiming the death of six people. Now, MTN Rwanda has come to their rescue with a donation of iron sheets and nails to rebuild their houses.
According to the officials, Gasabo district was the hit hardest with 129 households in critical need of assistance while Nyarugenge reported 53 homeless, and 6 in Kicukiro.
Fidel Ndayisaba, the mayor of Kigali city, described the rain as one of the most disastrous events the city has had over the years. “It’s very painful to record six deaths in such a short time,” the mayor said.
Reports indicated that the downpour that hit city washed away city residents’ properties worth millions, though the city authorities say they have not yet conducted a damage assessment to know the exact value of the loss. But Ndayisaba confirms that 915 households have been affected with 452 in Nyarugenge, 321 in Gasabo and 142 in Kicukiro districts.
In addition, there was seriousdamage to basic infrastructure such as roads, public lighting, electrical cables and trees for beautification.
“We are working with the central government to see how to help these people who suffered from the downpour,” said Ndayisaba, adding that local communities and security bodies provided basic support to the victims by providing them with temporal accommodation and cleaning the city among others.
The mayor was speaking to journalists on Wednesday while receiving significant support provided by MTN Rwanda. “You are the first ones to intervene, so we are grateful for that,” Ndayisaba told staff of the telecom company.
The mobile phone and internet provider gave out 1800 iron sheets and nails worth Frw 10 million to support the households that became homeless following the downpour.
“We feel that we are responsible when there is such an issue,” pointed out Khaled Mikkawi, the CEO of MTN, mentioning that they have a commitment to allocate 1% of their net profit to corporate social responsibility every year.

US donates $3.6m to help DRC refugees

http://www.newtimes.co.rw/news/index.php?i=15283&a=64443
The US government has donated $3.6m (about Rwf2.2b) toward improving the living conditions of Congolese refugees in Rwanda.

The US Ambassador to Rwanda, Donald Koran, handed over the donation to the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) after touring Nkamira transit centre in Rubavu district, yesterday.

Koran said his Pentagon appreciates Rwanda’s commitment to finding a peaceful solution to the crisis in DR Congo.

“We recognise the tremendous support that Rwanda gives to UNHCR and the refugee populations it hosts. We appreciate its willingness to share the burden with the international community,” he said.

The donation is to improve and expand facilities and services for refugees.

“The recent increase of refugees underscores the need to renew our support in a timely manner,” the envoy said.

Since the outbreak of violence that followed a mutiny in April last year, some 29,000 Congolese, mostly women and children, have sought refuge in Rwanda, .

Neimah Warsame, the UNHCR Country Representative, said her organisation has financial constraints.

Contact email: sam.nkurunziza[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

Regional treaty on wildlife conservation in pipeline

Some of the regional officials who participated in the meeting pose for photo. The New Times/ S. Nkurunziza.
A partnership treaty between the three countries sharing the Virunga Massif, the home of rare Mountain Gorillas, will soon be signed by respective authorities.

Officials said the agreement that will be signed between Rwanda, Uganda and DR Congo would foster coordination and collaboration in conserving wildlife.

This is one of the priorities in line with an action plan under a grant worth $5m (Rwf3.2b) from the Dutch government through the Greater Virunga Transboundary Collaboration (GVTC).

During a consultative meeting in Karongi district on Monday, relevant authorities committed to further strengthen partnerships with their respective communities.

“We gathered as field staff officials so as to plan on how to effectively utilize the new grant to support our conservation efforts,” said Teddy Musabe, the GVTC Deputy Executive Secretary.

Other priority activities include water distribution and management among the populace in the vicinity of the national park.

Musabe emphasised the need to speed up the treaty process which will culminate into a Memorandum of Understanding on trans-boundary gorilla tourism between the three countries.

Chief park wardens drawn from the three countries echoed their commitment to strengthen the trans-boundary collaboration in conserving the Greater Virunga landscape, a network of contiguous national parks bordering Rwanda, Uganda and DR Congo.

“It is of vital importance to plan based on field needs,” said Moses Olinga, the chief warden in Semuliki National Park in Uganda.

Dr Cosma Wilungula, the chairperson of GVTC Board and Director General of Congolese Institute for Nature Conservation, pointed out the need to overcome the political instability in his country.

Statistics from the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) indicate that, last year, the tourism sector generated $281.8m (about Rwf178b) in revenue.

The signing of a partnership treaty would be the latest strategy to coordinate joint conservation efforts in the park.

Under the arrangement, a team of conservation managers, including park wardens, would frequently conduct field assessment. The team also would share basic intelligence information.

Contact email: sam.nkurunziza[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

 

 

New faces in the Cabinet: Who is who

Prof. Silas Lwakabamba, Oda Gasinzigwa, Amb. Claver Gatete, Dr Anita Asiimwe, and Evode Imena.
Oda Gasinzigwa – Minister of Family and Gender Promotion in the Office of the Prime Minister.

Born on 1, August 1966, she attained her Bachelor’s Degree in Local Government.

Administration from the Institute of Development Management in Ruzube, Tanzania. She holds a Master’s Degree in Gender and Development from Kigali Institute of Education. Gasinzigwa is among several champions of women emancipation in Rwanda, who have used their knowledge and skills to improve the lives of Rwanda’s women. In 2001, she was elected as Secretary of the National Women Council at Cell level. In 2004, she was elected as the Chairperson of the National Women council. She was in 2008 appointed the Chief Gender Monitoring Officer—a position she has held until her appointment as Minister.

Professor Silas Lwakabamba – Minister of Infrastructure

Born and educated in Tanzania, Professor Silas Lwakabamba went to the University of Leeds in the UK for his training in Engineering. After graduating with a BSc (1971) and a PhD (1975) in Mechanical Engineering, he returned to Tanzania to join the staff of the Faculty of Engineering, which had just started at the University of Dar es Salaam. He progressed rapidly through the ranks and attained his professorship in 1981.
He gained managerial experience along the way. He became Head of Department, Associate Dean, and eventually Dean of the Faculty of Engineering. In 1985, Professor Lwakabamba joined the UN- sponsored African Regional Centre for Engineering Design and Manufacturing (ARCEDEM) based in Nigeria, as a founding Director of Training and Extension Services.
He became the founding Rector of Rwanda’s Kigali Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) in 1997, and, in 2006, he was appointed the Rector of the National University of Rwanda, the largest public institution of higher learning in the country, a position he occupied until his appointment as Minister of Infrastructure. Prof.
Lwakabamba has been a member of several National, Sub-regional and International boards and committees. He has recently completed his term as the member of the Executive Board of UNESCO and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the African Virtual University (AVU) and a member of various national commissions and steering committees on economic affairs, information and communication technology, human resource development and higher education.
In 2008, he was named as the Co-chair of the Advisory Board of the US Africa Higher Education Initiative. He has also been recently named the Chairman of the Governing Board of the Inter-University Council of East Africa.

Evode Imena – Minister of State in the Ministry of Natural Resources in charge of Mining

Imena has been working in the same ministry for the last four years where he was heading the Mineral exploration Unit within the Geology and Mines Department in the same Ministry and also worked as a  geologist with the Geology and Mines Authority. He holds a Masters degree in Geology from a  Moroccan university.

Séraphine Mukantabana – Minister for Refugees and Disaster Management

Mukantabana is commonly known to have headed Rwandan refugee community in Congo – Brazaville. She voluntarily returned home on August 05, 2011. Until yesterday, she was a commissioner in the Rwanda Demobilisation and Reintegration Commission. But prior to that she worked as an in-charge of refugee projects and repatriation in the Ministry that she now heads. Upon her arrival, Mukantabana, a former secondary school teacher, noted that she had spent 17 years as a refugee but had gained nothing even if she was the leader of refugee community since 1997. “I left Rwanda in 1994 when the country was politically unstable and I only realised recently that I had to come back because the country is now secure. There is no need of being a refugee,” she said. “I cried with happiness when I landed at kigali International Airport. A refugee is ever suffering. You can have money and all the riches, but you will never get the satisfaction one gets while at home,” she said in 2011 upon her arrival.

Amb. Claver Gatete – Minister of Finance and Economic Planning

Born in Uganda in 1962, Amb Gatete completed his undergraduate degree in 1991 at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C., Canada; specialising in Agricultural Economics. He pursued the same course at the same University at Masters level and graduated in 1993. Prior to his appointment as the Minister of Finance, Gatete served as the Governor of the National Bank of Rwanda from May 2011. Gatete was the deputy governor of BNR from December 2009. He joined the National Bank of Rwanda from United Kingdom where he was Rwanda’s Ambassador to the UK, Ireland and Iceland, a position he held from November 2005 to December 2009. From November 2003 to September 2005, Amb. Gatete was the Secretary General and Secretary to the Treasury in the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning. Before joining the Office of the President as the President’s representative to Nepad in October 2001, he worked with United Nations Development Programme  – Kigali-Rwanda, between 1997 and 2000 as the National Economist. Upon com
pletion of his undergraduate and Post Graduate studies, Amb. Gatete worked in Canada as an Economist between 1991 and 1997; Agriculture and Agri-food Canada, Statistics Canada, University of British Columbia and Algonquin College. He has held various positions at Key Boards of Directors including RRA, School of Finance and Banking, member of the Board of the National Bank of Rwanda, National Privatisation Technical Committee as Chairman, and Community Development Fund as Vice-Chairman.

Dr Anita Asiimwe – Health State minister in-charge of Public Health and Primary Healthcare

Anita Asiimwe is a specialist in public health strategies, tackling the HIV/AIDS epidemic and other health conditions. A medical doctor by profession, she holds a Master’s degree in Public Health from Dundee University (UK). Prior to her appointment on Monday, Dr. Asiimwe was the Deputy Director General of the Rwanda Biomedical Center and Head of the Institute of HIV, Disease Prevention and Control (IHDPC) where she was the overall coordinator of the national response to all disease conditions.
While she was the Executive Secretary of the Rwanda National AIDS Control Commission, Dr. Asiimwe was also an overseer of the Global Fund Projects Monitoring Unit in Rwanda. Prior to this, she served as the Deputy Director General of TRACPlus, the Director of HIV/ AIDS and IST’s Unit at TRACPlus, and the advisor to the State Minister in charge of HIV/ AIDS and other epidemics in the Ministry of Health, among other responsibilities. Dr. Asiimwe is presently a member of the Eastern and Southern Africa region’s high-level task force for women, girls, gender equality, and HIV.
During Rwanda’s Chairmanship of the Great Lakes Initiative on AIDS (GLIA), she chaired the GLIA Executive Committee, composed of the Heads of National AIDS Control Commissions of Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda.
She is also a research scientist, and the principal investigator for several studies of the Rwandan HIV/AIDS programme.

 

 

World Bank boosts energy programme with US$60m

Turk and Amb. Gatete after the signing ceremony yesterday. The New Times/ Timothy Kisambira.
The World Bank yesterday signed a financing agreement with Rwanda, which will see the global bank boosting the country’s energy rollout programme with $60 million (approx Rwf38bn).

The money is an additional financing loan agreement under the International Development Association (IDA) and will go to the Electricity Access Roll-out Programme (EARP).

The 30-year loan agreement was signed between the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Amb. Claver Gatete and Carolyn Turk, the World Bank country manager.

“The agreement will avail the $60 million to bridge the financing required to maintain EARP’s momentum as the Government of Rwanda continues to mobilise additional resources to scale up household connections,” said Gatete.

Government plans to have connected at least 70 per cent of the country’s households to the national power grid.

About $45 million of the World Bank grant is allocated for improving the general national grid roll-out while $5m will go to green connections, which involves supporting a range of activities to scale up affordability for consumers, and promote energy efficiency and productive use, according to a statement from the ministry.

The remaining $10m is dedicated to enhancing technical assistance during the implementation of the programme. 

 “We appreciate the brave steps the Rwandan government has continued  to take in providing reliable and affordable energy to its people  and this is what has encouraged us to continue partnering with it,” Turk pointed out.

The programme will be implemented by Energy, Water and Sanitation Authority (EWSA) and will build on the EARP phase 1 and provide connections to an additional 48,000 households over the next three and half  years.

The original programme supported by several partners, particularly the World Bank, saw USD 357 million mobilised for the   phase 1 programme. 

EARP is a multi-donor programme that has mobilised a total of US$348.2 million for the initiative since 2009.

 

Evicted residents petition President

A high-risk dwelling in Kimuhurura. The New Times/ File.
A group comprising at least 30 dwellers from Kanyinya village, Ruhango cell, in Gisozi sector, have written to the President asking him to halt their eviction from areas designated as high-risk zones without compensation.

The February 7 letter was copied to the Minister of Internal Security and that of Infrastructure as well as the Gasabo district leadership and the Rwanda Environment Management Authority (Rura).

“Authorities deliberately disregarded the lease agreement we had with government when we were given this land. We signed that agreement with Gasabo district, but we are being unfairly evicted,” the letter reads in part.

The petitioners say they were referred to the Ombudsman’s office when they went for a reply from the President. But the Permanent Secretary in the Office of the Ombudsman, Xavier Mbarubukeye, said they are yet receive the complaint.

Kigali City advised residents staying in high-risk zones to vacate for their safety, following a series of disasters.

Some of the residents say the land and property was bequeathed to them by their grandparents and they have lived there with their families for decades.

Others say they sold their land upcountry and came to buy land in Kigali many years ago, acquired land certificate from authorities and have been paying taxes and ordering them out without any compensation or even being shown where to set their new building is unfair.

Gallicane Gakuba, one of the affected residents, said: “I sold my land in Rusizi district and bought a plot here. I paid Rwf3.5m in 2003, where am I heading from here?”

“The issue of disasters is common and we understand we should evacuate. However, we don’t have where to go. In this city, you hardly have savings. It’s a hand-to-mouth life; if we leave this area we will be homeless,” said Philemon Tuyishime, another affected party. 

However, officials are adamant on compensation claims, saying the affected are vacating for their own safety and that the city has no plan to set infrastructure in the vacated areas.

 Fidele Ndayisaba, the city mayor, told a meeting last week that the residents should heed the advice and relocate.

“When we tell people to vacate in their interest, they say, ‘pay us’,” Ndayisaba told the meeting that brought together city authorities and residents from various villages.

Contact email: jmbonyinshuti[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

Victims of animals attack in Akagera Park compensated

Part of the Akagera National Park that was fenced to cut off stray wild animals from human settlements. The New Times/ File.
MORE THAN 600 farmers who were affected by stray animals from Akagera National Park were, on Tuesday, compensated for property destroyed. 

The government, through the Special Guarantee Fund, compensated Ndego sector residents affected by the animals to a tune of Rwf130 million.

Following persistent loss of crops and lives to the stray animals from the largest park in the country, government passed a compensation bill in June 2011.

The law allows compensation to persons attacked by wild animals from any gazetted national park.

According to Bernardin Ndashimye, the head of the fund, all people whose crops or other property were destroyed by the animals would be compensated, adding that people handicapped by the animals would also get reparations.

He said the issue of animal attacks would soon be history after the completion of park fencing.

“We shall compensate all the eligible claimants, particularly for their property and lives. The sick will be treated, handicapped given what they need to be mobile, etc,” he said.

No uniform pay

Reacting to victim’s dissatisfaction over what they called small amount of money, Ndayishimiye said there could not be uniform payment.

“It is human nature that people never get satisfied. We paid according to the loss one incurred. Different crops are valued differently, we pay in that line. What we can’t do is bring back the dead; otherwise our commitment can’t be over-emphasised,” he said.

Protegene Niyonzima, the Ndego sector agriculture officer, said the compensation was long overdue.

“The people living in this area have endured for long. They lost everything they planted. Some actually left the area when they could no longer feed their families,” he said. 

“We also have the handicapped that need help, the little money and the electric fencing is a big boost,” he added. 

Measly amount?

Anastase Ngiruwonsanga, a resident who suffered an attack by a hippopotamus, said the compensation for the handicapped was far too small.

“We acknowledge the compensation idea, but again the process the handicapped go through to get compensation is rather tedious. We are told to go through expensive medical examination and obtain proof. Let the government make it easy for us to go through the procedures,” Ngiruwusanga, who says he has a permanent leg injury out of the attack, said.

 Ndego sector executive secretary, Alex Bright Nsoro said the compensation process would benefit over 1,500 people.

“It is a process and registering the affected was done in phases...at least 1525 people await compensation,” he said.

Residents living in 9 sectors neighbouring Akagera Park are waiting for similar compensation.

Contact email: stephen.rwembeho[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

March 4th, 2013 | Posted by Jean-Christophe Nsanzimana

Communities not ready to own school feeding

The revised Mineduc program will target 2.5 million children. (file photo)
During a consultative two-day meeting last week, Brazilian officials explained to their Rwandan counterparts how they manage to run the school-feeding program in their country. It comes at a time when the local program, which had so far been run with assistance of the World Food Program (WFP), was supposed to have been transferred to the local communities. Yet that has been a failure.
To move to the community-owned approach, beginning in May 2011 WFP reduced its food provisions from five to three days per week, while the community was to take re­sponsibility for the two other days. According to officials at the minis­try of education, the plan was for the community’s share to increase steadi­ly, and WFP assistance to phase out by the end of 2012.
That, however, seems not to have worked due to the levels of poverty and food insecurity in the areas as­sisted by WFP. Worse, in the majority of the schools covered, children only receive food three days a week when it is provided by the UN organiza­tion, while they go hungry the other days.
In Bugesera, students even boycot­ted primary school after the WFP had closed shop there and the community was unable to sustain it.

Advantages of school feeding

The promise of at least one nutri­tious meal each school day boosts enrolment and promotes regular attendance. It motivates parents to send their children to school instead of keeping them at home to work or care for siblings.
Not going to school on an empty stomach also helps students to concentrate better on their lessons, and ensures improved nutrition for children from poor families who cannot always offer them a bal­anced diet.
According to the Mineduc perma­nent secretary, Sharon Haba, on 308 schools assisted by WFP, only ten successfully managed to continue offering meals three days per week with the help of the local communi­ty, while 110 have been partially suc­cessful and the rest has failed. “The greatest challenges are faced in dis­tricts of highest food insecurity and poverty,” Haba says, adding North­ern and Westernern provinces are the worst.
The WFP program is now only remaining in Nyaruguru and Nya­magabe districts.
For Haba, there are several rea­sons for this failure. First, the most unsuccessful districts are the ones with a majority of the households affected by malnourishment. Thos are districts like Nyabihu, Rutsiro, Karongi, Nyamasheke and Rusizi of the Western province, and parts of Nyamagabe and Nyaruguru districts located in the South. In all of those parts of the country, a number of 33 to 43 percent of the households have unacceptable food consumption. Haba observes that nationally 43.4% of children under five are stunted, most of them from poorer families. Topping the list in this respect are districts like Burera and Gakenke of the Northern part of the country and Ngororero of the West.
In all the above districts, it was found hard for the community to pro­vide school feeding.
One cup of milk
The school feeding program has various components. There is the one-cup-of-milk-per-child program carried out twice a week and which targets more than 100 nurseries and primary schools countrywide (assist­ed by Minagri). Secondly, there are the actual meals served in 308 schools assisted by WFP on three days. In ad­dition, in more than 1,100 secondary boarding schools pupils’s obviously also receive meals.
“It has contributed to substantial achievements in education with in­creased enrollment, attendance, and achievement, all of which, if not sus­tained, could be ruined,” Haba points out.
Ryan Anderson, program officer at WFP Rwanda, says that there is also the issue of the cost of the school feed­ing. In the one-cup-of-milk program, the cost per child per day is Frw 409. Meals in boarding schools cost Frw 122 per piece, 66% of which is paid by Mineduc and 34% by parents. The meals provided in the WFP-assisted program have the same price.
“If the communities can’t find such amounts, surely it will be hard for them to own the program. Consider­ing the cost per meal, many Rwandan families upcountry can’t afford it, as they also have a lot of other issues to deal with, all on a very tight budget,” Anderson observes.
Now, Mineduc is trying to mend the program. According to its di­rector of planning, Dr Erasme Rwa­namiza, the program has targeted districts and assessed their vulner­ability capacity to assist the school feeding. The top-5 most vulnerable districts in this respect are mostly in Western Province with Ngororero, Rutsiro, Karongi and Rusizi, plus Gakenke (North). Nyamagabe, Gis­agara, Bugesera, Nyanza and Nyabi­hu districts are also among the most vulnerable (second level).
“Communities are the first ben­eficiaries of the program. By owning it, they’ll get to understand its real importance. We want them to be re­sponsible of their children’s growth and education,” Rwanamiza says. “Knowing their resources and abil­ity to own the program, we still want them to be involved at least by fol­lowing up. Those with the means will have to assist.”
He also proposes that this be exam­ined in parents’ committees in order to known in precisely who is able to assist and who is not. “Meanwhile, Mineduc and partners will pilot the program.”
At the beginning, the program will target nursery to P6 levels, compris­ing some 2.5 million children. “We’ll use all the means possible,” the PS says.

 

 

Govt unveils document tracking system

Ndayisaba (L) and Nsengimana listen to a presentation The New Times/ Timothy Kisambira.
The government yesterday launched a document tracking system that would enable quick access of official documents digitally and reduce use of paperwork among government agencies.
How it works

When a document is received, it is scanned and stored in a system. The person who stores it refers it to the concerned personnel who are supposed to receive or work on that document. The receipt of the document
A Document Management System (DMS), dubbed ‘e-mboni’, is a computer system used to track and store documents electronically. It is usually also capable of keeping track of the different versions modified by different users.

City of Kigali is the first beneficiary of the system which will cost the government about $1 million (Rwf 6.3 billion) to purchase the technology.

Speaking at the launch, the Minister of Youth and ICT, Jean-Philbert Nsengimana, said e-mboni system will contribute in time management as well as reduce the use of papers. It’s also a foundation of other platforms while delivering better services, he said.

Nsengimana added that the system will improve the inter and intra governmental efficiencies ultimately geared to serving Rwandans in an efficient and effective manner.

“The advantage of the system is that it is flexible and mobile. One can work from wherever they are,” he said. “The system is customised in a way that a document can be tracked where it is and know who is handling it at that particular moment.”

Agencies connected to the network are interlinked through the fibre optic cable. The minister pointed out that the system is secure from being hacked since information stored is highly encrypted and that it can’t breakdown because of internet failure since its connected to the metropolitan local network.

Increase visibility 

Prime Minister Pierre Damien Habumuremyi recently announced that government spending on logistics like paper will be reduced by 25 per cent from Rwf2.5 billion to Rwf 1.8 billion saving approximately Rwf 650 million.

The Deputy CEO of Rwanda Development Board (RDB) in charge of Information Technology, Patrick Nyirishema, pointed out that the system is currently deployed in all districts, central and local government offices but only operational in the City of Kigali and five ministries.

“We are training IT personnel in all agencies. This system will increase visibility within the government. This technology has the capacity to host all government agencies,” said Nyirishema.

The document tracking system is hosted by the National Data Centre and, according to Nyirishema, institutions won’t require heavy servers to store the document.

“By June, this year, we want to have this system rolled out in all government agencies across the country and by 2014, we want it to be fully functional,” said Nyirishema.

The Mayor of Kigali City Fidele Ndayisaba said that, “e-mboni has come at a time when we actually needed it. We are already using it and the impact is that several services are being offered effectively using less papers and saving time. Files are more secure and are directed to the rightful handler.”

Contact email: edwin.musoni[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

Prisons food supplier shuts down over unpaid debts

Harelimana (L) serves packed food to Huye Prison inmates in July last year. The New Times/ File.
THE RWANDA Agribusiness Limited (RABI Ltd), the firm contracted to supply cooked food to correctional facilities, has closed its doors, citing alleged accumulated unpaid bills by the Rwanda Correctional Services (RCS).

According to officials, more than Rwf500m has accumulated in arrears for food supplied to inmates incarcerated at Huye and Nyamagabe prisons between July 2012 and January this year.

RABI Ltd claims it has been struggling to keep operations, forcing management to call for a  temporary suspension of meal supply.

Jean Claude Umwizerwa, RABI’s director of administration, told this paper that the move was inevitable.

“We were running out of money and we were not being paid. Our capacity to continue operating had really been overstretched,” Umwizerwa said. “It has been about seven months that we had been supplying food to the correctional facilities without pay. We have been engaging the client (RCS) and they just give us promises.”

About 85 full and part-time employees have been affected by the decision to close the factory, Umwizerwa said.

Also affected are three local farmers’ cooperatives and many businesspersons, who had been delivering supplies to the Huye-based plant.

Umwizerwa said apart from halting their operations, the payment delays mean they will not be able to timely service a loan and also face penalties for not paying taxes on time.

Since last July, RABI Ltd was hired to feed prisoners and the programme started with Huye and Nyamagabe prisons in its pilot phase, but it was due to expand to correctional facilities countrywide.

Launching the programme last year, officials said the decision to feed inmates on outsourced ready-cooked food was reached as a way of reducing costs incurred in preparing food for the prisoners.

At the occasion, Internal Security minister Sheik Moussa Fazil Harelimana said the programme would help government save an estimated Rwf2b annually and promote the welfare of inmates.

Procedural verification

RCS Commissioner General Paul Rwarakabije said government still recognises the benefits of feeding inmates on outsourced food.

He attributed the delays in clearing the bills to “ongoing verification by the Ministry of Finance,” which is looking into whether the tender award procedure followed the law before the money is released.

Rwarakabije said RABI Ltd was awarded the tender through single source procedure, mainly because it is the sole producer of processed food in the country.

“The process through which we went [to award the tender] is legal, but there have been suspicion over it. The verification modalities delayed, resulting into delays of payment,” Rwarakabije said.

He assured the issue of payment would soon be resolved.

“It is just an issue of time and, once the verification is complete, they will receive their money and we shall resume the supply.”

Concerns

Valens Munyabagisha, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Internal Security, the overseer of RCS, told this paper that his ministry is following up the issue to ensure it is resolved without further delays.

He said revisiting the contract would still help to meet the cuts on the cost involved in feeding inmates, including the expenses met in obtaining firewood, water and other requirements to prepare food for the prisoners.

“All parties are doing their best to ensure that the programme (to feed prisoners on outsourced food) restarts soon,” Munyabagisha said.

Workers wary

Meanwhile, RABI’s employees have said they are concerned over their future following the decision to temporarily halt the factory’s operations. A number of them told The New Times that the news of the closure, which they labelled sudden and abrupt, came with shock and dismay.

Emmanuel Tuyishime, a machine operator, said the lives of families whose survival depended on the factory would be affected.

“Many residents and the workers’ relatives depended in various ways on the factory. Now that it has closed, surviving will be somehow difficult,” Tuyishime said.

“We have been told we cannot receive salaries while the factory is not functioning. Surviving is now a challenge.”

Contact email: jean. bucyensenge[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

Rwamagana teacher remanded over wife’s murder

The Rwamagana Primary Court, yesterday, remanded a teacher to Nsinda Prison for 30 days for allegedly murdering his wife.

Charles Ngabirwe is accused of killing Denise Mukamunana last month. The couple, who had five children, lived in Kigega village, Nyagasenyi cell in Kigabiro sector.

Prosecution alleges that Ngabirwe, an English teacher at Rwamagana Islamic School, murdered his wife and tried to pass it over as diabetes. The deceased, the court heard, had a fit of diabetes at the time she breathed her last.

A post-mortem report presented to the court showed that the body had internal injuries, bleeding and cuts.

Ngabirwe was alleged to have beaten his wife at 3pm, and death was said to have been caused by serious bodily injuries.

Odette Mudahana, the deceased’s sister, said Mukamunana was constantly beaten by the husband, adding that they had separated many times as a result.

Jean Marie Vianney Kalisa, a village leader, echoed Mudahana’s accusations,  saying the man had been black-listed for domestic violence. 

Ngabirwe, however, denies the charges and claims they are trumped up by his enemies within the deceased’s family.

Meanwhile, an issue of custody of the five children emerged following the death of their mother and the arrest of their father.

According to neighbours, the children were reluctant to go to the father’s relatives, accusing him of killing their mother, while maternal relatives also don’t want to parent children whose father killed their daughter.

Currently at a maternal relative, the children are all below 15.

Contact email: stephen.rwembeho[at]newtimes.co.rw

High risk zone dwellers given new eviction ultimatum

Minister Musoni (L) talks to Ndayisaba after yesterday’s meeting. The New Times/John Mbanda.
Kigali city officials have once again ordered people residing in areas regarded as high risk zones not to stick to demands for compensation, but vacate the places following the City instructions.

The ultimatum which gives residents until April to vacate was announced during the Kigali City General Assembly yesterday.

Those affected include over 216 families living in flood prone areas of Nyamabuye, Nyamugali and Karuruma cells in Gatsata, and 44 households of Kimihurura Sector, living in a place commonly known as Kosovo.

The move by Gasabo district to evict over 216 families from flood prone areas has previously met resistance.

The district has ruled out the possibility of compensation for residents, saying it’s for their safety from possible disasters that they are being asked to move since they settled in high risk zone. 

Apart from needy people who will be sheltered through the Gasabo district budget, the rest are supposed to take care of their own relocation to a place of their choice.

Likewise, a number of residents of Kimihurura Sector who talked to The New Times last week said they were not ready to leave their dwellings without compensation.

“I was born here. How come the authorities can tell me to destroy all my properties then go with nothing,” Jacqueline Faida, 65, told The New Times.

She claimed she has six houses worth Rwf100m.

She said she does not oppose the Government’s plan, instead  she requests for compensation as it is done for others.

Must leave 

“I have been living here for five years. I came from Cyangugu after selling my properties, then bought and renovated these two houses  worth now  Rwf 40m. Telling me to destroy them then go without being compensated, is akin to killing my family,” Vestine Nyirantwari, 39, and a mother of five told The New Times.

But Fidele Ndayisaba, the Kigali City mayor told the Assembly that the residents should heed the advice and relocate.

“When we tell people to vacate in their interest, they say, ‘pay us’,” Ndayisaba, told the Assembly.

“People living where the City plans to put up infrastructure, such as hospitals, schools, and so on, are normally compensated, but for those who settled in dangerous areas, have to relocate.” 

Regular rainfall should be expected from March through May, the Rwanda Meteorological Agency (RMA) warned last Tuesday.

Ndayisaba urged those with means to vacate to safe places to prevent their families from any disasters. 

He told people not to feel like they are being forced to vacate and instead consider the possible cost of their indifference.

He blamed some of the leaders who do not stop people from building in high risk zones.

Besides fighting the mess in building and the evacuation of people in high risk zones, the Mayor of Kigali called upon participants to take care of the built infrastructure, leaders to interact with residents, and ensure speedy services.

The Minister of Local Government, James Musoni, thanked the Kigali City officials for having been the first to think of such a kind of meeting to discuss and have a common understanding on a variety of things.

“The culture of excellence should be the objective of all of you in different innovations based on the opportunities found in your respective areas to fight poverty, then increase the income,” Musoni noted.

Central government support 

He promised the Central Government will support the City in its development related projects.

The Minister also has previously ruled out compensation for the affected residents, saying the eviction was for their own good. 

According to minister Musoni, so far, over 10,000 people have moved from high risk areas countrywide to better locations since June last year.

However, Angelique Kayitesi, a Kigali lawyer says, “Citizens should not be evicted without being compensated. Normally, their properties should be valuated, paid, then given one month for the preparation.”

MP Desire Nyandwi, the deputy chairman of the Parliamentary  standing committee on Agriculture, Environment and Livestock argues that residents who settled in areas in question before the current law came into force and have land titles have right to compensation.

Nyandwi referred to the 2005 Law on Environment, according to which the government gives a-two-year grace period to people who live in wetlands and slopes to leave. After this time, the government can use the same law and force them to relocate.

Contact email: editorial[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

Kigali City residents bemoan KCC policies

Some of the policies lately being established and implemented by the Kigali City Council haven’t been well-received by the public.

They include billboard vetting, whereby all content for billboards in Kigali must be approved by the city authorities prior to being put out for public consumption; and the noise pollution regulation, whereby it’s a requirement for bars, churches, and event organisers to fit sound-proof equipment.

These policies received a lot of negative feedback alleging that the City Council doesn’t involve the public in making these decisions or in their establishment.

With the billboard vetting policy, the mayor of Kigali, Fidele Ndayisaba, said every message to be posted on a billboard shall be subject to approval by the City of Kigali.

This directive raised lots of concerns from the public some of whom thought it would hinder Rwanda’s business environment by causing delays while others thought it was an unnecessary move since there are no indecent billboards and Rwandans in their right state of minds would never put up an indecent billboard.

Another was the noise pollution regulation. The guidelines recommended fines for noise pollution and hotlines for all the districts in Kigali, which residents can call to report noise pollution in their neighborhoods. Offenders risk a fine of up to Rwf100,000.

Joseph Kayibanda who deals in hardware business, said that Rwandans should be treated like mature people without necessarily having KCC imposing policies and rules as if they are dealing with minors who shouldn’t have a say in decisions made.

He especially criticized the policy of flower pots at the front of every shop. All shops are supposed to have flower pots in front of them, a policy that was established in 2011.

“We are struggling with paying taxes which are high on top of that they are asking us to buy flower pots which cost between Rwf 15,000 to 20,000.Not all of us love flowers,” he said. “Every time I see these flower pots in front of my shop, I feel like it’s making my shop ugly because I would prefer something more artistic other than a flower pot but then I also can’t have two decorations at my door.”

Kayibanda says business owners should be given a choice to decide what they want to do and don’t want.

“They shouldn’t just enforce and impose such policies without first consulting with us and getting our ideas,” he said.

Last week, during an inspection, a few shops were locked up because of not having flower pots outside their shops.

WinnieMbabazi who runs a coffee shop in Remera, noted that some of the policies require involvement of the public since they are the ones who are affected. She also noted that policies that sprout every so often might be a hindrance to Rwanda’s business climate thus discouraging investors, although she stressed public involvement as the solution.

“Most or even all of these policies are for the good of the nation, but once KCC just enforces them without enough involvement of the public and sensitization, they are bound to be received negatively at their implementation,” she said.

Mbabazi called upon authorities to always involve the public and sensitize them on all the policies to be implemented. She added that the directives issued should be business friendly other than being business barriers.

The Public Relations and Communication Expert at the City of Kigali, Bruno Rangira, said that public involvement has been part of the policies.

He stated that the mayor meets with members of the public every Wednesday and discusses different issues with them thus involving people before implementing policies.

“KCC also has Councillors who represent the public and always discuss public opinion on different issues before policies are implemented. The investors’ forum and professionals are also engaged. We discuss with various forums that represent different categories of the public before we enforce or implement anything,” Rangira said.

He observed that every change or new policy always receives resistance and criticism and that not everybody can embrace change. He however added that KCC shall continue to engage the public in discussing all the policies that are bound to be implemented.

Contact email: maria.kaitesi[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

 

Researchers urged to disseminate their findings

RESEARCHERS have been urged to actively take part in disseminating their findings and putting them to good use so as to impact communities.

Karrine Sanders, the programmes manager for the association of Commonwealth universities on Developing Research Uptake in Sub-Saharan Africa (DRUSSA), said there is need to shift from the traditional way of doing research to a more pro-active one which involves ensuring that researches benefit communities.

“Often researches stay on library shelves and do not get to where they should. Traditionally—and this applies to all universities around the globe – the emphasis has very much been placed on getting research articles into a journal,” Sanders said.

“But emphasis is no longer on how much research you have done, but how that research made a difference,” she added.

Sanders was speaking, Thursday, after the official launch of the DRUSSA programme at the National University of Rwanda.

The Huye-based university is one of the 24 in sub-Saharan Africa participating in the DRUSSA programme. Kigali Health Institute is the other local higher learning institutions supported by the programme.

Research uptake involves putting in place the right people, the right systems and right processes within universities to ensure that research  makes certain difference in the community and the policy of the government that they are working in, according to Sanders.

Prof. Umaru Garba Wali, a senior lecturer and researcher at NUR, said, “We have to rethink and redirect our research in such a way that the ultimate benefit of what we are doing go to the society – the Rwandan, African and global society.”

Contact email: jean.bucyensenge[at]newtimes.co.rw
 

REMA, private sector partner in conservation

Namara (L) and Mukankomeje exchange the MoU. The New Times/ T. Kisambira.
The Rwanda Environment Management Authority (Rema) and Private Sector Federation have agreed to work togethr to address  environmental degradation.

Rose Mukankomeje, the director-general of Rema, said this Thursday after signing a Memorandum of Understanding with Hannington  Namara, the chief executive officer of Private Sector Federation (PSF), to establish long-term collaboration in a range of issues.

“Capacity building, sharing information and including environmental preservation in Private Sector Federation plans are the main purpose of this agreement,” said Namara.

The pact seeks to enhance protection and promotion of environmental conservation among the business community to ensure a cleaner and healthy environment.

The understanding will also help in conducting awareness campaigns as well as inspection of environmental laws.

Many members of the private sector this paper talked to confessed they are not conversant with environmental laws.

Claude Munyaneza, a businessman in Gikondo, said apart from being told not to pack goods in plastic bags, he knows nothing about the law.

His colleague Bosco Bahati also confessed to similar ignorance and welcomed efforts geared toward creating public awareness.

Namara said they will disseminate information through 72 associations of business operators the private sector works with across the country using various medium.

 

Remera Sector Residents Given 2 weeks to Leave Wetland 
Published on 1-03-2013 - at 03:44' by Dusabemungu Ange De La Victoire
http://en.igihe.com/news/remera-sector-residents-given-2-weaks-to-leave.html
Residents of Kangondo II in Nyarutarama Cell of Remera Sector in Gasabo district are protesting against their expropriation without compensation.
Gasabo District has directed the residents to relocate within two weeks as a measure to protect environment and ensuring their safety of residents living in areas prone to disasters.
Residents said they will not relocate until they are paid for their properties.
District officials said that residents should forget about compensation funds because they settled in this area without adhering to legal procedures.
Residents agree that protecting the environment is something worth but requesting money so they can buy somewhere else to live.
The Mayor of Gasabo District, Ndizeye Willy said that affected families were aware that they had settled in a wetland adding that they should relocate.
However, save those who have legally settled in the area will get compensation.

 

February 27th, 2013 | Posted by Eric Didier Karinganire
Downpour victims get relief from MTN
http://focus.rw/wp/2013/02/downpour-victims-get-relief-from-mtn/

Khaled Mikkawi, CEO of MTN Rwanda handing over iron sheets to Kigali mayor Fidel Ndayisaba (photo Farouk Kaweesi)
At least 188 households remain in need of assistance following heavy rains that hit different parts of Kigali city last Saturday claiming the death of six people. Now, MTN Rwanda has come to their rescue with a donation of iron sheets and nails to rebuild their houses.
According to the officials, Gasabo district was the hit hardest with 129 households in critical need of assistance while Nyarugenge reported 53 homeless, and 6 in Kicukiro.
Fidel Ndayisaba, the mayor of Kigali city, described the rain as one of the most disastrous events the city has had over the years. “It’s very painful to record six deaths in such a short time,” the mayor said.
Reports indicated that the downpour that hit city washed away city residents’ properties worth millions, though the city authorities say they have not yet conducted a damage assessment to know the exact value of the loss. But Ndayisaba confirms that 915 households have been affected with 452 in Nyarugenge, 321 in Gasabo and 142 in Kicukiro districts.
In addition, there was seriousdamage to basic infrastructure such as roads, public lighting, electrical cables and trees for beautification.
“We are working with the central government to see how to help these people who suffered from the downpour,” said Ndayisaba, adding that local communities and security bodies provided basic support to the victims by providing them with temporal accommodation and cleaning the city among others.
The mayor was speaking to journalists on Wednesday while receiving significant support provided by MTN Rwanda. “You are the first ones to intervene, so we are grateful for that,” Ndayisaba told staff of the telecom company.
The mobile phone and internet provider gave out 1800 iron sheets and nails worth Frw 10 million to support the households that became homeless following the downpour.
“We feel that we are responsible when there is such an issue,” pointed out Khaled Mikkawi, the CEO of MTN, mentioning that they have a commitment to allocate 1% of their net profit to corporate social responsibility every year.

US donates $3.6m to help DRC refugees

http://www.newtimes.co.rw/news/index.php?i=15283&a=64443
The US government has donated $3.6m (about Rwf2.2b) toward improving the living conditions of Congolese refugees in Rwanda.

The US Ambassador to Rwanda, Donald Koran, handed over the donation to the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) after touring Nkamira transit centre in Rubavu district, yesterday.

Koran said his Pentagon appreciates Rwanda’s commitment to finding a peaceful solution to the crisis in DR Congo.

“We recognise the tremendous support that Rwanda gives to UNHCR and the refugee populations it hosts. We appreciate its willingness to share the burden with the international community,” he said.

The donation is to improve and expand facilities and services for refugees.

“The recent increase of refugees underscores the need to renew our support in a timely manner,” the envoy said.

Since the outbreak of violence that followed a mutiny in April last year, some 29,000 Congolese, mostly women and children, have sought refuge in Rwanda, .

Neimah Warsame, the UNHCR Country Representative, said her organisation has financial constraints.

Contact email: sam.nkurunziza[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

Regional treaty on wildlife conservation in pipeline

Some of the regional officials who participated in the meeting pose for photo. The New Times/ S. Nkurunziza.
A partnership treaty between the three countries sharing the Virunga Massif, the home of rare Mountain Gorillas, will soon be signed by respective authorities.

Officials said the agreement that will be signed between Rwanda, Uganda and DR Congo would foster coordination and collaboration in conserving wildlife.

This is one of the priorities in line with an action plan under a grant worth $5m (Rwf3.2b) from the Dutch government through the Greater Virunga Transboundary Collaboration (GVTC).

During a consultative meeting in Karongi district on Monday, relevant authorities committed to further strengthen partnerships with their respective communities.

“We gathered as field staff officials so as to plan on how to effectively utilize the new grant to support our conservation efforts,” said Teddy Musabe, the GVTC Deputy Executive Secretary.

Other priority activities include water distribution and management among the populace in the vicinity of the national park.

Musabe emphasised the need to speed up the treaty process which will culminate into a Memorandum of Understanding on trans-boundary gorilla tourism between the three countries.

Chief park wardens drawn from the three countries echoed their commitment to strengthen the trans-boundary collaboration in conserving the Greater Virunga landscape, a network of contiguous national parks bordering Rwanda, Uganda and DR Congo.

“It is of vital importance to plan based on field needs,” said Moses Olinga, the chief warden in Semuliki National Park in Uganda.

Dr Cosma Wilungula, the chairperson of GVTC Board and Director General of Congolese Institute for Nature Conservation, pointed out the need to overcome the political instability in his country.

Statistics from the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) indicate that, last year, the tourism sector generated $281.8m (about Rwf178b) in revenue.

The signing of a partnership treaty would be the latest strategy to coordinate joint conservation efforts in the park.

Under the arrangement, a team of conservation managers, including park wardens, would frequently conduct field assessment. The team also would share basic intelligence information.

Contact email: sam.nkurunziza[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

 

 

New faces in the Cabinet: Who is who

Prof. Silas Lwakabamba, Oda Gasinzigwa, Amb. Claver Gatete, Dr Anita Asiimwe, and Evode Imena.
Oda Gasinzigwa – Minister of Family and Gender Promotion in the Office of the Prime Minister.

Born on 1, August 1966, she attained her Bachelor’s Degree in Local Government.

Administration from the Institute of Development Management in Ruzube, Tanzania. She holds a Master’s Degree in Gender and Development from Kigali Institute of Education. Gasinzigwa is among several champions of women emancipation in Rwanda, who have used their knowledge and skills to improve the lives of Rwanda’s women. In 2001, she was elected as Secretary of the National Women Council at Cell level. In 2004, she was elected as the Chairperson of the National Women council. She was in 2008 appointed the Chief Gender Monitoring Officer—a position she has held until her appointment as Minister.

Professor Silas Lwakabamba – Minister of Infrastructure

Born and educated in Tanzania, Professor Silas Lwakabamba went to the University of Leeds in the UK for his training in Engineering. After graduating with a BSc (1971) and a PhD (1975) in Mechanical Engineering, he returned to Tanzania to join the staff of the Faculty of Engineering, which had just started at the University of Dar es Salaam. He progressed rapidly through the ranks and attained his professorship in 1981.
He gained managerial experience along the way. He became Head of Department, Associate Dean, and eventually Dean of the Faculty of Engineering. In 1985, Professor Lwakabamba joined the UN- sponsored African Regional Centre for Engineering Design and Manufacturing (ARCEDEM) based in Nigeria, as a founding Director of Training and Extension Services.
He became the founding Rector of Rwanda’s Kigali Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) in 1997, and, in 2006, he was appointed the Rector of the National University of Rwanda, the largest public institution of higher learning in the country, a position he occupied until his appointment as Minister of Infrastructure. Prof.
Lwakabamba has been a member of several National, Sub-regional and International boards and committees. He has recently completed his term as the member of the Executive Board of UNESCO and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the African Virtual University (AVU) and a member of various national commissions and steering committees on economic affairs, information and communication technology, human resource development and higher education.
In 2008, he was named as the Co-chair of the Advisory Board of the US Africa Higher Education Initiative. He has also been recently named the Chairman of the Governing Board of the Inter-University Council of East Africa.

Evode Imena – Minister of State in the Ministry of Natural Resources in charge of Mining

Imena has been working in the same ministry for the last four years where he was heading the Mineral exploration Unit within the Geology and Mines Department in the same Ministry and also worked as a  geologist with the Geology and Mines Authority. He holds a Masters degree in Geology from a  Moroccan university.

Séraphine Mukantabana – Minister for Refugees and Disaster Management

Mukantabana is commonly known to have headed Rwandan refugee community in Congo – Brazaville. She voluntarily returned home on August 05, 2011. Until yesterday, she was a commissioner in the Rwanda Demobilisation and Reintegration Commission. But prior to that she worked as an in-charge of refugee projects and repatriation in the Ministry that she now heads. Upon her arrival, Mukantabana, a former secondary school teacher, noted that she had spent 17 years as a refugee but had gained nothing even if she was the leader of refugee community since 1997. “I left Rwanda in 1994 when the country was politically unstable and I only realised recently that I had to come back because the country is now secure. There is no need of being a refugee,” she said. “I cried with happiness when I landed at kigali International Airport. A refugee is ever suffering. You can have money and all the riches, but you will never get the satisfaction one gets while at home,” she said in 2011 upon her arrival.

Amb. Claver Gatete – Minister of Finance and Economic Planning

Born in Uganda in 1962, Amb Gatete completed his undergraduate degree in 1991 at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C., Canada; specialising in Agricultural Economics. He pursued the same course at the same University at Masters level and graduated in 1993. Prior to his appointment as the Minister of Finance, Gatete served as the Governor of the National Bank of Rwanda from May 2011. Gatete was the deputy governor of BNR from December 2009. He joined the National Bank of Rwanda from United Kingdom where he was Rwanda’s Ambassador to the UK, Ireland and Iceland, a position he held from November 2005 to December 2009. From November 2003 to September 2005, Amb. Gatete was the Secretary General and Secretary to the Treasury in the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning. Before joining the Office of the President as the President’s representative to Nepad in October 2001, he worked with United Nations Development Programme  – Kigali-Rwanda, between 1997 and 2000 as the National Economist. Upon com
pletion of his undergraduate and Post Graduate studies, Amb. Gatete worked in Canada as an Economist between 1991 and 1997; Agriculture and Agri-food Canada, Statistics Canada, University of British Columbia and Algonquin College. He has held various positions at Key Boards of Directors including RRA, School of Finance and Banking, member of the Board of the National Bank of Rwanda, National Privatisation Technical Committee as Chairman, and Community Development Fund as Vice-Chairman.

Dr Anita Asiimwe – Health State minister in-charge of Public Health and Primary Healthcare

Anita Asiimwe is a specialist in public health strategies, tackling the HIV/AIDS epidemic and other health conditions. A medical doctor by profession, she holds a Master’s degree in Public Health from Dundee University (UK). Prior to her appointment on Monday, Dr. Asiimwe was the Deputy Director General of the Rwanda Biomedical Center and Head of the Institute of HIV, Disease Prevention and Control (IHDPC) where she was the overall coordinator of the national response to all disease conditions.
While she was the Executive Secretary of the Rwanda National AIDS Control Commission, Dr. Asiimwe was also an overseer of the Global Fund Projects Monitoring Unit in Rwanda. Prior to this, she served as the Deputy Director General of TRACPlus, the Director of HIV/ AIDS and IST’s Unit at TRACPlus, and the advisor to the State Minister in charge of HIV/ AIDS and other epidemics in the Ministry of Health, among other responsibilities. Dr. Asiimwe is presently a member of the Eastern and Southern Africa region’s high-level task force for women, girls, gender equality, and HIV.
During Rwanda’s Chairmanship of the Great Lakes Initiative on AIDS (GLIA), she chaired the GLIA Executive Committee, composed of the Heads of National AIDS Control Commissions of Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda.
She is also a research scientist, and the principal investigator for several studies of the Rwandan HIV/AIDS programme.

 

It is a growth-oriented reshuffle

The incoming Infrastructure Minister Prof. Lwakabamba (R), chats with Prime Minister Dr. Pierre Damien Habumuremyi at Parliament yesterday. The New Times/Timothy Kisambira.
President Paul Kagame, on Monday, shook up his cabinet, with changes that directly affected seven ministries, including Education, Infrastructure, Finance, Natural Resources and Health.

The reshuffle saw six entrants, including four ministers, namely, Prof. Silas Lwakabamba (Infrastructure), Oda Gasinzigwa (Gender and Family Promotion), Séraphine Mukantabana (Refugees and Disaster Management) and Claver Gatete of Finance and Economic Planning.

Three crucial portfolios of Minister of State were also created, namely Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), Public Health and Primary Healthcare, and Mining.

The President named Albert Nsengiyumva (formerly Minister of Infrastructure), Dr. Anita Asiimwe (formerly deputy director general, Rwanda Biomedical Center), and Evode Imena, until recently a geologist with Rwanda Natural Resources Authority, as state ministers in the newly created posts, respectively.

And former Minister of Finance, John Rwangombwa, was appointed the new Governor of the National Bank of Rwanda.

The changes saw the cabinet soar to 29 members, including 10 women, equivalent to 35 per cent – well over the constitutional minimum requirement of 30 per cent.

Whereas the vast majority of the cabinet members remain unchanged, the reshuffle is significant in many ways. The changes affected some of the most important ministries.

Take, for example, Infrastructure. The Infrastructure Ministry oversees the country’s investments in energy, perhaps the single most important resource for socio-economic development; transport of all kinds, among others.

As the country aspires for middle-income status come 2020, there is need to mobilise resources necessary to implement key infrastructural projects to help bring to fruition this aspiration.

The mega project of an international airport in Bugesera, the long-talked-about Isaka-Kigali railway line and a badly needed oil pipeline are some of the clearly laid out assignments to tackle. 

From academics to politics

These are very expensive ventures, which need a versatile, innovative leader, capable of conceiving and selling ideas to strategic partners.

Prof. Lwakabamba has largely led an academic life. But he has demonstrated high levels of performance in his previous postings, particularly as rector of the National University of Rwanda (UNR), and previously, Kist, where he’s credited for mobilising resources from within and outside the country. 

During Lwakabamba’s days at Kist, the institution improved in global university rankings, at one time overtaking UNR as Rwanda’s top ranked varsity, but the latter has since regained its position under Lwakabamba’s leadership.

We can only hope he replicates his success both at Kist and UNR at Mininfra, one of the ministries which have probably had the lowest stability (in terms of personnel) at the top level in recent years.

Lwakabamba replaces the youthful, soft-spoken Albert Nsengiyumva, who rose to the helm of Mininfra from the Workforce Development Authority (WDA) where he was the director-general. 

Nsengiyumva’s redeployment to the education sector is a strategic move that could help change Rwanda’s education setup forever. It’s a demonstration of the government’s commitment to TVET (Technical and Vocational Education and Training) as a major growth vehicle. 

Nsengiyumva, who has now held three senior positions, including two ministerial posts, in just over three years, is a hard worker and skilled performer. When he was appointed WDA director-general in January 2010, be brought a sense of purpose and urgency to the institution, and set the tone for what WDA has hitherto achieved.

TVET is a new phenomenon to Rwanda as it is with many developing countries. Nsengiyumva has a rich understanding of TVET and what it means to the country’s development.

The government wants at least 60 per cent of all A’level students to take TVET courses by 2017.

The idea is to produce graduates who are empowered with the hands-on skills that are needed on the labour market. Yet it would be difficult to realise all this without deliberate efforts at the highest level, with a clear structure and policy orientation, to shake things up and help shape a new mindset. 

New portifolios

With a new ministerial portfolio dedicated to this form of learning, coupled with the right policy decisions and investments, TVET will soon emerge out of the shadows.

Also significant is the creation of the position of a state minister for mining. Traditionally, Rwanda is known as a resource-poor country, with negligible resources underground. Nonetheless, this perception has been increasingly fading in recent years, with the mining sector emerging from near obscurity to a major foreign exchange earner, alongside tourism.

With new mineral discoveries, and several ongoing prospecting activities, most of which already showing positive signals, it is important that adequate attention be given to this sector, especially in the areas of regulatory framework, licensing, research, monitoring and contract management.

And, Imena, as a respected geologist should be in position to steer this sector, which has fetched well over US$100m annually in recent past, to greater heights.

Furthermore, the creation of the Minister of State in charge of Public Health and Primary Healthcare portfolio – under the Health docket – could not be more relevant in a country reputable for a functioning universal healthcare system. 

One would expect to see a marked improvement in the provision of quality healthcare, including through the Mutuelle de Sante scheme. 

Needless to say Dr Anita Asiimwe is no stranger to this sector and with her elevation to the new position, we can only expect her to maximise her potential and inspire a new generation of public health workers.

The changes at the Ministry of Disaster Management and Refugees (Midimar) are no less significant either. 

General Marcel Gatsinzi, one of the longest serving cabinet ministers, having previously served as Defence minister for many years, was relieved of his duties at Midimar, and replaced with Séraphine Mukantabana. The latter might not be as widely known as her predecessor, but she is by no means a newcomer in refugee matters and the ministry itself.

She was herself a refugee until August 2011, when she finally decided to return home. With just about three months to the time when the countries hosting Rwandan refugees are expected to invoke the Cessation Clause, adding impetus to the campaign to encourage voluntary repatriation could not have come at a better time.

As for the changes at both the Finance ministry and the central bank, the men that have swapped portfolios are each experienced and well versed with the operations of the respective institutions, having both worked at the top level in the country’s macro-economic setting for more than a decade.

I don’t see either the new Finance minister Claver Gatete or central bank Governor John Rwangombwa introducing drastic policy shifts, but rather continuity with a few adjustments here and there. Besides, their tasks compel them to complement each other.

And it is expected that the former chief gender monitor, Oda Gasinzigwa, now the Minister of Gender and Family Promotion, will carry forward the good work of her predecessor, the late Aloisea Inyumba. Rwanda may have made significant strides in gender equality, but if there is one person who understands the true intricacies of the remaining challenges and how to get them fixed, then it is the former chief gender monitor.

Contact email: james.munyaneza[at]newtimes.co.rw

Businesses count losses as erratic power supply takes toll

A power substation in Kigali. Three districts in Rwanda are experiencing elecricity outages.
Power outages have interrupted businesses in Nyarugenge, Kicukiro and Gasabo districts, leaving enterprises counting losses. 

Business people and residents in these districts said there have been incessant power cuts over the past several days, which are mainly experienced during the morning and evening hours.

The mostly affected businesses are office premises, Internet cafes, shops, restaurants and schools.

Jean d’arc Cyurinyana, the RTUC Restaurant manager in Kigali City, told The New Times that power was being cut without informing them.

“EWSA has been cutting electricity for over a week now. 

I have started losing clients as a result because when they ask cold drinks and coffee, I cannot provide them since I don’t have power,” she said.

“We pay our bills on time to EWSA (Energy, Water and Sanitation Authority) so they should ensure that there is power all the time,” she added.

Elisa Nsengiyumva, the manager of Alpha Studio in Remera, lamented that the cuts were hurting his earnings since he gets most of his clients in the evenings. 

“My clients come from six o’clock, but by that time, there is no power. EWSA should reconsider its electricity outage schedule. My business has been hurt and I can’t afford a generator to keep computers working,” he said.

Mark Murenzi, the director of electricity utility at EWSA, said Rwandans should understand that the country does not have enough power to meet the current demand, without rationing power.

He added that the scada  system which helps monitoring and managing the electricity network that Rwanda, Burundi and the DR Congo use to synchronise power has been experiencing problems. 

This has interrupted power transmission in the DR Congo and Burundi and, sometimes caused cascade tripping of EWSA’s system when both networks are synchronised. 

“We know an incident happened on February 23 due to the trip of 110KV income circuit in the lines feeding Kigali from Birembo and Jabana sub-stantiations. 

“This caused overload on engines and tripped both master plants in the network followed by all hydropower plants of Rukara, mukungwa and Ntaruka. More so, the heavy rain and wind of last Sunday caused trees falling on our towers and short circuit,” he explained.

According to Murenzi, this led to power outages in different places in Kigali, especially during morning and evening hours. “However, EWSA has taken measures to separate networks of south and north to avoid future system instability,” Murenzi said.

Rwanda’s grid system installed power capacity is only 110MW from all generation plants. 

The electricity network is operated separately, with the northern part of the country using a 67.57MW line, while the southern one has a 21.39MW line. About 15MW is supplied by Societe international d’electric de grand lac SINELAC.

Contact email: business[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

Access to information hampers youth contribution to development

A lad at work in a furniture workshop in Gikinjiro. Youth in the country still face many challenges in contributing to nation building. The New Times/ J. Mbanda.
The role of the youth in development and self-sustainability might be vital, but with the challenges they face, their contribution remains minimal.

A survey by the Youth Association for Human Rights Promotion and Development (YAHRPD) revealed a series of challenges impacting negatively on the lives and actions of young Rwandans.

Some 1,500 young men and women aged 14 to 35 were drawn from the 30 districts in the country to partake in the survey, according to officials.

The survey undertook to identify the issues affecting the youth in justice, finance, education, health, ICT and agriculture sectors. 

Researchers concluded that Rwandan youth face many challenges that variously impact on their contribution to nation building.

Among them are lack of access to finance or to information on good initiatives and opportunities that exist, unemployment, lack of financial capacity, drug abuse, and health issues.

The survey, carried out late last year, used both questionnaires and group discussions. The findings are set to be presented to public institutions and other stakeholders in youth issues.

Solutions at hand

The youth are considered vital to national development as they form the major part of the country’s workforce. This means the country’s success depends directly on the achievements and innovations of its young people.

The YAHRPD Executive Secretary, Enock Nkurunziza, stressed the need for the public to remain committed to solving issues affecting the youth as a way of contributing to their socio-economic development and that of the country in general.

He called upon the youth to form cooperatives and clubs that can enable them collectively seek solutions to their problems.

While presenting the findings to youth representatives from across Huye district, last weekend, Jean Baptiste Hategekimana, an official from Never Again Rwanda, said the youth have the capacity to overcome their challenges.

“The youth need to jointly work together to find solutions to the existing challenges,” Hategekimana said.

Constantin Kayitare, the in-charge of youth in Huye district, said identifying and recognising the existing challenges is one step towards addressing them.

“Such surveys give a clear picture of what really affects the youth and we get to know where to focus,” he said.

Contact email: jean.bucyensenge[at]newtimes.co.rw

Gasabo residents get clean water

Nduba residents will no longer use a borehole. The New Times/ File.
Gasabo district has unveiled a clean water project for residents of Nduba sector, worth Rwf46 million, as a part of the ongoing activities under the Good Governance Month.

It also inaugurated classrooms, a savings and credit scheme (Sacco) and roads, which were constructed by residents and local authorities.

Poor residents also received cows under the One Cow per Poor Family (Girinka) programme to fight poverty and malnutrition in Nduba sector.

Gasabo vice mayor in-charge of economic affairs Jean Claude Munara said it was a pleasure to extend water to Nduba residents.

“We recognise all hardship you went through in previous years; we are negotiating with EWSA [water and energy utility] to extend more water so you can get more of it for free,” Munara said.

Residents happy

Maria Mukamurera, a resident, told The New Times that previously they had to walk for more than three kilometres to reach the nearest water source. Even then, she said, they would have to queue for long at the water source.

“We are proud of our local leaders who brought water near us, we do not know how to thank our President for all he has done for us, and we never thought that we could get clean water,” she said.

“It was like a dream. Since I was born, we used to consume contaminated water from wells and rivers, which made us suffer from waterborne diseases,” Sylverien Ntahomvukiye, another resident, said.

Contact email: seraphine.habimana[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

February 21st, 2013 | Posted by Eric Didier Karinganire
RGB on course to harmonize civil society organizations
http://focus.rw/wp/2013/02/rgb-on-course-to-harmonize-civil-society-organizations/

Anasthase Shyaka, the CEO of RGB. (file photo)
The Rwanda Governance Board (RGB) in collaboration with the Immigration and Emigration Directorate officials have expressed their commitment to ensure harmonization among civil society organizations operating in the country for the benefit of Rwandans.
Prof Anasthase Shyaka, the CEO of RGB, noted that their intention is to see these organizations participating actively and effectively in the development of the country through the Joint Action Development Forum (JADF). Therefore, there is a need for an effective mechanism of monitoring their actions and providing them with advice where necessary to ensure that they serve Rwandans as they commit themselves to do, he said.
Shyaka was on Thursday addressing vice mayors in charge of economic affairs, directors of good governance, immigration and emigration officers from all districts and focal persons in charge of international NGO activities coordination from all ministries who gathered in Kigali for a two-day conference to look for better collaboration between the organizations and the government for the benefits of the communities.
The country counts around 165 registered NGOs, though there are others that are not registered. Yet officials claim that their impact is still low. Sheikh Saleh Habimana, the head of NGOs, faith-based organizations and political parties division in RGB, said that the output from civil society organizations is still disproportional with their budget.
“Their combined financial means are double the annual national budget, but we see little impact on the ground,” noted Habimana.
He noted that NGOs are supposed to spend 20% of their budget on the functioning of the organization and 80% on activities that are meant to improve life of their beneficiaries.
Duplication of activities by different organizations operating in the same field has been identified as one of the main challenges that makes the organizations less productive than what could be expected.
RGB registers local NGOs and faith-based organizations while the Immigration and Emigration Directorate registers international NGOs.
The conference will also come up with effective mechanisms to control the way in which some of these organizations get funds. Habimana said that they have noticed found cases of organizations receiving money illegally which can have negative impact on national economy or be used in destructive actions.

 

Govt targets more children for school milk feeding project

Children receive milk under the programme. The New Times/ File.
The government is working towards ensuring that the One-Cup-Of-Milk-Per-Child programme, benefits more pupils. The programme aims at fighting malnutrition among children in schools and currently benefits 74,728 pupils, according to Francis Musinguzi, the head of the programme under the Rwanda Agriculture Board.

Every pupil is allocated about Rwf28,800 per year. The budget for the programme this fiscal year is Rwf1.5 billion. Each pupil takes approximately 36 litres of milk a year and each litre costs Rwf800.

“About 100 primary schools are beneficiaries but for this year, we plan to have atleast another 65 schools added onto the list,” Musinguzi told The New Times.

These new additions will be drawn from the districts of Nyamasheke, Ngoma and Ngororero. 

Even though the programme has reduced malnutrition, Musinguzi said they will continue targeting schools in rural areas where malnutrition is a threat.

The programme started in 2010 in Bugesera, Kamonyi, Nyanza and Karongi districts. Pupils in schools where the programme is operational have a chance to take half a litre of milk twice a week supplied by Savannah Diary in Nyagatare and Inyange Industries.

Concerns, however, have been raised about the cost incurred to transport the milk to remote areas, something said to be hampering the expansion of the project.

But RAB officials arue that despite the distance, it is healthier to get milk from factories than in the villages.

Musinguzi says that the biggest challenge is the rainy season where trucks cannot easily move into the villages where the schools are located.

He particularly pointed out schools in Nyamagabe and Huye districts that are not easily accessible.

Louis Rwagaju, the Mayor, Bugesera, said the initiative has helped improve the well being of children and also in fighting malnutrition. Five schools in Bugesera district have benefited from the programme.

Meanwhile, sources in the Ministry of Agriculture say that plans are underway to have this programme combined with the One Cow per family’ programme, commonly known as ‘Girinka’.

This is also another programme that was introduced in 2008 with the aim of giving the most vulnerable family a cow to help eradicate poverty.

Contact email: susan.babijja[at]newtimes.co.rw

Rwanda tops Africa in sanitation rankings

Rwanda has made progress in implementing sanitation. The New Times/File.
A new report by international development charity, WaterAid, has recognised Rwanda as a regional and African leader in sanitation.

The report, “Keeping promises: why African leaders need now to deliver on their past water and sanitation commitments,” indicates that Rwanda’s post-Genocide reconstruction process included the construction of improved pit-latrines and housing funded by government, donors and non-governmental organisations. The report, released yesterday, indicates that 74.5 per cent of Rwandans have full access to proper sanitation.

It highlights that Rwanda has bucked the trend of many African countries in making real and sustained progress in increasing access to sanitation over the last decade-and-a-half.

“This had a significant impact on sanitation coverage, with almost 1.5 million people gaining access between 1995 and 2000. This bold, collective action has laid the groundwork for Rwanda’s impressive sanitation progress, and serves as an example for governments and donors across the continent as to how well-planned, well-targeted investment can deliver results on the ground,” reads the report authored by Joanna Esteves Mills and John Garrett from the UK Policy Team.

The report based its findings on the best performing African countries in sanitation, including Rwanda, Ghana, Niger, Sierra Leone and Uganda. It was produced by Development Finance International.

The findings were derived from the Third Integrated Household Living Conditions Survey (EICV3) from the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (NISR), which indicates that nearly 1.4 million Rwandans, aged 16 and above, gained access to safe sanitation over the last five years, with levels of access increasing from 58.5 per cent in 2005/06, to 74.5 per cent in 2010/11.

Political will

The Energy Water and Sanitation Authority (EWSA) Deputy Director-General in-charge of Water and Sanitation, James Sano, attributed Rwanda’s success to government’s commitment.

“There is much political will coming from the top leadership to ensure that the policies are well-implemented and rules and regulations are enforced,” Sano said. “We have managed to institutionalise our traditional values through performance contracts, which ensures citizens participation and leadership engagement.”

He said government is currently implementing a wider water and sanitation strategy. 

The government has increased financial allocation to water and sanitation in the current financial year to Rwf23.2b from Rwf16.3b in 2011/12.

This implies that Rwanda succeeded in meeting its 2008 eThekwini African Union commitment to increase spending on sanitation and hygiene alone to 0.5 per cent of GDP which is equivalent to Rwf19.8 billion.

To date, Rwanda spends about 0.65 per cent of its GDP annually on water and sanitation.

The WaterAid report calls on donor governments, and African governments, to not only aim to meet the 2008 eThekwini spending commitments of 0.5 per cent of GDP, but to go further by aiming to spend at least 1 per cent of GDP on sanitation and hygiene, in line with the recommendations of a 2011 World Bank report.

World Bank figures show that poor sanitation access currently costs Rwanda Rwf32 billion each year in form of treatment and the like, 0.9 per cent of its GDP.

WaterAid’s Country Representative, Nshuti Rugerinyange said, “Rwanda has made significant progress in increasing access to sanitation and WaterAid is proud to work alongside a government that has shown real political leadership in this area.”
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The WaterAid report calls on donor governments, the government of Rwanda, alongside other African governments, to not only aim to meet the 2008 eThekwini spending commitments of 0.5 per cent of GDP, but to go further by aiming to spend at least 1 per cent of GDP on sanitation and hygiene, in line with the recommendations of a 2011 World Bank report.

 

Scores to get free cleft lips surgery

Over 100 people with cleft lips are set to benefit from free reconstructive surgery to be conducted at the University Central Hospital of Kigali (CHUK).

The free surgical programme which starts on February 22 to March 1, was organised by Operation Smile, a non-profit volunteer medical services organisation providing free reconstructive surgery.

A cleft lip is a malformation where the lip has not fused together and fully formed and looks like a gap in the upper lip while a cleft palate is a hole in the roof of the mouth.

Out of every 1,000 babies born in the region, one is born with a cleft lip or palate, according to Kia Guarino, the Operation Smile Programmes Manager in Africa.

Operation Smile will be operating on people with this deformity for the fourth time since 2010.

According to Guarino, more than 500 people found with cleft lips and palate were operated upon in 2010 when the organisation first came to Rwanda.

Currently, there’s no national data showing the status of this disease in Rwanda but Guarino said they are working together with the Ministry of Health to ascertain the number of people who have this deformity.

She added that Operation Smile team won’t only provide surgery but also provide basic life support training to Rwandan medics.


“So far, 256 local medical professionals have received this training, 10 medics have also been trained as trainers and others as Aesthesia Technicians. We want to build capacity such that in the near future, many Rwandan medics will be in position to carry out these surgical procedures,” she said.

Dr Immaculate Kamanzi, the head of the dental surgery department at CHUK, explained that people are usually born with this disease and in most cases, the cause is unknown.

“Although most times the causes of this deformity are unknown, other causes could be pollution or genetic, for instance, if parents had the genes then their children are likely to suffer the same,” she said and urged parents to ensure proper feeding on balanced diet as one of the preventive measures.

Contact email: maria.kaitesi[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

Bill on Elders forum tabled

The government wants to set up an elders forum that will offer advisory services to the state on topical issues, national political orientation and challenges of political, economic, social and cultural dimensions.

Presenting the Bill that seeks to establish the forum to Parliament on Monday, Justice minister Tharcise Karugarama said it was a critical forum of the country’s wise men. 

Once established, it will be called Rwandan Elders Advisory Forum (REAF) and, in the bill, the forum’s members will be above 50 years of age and patriotic Rwandans from various domains including academia, retired civil servants, military, business people, and others.

The minister said that once in place, the men and women of the forum shall be considered as a “think tank for national development.” 

“This forum of wise men and women will help us avoid the loss of quality, strength and expertise of the retired people,” Karugarama said.

Drawing from several examples, MP Constance Mukayuhi Rwaka said current challenges require such a team of people to constantly observe and think for the country.

Mukayuhi said: “Look at the example of think tanks in America and how they play a role in the economic, political and security organisation of their country. Look at individuals like Henry Kissinger, in the US foreign policy, American university professors and other high ranking individuals who look at the nation’s superior interests.”

The Bill establishing the Forum and determining its mission, organisation and functioning will be further scrutinised by a House committee. Membership to the Forum of elders shall be voluntary.

Not contented 

MP Basile Bayihiki, a member of the standing Committee on Education, Technology, Culture and Youth, however, questioned the rational of the proposal. 

Bayihiki said: “We have institutions like the Rwanda Governance Board, which I feel has responsibility to advise government on governance and conduct research on many issues, we have the Umushyikirano whereby people meet and give ideas, we also have Itorero.”

The Bill, among other things, proposes that it shall initially be composed of seven people but most lawmakers suggested that the number should be increased.

Contact email: james.karuhanga[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

February 17th, 2013 | Posted by Jean-Christophe Nsanzimana
Land-related conflicts persist even after registration
http://focus.rw/wp/2013/02/land-related-conflicts-persist-even-after-registration/

A foreign delegation at the Land Registration Center a few months ago; the visit aimed at learning from Rwanda’s experience. (file photo)
The parliament committee on economic development and finance of the senate last week discussed with the Minister of Natural Resources Stanislas Ka­manzi issues and problems left be­hind by the land registration mech­anism which ended recently.
The committee is planning to vis­it chosen sectors countrywide and wanted to gather some information to get an overview of the status of the problems before it goes to the field. The sectors in question are those where the local land commit­tees have signaled many problems in the registration process.
The land registration program started in 2009 and was planned to end in June 2012 though it ended late last year. The program’s first purpose was to help solve land-related disputes by registering and tracing clear boundaries between people’s plots. A goal which, ap­parently, was not entirely achieved because various reports are high­lighting land issues as the main source of conflicts mainly at the sector level.
However, according to Minister Kamanzi, the aim of the exercise was achieved though there are a lot of related processes still going on like providing legal documents to the plot owners. “We are also still gathering information on plots which were registered and later on resulted in conflicts concerning ownership or boundaries,” he said.
Kamanzi admitted that though there have been some mistakes, the program has been a success. “Other countries have spent more than 20 years on a similar exercise with­out completing it due to issues like poor planning.” He recognized, though, that there have been cases of mismanagement of plots regis­tration and carelessness in provid­ing official documents.

“Local leaders have to explain that in the land law it’s clearly explained that when someone doesn’t make good use of his land, the government can take it back.”

The Minister also pointed out that some of the conflicts might be the result of the registration itself. In the past, he explained, Rwan­dans often did not make sufficient use of their land – you could find people with lots of hectares yet they remain poor. With land registration and consolidation programs, as well as sensitization by Minirena in collaboration with local leaders for more productive land use, peo­ple have started to understand that their land can be the source of their wealth.
“That is where many conflicts originate; they now know the real importance of land,” Kamanzi re­marked.
The Minister said that in order to prevent or solve future conflicts, lo­cal leaders have a major role to play in explaining the relevant regula­tions. “They have to help the people who now have rights to their land and its exploitation. Local leaders have to explain them that in the land law it’s clearly explained that when someone doesn’t make good use of his land, the government can take it back,” he said.
In April last year, the office of the ombudsman reported that land disputes dominated the cases it re­ceived – out of a total of 3,662 in 2010 and 2011, 525 were land-relat­ed.
Sarafin Rumazimisi, the officer in charge of prevention and fight­ing injustice at the Ombudsman’s Office, said that since the start of the land registration process, many cases had erupted with differ­ent people laying claim to certain plots. “When one registers a piece of land, others come out to claim that same plot and this is because many people are waking up to the reality brought about by the ongo­ing reforms like land registration.”
An MP who required anonym­ity told this paper that most of the land wrangles are attributable to negligence by local authorities. He observed that some officials fail to solve land disputes and that this was sometimes due to corruption.
Different surveys have shown that the majority of land disputes are both inter- and intra-family, mainly arising from unequal inher­itance of land, polygamy and ille­gal children.

 

Kigali City unveils development policy

The City authorities have unveiled a new mega plan for development that will see several infrastructure put up. The New Times/ T. Kisambira.
Kigali City has drafted out an elaborate policy that seeks to transform the city into a vibrant capital capable of delivering decent jobs with equitable growth and development and affordable homes.

Prepared within the context of Rwanda’s long-term strategic vision 2020, the infrastructure policy is designed to promote increased employment and prosperity for all city dwellers.

The document, prepared by the City officials, highlights a broad range of development goals which include roads construction and rehabilitation among other priorities over the next five years.

It targets to have 85 per cent of roads tarmacked in the short term.

Officials said the actual implementation would be effected after a detailed action plan and budget specifying activities to be undertaken annually.

Only 24 per cent of the City dwellers take less than 20 minutes to get to a stage for public transport, while more than 70 per cent walk long distances to access public transport, officials said.

According to Norbert Kamana, the director of planning in Kigali City, they want the infrastructure to be put near the beneficiaries to avoid such long distances.

“This scenario translates to not only high transport cost, but also high transit time from one point of town to the other and increases the cost of living,” he said.

Water sanitation at 100 per cent 

Kamana said the city plans to increase access to water and sanitation to 100 per cent of the whole population.

Kigali currently faces water and sanitation challenges such as the lack of centralised sewerage system, unplanned housing and poor drainage system which at times causes flooding.

While expanding the urban look of the City, 1,744 hectares for affordable housing will be secured with 5,000 affordable housing units at five different locations.

The officials said this will mitigate the challenges the city is facing such as annual deficit supply of affordable housing units estimated at 30,000 units.

There is need for more developed commercial buildings, bus terminals and plazas, the officials say.

Mayor Fidel Ndayisaba said they will work as a team for the interest of city dwellers.

Contact email: jmbonyinshuti[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

City authorities rollout new HIV/AIDS policy

Youth test for HIV in Kigali during a voluntary counselling and testing service last year. The New Times/ File.
The Director-general of Public Health in Kigali, Dr Blaise Uhagaze, has said the city will prioritise the fight against HIV/Aids because it is more prevalent in Kigali than in the countryside.

He said the prevalence rate in Kigali is 7.3 per cent, three times more than in rural areas. The national prevalence rate is 3 per cent.

Dr Uhagaze was speaking at council meeting in Kigali recently.

“Due to urbanisation, high population density, urban migration, among others in the city, the rate of infection is higher than in rural areas,” he said.

 A recent survey by the City of Kigali says 56 per cent of prostitutes in Kigali are HIV-positive. The rate of infection mostly increases between the age of 35 and 49 with 7.9 per cent for females and for men infection rates increase between the age of  40 to  44 at 7.3 per cent. Infection rates tend to be lower in females between 15 and 19 years at 0.8 per cent, and 0.3per cent for males..

“We needed $3m in 2011 for HIV/Aids fight, but we couldn’t get it, it requires more efforts to reverse the trend,” Uhagaze said. 

The strategies

The plan prepared within the context of Rwanda’s strategic vision of containing HIV spread will involve resource mobilisation, capacity building at district and city levels to coordinate the City’s HIV/Aids response, and mainstreaming of the effort to fight the disease in development programmes.

The City mayoy, Fidele Ndayisaba, said despite the high rate of infections, Kigali has a lot to do to contain the spread of HIV/Aids. 

“What needs to be done is to heighten measures to reduce infection rate and also help the HIV-positive to live longer,” he said.

 The mayor urged authorities to step up advocacy, adding that more care should be taken to the women below 40 years as they are at a higher risk. 

“Anti-Retroviral drugs are already subsidised, yet still too expensive for the average persons. To subsdise any further would come at the expense of some programmes,” Ndayisaba said.

The City vice mayor in-charge of social affairs, Hope Tumukunde, called for more coordination, family dialogues and sex education in schools.

The Health Ministry strategy against HIV/Aids is implementing comprehensive education and communication programmes, including voluntary HIV testing and counselling.

Contact email: jmbonyinshuti[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

Legal Aid Forum report on detentions inaccurate - govt

Justice minister Karugarama. The New Times/ File.
Justice Minister Tharcisse Karugarama has refuted allegations that  at least 8,000 suspects are languishing in prisons across the country without trial.

Legal Aid Forum Rwanda (LAF), last week, published findings indicating that some 8,000 people are held in Rwandan prisons without trial. The findings were a result of a study on the impact of pre-detentions on access to justice that LAF commissioned last year.

However, Minister Karugarama said LAF’s inflated figures were made to mislead public opinion.

“Under the existing political framework and culture, it’s not possible to have such a figure in pre-trial detention. Given our commitment to ensuring that we don’t have people in prisons, under no circumstances can these figures be right,” he said.

The Deputy Commissioner-General of Rwanda Correctional Service (RCS), Mary Gahonzire, also contested the figures, saying LAF could be having ‘ill intentions’ by releasing false figures.

“There are 4,141 people in prison yet to be sentenced. Majority of these are on trial or appeal level, others are awaiting trial, but they have not exceeded their stay in prison,” Gahonzire said.

Figures RCS availed to this paper indicate that currently there are 55,984 people in the 14 correctional facilities in the country.

Detention period

The law establishing RCS allows it to release suspects who exceed the legal time to be prosecuted. Gahonzire said 26 suspects were last year released from various prisons due to delays to prosecute them.

While unveiling the findings, the Executive Director of LAF, Andrews Kananga, said majority of the pre-trial detainees mentioned in his report are petty offenders.

“Some people are detained for up to six months and by the time they are released they have lost their jobs. Some of the 8,000 in pre-trial detention committed serious crimes, but the petty offenders are the majority,” he said.

However, Prosecutor-General Martin Ngoga said LAF is grossly erroneous in their figures.

“First of all, petty offenders should be defined by the law not people’s sentiments. The criminal law stipulates that any suspect accused of committing a crime whose sentence is less than two years cannot be subjected to pre-trial detention. You can’t say people who committed crimes whose sentence is above two years are petty offenders,” Ngoga said.

He said since Prosecution cleared its backlog last year, suspects have been expeditiously prosecuted.

Contact email: edwin.musoni[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

February 13th, 2013 | Posted by Eric Didier Karinganire
Improve your communication, PM urges officials
http://focus.rw/wp/2013/02/improve-your-communication-pm-urges-officials/

The Prime Minister with Local Government Minister James Musoni at the meeting. (photo Primature)
Prime Minister Pierre Damien Habumuremyi has urged officials from both local and central government to improve communication between them as one way of improving the implementation of performance contracts (imihigo).
The Premier made the call on Wednesday during a meeting that brought together central and local government officials as well as senior officers from all government agencies to assess the progress of this year’s imihigo implementation.
“We are doing well, but there is still a room for improvement,” Habumuremyi said, urging the officials to improve their communication highlighted as the main challenge between local and central government when it comes to executing some projects.
In general, mid-term assessment of performance contacts has indicated good progress countrywide, ranking Ruhango district as the most advanced district with 80% of all targets being on good track. The district pledged to achieve 50 commitments within this fiscal year, and 44 of them have surpassed 50% of their implementations.
“Ruhango is the only district so far that has no delay in implementing all committed activities,” pointed out Egide Rugamba, the Director General of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation at the ministry of local government.
The good performance countrywide was especially observed in agricultural production, twelve year basic education (12YBE) and Umurenge SACCO. On the other side, most of the activities behind schedule are those directly implemented by sector ministries and other agencies.
Considerable delays were for instance observed in the projects to transform Milk Collection Centers (MCCs) into dairy business centers equipped with basic lab equipment and reagents. Agriculture Minister Agness Kalibata explained that their main challenge has been cash flow, but committed herself to finish the program by the end of the year.
Other big projects such as water supply, feeder roads, health center construction and biogas were also observed to be lagging behind due to delays in the procurement process and disbursement of funds. In addition, other commitments such construction of the border complex at Kanyaru, Nyagatare animal feed factory and a market in Nyamyumba and Busasamana sectors of Rubavu district among others seem impossible to be achieved within this year, prompting concerned officials to request the removal of these commitments. But this request was questioned.
“Imihigo’s purpose is not about getting 100% during the evaluation, but to foster national development,” noted Anastase Shyaka, the CEO of Rwanda Governance Board (RGB), adding that removing commitments would push some authorities to voluntarily postpone some of their pledges once they realize unable to achieve them on time.

 

 

Street, house naming campaign kicks off in Nyarugenge district

A campaign that will see some streets in Nyarugenge district named and houses given numbers has kicked off, a year after the city had numbered all the streets.

This aims at facilitating the public, especially travellers, to easily locate their destinations, according to the district officials. 

It was explained that some streets will retain the old numbers while others will be given names to replace the numbers. 

According to Jean de dieu Serugendo, the district communication officer, the names were proposed by residents. The naming affects mainly Kiyovu suburb.

The exercise is expected to take at least three months with help of youth who are currently taking part in the voluntary and national service programme locally known as Urugerero.

“People need to be sensitised on why their houses should have these numbers; and also the meaning of the names put on the sign posts along the streets, we are doing this so that people become aware and learn to use them,” said Serugendo.

The Mayor Kigali City, Fidel Ndayisaba, said the residents will be paying for their own numbers which will be put on their houses. Each number will cost Rwf12,000.

“The numbers will be written on durable material which will need to be kept well by beholders” he said.

Contact email: Susan.babijja[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

Lawmakers debate land rights for foreigners

Government retains the right to determine land use planning even when land was in the hands of private individuals, be they foreigners or Rwandans. The New Times/File.
Members of the standing committee on agriculture, land and environment, on Tuesday, discussed a section of the land-use 
bill, which will allow foreigners to land on a contractual basis.

The foreigners will own land under the emphyteutic lease, which, according to the bill, will give them entitlement to land for a renewable period of 49 years.

“With exception to Articles 6 and 7 of this draft law, foreigners shall be entitled to an emphyteutic lease on land, acquired from private persons or the state, up to forty nine (49) years,” MP Joseph Désiré Nyandwi, the deputy chair of the committee, read part of the article.

Articles 6 and 7

According to Article 6 of the draft law, any Rwandan citizen is entitled to be granted freehold title to land.

However, for foreigners, a freehold title can only be granted if at least 51 per cent of its stake is owned by Rwandan citizens, except for land designated as Special Economic Zones.

Such land cannot exceed five hectares.However, the minister in charge of land, based on a reasonable case made by the applicant, may authorise freehold rights on an area larger than five hectares. 

 According to Article 7 [freehold title on land of the state and decentralised entities]; “notwithstanding the provisions of article 6, land belonging to the state, whether in the public or private domain, shall be granted freehold title irrespective of whether it is developed or not.”

The MPs also insisted that government will preserve the authority over issues to do with land use development and planning, whether land is owned by private individuals or government.  

It was stressed, and generally agreed, that in case the emphyteutic lease is not renewed, land “automatically” falls back into the private State domain, as all land belongs to state.

 According to MP Denis Polisi, when the lease ends, and the owner did not wish to renew it, government would reclaim the land, automatically. Like other MPs, Polisi said that government must retain the right to determine land use planning and development even when land was in the hands of private individuals, be they foreigners or Rwandans.  

 “Of course there can never be any land without an owner. Once any one stopped using the land, it goes back to the state,” MP Gabriel Semasaka said.

 “In Special Economic Zones, a foreigner shall be treated in the same way as nationals and may be granted a free hold title,” reads part of the clause.

 Once passed, the legislation will repeal the 2005 land use law.
The bill was tabled before parliament last December by the Minister of Natural Resources, Stanislas Kamanzi.

Contact email: james.karuhanga[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

City evictees to get title deeds for new homes

Part of Batsinda estate in Gasabo District. The New Times/Timothy Kisambira.
The Rwanda Social Security Board (RSSB) could soon embark on building more low-cost houses in Batsinda, Gasabo District, after one-third of occupants of the 250 units the board previously constructed in the area have finished paying.
HOME SWEET HOME
 
One unit of the estate was sold at Rwf3.5 million to city residents who were relocated from the town’s from the suburbs of  Kiyovu, Muhima, and Kimicanga. One unit  has two bedrooms, a living room, a was
Latest information from RSSB indicates that, of 250 housing units built in Batsinda, 101 units have been bought and fully paid for, whereas the remaining 149 units are being paid for in instalments.

According to the board’s Director of Public Relations, Communication and Education, Moses Kazoora, the board has embarked on feasibility studies to build another batch of similar units in the same area.

“There is Batsinda Project Phase 2 of constructing more units of low-cost housing, but it is still under pilot study,” Kazoora told The New Times.

Kazoora said that a total amount of Rwf384.6 million has been paid and a balance of Rwf490.3 million is to be collected from occupants of Batsinda estates.

One unit of the estates was sold at Rwf 3.5 million to city residents who were relocated from the suburbs of Kiyovu, Muhima, and Kimicanga. One unit has two bedrooms, a sitting room, a washroom, and a kitchen.

Francine Uwiragiye, a mother of five children that she is raising with her husband, has completed paying for the house through a bank loan that the family acquired after showing a payment agreement that the Kigali City gave them after they were expropriated from Kiyovu.

The Kigali City is one of RSSB’s developmental partners in the Batsinda project which assists in reinforcing payments after expropriated occupants were moved to the houses when their previous homes were razed to pave way for buildings that meet the standard of Kigali City Master plan.

“We like this place. We have water and electricity nearby and buying food in this area costs less than in Kiyovu,” Uwiragiye said as she explained how she had been coping with the new area since the family moved there in 2008.

“There are some people who sold their units but for us we were afraid of losing ours because we like this place.”

Kigali City Council is currently processing leasehold titles for those who have completed full payments of the houses.

The Director of Kigali Construction One-Stop Centre, which currently helps with construction permits and oversees the planning of the city’s construction, Lillian Mupende, said it was time to start issuing the title deeds because a significant number of occupants have already paid for their property.

“We would have done this earlier but because we are trying to follow a systematic registration we wanted to be able to register all the properties at the same time,” she said in an interview. “But it’s very obvious that there are different case scenarios per different property owners so now we are looking for a way of facilitating those who have completed payment. There is no need to be worried, this is their home.”

Mupende says the city needs more of such residential areas in order to conduct large scale expropriation projects.

In an earlier interview, Mupende said some  areas to host low-cost houses will be in Gasabo and Nyarugenge districts. Gasabo district’s Batsinda, Kinyinya, and Gacuriro  is where the Rwanda Social Security Board (RSSB) is set to build 3,000 housing units in the next three years, while Kigali City, in a joint venture with the housing financial institution Shelter-Afrique and the Development Bank of Rwanda (BRD) will build residential houses in Nyarugenge district’s 39 hectare Akumunigo area.

Contact email: eugene.kwibuka[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

 

Eastern Province projects bumper rice harvest

Rice farmers tend their fields in Kirehe. The New Times/S. Rwembeho.
Agronomists in Eastern Province have predicted bumper rice harvest in the current season, 2013B, citing farmers’ positive attitude towards the crop growing as the main motivating factor.

Innocent Ukizuru, the agriculture officer in charge of Rwamagana district said yesterday, that farmers across all  districts in the province made significant effort towards increasing the rice production.

According to statistics from Rwanda Agriculture Board, last season at least 568,000 hectares were planted and harvest was successful done on over 513,000 hectares. 

“We achieved 91 per cent of our target last season, but the way things stand today, we expect to go beyond this figure after harvest. The trend is fantastic,” he said without disclosing the figures.

He told The New Times that farmers had been trained in the operation and maintenance of the rice fields, with the objective of increasing their yield.

“We expect huge rice production this season...farmers have fully embraced the modern agriculture methods of rice production. It has also contributed to improving their livelihoods and lifestyles, it is motivating in itself,” he said.

Ukizuru added that farmers’ main constraints that prevented increase in rice productivity were addressed.

“We availed high quality seeds and the drainage system has been streamlined to prevent flooding during the rainy season. These were some of the problems that used to hinder rice production that are no more”.

According to Protais Murayire, the Mayor, Kirehe district, the importance of rice as a staple food for big population, was fascinating enough.

“Rice fields provide incomes and employment to thousands of citizens and , of course, rice is important for enhancing nutrition and sustainable development,” he said.

Being essentially an agrarian economy, however, Rwanda is highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.

Like other staple foods, therefore, rice production remains rain-fed which makes it vulnerable.

“Our concern remains over dependence on rain...we are lucky that we have been having reliable rains of recent, but in some seasons the story was different. Rain-fed agriculture is indeed a big challenge, particularly with the climate change,” he said.

Francois Muramira, 56, a rice grower, noted that rice provided enough income to farmers compared to other crops.

“It is true that rice growing is demanding – you know it is a labour intensive activity – but the motivation lies in its ability to pay farmers. There is significant evidence that lives are changing positively at the village level,” he said.

Contact email: stephen.rwembeho[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

FAO commends Rwanda on land tenure system

Rwanda has ensured the proper governance of land tenure by enabling every citizen to access and individually own land. The New Times, File.
Rwanda serves as the best practice for the countries in the region when it comes to safeguarding the rights of people to own or access land, forests and fisheries, according to a senior official with UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) .

Andrew J. Hilton, the Senior Land Tenure Officer, said: “Rwanda has had remarkable development in the last few years which is very close and in line with the new international voluntary guidelines of land tenure system.”

“FAO supported Rwanda during the process and we are pleased with the progress the country has made towards safeguarding the rights of people to own land.”

Hilton was speaking to journalists yesterday, on the sidelines of the regional awareness forum on the voluntary guidelines on the responsible governance of tenure of land, fisheries and forests in the context of food security currently underway in Kigali.

Last year, in May, the FAO’s Committee on World Food Security endorsed a set of far-reaching global guiding principles aimed at helping governments to protect the rights of people to own or access land, forests and fisheries.

The strategies seeks to promote food security and sustainable development by improving secure access to land, fisheries and forests and protecting the rights of millions of often very vulnerable and poor people.

They address a wide range of issues, including recognition and protection of legitimate tenure rights, even under informal systems, best practices for registration and transfer of tenure rights, making sure that tenure administrative systems are accessible and affordable.

“Rwanda has ensured the proper governance of land tenure by enabling every citizen to access and individually own land,” said Eng. Didier Sagashya, Deputy Director General, Lands and Mapping,at the Rwanda Natural Resources Authority (RNRA).

In 2004, the government enacted an organic law on land to guarantee a safe and stable form of land tenure. Before that, the country never had a proper land policy.

In order to define and decide how the land registration process should be carried out, a Ministerial Decree determining modalities of registration was enacted in 2008 and a year later, land registration process kicked off.

Sagashya explained that land registration process addressed all the challenges to do with land tenure.

Master plan

RNRA is currently issuing land titles with about seven million titles issued, out of which 4 million have been already collected by owners. 

According to Stanislas Kamanzi, the Minister of Natural Resources, Rwanda has also developed a national forestry policy and master plan for fisheries and fish farming as part of the proper governance of land tenure system.

“To ensure security of land tenure for all, our country has implemented the land tenure reform that was developed and adopted in 2008 after three years of trials and process designing,” he said.

Moses Shaha, a participant from Kenya, said land tenure system in his country is still not implemented. “We still have challenges of land conflicts and food insecurity.”

“The FAO guidelines outline principles and practices that governments can refer to while enactin laws and administering land, fisheries and forests rights which is very crucial to countries in the region,” he said.

The two-day meeting brought together members of the private sector, civil society, academia and government officials drawn from 19 countries in the Eastern and Southern Africa.       

Contact email: frank.kanyesigye[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

New health post to improve family planning services

Gasabo district, on Monday, officially inaugurated a health post and 60 houses for vulnerable people in Ndera sector, as part of the ongoing Governance Month. 

The health post, in Kibenga cell, offers mainly family planning services and will serve all the sector residents, while the houses for vulnerable people were built in Mukuyu cell.

According to Gasabo’s Vice Mayor in charge of economic affairs, Jean Claude Munara, the health post will serve all the residents of Ndera.

“This is a response to the problem with  the existing catholic-owned health centre that did not accept to offer the modern  family planning methods and accepted only the natural family planning,’’ he said.

Josephine Kaneza, a nurse at the newly inaugurated health post, said the facility receives 30 people per day, and 1,000 people had sought family planning services there in the last four months.

The houses in Mukuyu site were built jointly by the Kicukiro district, Joint Action Development Forum (JADF) of Kicukiro district and the Fund for Support to Genocide Survivors (FARG).

Munara said the cost of one house is estimated at Rwf10 million. They are modern houses equipped with water tanks and other equipment.

“You must maintain these houses well because they were costly,’’ Munara tells Mukuyu site inhabitants.

The houses are intended for use by the poor residents who previously lived in traditional huts known as Nyakatsi as well as the homeless incapable of building their own houses.

Annoncée Kanzayire, one of the beneficiaries and Genocide survivor, said before receiving the house, she had lived in 50 different houses because of eviction by the owners.

Contact email: editorial[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

Education innovation project gets more funding

A project that will see innovators in education sector get financial support has received an additional 3.3 million pounds from the UK government, a development that will see more beneficiaries.

The head of the project, Marc Van der Stouwe, told The New Times yesterday that previously, it was not clear how many beneficiaries would be funded based on available funds. 

He said that, last year, the project had a budget of 8 million pounds (approx Rwf7.8bn), adding that with the new funding, they would be able to increase the number of beneficiary projects to 26 across the country.

“We have already signed contracts with 24 projects and very soon, we shall sign a contract with the remaining two oncethey fulfil the requirements,” said Stouwe.

He pointed out that most of the projects that have been selected are operating outside of Kigali.

These projects are initiatives by the private sector and local NGOs that have been identified as being capable of benefiting the education system through overcoming, through innovation, challenges that may hinder the promotion and quality of education. 

The projects were jointly vetted by the Ministry of Education and the UK Government based on an evaluation exercise.

At first, 150 projects had expressed interest but only 39 managed to present their full proposals from which the 26 were selected as suiting for this funding.

Based on the size of the innovative project, the funding project will give financial support ranging from 50,000 pounds (Rwf49.3 million) to 800,000 pounds (Rwf789.6 million). 

The three-year project will further assess to ensure effectiveness of these new innovations.

Contact email: susan.babijja[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

Farmers ask for more tractors

Agricultural machinery displayed at last year’s agricultural expo. The New Times/ File.
Shortage of enough tractors is taking its toll on agriculture mechanisation in the countryside. Officials from the Irrigation and Mechanisation Task Force, under the Ministry of Agriculture, say that the available machines (tractors) are not enough to serve the demand.

Government has bought 87 tractors, among other agricultural equipment, from TYN Tong Yang Moolsan - a South Korean company - since 2011 to boost agricultural mechanisation.  

The shortage is compounded by regular mechanical breakdown of the available tractors yet there are no skilled people in villages to repair them.

Agricultural mechanisation is one of the programmes the government is encouraging farmers to embark on, especially given the land consolidation programme that brings them (farmers) together to carry out their activities on large scale.

“Demand is high compared to the tractors available. And some of these tractors have mechanical problems that affect their capacity to operate, especially in the rainy season,” Innocent Nzeyimana, the chairperson of the Task Force told The New Times last week.

Out of the 87 tractors, 30 tractors were sold to private individual farmers and cooperatives as one of the measures to enable farmers own, operate and modernise their activities.

This implies that the government now has 57 tractors, of which 26 are down due to mechanical problems.

“We are experiencing the problem of getting spare parts although the agreement we signed with the supplier indicates that they are responsible for that,” Nzeyimana said.

But, Nzeyimana explains that since TYN Tong Yang Moolsan has no local representatives in the country, it is hard for the company to fulfil its repair obligations as per the agreement.

In addition to the nature of the land where they (tractors) are operating which is said to be hard, it is also believed that operators of these high technology machines need more skills.

The lack of sufficient mechanisation services for farmers undermines the real intention for government to set up the national mechanisation workshop in Jabana sector, Gasabo distric,t as well as the Village Mechanisation Centre (VMC).

VMC`s have been set up at district level and are meant to have tractors among other agriculture equipment, so that they serve farmers on a relatively low cost compared to what is charged by private tractors owners.

These centres are currently operational in Gastibo, Nyagatare, Kirehe, Rwamagana, Ngoma and Bugesera districts. Others are Nyanza, Ruhango, Rulindo, Musanze and Gasabo districts.

The centres are also meant to offer maintenance services as well training farmers on how to operate and maintain tractors and other equipment.

Contact email: susan.babijja[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

Advancing cardiovascular care in Rwanda – an innovative partnership

Noella Bigirimana
IN THE face of emerging Non-Communicable Diseases, the Ministry of Health and the Rwanda Heart Foundation have been able to devise an effective strategy to address cardiovascular diseases in our country. Through a partnership established with Team Heart since 2007, Rwandan citizens have access to cardiac surgery at King Faisal Hospital, annually.

Team Heart is a non-governmental, not-for-profit, organization based in Boston (Massachusetts, U.S.A). It consists primarily of volunteers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital, both Harvard-affiliated academic medical centers, and consistently top rated programs in the United States. The organisation includes specialists from medicine, nursing, perfusion, respiratory therapy and various non-clinical positions. Every year, Team Heart travels to Rwanda to provide comprehensive cardiovascular care, including mobilizing resources for screening at-risk individuals, and providing cardiac surgery to patients with advanced rheumatic heart disease. 

This year, Team Heart began its 6th official visit to Rwanda on January 28 with the evaluation of potential surgery candidates, and surgery started on February 4th.  The patients treated by Team Heart are receiving life-saving cardiac interventions, bringing the total number treated by this team to nearly 90. 

Since 2007, more than 300 patients have received open heart surgery from expatriate cardiac teams. However, more than a humanitarian program, the partnership between Team Heart and Rwanda is a collective effort to ultimately establish a country-led, self-sustainable program in cardiac surgery — something that only a handful of African countries have been able to do. Rwanda is already at the forefront of health care in the region, and several initiatives such as the Human Resources for Health, are leading our country towards durable progress in the health sector. 

Rwanda now has an opportunity to make remarkable progress in cardiovascular care. Partnering with prominent organisations like Team Heart provides advanced, state-of-the-art, training to key medical and nursing operating room personnel. Furthermore, the partnership provides the building blocks for a sustainable program, including screening program expansion, curriculum development, cost-benefit analysis research, and procurement procedures. 

The implications for Rwanda and its health sector are major. Beyond improving health outcomes, such partnerships also enhance development prospective for the individuals and their community, and ultimately the entire country. Take for example the case of Jean Paul, a patient treated by Team Heart in 2008. Since receiving the life-saving surgery, Jean Paul has been able to sustain his family, and, also remarkably, he has taken a leadership role in his community and facilitates post operative follow-up of patients like him. Similarly, other patients have gone on to achieve competences that will undoubtedly benefit our nation.

There is an urgent need to address cardiovascular diseases, and other Non-Communicable Disease (NCDs) in low- and middle- income countries, where 80 percent of NCD- related deaths occur. Otherwise, this burgeoning crisis can worsen the health systems and the economic growth prospective of resource-limited countries, already battling other health challenges. 

The partnership between Rwanda and Team Heart could inspire replication by other countries in the region and across the globe.

The writer works with Partners in Health

Contact email: Email: noella.bigirim[at]gmail.com

 

February 11th, 2013 | Posted by Eric Didier Karinganire
40 corruption cases to be heard this week
http://focus.rw/wp/2013/02/40-corruption-cases-to-be-heard-this-week/

Chief Justice Sam Rugege. (file photo)
Chief Justice Sam Rugege has announced that 40 corruption-related cases will be handled during this week as a part of efforts towards zero tolerance for corruption. “There are 40 corruption related cases in all courts and they all have to be heard during this week,” he said.
The top judicial official made the statement yesterday at the Supreme Court in Kimihurura at the opening of the third annual anti-corruption campaign week. The chief justice noted that the campaign has been very fruitful since it was established two years ago, with 66 corruption cases heard last year.
In addition, the judiciary has been very strict with staff members involved in graft and strengthening discipline within the system. Rugege pointed out that the judiciary had expelled 7 judiciary members involved in corruption and indiscipline in 2011, last year there were only 3. Yet he noted that there are still members of the judiciary who accept bribes and others fail to denounce such cases.
“To eradicate corruption in judiciary system, there is a need for comprehensive collaboration with communities so as to denounce corruption cases and punish all involved,” Rugege said, adding that some judges can hand lenient sentences to their colleagues involved in corruption; which hampers the progress.
He made clear that most cases of corrupt judges are found in primary and intermediate courts. The system has only found one case of a judge of the Supreme Court, in Musanze, involved in malpractices. In addition, Rugege said most cases involve little money like Frw 50,000 and Frw 30,000.
The chief justice also called upon the media to raise public awareness on corruption and denounce some of the cases. “That is not collaboration that I am asking for, it is your duty,” Rugege told journalists.
The involvement of the press in preventing corruption is a legal right provided by the Law No 23/2003 related to the punishment of corruption and related offences,in its article 9. The law states: “Notwithstanding the legal provisions governing the Press, the Press must get involved in the prevention and the fight against any act of corruption and related offences by publicizing the acts of corruption and related offences discovered in all sector service organs.
Institutions involved in the prevention and fight against corruption must put in place mechanisms of collaborating with the press in this respect.”
The president of the Supreme Court expressed his satisfaction with the progress the judicial system has made over the years; as it has been proved by international reports. Transparence international has ranked Rwanda the least corrupt country in East African Community while a recent World Economic Forum report named Rwanda as the country with the most independent judiciary in the region.

 

EWSA in drive to reduce water losses

The Energy, Water and Sanitation Authority (EWSA), in conjunction with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), is training 62 of its technicians in efficient leakage detection and leakage repairing to avoid water losses. According to the Deputy Director General of EWSA, James Sano, (C) those are the topmost shortcomings they are faced with as they lose close to 30 per cent of revenue through leaks and faulty meters. Kobayashi Hiroyuki (L) the JICA representative in Rwanda said they deemed fit not to retain the knowledge they had picked up from ‘our cities’. “We are willing to train more Rwandans if this is the outcome!” Grace Gatera
.

 

 

Tourism college launches business incubation centre

Zulphat Mukarubega, board member of the MTN Foundation, talks with students trying out the new computers.
An initiative that will see students and graduates set up income-generating projects and create jobs has been launched by Rwanda Tourism University College (RTUC). The event took place at the school campus in Kicukiro in Kigali on Friday.

Dubbed “RTUC Entrepreneurship Centre”, it will spearhead entrepreneurship and enterprise development curriculum of the university, officials said.

“We have set up a business incubation unit targeting our students, as well as graduates so that they can acquire skills to be able to start their own businesses and create employment for others,” said Zulfat Mukarubega, the founder and legal representative of the college.

The development is also expected to help in integrating entrepreneurship studies in all the modules at the college. 

The entrepreneurship centre will also equip students and graduates with business skills to enable practice what they have studied. 

Mukarubega explained that the initiative was in line with the government’s move to ensure that schools and universities produce job-creators than job-seekers.

The initiative is seen as a major tool against unemployment, especially among graduates.

“We also consider changing student’s mindset from job-seeking to job creation. Although it may take time to achieve this, we are sure that it will work,” Mukarubega said.

Although lack of start-up capital has always been seen as one of the factors that hinder graduates from starting their own businesses, experts argued that the capacity to operate business overrides others factors.

Emmanuel Ruhengeri, a third year business student at the college, said the skills acquired would build student’s capacity to come up with project proposals to access funding. 

“Yes, there is a problem of capital, but there are cases where graduates have failed to come up with convincing project proposals to be financially supported. This is one of the things we expect from the centre,” Ruhengeri said. 

Students were optimistic that the entrepreneurship centre would help acquire managerial and technical skills as well as empowering them to advocate for better business environment in the country.

Contact email: susan.babijja[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

IRST revives moringa growing

A moringa tree. The New Times/ File.
Thousands of moringa tree seedlings were in 2001 planted for nutritional and medicinal purposes in Bugesera, Huye and Kayonza districts.

The campaign, spearheaded by the World Food Programme (WFP) and the Institute of Scientific and Technological Research (IRST), was supposed to benefit WFP-supported hospitals with therapeutic feeding centres, schools, refugee camps, people living with HIV/Aids and beneficiaries of food-for-work projects.

Moringa trees were from that time distributed countrywide and people were mobilised to plant trees which were given free of charge.

It was also hoped that six months after planting, families and institutions would have been able to use the leaves, fruit, flowers, bark, seeds and gum of the Moringa trees for nutritional and medicinal purposes.  Moringa tree seed pod is used for water purification to kill microbes.

The farmers and cooperatives which engaged in the plantation were promised a wide market when the production is over.

But only after few months, the farmers saw no market and abandoned the crop.

Farmers and cooperatives  The New  Times  talked to say they had since started  uprooting  moringa trees and planted other kinds of plants after counting losses.

However, last week IRST signed a memorandum of understanding with two tertiary institutions to develop and market moringa in Rwanda.

The universities that signed memorandum with IRST are the Higher Institute of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry (ISAE Busogo) and Umutara Polytechnic.

Under the deal, the parties will conduct a market survey and find out the plant coverage among farmers.

“The memorandum we signed aimed at promoting moringa. Previously farmers faced the problem of lack of market for moringa. Now we have identified the market and people should not worry about it,” said Dr Jean Baptiste Nduwayezu, the director-general of IRST.

He added that schools, hospitals and prisons are the mostly targeted market in Rwanda. WFP will also buy moringa produce.  

The mass planting drive of moringa will be carried out this year and there is a variety of seeds which will be distributed countrywide, according to Nduwayezu.

The acting Rector of ISAE Busogo, Dr Laetitia Nyinawamwiza, said the plant should be promoted due to its enormous benefirts, including medicine, and food.

“What we want is to first identify the availability of the market before we mobilise people so that it doesn’t fail again,” said Nyinawamwiza.

Farmer’s concerns

Laurent Gasasira, a leader of Miyove village of Muyumbu sector in Rwamagana district, said the area had embraced moringa plantation but did not benefit from it.

“We were told that we will benefit from Moringa as a new cash crop and most of us uprooted other crops to plant moringa. Unfortunately, nobody followed to see the produce and buy it,” said Gasasira, as he pointed to vast lands were moringa trees were cut. 

“The owner of the farm used to employ more than 10 employees per day and they were regularly supposed to be around to take care of the farm. However, when the trees were ready for harvest, the farmer lacked market and his produce was all damaged,” he added.

Another farmer from Bugesera district was pessimistic, saying it will be difficult to convince farmers to readopt moringa farming.

“When we heard of moringa for the first time, we were all excited and planted as many trees as possible. But what shocked us is that or produce was all damaged and we no longer think of moringa,” he said preferring anonymity.

Other farmers also said they had incurred losses from moringa and have no desire to grow it again.

Agriculture board comments

Dr Jean Jacques Mbonigaba, the Director General of Rwanda Agriculture Board, acknowledges there was no attention given to farmers after the plant was first introduced.

“The problem was that investors mobilised farmers to plant moringa but they did not provide the market which led to losses to the farmers. If market is not considered business fails and that it is what happened to the farmers,” he told The New Times.

He said that if farmers are to reengage in moringa plantation, all related institutions should first clarify how broad the market is so they do not put farmers again in losses.

He said that once the production is ready, National Agriculture and Export Board (NAEB) will also buy it as Moringa is a potential cash crop.

Contact email: jmbonyinshuti[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

 

 

Kigali Construction One-Stop Centre 

February 10th, 2013 | Posted by Shyaka Kanuma

Big debate starts on whether Kagame contests another term

President Kagame at the RPF meeting. (photo Village Urugwiro)
President Kagame is deeply conflicted about the possibil­ity of serving another term be­yond 2017, even after a cross section of Rwandese Patriotic Front leaders and ordinary party members, one af­ter another, called upon him to con­sider it.
It was inevitable that this debate would hit a big stage at some point, and that occasion presented itself at the RPF’s extended National Execu­tive Committee (NEC) meeting at the Amahoro “Petit Stade”, a meet­ing that began late Friday afternoon last week and went on almost into the wee hours of Saturday morning.
Kagame, addressing the auditori­um containing a multitude estimat­ed at 2000 strong, began his speech with a subject that exasperates him like few others can – the DR Congo and its proneness to dragging Rwan­da into its problems. It was when the President introduced the next item in his speech that everyone began cock­ing heads into several stances of the highly attentive. He brought up the term limit issue.
Kagame said, “Now this is the most sensitive topic of the evening and I want to give you some serious homework”, but did not immedi­ately delve into what that homework would entail. He instead introduced a topic within the topic – “change and continuity”, and what Rwan­dans are going to do about it come 2017.
“I have noticed that people, wheth­er in the villages, whether in the me­dia, are very exercised about what I will do come 2017,” Kagame said. “Foreigners have been asking, ‘will you step down?’ When I said ‘yes’, they did not seem satisfied. “When they kept insisting, I realized what­ever I said would never satisfy them, so when recently (CNN’s Christiane) Amanpour asked me whether come 2017 I would step down, I said ‘come that time, what will happen will hap­pen!’”
Now Kagame was throwing the question out to the gathered Rwan­dans – big RPF party honchos, members of the cabinet, members of parliament, senior civil servants, members of the business community, young professionals, university stu­dent leaders and others.“What is the best course of action for our country come that time?”
Now at this point the skeptical would be going, aha! See what we told you? Kagame has become an­other typical African leader; he will stay on! And in fact that impression would be strengthened by what several people would proceed to say the moment the floor was ceded to them to give their views on this question and its serious implica­tions for the future of the country.
The first man (not someone in any leadership position) immedi­ately called for a scrapping of the articles limiting the head of state to two terms. These articles cannot serve Rwandans very well if they limit our ability to decide who leads us, and President Kagame has done the best job anyone could have done in steering this country to progress, said the man who appeared to be a lawyer and who was speaking in Kinyarwanda. “We want you Mr. Chairman of the RPF and President of the Republic to carry on even af­ter 2017!” Kagame listed intently, neither smiling, nor offering him any form of encouragement in his line of thought.
The second speaker, a woman, said it is people who make laws, and that laws are not written in stone. “If the articles limiting presidential term limits impede us in choosing the best leader we have, then these laws can be re-written and changed!
“Mr. President and Chairman of the RPF, we beseech you, you have been such a good leader, we ask it of you with utmost sincerity, when the time comes please present your can­didature and we will give you anoth­er mandate!”
But the skeptical would be wrong in immediately assuming that with this kind of discussion a presiden­tial term extension is a done deal. Kagame said a number of things that illustrate, at best, the level of ambi­guity with which he confronts the is­sue.
“To me, the usual arguments by some leaders that no one is capable of taking over after them, that would be enough in itself to make me leave! If all that time you have led a system incapable of identifying or grooming another leader, then you have failed and can leave.”
But on the other hand, “We can’t let the values of foreigners be im­posed upon us, and how we conduct our affairs,” said Kagame who was speaking alternately in Kinyarwanda and English.
He offered examples of African countries that followed the dictates of Western nations and followed their models of “democratic” gov­ernment and asked, “Where are they now? Where is Mali now? It is said they democratically elected a new government, but now what is hap­pening to the country? What is hap­pening to the Central African Repub­lic?”
The compelling argument for the president to even be listening to proponents of a term extension is crystallized in a letter an ordinary resident of Rusizi District wrote the President a few lines of which were quoted. “Nyakubawha Perezida (Hon­orable President”), the letter said, “Before you took over leadership, we were nothing. We had nothing. Now thanks to you we have built good lives. We have property. If you were to leave we don’t know where we would go, now even Bukavu is not an alternative!”
These are the ordinary villagers, the multitudes of people interested only in the stability and certainty they have ever known only under the RPF administration. The audi­ence applauded long and loud upon hearing the contents of the letter. Many of them shared the sentiments of the Rusizi man.
The debate wasn’t entirely about people urging the President to stand for another term however. Someone stood up and said Rwanda could copy from the Chinese model, and have leaders in waiting whom ev­eryone knew. Another person said the RPF as a party was strong and in­deed among its ranks were individu­als who could make good replace­ments for the President.
A woman who was among the last speakers however articulated some views that everyone seemed to nod in agreement to.
The RPF as an institution is very good, she said, but it has not yet gained the same level of confidence in the population as that which the baturage have in President Kagame.
She concluded, “In the future if the RPF gains the same levels of confi­dence thebaturage have for the Presi­dent, then we will be confident in any alternative candidate it presents.”
As the speeches wound down, the President finally said the homework was obvious to everyone present: find the answers – what is the formu­la we should use, going forward, as we determine the future of our coun­try?

Veterans get life skills

Brig. Gen. Bagabo gives out a Tool Kit to one of the 7,200 ex-combatants The New Times/ Courtsey
The Rwanda Demobilisation and Reintegration Commission (RDRC) last Friday passed out dozens of demobilised soldiers who had completed vocational training at various vocational schools in the country.

The event in Kigali was presided over by the chairman of RDRC Jean Sayinzoga.

During the pass out, the demobilised also received starter toolkits from the RDRC to enable them to start up businesses that go in line with what they have been trained in.

“Do not sell the tools we are giving you. These will give you a starting point in any career you are going to pursue. It is more than most people have when they start. We are here to ensure that you will not start from scratch! ” the commissioner in charge of demobilised soldiers in Kigali, Brigadier General John Peter Bagabo told the former combatants.

The tools included trowels, brick laying equipment, and carpentry equipment among others estimated at Rwf91 million. The recipients numbering 702 former service men were trained in electronics, plumbing, welding, building and hair dressing among others.

George Gendaneza, the head teacher of APAFORME vocational school, commended RDRC for its continued support of the former soldiers when they went through his school for training.

“My school has so far trained 300 demobilised soldiers and I will not hesitate in saying that the ones I have worked with are all diligent in their effort to get a better life. I am glad that the RDRC is helping to make their dreams a reality.” he said.

Laurence  Mukantwari,  a former rebel who was demobilised in 2002, passed highly and is now a certified mechanic. She says  she was a chauffeur but now she has gained the skills to repair the cars she drives.

“I am now going to work until I can work no more in my old age. I no longer have an excuse,” she asserted.

 

 

 

Cattle keepers destroy newly planted trees

Kamanzi warns Gatera, the farmer whose cattle was found destroying trees as Maj. Gen. Ngendahimana looks on. The New Times/S. Rwembeho.
Cattle keepers have invaded thousands of hectares of trees recently planted in Tabagwe sector in Nyagatare district with their cattle, threatening the source of water for several villages in the district.

The trees were planted by Ministry of Natural Resources in collaboration with Rwanda Defence Forces reserve force.

The destruction came to the fore during a weekend on-spot visit by the Minister of Natural Resources, Stanislas Kamanzi, Maj Gen Jerome Ngendahimana, the Deputy Reserve Force Chief of Staff and local leaders, where they witnessed women and men grazing cows in the growing trees.

The minister vowed to deal with all the people involved in the degradation of the forest, adding that he had convened a meeting with all stakeholders and put in place strategies and plans to smoke out culprits from the forest.

He urged district leaders and other relevant authorities to take the problem seriously by taking legal measures against perpetrators of such acts.

He also warned irresponsible leaders at various levels, saying they would be held accountable for their inactions.

“We caught one cattle keeper red-handed...he was comfortably grazing cows in the trees that took us a lot of energy and money to plant. This kind of irresponsibility can’t be tolerated. I have told the farmers and local leaders to take care of the trees or risk facing the law,” he said.

Kamanzi further said the issue of termites that have been destroying the trees would be addressed soon.

Meanwhile, John Gatare, a farmer who was caught grazing cows in the planted trees, apologised and vowed never to repeat the crime.

He admitted that his actions was regrettable and called upon other farmers to desist from forest destruction.

“I feel ashamed of my actions that were guided by myopic thinking and greed. We all know the importance of trees, they attract rainfall, control soil erosion, etc. After talking to the minister and other leaders, I am convinced than ever that we, farmers, must spear head tree protection,” he said.

Contact email: Stephen.rwembeho[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

 

Green Hills Students ‘discover’ source of the Nile

There have been many arguments about where the River Nile really starts its 6700km course to the far-away Mediterranean. So, a group of 26 students and staff from Green Hills Academy set out to reach the furthest known source, which is in Rwanda’s Nyungwe Forest. After an overnight stay in Kibuye, they had to get up for a very early start on Sunday, drove to a trading centre near Gisovu Tea Factory, and then walked a further 4km to reach the edge of Nyungwe Forest.

.
There they were met by a guide, who gave them a brief history of the park, and told them about the 240 different kinds of trees, the 140 species of orchids and the many birds that can be found in the forest.

There is for instance the ‘impatient flower’, whose fruits explode when you just touch them. Sadly, the students did not get to see any of the primates that also have their home in the park. After 40 minutes of more walking, they arrived at the source itself – but it was very different from what they had expected. 

“I thought that the source of the Nile would be big, full of water,” one student commented. 

“It was interesting, I expected it to be a waterfall, but it was water coming from the ground,” another student explained. “I realised that one of the largest rivers in the world starts with a very small amount of water.”

And then came the long hike back. Since the walk to the source had been all downhill, the walk back involved some climbing and proved quite a challenge for many of the participants. “I have never been that tired,” was another comment after this exciting two-day experience. “It was at the same time interesting and exhausting.”

 

Moving towards self reliance

http://www.newtimes.co.rw/news/index.php?i=15264&a=13348

Ronald Nkusi during the interview at his office. The Sunday Times / E. Kwibuka
On managing foreign aid in Rwanda, a framework where both donors and the government push each other for performance is the secret to success, government’s top manager of external donations tells Sunday Times in an exclusive interview.

Ronald Nkusi, the Director of External Finance Unit in the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, shares with Sunday Times’ Eugene Kwibuka how Rwanda has succeeded in using foreign aid for its economic development.

Nkusi says the bottom line for the government’s effective use of aid is having a clear plan of what it intends to do before inviting donors. Once the latter are shown the priorities and asked to intervene, the rest becomes easier because there is a baseline on which to start evaluating accountability for both donors and the government. 

“Donors are accountable to the government in light of the internationally agreed principles of aid effectiveness and also the government is accountable to donors and to the citizens in general through different forums that we have set up,” Nkusi explains.

The expert says that foreign aid has indeed been used to pull many Rwandans out of poverty in the last few years, but he warns against ending support before Rwanda has a firm foundation on which to build her self-reliance.

Full interview

Amid the current aid standoff, Sunday Times’ Eugene Kwibuka (ST) talked to Ronald Nkusi (RN), the Director of External Finance Unit in the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning. In the following excerpts, the expert discusses Rwanda’s success in effective use of aid and Rwanda’s road to self-reliance. 

ST: Some experts continue to say that Rwanda has effectively used aid for its economic development, explain it briefly.

RN: Yeah, I think what the experts say is true from a development cooperation point of view because if you look at what the government has achieved in the last five years, it points to that direction that actually aid has been catalytic in making sure that Rwanda achieves most of its plans and programs. That is evidenced by the recent EICV (Integrated Household Living Conditions Survey) results that showed that we have been able to reduce poverty numbers by 12 percent, we have lifted one million of our population out of poverty. That points to the fact that Rwanda is using aid effectively.

ST: How does it work? What mechanisms are in place?

RN: I think in the first place, it’s the government defining a vision of what it wants to do. Second, that vision is broken down into development programs, strategies like EDPRS that it will be implementing. Now clearly the government is setting a kind of a roadmap of what it is going to do.

After making clear of the intentions of the government, what it’s going to do, and then you request support for programmes that you have identified as priority.

There are different forums ranging from policy dialogue forums to technical and practical issue discussions. 

In terms of reporting we have the so called CPAF (Common Performance Assessment Framework). 

This framework actually takes different indicators in the development strategy EDPRS and tries to identify which key indicators that sectors will be striving to achieve. These indicators are put together in the CPAF and then you can monitor them annually to see if you are actually making progress against those indicators and critical policy actions.

 And then you can gauge how much resources you are putting into that sector to make sure that you achieve the other indicators and targets we’ve set for ourselves. 

That’s on the side of the government, donors are able to track whether the government is on the right side of implementation and if there are difficulties you discuss it in the forum.

On the side of donors, to make sure that they comply with what they have agreed to do, we use the DPAF (Donor Performance Assessment Framework).

These are reports that we generate annually to indicate how every donor has performed against the set of internationally agreed principles. 

ST: What are the key activities in which aid money is most spent on?

RN: Well, aid resources or financial support from our donors are actually not very limited to specific sectors though some sectors receive more funds than others.Some it’s general budget support funds which are channeled to all sectors of the economy, other financing is specific to sectors for example health, education, or agriculture, so you cannot say that these sectors are the ones supported by donors.

ST: You mean there are no ways you can see if we are using more aid in the health sector or infrastructure?

RN: Of course you can get that by looking at the Official Development Assistance report (ODA) that we generate every year. You can identify the funding by modalities. If you wanted to look at the sectors you can see which sectors have received more money. For example the health sector was the largest beneficiary of aid resources in the fiscal year 2010/2011.

 Agriculture is also receiving substantial money. So, you can know which sectors are receiving significant amounts of aid resources but again we have done our division of labour which is a kind of indication where the donors should be channelling their resources to make sure that the economy is balanced in terms of support. So, you try to make sure that donors go to different sectors. 

ST:  Rwanda is trying to be less reliant on foreign aid.Do you see this happening in the future? 

RN: Well, I think the leadership vision has been to have Rwanda that is self-reliant, Rwanda that is partnering with other countries but from a point of interdependence in a broader global economy without being simply Rwanda depending on other countries. If you look at what the government has been doing for the past years, it’s growing domestic revenue base trying to mobilise more resources domestically to finance its own programmes.

Actually support to our budget is reducing. It’s not reducing in terms of the nominal numbers but it’s reducing in terms of what we are able to mobilise domestically vis-à-vis what we get from donors, that (what we are able to mobilise domestically) has been going up.

Now when exactly do we get there, when is Rwanda off aid? I cannot pinpoint to a particular period when we will be off aid but that’s what we are working towards and by the virtue that Rwanda is looking at the year 2020 being a middle-income country at least you are beginning to significantly reduce your reliance on foreign aid.

ST: But you can’t see aid stopping at one point?

RN: Well, there are changes in the global economy. If you look at the development cooperation in general there is a shift in the way donors, countries that used to provide aid, actually looking at cuts because of different reasons --because of constraints in the economies of those countries that were providing aid or because of other political developments in the world that was providing aid before--So, there is a shift in the way countries are actually looking at this whole business of development cooperation. So like it or not aid at one point will diminish and will probably come into a different form.

ST: Maybe to wrap up, do you have a message for donors to the government?

RN: I think the message is simple. The government has been consistent in meeting all its commitments in achieving tremendous poverty reduction results. 

If you look in the region or internationally, I think Rwanda is credited for making tremendous progress in improving the livelihoods of its people. That has been possible because we have been getting support to achieve that and we think we still need that support to make sure that we establish a firm foundation upon which we can be able to graduate from aid.

But this support should be consistent at least till the foundation. Issues of predictability greatly undermine that foundation before it’s solid and strong enough.

Contact email: eugene.kwibuka[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

February 5th, 2013 | Posted by Godfrey Ntagungira
http://focus.rw/wp/2013/02/modern-eye-clinic-opens-in-rwanda/

 

 

 

 

Modern eye clinic opens in Rwanda

Dr. Agarwal’s eye hospital . (photo Godfrey Ntagungira)
An internationally acclaimed eye hospital has opened a world-class facility for vitreo-retinal care services in Kigali. Locate in Remera-Kisimenti, Dr. Agarwal’s eye hospital is a tertiary eye care hospital with advanced equipment that will be dealing in diagnosis, treatment and retinal surgery.
“The reason why we have set up shop in Rwanda is that health care here is still below the desired level; the people of central Africa and Rwanda are dependent on South Africa, Europe and other advanced nations which involves high cost of treatment, travel and stay for the patient and the accompanying person,” said Dr. John Nkurikiye, medical director at the hospital.
The hospital is equipped with state-of-the-art technology for performing surgery related to cataract, retina, glaucoma and other eye ailments with the techniques matching the international standards comparable to those in Europe and South Africa.
“Rwandans have been paying a lot of money to go to India or South Africa; the advantage with having this hospital in Rwanda is that patients from the region will be able to save a substantial amount of money, time and energy” said Farooq Siddiqui, the head of the hospital.

The clinic has state-of-the-art equipment. (photo Godfrey Ntagungira)
In the first phrase, the organization has invested over US$ 2 million and further investments will be made in coming years.
The new facility also fits in the government’s strategy to turn Rwanda into a medical tourism destination. “We want to extend our world-class eye care to the people in East and Central Africa” Siddiqui said.
Hubert Rutage Ruzibiza, the acting head of services development at the Rwanda Development Board, confirmed that Rwanda is developing into a destination for medical tourism where people will be coming to Kigali for medical attention. The country is trying to tap into medical tourism would improve the foreign exchange receipts.
Ruzibiza also noted that the establishment of this hospital in Kigali is a very good initiative to boost tourism as well as modernising the health sector in the country. “Medical tourism is something that requires a different approach if one is to attract world class health investment like Dr. Agarwal’s Eye Hospital; it is all about wooing people to provide quality medical services at affordable rates,” he said.
Therefore, the hospital will also cater for the required hospitality amenities and support for travel will also be managed by its international patient care services department.

 

Church joins anti-drugs campaign

Christians pray at the launch of the campaign in Nyamirambo Stadium. The New Times/ J. Mbanda
Nyarugenge district authorities have partnered with various churches in the district to fight drug abuse.

The stakeholders in collaboration with the general public on Sunday met at Nyamirambo stadium to devise ways of effectively implementing the campaign.

Innocent Nzeyimana, the head of the Religious Drug Abuse Prevention team in the district, said churches will engage in fighting and controlling drug abuse through organising various functions to sensitise the public against the habit.

“As religious leaders, we are committed to working with local authorities in controlling drug abuse given the number of believers we meet. I am sure the people will also carry the message across,” Nzeyimana (inset) said.

He called on church leaders to educate the youth about the dangers of drug abuse.

“As we preach the word of God, it is equally important that we consider helping the population to get out of the dangers affecting them,” he said.

Solange Mukasoni, the district mayor, commended religious leaders for the support and called upon the public to cooperate in making sure it succeeds.

Similar campaigns have in the past been launched to fight drug abuse not only in communities and in schools.

 

Teenage pregnancies our fault

Sunny Ntayombya
ON MONDAY this newspaper reported that a ‘pregnancy scandal’ had engulfed Groupe Scolaire Nsinda, a rural Rwamagana school, leaving the school without a headmaster and in uproar. Twenty-six girls were found pregnant. Twenty-six! Back when I was in high school, the entire student community would become ‘excited’ about a single pregnancy rumor, so I can’t even begin to understand what is going through the minds of the rest of the students. 

Heads have rolled and the blame game has started. 

“I discovered high level negligence by the head teacher. His suspension was long overdue,” Francois Ndayambaje, the chairperson of the parents committee said. The Chairperson then went on to blame the teenagers parents, saying that they weren’t “strict enough”.

One teacher, who wished to remain anonymous, said that the teenage pregnancy issue began in 2011. “No one cared and yet this school is just a stone throw away from the District Education Offices,” the teacher said.

The State Minister in-charge of Primary and Secondary Education, Dr Mathias Harebamungu, admitted that although he had received reports about the incidents, he blamed district leaders for not acting fast to address the issue. “It is unfortunate that local leaders took all this long to take action,” the Minister said.

“It is disgusting to hear what happened to the girls. I want to see to it that culprits are brought to book,” the Governor of the Eastern Province, Odette Uwamariya, said. 

I can understand why parents, teachers, ministers and governors are up in arms. It’s shocking that students, ranging from 14-17 years of age, have been discovered in the ‘family way’. There are hard questions that the suspended headmaster (along with his entire staff) must answer. However, we mustn’t get caught up in this; we must also have a debate on our children’s sexual education. Or lack thereof. 

One or two incidents of pregnancy at school, while tragic, aren’t cause for widespread consternation. However, when we are talking about double-digit figures, I am forced to question the kind of education these children are getting. And when I talk about ‘education’, I’m not only talking about history, English and math. I’m talking about the ‘facts of life’. Who is teaching them “how to say no”? Who is explaining to them how, and let me whisper it, to have safe sex?

We can keep our heads in the sand like ostriches but the fact of the matter is, a sexual revolution of sorts is upon us. Whereas only a generation ago sex was a huge deal for teenagers’ things have changed. The advent of mobile phones connected to the Internet, social media and globalization (or western value systems; whatever you wish to call it) has totally changed the game. Our children are exploring their sexuality a lot more than we ever did.

According to a 2001 UNICEF survey, in 10 out of 12 developed nations, more than two-thirds of teenagers have had sex. In some nations such as the US, the UK, Germany, Norway and Finland, the number is over 80 per cent.  However, despite the fact that these teenagers are engaging in intercourse, teenage birthrates have been steadily falling. Why? Because, as the Guttmacher Institute, a NGO working to advance reproductive health found out, teens are either choosing to remain abstinent or effectively using contraception.  

What all these countries, which have such rampant teenage sex but declining pregnancies, share is an effective sex education curriculum at school AND at home. 

I’m pretty sure that some of these pregnancies could have been avoided by simple advice from a parent like, “don’t have sex until YOU feel ready or “just because you feel like you love him (or her) doesn’t mean that you HAVE to have sex to prove it”. And the rest would have been avoided by condom use and other methods of birth control. 

I’m pretty sure that most of the ‘baby-daddies’ are the girls’ classmates. No one is going to imprison them; they aren’t “culprits”, as the Governor called them. They are just poorly informed young people. We have the responsibility to give our teenagers as much information as possible in order to keep them safe.

Anything less is a dereliction of duty on our part.

Contact email: sunny.natyombya[at]newtimes.co.rw Twitter: sannykigali Blog: sunnyntayombya.wordpress.com

 

 

Of Kigali’s grand plans to control traffic

Traffic jam during evenings. The New Times/ John Mbanda.
Owning a car in Kigali these days is no longer a dream. 

Some buildings are overwhelmed by the number of motorists in search of parking during the day. The New Times/ John Mbanda.
Statistics from the Rwanda Revenue Authority (RRA) indicate that in March, 2011, there were 50,661 registered vehicles and close to 40,000 motorcycles in the country. In September, 2011, there were 48,733 vehicles.

The most recent RRA estimates indicate that there are 54,942 motorcycles and 59,564 motor vehicles in the country of 11 million people.

In the first week of June, 2012, statistics of registered vehicles in different categories – ranging from buses, trucks to tricycles and motorcycles totalled 114,506. 

According to Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Agency (RURA) statistics dating from September 2012, Rwanda has got 643 public transport cars used by 34 registered companies for transportation of persons.

This sharp rise in the number of vehicles owned is aided by several initiatives from both informal and formal sector such as loans from banks like ‘Igurire Iyawe’ (drive your own car) that are attracting more Kigali residents to drive their dream cars.  

But planning for infrastructure to accommodate these vehicles calls for greater attention. With limited parking in the city and narrow roads, owning a car has become a nightmare for some motorists. 

Richard Karenzi, a driver from Kisimenti, believes the increase in the number of cars has led to a sharp rise in the number of accidents on the roads. 

However, the overall concern of this increase in the number of cars is the early morning and evening jam around the city.

“Most motorists are now losing about Rwf200,000 every month, because the time used to travel from Kisementi to Downtown has increased from 20 minutes to 40 minutes, during the peak hours,” said Karenzi.

The peak hours are the period between 7- 8.30am and 4.30-8pm everyday. The most affected roads are Nyabugogo-City Center, Sonatube-Rwandex-Giporoso, Chez Lando-Gishushu and Kimicanga –Sopetrad.

Fuel prices have also been affected. 

But  Reuben Ahimbisibwe, the Director of Infrastructure at Kigali, believes all this chaos will be a thing of the past when  they acquire money to conduct a survey on the actual number of the cars in the city.

This, according to Ahimbisibwe, will help the city plan better in widening some of the existing roads and creating alternative roads.

“By next year, we will have widened the roads that are most affected by traffic jams. For example, we will create two more lanes on the Muhima-Nyabugogo road. At junctions, such as Sonatubes, Gishushu and Giporoso, we will build flyovers,” he said. 

The plan, he said, also includes adding more alternative roads, such as the Rwanda Development Board - control technique road. 

“Such by passes around the city centre will help us get rid of many cars on the main road,” adds Jean Marie Vianney Ndushabandi, the Traffic and Road Safety spokesperson in the Rwanda National Police. 

Creating single lanes will also help decongest the city, although Ahisimbiwe was not precise on which roads will be affected. Neither the time frame to achieve these goals. 

This idea was welcomed by traders and motorists alike. 

Stephen Barimenshi, a trader from city centre offered that City Centre-Giporoso and City Centre-Kisimenti roads should be made one-way to Kigali during peak hours in the morning and evening.

But another driver who spoke on condition of anonymity said the problem is not the number of cars but reckless drivers who cause jam.

“We have lesser cars than there are in Nairobi and Kampala. This problem of jams and congestion can only be solved if we learn how to drive properly,” he said.

Contact email: jean.tabaro[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

Rwf300m earmarked for victims of wild animal attacks

Plans have been finalised to start compensating more than 1,300 families, who are victims of attacks by wild animals from national parks, officials of the Special Grant Fund have said.

Speaking at a town hall meeting at the weekend, Bernardin Ndashimye, the director-general of the Fund, said compensation will start from Nyagatare in two weeks before extending to Kayonza district.

“The Fund is there to help people who had accidents and declared it. We don’t want people to lose their limbs or property and not get compensated,” said Ndashimye.

The recipients will be compensated for destroyed agricultural products, lost or injured lives and domestic animals killed by wild animals.

In Nyagatare district, 279 cases of various magnitudes were recorded, while in Kayonza, at least 1,000 cases will be addressed.

The officials will spend more than Rwf300m on compensation in Nyagatare and Kayonza districts alone.

“The target we have is to be as quick as we can, sometimes the delay is due to results we need from Police or medical reports from hospitals before we pay the victims or the family of the victims,” Ndashimye said, adding that local leaders helped in identifying the claimants.

The officials said, among their challenges, are multiple and questionable compensation claims for damaged property and late reporting.

The payment follows investigation based on the reports from the Police.

In cases of damage to property or injury to life of humans, victims are expected to contact the Police within seven days and two months to the Fund.

The Fund says it does not tolerate delays.

However, officials said they are planning to put some money at sector level so that minor claims can be handled at sector level.

Verifying claims

Florence Nibakure, the in-charge of compensation at the Fund, said they not just receive documents, but also follow up on them from the local level to establish the veracity of claims.

People who are affected say they have been waiting for payment for along time.

“There is an old man who was seriously injured by a buffalo; when he was taken to CHUK, he was sent back to Nyagatare Hospital. He was so helpless. There are other people who face such problems and are unable to find officials to report to,” said Simon Hakizimana from Karangazi in Nyagatare district.

 

Why the One Dollar project stalled

The building has been in this near-completion state for months now. The New Times/ File
Contractors of the project aimed at providing shelter to Genocide orphans have accused the project manager of poor management, leading to delays in the completion of what has been dubbed the ‘One Dollar Hostel’.

The four-storey complex, in the upscale Kagugu cell in Kinyinya sector, is upon completion, supposed to provide shelter for at least 192 orphans of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.  

The hostel, whose construction was supposed to take 12 months after the ground-breaking ceremony in October 2010, was funded by proceeds from the One Dollar Campaign, which was initially launched by Rwandans in Diaspora, but later embraced by the nation.  

However, the project, which has for a long time been in finishing phase, has been reportedly delayed by misunderstandings between parties involved in the contract.

Payment wrangles

According to Donatien Murenzi, the owner of Murenzi Supply Company, the contractor, the main issues were raised during the payment, which was not being done on due time. 

This saw the contractor lay down tools in November last year.

Murenzi said, “The project manager, Appolinaire Sayinzoga Nkongoli, kept changing the architectural plan, adding in works which where not in the original contract.”

This was corroborated by the executive secretary of Ibuka, the umbrella body that safeguards the interests of Genocide survivors. Ibuka is a key stakeholder in the project.

“The project manager would make modifications on the complex without seeking the consent of  the board and the contractor required Rwf222m extra money on these activities, which we could not pay without referring to the contract,” said Naftari Ahishakiye, the Ibuka executive secretary.

Efforts to contact Nkongoli, who has since resigned, were futile as he was said to be out of the country.

The activities resumed on January 29, thanks to the visit by the Prime Minister Pierre Damien Habumuremyi to the site, where he asked that the house be ready in three months.

For effectiveness, the premier promised giving them a project manager from the Ministry of Infrastructure to oversee the construction activities and called upon those who pledged towards the campaign and have not yet honoured it to do so.

The hostel has 48 bedrooms, each of them having four beds that will accommodate the neediest of the students to be selected by the Association of Student Genocide Orphans (AERG). 

It has different facilities, including offices, kitchen and a dining room.

Speaking to The New Times, Constantine Rukundo, the national coordinator of AERG, said the delay of the project is affecting beneficiaries, who have no where to go for their holidays.

Rukundo said they have identified 600 Genocide survivors in need of shelter, but due to the limited facility, they will take in the most vulnerable.

Contact email: editorial[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

Congolese refugees in Rwanda complain of insufficient food, water
REPORT
from IRIN
Published on 04 Feb 2013 —View Original

Aid workers fill bags of fortified cereal for new arrivals to the Mugunga camp in eastern DR Congo
© Nigel Sanders/WFP
KIGALI, 4 February 2013 (IRIN) - New waves of civilians fleeing the Democratic Republic of Congo [DRC] for Rwanda have added to the challenge of providing the tens of thousands of such refugees there with adequate food supplies," Abdoulaye Balde, UN World Food Programme (WFP) representative in Rwanda, told IRIN.
"When looking at the current situation, there is a threat of hunger spread[ing] with the influx of fresh batches of Congolese refugees who arrived [in Rwanda] over recent weeks," he added.
WFP has said it is facing logistical challenges and does not currently have adequate food rations to distribute to all refugees. The families each receive, according to WFP, 9kg of maize, 2.7kg of beans and another 30g of oil and 5g of salt per week. Expectant mothers and children get special rations which, WFP says, may vary from time to time.
WFP says it needs an estimated US$4 million to expand its food assistance to Congolese refugees.
"Just too little"
Thousands of refugees, many of them women and children, have flocked to Rwanda following renewed violent clashes between rebels and government forces in the eastern DRC province of North Kivu and especially around the town of Masisi. The Rwandan government estimates that in December 2012 alone, some 50 to 70 Congolese refugees arrived in the country daily.
Musagara, a 37-year-old father of four from Masisi, told IRIN that the weekly ration he receives is hardly enough for his family.
"Since we arrived at the camp, we have barely had enough to eat. I cannot afford to feed myself [and] my family. The food we receive is just too little," Musagara said.
According to the Rwandan Ministry of Disaster Management and Refugees Affairs, a census done between May and September 2012 revealed that there are an estimated 57,000 Congolese refugees in Rwanda. Some 20,000 of them arrived after fresh violence broke out in April 2012.
Many of the refugees are currently living in five camps in Rwanda, where they are receiving humanitarian aid.
Water also needed
The refugees have also called for adequate provision of water to the camps.
"It is unfortunate that some areas in these camps do not still meet these standards," Safari, another Congolese refugee, told IRIN in the newly established camp of Kigeme, in Southern Province, which is home to most of the recent arrivals.
Antoine Ruvebana, the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Disaster Management and Refugee Affairs, told IRIN his government was doing all it could to ensure the refugees had their basic needs, including food and shelter, covered.
According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), all refugees who have registered in Rwanda since July 2012 are being provided with food, utensils and shelter. However, the agency notes that "the standard of 2,100 kcal per day is not always met due to temporary shortages of some food items", and that "water supplies are variable".
http://reliefweb.int/report/rwanda/congolese-refugees-rwanda-complain-insufficient-food-water

RDF officers tour biodiesel research plant

RDF officers are showed around IRST on Friday. The New Times/ Timothy Kisambira.
More than 50 officers of Rwanda Defence Forces (RDF) last week visited the Institute of Scientific and Technological Research (IRST), Kigali station, to learn how biodiesel and other products are processed.

The officers are undergoing training at the RDF Command and Staff College in Nyakinama, Musanze district.

Brig. Gen. Joseph Nzabamwita, the RDF spokesperson, said the visit aimed at acquainting the officers with activities of various institutions, including researchers, ICT, academic activities, among others, that are part of the curriculum.

“They applied for a study tour in our institute, we welcomed them and they were shown the steps of making biodiesel and how different it is from  normal diesel. We explained how it is friendly to the environment  and cheaper,” said Dr Jean Baptiste Nduwayezu, the director-general of IRST.

The research institute promotes biodiesel research to process more biodiesel and targets to have all vehicles in the country use biodiesel by 2025, according to Dr Nduwayezu.

Challenges

The challenge is that the processing system is still slow as the palm oil they use is imported and the clientele is still scarce.

Biodiesel goes for Rwf890 compared to Rwf 1,000 for normal diesel.

The station, which started in 2007, has made some progress, producing at least 2,000 litres per day.

Contact email: jmbonyinshuti[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

January 29th, 2013 | Posted by Jean-Christophe Nsanzimana
http://focus.rw/wp/2013/01/rukara-citizens-get-clean-water/
Rukara citizens get clean water

The network includes a reservoir of 100 m3. (photo Jean-Christophe Nsanzimana)
World Vision Rwanda Yesterday officially handed over the extension of works of Cyatokwe water supply system to Kayonza district community. WVR has supported the extension of the water supply to the community of Rwimishinya cell, Rukara sector in Kayonza (Eastern Province) which didn’t enjoy access to safe and clean water previously.
According to World Vision Rwanda’s integrated Programs Director Russell Dlamini, 5,026 people will benefit from this service and the length of the pipeline constructed is 14 km. Sixteen water points with 32 water taps and one distribution reservoir of 100 m3 have also been constructed as part of the network.
This is the extension of Cyatokwe water supply system supplies clean water to seven villages of Rukara sector. The whole project was funded by World Vision through its program ‘Ubuzima Wash program” with Frw 142 million. The idea came from an assessment of Rukara sector’s priority needs done by WVR, from which the decision of rapidly addressing water related issues in the sector was taken.
“This fits in WVR’s mission of improving the grass-roots community’s livelihoods through sanitation and hygiene,” said Russell.

WVR director Russel Dlamini (L) and EWSA’s DDG James Sano cutting the ribbon at one of the water taps stands. (photo Jean-Christophe Nsanzimana)
According to John Mugabo, the mayor of Kayonza district, this is a great help for the Rukara sector’s community that used to walk an estimated distance of over 10 km to fetch water in Kayongo marshland. “This water supply system will significantly transform the lives of Rukara citizens. They will no longer have to spend much of their times going to nearest marshlands and rivers,” said Mugabo who requested the citizens to make good of the clean water they got, and make sure that it lasts for long. “We hope that no more kids from this sector will miss classes due to the long walk. You have water in 20 meters from your homes, let your kids be at school at time, drink clean water and be yourselves clean. Water is life, now I can say that Rukara citizens’ lives are safer as anytime before.”
38 year-old Agnes Nyinawumuntu, a citizen of Rukara sector said that getting water closer to them was more than a miracle. “Since my childhood, I used to believe that walking a long distance to fetch water is normal. I never believed in having clean water as closer as this,” said the young woman who further added that having water far away was posing a challenge to most of the citizens wanted to start businesses locally but couldn’t afford to get door closer due to poor hygiene. “I wanted to start a bar but hesitated due to how I would have done to keep used items clean. I had to chose to use the marshland water which is even not as clean as ‘real’ water,” Nyinawumuntu told The Rwanda Focus.
EWSA’s Deputy DG in charge of water and sanitation James Sano told Rukara citizens that EWSA will help to extend WVR works to the surrounding sectors. “We contribute to extend this water supply system. WVR has shown us that it possible to get water closer in these places, where water is fetched from long distances. We are going to work on it, and see how we can make other neighboring communities who didn’t get this chance, enjoy clean water also,” said EWSA’s DDG who was the chief guest.
Posted by Jean-Christophe Nsanzimana on Jan 29 2013.

 

Rulindo District in massive electricity rollout

Rulindo District Mayor, Justus Kangwagye. The New Times / File.
4,000 households in Rulindo District, Northern Province, will soon be connected to electricity in this year’s district plans to have all households connected.

The district has so far incurred Rwf 2.6 billion, but officials say that more funds will be injected in the project according to how the district`s revised budget.

Justus Kangwagye, the district Mayor, said that the decision to reverse the budget was aimed at ensuring that the project is funded to benefit more households.

“We will sign another Rwf 130 million deal with the Energy Water and Sanitation Authority (EWASA) to see that all the seventeen sectors in the district are connected,” Kangwagye said yesterday.

He noted that although the public utility cooperation has tried to connect households in the district, there is still a lot that needs to be done in ensuring that electricity reaches even the most vulnerable population.

“We must ensure that electricity reaches and impacts lives of even the most deprived people in the district,” he said. Households will only be required to pay for connection fees.

The Mayor called on residents to utilize the opportunity to start income generating activities to fight poverty and improve their living conditions. 

The government has a target of connecting 50 percent of households to the national grid come 2017. 

Yves Muyange, EWASA`s Director General, said that to achieve this, the at least 100,000 homes must be connected every year. EWASA reports indicate that there was an increase in access to electricity from 6 percent in 2008 to 16 percent in 2008.

Government is expected to invest US$4.7 billion to hit the set target in that given time frame. To increase the amount of electricity or generation the government also involved the private sector in power generation through public- private partnership.

In addition to the hydro power, the government has also put much effort in the methane gas and geothermal projects to have more power production. 

Contact email: grace.mugoya[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

Call to increase access to clean water

The government has embarked on a new strategy that will see at least 80% of the population access clean water in the next two years. The New Times / John Mbanda.
Countries have been urged to come up with effective measures that will enable the population get access to clean water; to avoid the sum being wasted due to unsafe and poor water supply globally.

The call was made by Liberian President, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, during the UN Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel that took place on Wednesday in Monrovia.

“US$260 billion in economic losses annually is directly linked to inadequate water supply and sanitation around the world.  We must take this issue more seriously,” she said.

Sirleaf was one of the three co-Chairs of the UN Secretary-General’s High-level Panel of Eminent Persons on the Post-2015 Development Agenda.

She urged that access to adequate sanitation is seen as an outcome of development, rather than a driver of economic development and poverty reduction.

The 2011 Noble Prize Winner gave examples of countries which have addressed the challenge saying it has effectively contributed to their economic development. 

“South Korea, Malaysia and Singapore in the 1960’s and 1970’s demonstrated the potential for boosting economic development by addressing sanitation,” she said.

The meeting was also chaired by UK Prime Minister David Cameron, and the President of Indonesia, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.  It was held under the theme “economic transformation”; attracting government officials from various countries, representatives of the private sector as well as civil society organizations.

Sirleaf, who is also Goodwill Ambassador for water, sanitation and hygiene in Africa, noted that without more progress in providing access to safe water and effective sanitation, children will continue to miss school and health costs will continue to be a drag on national economies.

 “Adults will continue to miss work, and women and girls will continue to spend hours every day fetching water, typically from dirty sources,” she said.

Speaking to The Sunday Times, the Director of Water and Sewage Utility at the Energy Water and Sanitation Authority (EWSA), Theoneste Minani, said that his institution has embarked on a new strategy that will see at least 80 percent of the population get access to clean water in two years.

“We have put in place eighteen water treatment plants countrywide and this has effectively contributed to our capacity in making sure that water that the population uses meets the required standards,” he said.

Minani added that each treatment plant has a laboratory and that sampling does not only stop at the plans that EWASA officials go as far as collecting samples from households to check or further test.

Mobile laboratories he said are used in rural areas considered to be far away from the permanent labs. 

“When we realize that even after the purification exercise the water does not meet the required standard we do not supply or distribute it,” he said.

Minani attributed such circumstances to various factors that include pollution and certain specific minerals that might be underground thereby affecting the quality of water.

Contact email: grace.mugoya[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

Karongi irrigation project commended

L-R: Mark Austin, the World Bank Task Team Leader, Geeta and Hakizimana after the tour on Tuesday. The New Times/ Courtsey.
The Programme Manager for the Global Agriculture and Food Security Programme (GAFSP), Geeta Sethi, has commended Karongi district farmers for adopting irrigation mechanisms to boost their farming activities.

Geeta made the remarks after touring the Land Husbandry, Water Harvesting and Hillside Irrigation project (LWH) in the area on Tuesday. She noted that it had substantially transformed the livelihood of the beneficiaries in Rwanda after shifting from traditional farming to commercialised market oriented farming.

Geeta expressed appreciation for the achievements registered in the agriculture sector and commended residents for spearheading their own transformation and development.

GAFSP, through a basket fund of US$50 million, supports the government’s LWH project to increase productivity and commercialisation of hillside agriculture through research and extension, water and land management, agricultural value chains, and expanded access to finance.

 “This is an amazing experience for me, transformation and increase incomes, schools and development take at least twelve years, what you have showed today is a miracle, you did the difficult part, the commitment and passion, the difference made in your life is a story I am going to take to other parts of the world,” Geeta told residents.

Karongi vice mayor in charge of finance and economic development, Sebastien Hakizimana, called upon the beneficiaries to protect the infrastructure that has been put in place, saying the project provides income to the farmers and facilitates farmers to work with financial institutions.

The project empowers farmers to form their own groups geared towards improving their capacities. As a result, the GAFSP Programme Manager visited Icyuzuzo group, made up of 11 men and eight women to witness how farmers’ capacities have been developed. 

The group has managed to benefit from the saving culture, significantly improving their social welfare.

Contact email: eric.kabera[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

Government launches mass distribution of mosquito nets

The distribution of nets will help eliminate malaria by 2017. New Times/File Photo.
Nyagatare– The Ministry of Health on Tuesday launched mass distribution of long lasting mosquito nets in Rurenge village, Rukomo sector in Nyagatare district, one of the high malaria transmission areas.

The event was presided over by the Minister of Health, Dr. Agnes Binagwaho, who encouraged the public to exercise maximum co-operation with the government in the effort to eliminate malaria in the country.

In her address, the minister said although malaria was a deadly killer, it could be defeated if the public co-operated and supported government’s efforts to fight it.

She said elimination of malaria by 2017 would allow the government to focus its efforts in fighting other diseases.

“We want zero malaria cases in our country by 2017. It is our duty as Rwandans to fight malaria. People must use mosquito nets effectively,” she said.

She further informed the gathering that the ministry will continue to look at all the possible measures to combat malaria.

 “After  distributing nets in all malaria prone areas, we expect to see a drop in malaria cases as an indication that people are using these nets and that the whole exercise is bearing fruits.”

According to Dr Corine Karema, the head of Division, Malaria and Other Parasitic Diseases at Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC), the two-day campaign would see at least 2,300 children under the age of five years, receive mosquito nets.

She said malaria affected mainly children under five years and pregnant women, adding that Eastern Province had the highest cases of malaria.

“Eastern Province has 70 per cent of malaria cases while Nyagatare is the most affected district with 50 per cent. This explains why we launched the campaign here,” she said.

It emerged some residents were going to use the mosquito nets for the first time in their lives.

“I can’t express my happiness enough, I have never slept under a mosquito net. The government has done great to protect my children from malaria,” said a jovial Harriettee Dusingizimana.

Rwanda is among nine countries that were this week recognised for their significant contribution in the fight against malaria. 

The African Leaders Malaria Alliance (ALMA) Forum on Monday awarded Rwanda with two anti-Malaria awards in the categories of ‘Policy’ and ‘Impact and Implementation.’ 

The Demographic Health Survey (DHS), conducted in 2010, indicates that malaria prevalence decreased from 2.6 in 2008 to 1.4 in 2010 in children under five, and from 1.4 in 2008 to 0.7 in 2010 in pregnant women.

The rate of malaria cases treated after laboratory confirmation was 96 per cent in 2011.

Contact email: stephen.rwembeho[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

 

My dream is to be a Rwandan citizen - Briton

http://www.newtimes.co.rw/news/index.php?i=15254&a=63407
Some of the former street children at Usabyamahoro’s home. The New Times/ Courtesy.
A Green Card and other attempts to get permanent residence or citizenship in the US and other Western countries is usually every one’s dream. That is why Rebecca Shrubsole’s decision to leave England for Rwanda received mixed reactions.

Now called Rebecca Usabyamahoro and applying for Rwandan citizenship, the 28-year-old started dreaming about coming to Africa at a tender age.

“I used to tell my mother that my children will be Africans and she encouraged me to follow my heart. but my father was against this,” Rebecca said during the interview at her home in Nyamirambo where, in 2010, she married Evode Usabyamahoro, alias Commando, 37, a former street child, who was running humanitarian services. 

The two met in 2008 when Rebecca travelled to Rwanda for the first time.

“When I was six, my classmates chose me to visit the survivors of the Jewish Holocaust. 

The motto I found there was ‘Genocide, Never Again’. This confused me because I read about other genocides in Cambodia later.” 

She later heard about the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, and the ‘Never Again’ slogan.

“Many things came into my mind. Like how do these survivors live, who cares for them and many others,” she says.

So in 2008, while an undergraduate in the Faculty of Sociology at Goldsmiths College University of London, she resolved to visit Rwanda. Here, she met Usabyamahoro, who was helping street children.

“The Youth for Christ Organisation linked me to Usabyamahoro, who was struggling to look after children he had picked from the streets. I understood this was my call to support the community; God had told me earlier before that He would give me a great family; they were my children.”

The beginning of Usabyamahoro’s project was hard. Rebecca could only afford Rwf30,000 per month to rent a house for the 30 children. The first house had neither water, nor electricity and the latrine was run down.

Rebecca returned to school in England in September 2008 and started rallying support to help street children. After graduating in 2010, she returned to Rwanda to marry Usabyamahoro.

Now a mother of nine-month-old Jennifer Lucy Usabyamahoro Keza, Rebecca is also a ‘mother’ of many former street children in their 14-bedroom house in Rwezamenyo cell, Nyarugenge district.

The project

The children in this rehabilitation centre dubbed Ubaka u Rwanda (Build Rwanda), registered in Nyarugenge district and in England, are aged between 10 and 22 and have all been taken off the street since 2002. 

As part of rehabilitation process, they send them to school with support from well wishers.

So far, 28 children have graduated from the centre and returned home. Others (28) are in primary and 10 attend basic education.

Usabyamahoro spent Rwf18m to put up a library, sports room, living room, three dormitories and reading rooms, a computer room equipped with three laptops and kitchen facilities for his ‘family’.

Contact email: editor[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

AFRICAN FIRST LADIES AGAINST HIV/AIDS (OAFLA)

MTN launches portable renewable energy system

A woman displays the multipurpose solar system. The New Times / courtesy.
MTN, one of the leading mobile telecom operators, has launched a portable solar energy system dubbed “Comeka ReadySet” as part of its efforts to improve energy and telecommunications access for all Rwandans. The system is especially designed for Rwandans living in areas that are not connected to the power grid or those without regular access to electricity. 

The Comeka ReadySet is a multi-functional energy system that can charge mobile phones as well as power lights, radios, tablets and other devices.

This gives local enterprises an opportunity to earn additional revenues from phone-charging businesses, Robert Rwakabogo, the MTN senior manager for marketing operations, said.

“We have already piloted the system and are confident that it will serve our rural subscriber base effectively,” Rwakabogo added during the launch at Nyarutarama in Kigali.

The ‘Comeka ReadySet’ costs Rwf115,000 from MTN centres and dealers countrywide.

While the ‘Comeka ReadySet’ may prove an attractive backup energy solution for urban dwellers, the product is also targeted for business. 

The system’s battery draws its energy from a 15-watt solar panel and offers a mains adapter for when the sun is not shining.

http://www.newtimes.co.rw/news/index.php?i=15253&a=63381
kLab livens tech scene

Young ICT innovators at K-lab share ideas on how to develop software. The New Times/  Frank Kanyesigye.
Rwanda’s ICT innovation is quickly gaining momentum due to the fact that some young technology graduates are actively engaged in software applications thanks to kLab innovation centre.
The government, through Rwanda Development Board (RDB) plans to set up an ICT park that will host a collection of technological investments including training, industries, research and development, which is in line with supporting technology innovation
kLab, an open technology hub for IT entrepreneurs located at Telecom House in Kacyiru, provides a platform for developers, IT enthusiasts and interested parties of a growing ICT community to collaborate and innovate.

The innovation centre has formally unveiled its flagship pioneering ICT projects such as crowd funding (eNkunga), Kigalicc app, ‘sarura’, and unified school system.

The software applications have been developed and implemented by some of its startup IT innovators.

“These software applications have been developed to address the enormous community needs by providing easy access to relevant information. We are proud that our start–ups are bearing fruits with the successful implementation of big innovations in the Rwandan ICT sector as kLab tenants,” Claude K. Migisha, the General Manager of kLab told The New Times.

He stated that the growing kLab community is also made of experienced mentors who provide both technical and business assistance to needy members.

kLab also hosts events, workshops, bootcamp, hackathons and networking sessions to promote partnerships, investment and financing.

Migisha further noted that the innovative mobile web applications represent kLab’s contribution to address Rwandan community needs through embracing and proper usage of the open space for collaboration and innovation.

At the kLab, IT enthusiasts passionately work on applications, and their mission is to see the hub become like the famed Silicon Valley of the USA.  

Silicon Valley is home to many of the world’s largest technology corporations, like Miscrosoft, Google, Facebook and HP, as well as thousands of small innovative start-ups.

Migisha said that kLab’s mission is to promote, facilitate and support the development of innovative ICT solutions by nurturing a vivid community of entrepreneurs and mentors.

The Unified School System web application developed by Jean Pierre Habinshuti, an ICT entrepreneur, will help promote the Rwandan education system through facilitating parents to effectively participate in the education of their children. The application is available and accessible to all schools in the country.

“There has been a major problem of lack of standard student progressive report form, so this application will help parents use a unique source comprising a serial number and document authenticity tracking tool to access their children’s report forms,” explained Habinshuti.

Kigalicc app, developed by Spiderbit Limited, is a free mobile web application that will run on all mobile devices and tablets will enable visitors to Rwanda to access all information regarding restaurants, hotels, entertainment places, taxis and a dictionary, to facilitate them effectively learn and communicate in Kinyarwanda with just a click.

As for ‘eNkunga’ it is a crowd funding project developed by Zilencio Creativo limited, winner of the best start-up award 2012 in the Startup World competition for the most innovative project.

“eNkunga was conceived following a need to finance individuals and organisations who find the traditional means of financing their ventures too taxing and discouraging,” said Ara Nashera, the Director of Zilencio Creativo.

Nashera stated that regarding transforming lives in Rwanda, “we can only attribute that to the projects we are yet to see as we shall start with kLab members’ projects and then other project owners.”

“We believe ideas are only great when they have beneficiaries, we are using technology to facilitate ideas to impact our community.”

‘Sarura’, developed by OSCA Connect limited, is an automated voice SMS application to help farmers easily access relevant agriculture information and weather updates through their mobile phones.

“We are now working with one cooperative in Kigali for this solution implementation and agriculture institutions to manage the contents. It costs Rwf80 to request for information,” said Esther Kunda, the CEO of OSCA Connect Ltd.

Since the establishment of kLab a year ago, Rwandan ICT innovators have increased in number.

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) 2012 report ranked Rwanda among six developing countries that are most dynamic performers when it comes to ICT development.

Contact email: frank.kanyesigye[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

Kimisagara Football for Hope Centre opens in Rwanda

• 04 October 2012 |

• Paul Hunt

The FIFA sponsored Kimisagara Football for Hope Centre has been opened in Kigali, Rwanda, with the aim of promoting peace and providing education for the local community.
The first match at the new centre

The Kimisagara Football for Hope Centre has been officially launched in Rwanda’s capital, Kigali, at a colourful opening ceremony. The opening marks the end of a process of construction that began in December 2009, and the centre was designed by KD|AP (Killian Doherty | Architectural Practice), in conjunction with Architecture for Humanity. Great Lakes Energy fitted out the centre with an innovative solar flood lighting and rain water harvesting system.

The centre was opened by Protais Mitali, the Rwandan sports and culture minister and attended by delegates from the government, FIFA and the Rwandan Football Association as well as hundreds of local school children.

The official ribbon-cutting and plaque-unveiling ceremony was followed by a match on the new artificial turf built for the centre. The centre is being run by Espérance, a Rwandan NGO that uses football as a means to promote peace and reconciliation, and help children to develop skills that will be useful in later life.

Promoting peace and reconciliation
The centre’s programme aims to use football as a tool to promote long-lasting stability in a country still struggling with the legacy of the 1994 genocide. 

They have encouraged the participation of young people from different communities and ethnic groups. Tournaments will be organised at the centre with mixed-gender teams and no referee; disagreements are to be solved by players on the pitch, through dialogue and compromise. 

Focusing on education
The centre will also act as a community focal point for education and training. Information and resources on AIDS awareness will be distributed and activities on social issues such as gender and discrimination will be organised.

The centre also offers classroom space, which will be used by local adults as well as children. English has recently been introduced as an official language in Rwanda and will be taught at the centre, alongside IT education. 

"20 Centres for 2010"
The new centre is part of a campaign by FIFA, football’s global governing body, to create a lasting legacy from the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. The campaign aims to create 20 Football for Hope Centres across Africa, and this is the seventh so far, following the opening of centres in South Africa, Namibia, Ghana, Lesotho, Mali and Kenya.

 

RWANDA : KIMISAGARA FOOTBALL FOR HOPE CENTER

Friday, October 5th, 2012

The international football federation, FIFA opened Kimisagara football for hope centre on Tuesday to fulfill another big step towards its commitment to building 20 Football for Hope centers across Africa.
The football for hope centre was opened by the Minister of Sports and Cultire Protais Mitali alongside FIFA’s CSR Programme Manager Cornelia Genoni.
Genoni said, “The 2010 World Cup may long be over but its legacy keeps on growing. Hosting the first World Cup in Africa was far more than just hosting a football tournament,”
“FIFA made a commitment that would leave a tangible social legacy for the whole of Africa, not only the host nation. With the opening of this centre, it marks another step to fulfilling FIFA’s promise of putting football to work for promotion of youth and social projects,” said Genoni.
Genoni further added that each centre has the same concept of using football to promote hope and opportunity for the young generation.
Kimisagara Football for Hope Centre is the seventh of the 20 planned projects and continues the legacy of the official campaign of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ – ‘20 Centres for 2010’.
The centre is run by Esperance – Association des Jeunes Sportifs de Kigali (association of sporting youth in Kigali), whose primary objective is to support young people through counselling and training to overcome ethnic divides and become peace advocates in the community.
The Esperance centre offers opportunities for between 150-200 children in the suburban district to take part in programmes and courses participate in theatre and, importantly, play football. The club has a team in Rwanda’s second division and APR’s Jean Claude Iranzi and SC Kiyovu’s Mwemere Girinshuti are the two products of this centre.
The Kigali centre follows the opening of similar projects in Khayelitsha (Cape Town, South Africa), Katatura (Windhoek, Namibia), Mathare (Nairobi, Kenya), Baguineda (Bamako, Mali), Maseru (Lesotho) and Cape Coast in Ghana.
A further 13 Football for Hope Centres will be completed by the middle of next year in Botswana, Cameroon, Cape Verde Islands, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Mauritania, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.

 

January 28th, 2013 | Posted by Eric Didier Karinganire
Judges upgrade knowledge on human rights

Participants in the human rights training. (courtesy photo)
More than 30 judges from Muhanga intermediate and primary courts are upgrading their skills on human right issues.
Fabienne Kabagambe, the president of Muhanga intermediate court, said that the two-day workshop is aimed at enhancing the knowledge of judges in international human rights.
“Judges are the first actors to implement human rights,” Kabagambe pointed out. “We have to make sure that human rights are protected. There are for instance the right of defense or presumption of innocence – these are fundamental human rights that we always have to uphold.”
She noted that the workshop will be an occasion to discuss different international treaties on human rights and the best practices in domestic courts for the benefit of people.
However, Kabagambe noted that lack of awareness about these fundamental human rights by citizens remains the major challenge; which requires another effort to sensitize people about their rights.
“I have never seen any child coming to us for instance filing a case for being denied his rights to education or to medical care,” she pointed out.
The ministry of justice has been conducting an annual legal aid week where judiciary staff go around the country for sensitization and providing legal services.
The human rights training is conducted by the Supreme Court in collaboration with the Institute of Legal Practice and Development (ILPD) and UNDP.

 

Two women, six children left homeless after social rejection

Nyiraneza with her children inside her hut. Authorities have advised her to return to her ancestral village. The New Times/Jean de la Croix Tabaro
Two single mothers and their six children have not had shelter since mid December, last year, when their respective villages chastised them with accusations of causing insecurity.

They are Rosalie Yamuragiye in Mwendo sector, Ruhango district, and Chantal Nyiraneza from Gacurabwenge sector, Kamonyi district. Each has three children. Both districts are in the Southern Province.

Mid last month, residents of Nyamugari village in Mwendo sector agreed with Celestin Nzabasabira, the executive secretary of Gafunzo cell, that Yamuragiye, who had relocated to the area a year earlier from Karongi district, had to leave because she posed a ‘threat to the area security.’

“They reported that she used to trade and drink illegal brew and to throw stones on neighbours’ roofs. That’s how they decided she had to leave,” says Félicien Habimana, the executive secretary of Mwendo sector.

“She is now okay in another village waiting to harvest her crops she planted in Gafunzo marshland before departing to her original district,” he said.

A similar case occurred in Kamonyi district. 

On New Year’s day, Nyiraneza, spent the night under an avocado tree with her twin baby girls, aged one, and their elder brother, 5, in Gihinga cell, Gacurabwenge sector.

She hails from Nyamasheke district in Western Province, where she left in 2008 to look for a job in Kigali after separating from the father of her first child.

Upon arrival in Kigali, she met Agnes Madebe of Gacurabwenge sector, in Kamonyi district who took her to work as a house-help.

In Kamonyi, she lived with Madebe’s mother, for two months, earning Rwf7,000 per month.  Later on, after issues with her boss, she moved to a house she rented for Rwf2,000 a month. It is there that Emmanuel Nyirabigwi, a casual labourer approached her, and spent a couple of nights at her place. Nyiraneza gave birth to the twins on February 1, 2011.

 “My babies cannot die because they were born on Hero’s Day,” she said cuddling the seemingly malnourished babies.  

Since they were born, their mother has struggled to take care of them because she has no money. Eventually, she resolved to forcibly join the father of her twins who was renting a house in another village.

Nyirabigwi would later leave them after only three days and the landlord decided to evict her because she could not afford rent.

“I had gone to bring milk from a well wisher. On return, I found all my property outside the one roomed house,” she narrated. “And the village leader ruled that no neighbour should support me. That’s how we spent the night under an avocado tree!”

The Nyagisozi village leader, Emile Ntirenganya, said he has no issue with Nyiraneza. He says, upon learning she had slept under a tree, he called village fundraising meeting to raise money for her transport to her parents’ home.

“They gave me Rwf6,000, but my children and I were hungry and would not have made it to Nyamasheke; we spent some of the money on food and kept Rwf 2,000 to rent a hut for a month.”

In the hut she now rents, Nyiraneza, has as belongings, an old green basin, a plastic old plate and a small sauce pan, plus a yellow recycled bag of Kabuye rice which stands for a suitcase to keep their washed out clothes. No food.  All she wishes for is to have some milk for her children, shelter for her family, a mattress, and health insurance.  She does not want to return to Nyamasheke, because, she says, there is no family to help her survive.

According to Marie Immaculée Ingabire, the Chairperson of Transparency International/ Rwanda, the move by the villagers was not fair.

“The Constitution gives any Rwandan the right to a free movement and settlement,” she said quoting article 23 of the Constitution.

“If these ladies are a security threat, there are other institutions to handle it, otherwise they have to help them survive.”

Authorities speak out

But Marie Alice Uwera, Kamonyi district vice mayor in charge of social affairs,  says she did not know about Nyiraneza’s case, and advised her to seek support from the district.

“We have an arrangement under which needy people are sheltered,” she told The New Times. She said Kamonyi had built 215 houses for the needy since 2009.

“We welcome even those not from our district as long as they are known at the village level,” she said. 

The Governor of the Southern Province, Alphonse Munyentwali, said such mess arises from poverty, and urged the two women to return to their homes, because there, they can be better supported.

“It is a shame to hear that someone can sleep under a tree in this day and age. If she has failed both Kigali and Kamonyi, she is not helping her situation by renting houses while she doesn’t have money,”  Munyentwari said of Nyiraneza.

According to the governor, to narrow down this traffic of people who ‘can potentially harm security’, they convince them to voluntarily return to their respective districts. 

According to Catherine Gatete, the vice mayor in charge of social affairs in Nyamasheke district where Nyiraneza reportedly hails, they have various programmes under which citizens get support to overcome poverty.

They employ them in public works like terracing, road construction, where they earn Rwf 700 per day.   

But the women still want the side where the grass is greener.

Contact email: jean.tabaro[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

Should evicted Gatsata residents be compensated?

A flooded area around Nyabugogo and Gatsata. The New Times/ File
The move by Gasabo district to evict over 216 families from flood prone areas of Nyamabuye, Nyamugali and Karuruma cell in Gatsata, a Kigali suburb, has sparked off a debate.

The district has ruled out the possibility of compensation for residents, saying it’s for their safety from possible disasters that they are being asked to move since they settled in high risk zone. The district officials also refute allegations that they want the land for development. 

Authorities gave the residents until April to relocate.

Apart from needy people who will be sheltered through the Gasabo district budget, the rest are supposed to take care of their relocation to a place of their own choice.

 “We don’t need to expropriate them since it is for their good to leave the place now.  They are living in danger zone,” Jean Claude Munara, the Gasabo’s vice mayor in charge of economic affairs said last week. 

“We have warned them since last year. Now it’s their time to heed advice, otherwise the district has got no budget to compensate people who settled in wetlands and slopes identified as high risk zones. It’s in their interests to escape disaster,” he said.

The Minister of Local Government James Musoni, also ruled out compensation for the affected residents, saying the eviction was for their own good.

“The ministry is encouraging them to move to a place of their choice and build new houses on their own without expecting any support, except the vulnerable who will get support from the government as usual,” he said.

According to minister Musoni, so far, over 10,000 people have moved from high risk areas countrywide to better locations since June last year.

But MP Desire Nyandwi, the deputy chairman of the Parliamentary Commission of Agriculture, Environment and Livestock argued that those who have been there before the law came into force and have land titles have right to compensation.

Nyandwi referred to the 2005 Law of Environment, according to which the government gives a-two-year grace period to people who live in wetlands and slopes to leave. After this time, the government can use the same law and force them to relocate.

He was echoed by Marie Immaculee Ingabire, chairperson of Transparency Rwanda, who said, the government should find support to help the people who are required to move even if they are living in high risk zones. 

“To ask people to move without compensation is like a father who chases his children away. Those people are like our children,” she said.

Similar evictions

In other zones identified as high risk, people were forced to leave to safer areas after floods destroyed their crops and properties but local authorities offered some support for people going to start life elsewhere.

This happened in Nyabihu, Rubavu and Musanze districts.

Ezechiel Nsengiyumva Buntu, Rubavu’s vice mayor in charge of economic affairs, told The New Times that affected residents at Rubavu slope and Gishwati were moved to designated villages where plots and iron sheets were given to them by government through the Ministry of Disaster Management and Refugees Affairs.

Angèle, Mukaminani, the Nyabihu’s  vice mayor in charge of economic affairs, also said scores of residents from Jomba, Muringa, Rugera, Shyira and Rambura sectors who were evicted from flood prone areas were given support in form of iron sheets.

Last week, residents of Gatsata who were issued with eviction notice insisted they would not accept to leave unless they are compensated because they have no means to get new homes.

“We will not fight with the district, but they should understand that living in a high risk zone was not our mistake; we know nothing on risk science,” said Claudine Nyirabiganiro,  who has lived in Nyamabuye for 20 years.

 

REMA expands efforts to protect environment

(L-R): Barindinkiko Damien, A 51-year old from Huye, Clementine Nyiranshimiyimana, and Noel Sindikubwabo cultivating in the school garden at Masaka School for the blind. The School that started in 2000 has over 30 blind students from all over the country. Sunday Times / T. Kisambira.
This year, Rwanda Environment Management Authority (REMA) believes that among other measures in protecting the environment, joining hands with other institutions will further strengthen its efforts in achieving its mission.

This aims at not only engaging the public but many other players, including private and public institutions.

Rwanda Revenue Authority, Rwanda Bureau of Standards, Kigali City and the Ministry of Local Government are the key partners in REMA`s latest campaign.

“What we want is for the public to realise and take action against any means through which the environment can be affected. This year, we are also devising means through which we can fight against importation, use and sale of plastic bags,” said Clarisse Kamera, the communication and public relations officer at REMA. 

In 2004, the government banned the importation, manufacturing and use of polythene bags after various studies indicated that they are hazardous to the environment. However, in various retail shops, including supermarkets, there are still small white polythene bags which shop attendants use secretly to pack items.

“In Rwanda, we are not manufacturing these bags and we are sure that they are still being sneaked into the country from our neighbours; that is why we are putting more efforts to ensure that strict measures are put in place at our entry points,” she said. 

At the entry points, customs officers under RRA are charged with the responsibility to enforce the ban. According to the law, anyone found illegally importing, using or selling polythene bags is liable to a sentence of between 6 to 12 months or a fine ranging between Rwf 100,00 to 500,000 or both.

Dr. Rose Mukankomeje, the director general of REMA, during the recent Town Hall meeting that brought together stakeholders in the new campaign, said that the public should take action in the fight based on the effects polythene bags cause to the social well being of the citizens.

With effect from yesterday’s community work, locally known as Umuganda, local leaders, through the Ministry of Local Government, are required to educate and encourage the public to respect the ban.

 

HIV+ students not free from stigma

Through their organisation, the Rwandan Women Living with HIV/Aids, have called on the government to come up with measures to reinforce the fight against stigma of people living with HIV, especially in schools.

Philomene Cyurinyana, the Executive Secretary of the organisation, urged the government to come up with a clear system that will facilitate students with HIV to easily access drugs and fight stigma in schools. 

“Such a system should also bring on board the Ministry of Education for proper coordination.”

Students living with HIV are sometimes discriminated in schools because of their status by their fellow students, which might lead to students hiding their status and even not taking the medicines at the right time.

Uwitonze, who didn’t want  to mention her second name, said that she left her former school before the end of 2nd term because of students isolating her as a person who can infect them.

“This happened without teachers’ concern but when I reported the case, the administration was concerned. The students were warned but instead it became worse than before as everyone recognised me,” she said. 

She explained it made her feel she was useless but she could not find a better solution until she was counselled and she decided to change her school and name.

Stigmatizing patients and leaving them open to abuse is deeply misguided said Betty Mukeshimana who is also infected 

“For people who are older and mature   we don’t care and we manage to handle the case, but with students, it needs more sensitization so that they can know how to live with such people in society,” she noted.

“I knew my son was infected at the age of 5, he is fifteen years now, he started the treatment but I can not take him far from me because he has to take his medicine every day”.

 Sebaziga Gakunzi, Director of social impact mitigation in Rwanda Bio Medical Centre, said the government was putting in more efforts to sensitise people, including students, to improve the situation.

“We know it still exists, but the government is finding possible ways through campaigns in schools and through the media,” said Sebaziga.

He called on parents to advise their children on issues concerning HIV and even how to associate with them because they are part of the community.

 

 

 

Construction of model prison set to begin

Inmates at Mpanga Prison. Sunday Times / File.
Negotiations to start the construction of a model prison in Butamwa, Mageregere Sector of Gasabo District in Kigali, have been finalized. 

This new prison will have the capacity to accommodate between 7,500 and 10,000 inmates.

Officials from Rwanda Correctional Services (RCS) say that all requirements are in place and that engineers are in their final stages kick-starting the project.

 Speaking to Sunday Times, Dativa Mukanyangezi, the Commissioner in charge of social correction, human rights and cooperation at RCS, said that the facility will be one of the best correctional centres in the country.

“We considered many factors in making sure that it rhymes with the international standards to avoid violation of rights of inmates,” said Mukanyangezi.

Inmates who are in the construction field under the vocational training programme at RCS will take an active role in building the prison. This is also among the measures RCS takes in reducing costs of the project.

The prison is meant to accommodate inmates currently at Nyarugenge commonly known as ‘1930’, and Kimironko prisons. The two are meant to be relocated to pave way for development in line with the implementation of Kigali Master Plan.

The new site where the modern prison is to be constructed covers 50 hectors and expropriation of residents from the area cost over Rwf 220m. It is estimated that the project will cost Rwf 2bn and that it will be carried out in two phases.

Upon completion of the first phase, inmates at Kimironko prison will immediately be relocated while the second phase will accommodate those in the other prison. Officials say that currently, it is not possible to implement any lengthy programme there due to the relocation expected.

 

 

Is the investment in King Faisal Hospital Kigali paying off?

King Faisal Hospital received 3,755 foreign patients seeking specialised treatment last year alone. The New Times/ John Mbanda.
Emmanuel Musole Muharaza, 67, a native of the  Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) arrived at Rwanda’s King Faisal Hospital for specialised treatment two years ago.
“My family was scared and thought I would die but I was instead successfully operated upon by a Neurosurgeon here,

- Emmanuel Musole, DR Congo citizen
He had sustained a deep cut on his head after an accident in Bukavu, South Kivu.

As a result, he suffered a stroke prompting medics at Panzi Hospital in DR Congo, to refer his case to King Faisal Hospital, Kigali. 

“I was in a comma by the time I was brought to King Faisal Hospital. My family was scared and thought I would die but I was instead successfully operated upon by a Neurosurgeon here,” he told The New Times in an interview on Thursday.

He was operated upon and discharged within 72 hours.

Musole has now returned to the hospital, but this time to seek medical attention for his wife who was also involved in an accident recently.

He observed that he was compelled to bring his wife  to the hospital not only because he received excellent treatment but also the amazing medical care that saw him get back to his feet in no time.

The businessman is among the growing number of foreign patients arriving in the country and, in particular, King Faisal Hospital for medical treatment.

According to recent statistics from the hospital, last year alone there was a total of 3,755 foreign patients from DRC, Burundi, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda in what has been termed the medical tourism boom. 

DRC recorded the biggest number of foreign patients with 1,850, Burundi came second with 1,218, followed by Kenya with 379 cases.

Dr Alex Butera, the Acting Chief Executive Officer of the hospital, said there has been a lot of negative talk about the facility, however, most of what is said, is not what is on the ground.

“There has been massive improvement, especially in terms of manpower, equipment and customer care. The biggest challenge now is space since we get so many patients every other day. We have even now established an international office at the hospital that handles foreign patients,” he said.

He said that the hospital now has most of the medical specialists needed which has, in turn, led to the decline in referral cases since specialised treatment is offered on site.

The hospital is now looking for Cardiac and Transplant surgeons since the referral cases they receive are for patients who need heart or kidney surgery. 

The facility also boasts three Oncologists and a Haematologist (specialises in diseases affecting  blood and blood forming organs).

According to last year’s statistics, King Faisal Hospital had 41 patients referred for further treatment to other countries. This was mainly for cancer, renal transplants and heart diseases.

Many of the complicated medical conditions like hunch backs can now be treated in Rwanda, according to Dr Butera.

By last year, cases of referring health complications to hospitals abroad have gone down by 80 per cent, he added.

Contact email: maria.kaitesi[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

 

Kirehe residents get Rwf 270m health centre

Residents of Mpahama sector in Kirehe district have been urged to make good use of the recently opened health centre in their locality. 

The call was made by Dr. Bisesa Byiringiro, the Clinical mental Coordinator, Rwanda Biomedical Center/HIV/Division, who presided over the opening of a Rwf270 million health centre on Thursday.

The event began with remarks from medical staff, politicians, and constructors who made the health center  a reality.

The authorities took advantage of the launch, to start a campaign against the spread of HIV/Aids.

Mpahama sector, just like other sectors in Kirehe district, faces the threat of the pandemic due to its location, near Rusumo-Kigali highway.

Dr. Byiringiro said the health center would also help the community to check the spread of pandemics including the deadly HIV/Aids.

“I am sure you all know the importance of a health center, particularly when it’s near you. Proximity to health services is what all communities cry for. Here you are done and thus must benefit,” he told hundreds of jubilating residents.

Recent surveys showed that residents of trading centers and towns along highways were the highly infected and affected by HIV/Aids.

Dr. Byiringiro said one of the services brought near to the residents was HIV test and counselling.

“We must keep alert. HIV/Aids is still a big issue in the country. We have to test ourselves and keep negative. Gone are the days of reckless sex relationships”.

Kirehe district mayor, Protais Murayire thanked the government for the new health centre, noting that health care was fundamental in realising sustainable development.

“We can’t work when we are sick. The health center will address most the problems you had. Test for HIV as an obligation in order to save yourselves and the people of Rwanda,” he said.

Frida Kantarama, 32, a widow,   living with HIV/Aids expressed happiness for the new health facility. She told an emotional audience a long story of how she caught the disease, and how her lifestyle changed since then.

“It is now three years since I knew I was HIV positive. I have been on antiretroviral which kept me strong and kicking. So, a health centre like this one will reduce the burden of people like me, who get drugs after walking long distances,” she said.

Contact email: stephen.rwembeho[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

 

Initiative to fight HIV/Aids gender prevalence launched

The  United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (Unaids) has designed a new HIV gender assessment tool that is expected to assess the cause of women vulnerability to contracting HIV. 

This tool aims at seeking solutions to the problem as well as identifying gender dimensions of the epidemic and assessing the degree to which national HIV response is addressing needs of the population, including sex workers.

“This tool therefore seeks to inform stakeholders so that they can plan and provide effective response to HIV as regards the need from the population,” said Dieudonne Ruturwa, the Unaids-Rwanda’s social mobilisation advisor.

He was speaking at the opening of a three-day workshop that brought together key stakeholders in the fight against HIV/Aids. Among others, they included Rwanda Bio-medical Centre (RBC) and the Network of People Living with HIV/Aids.

Supported by Unaids, it also attracted officials from the gender ministry, the National Police as well as Civil Society Organisations. Ruturwa explained that his organisation’s commitment and support of the initiative is its confidence it has in the tool in contributing to the organisation’s global target.   

Gakunzi Sebaziga, the director of social impact mitigation at RBC, commended the initiative, saying it supplements government’s efforts in fighting the disease; pointing out the National Strategic Plan on HIV and the National Accelerated Plan for women, girls, gender quality and HIV.

 The government launched this programme in 2010. The four-year’s programme aims at addressing gender inequalities and human rights violations that put women and girls at risk of HIV infection.

The programme, designed to respond to studies that shown women and girls being most affected and most vulnerable to HIV is costing the government US$5.7 million.

“In 2010, HIV prevalence among the female sex workers was estimated at 51 per cent nationally and 56 per cent in Kigali City,” said Sebaziga. 

He added that the government has since put in place various measures and that more are in the pipeline in making sure that HIV infections are significantly reduced.

 

 

3,200 ICT teachers to train others

AT LEAST 3,200 teachers who, last year, completed a one-year ICT training course conducted by Rwanda Education Board (REB) will, this academic year be deployed to various schools countrywide.

The teachers will have the responsibility to train other teachers from their respective schools, a strategy the government has designed to promote and build teachers capacity to effectively teach computer skills or ICT.

Dr. Evode Mukama, the head of ICT in education department at REB, told The New Times on Tuesday that REB will assign 120 teachers in every district.

“Since February, last year, we have been training these teachers and we now want them to contribute to the ICT development in education through empowering fellow teachers who are expected to teach ICT skills in the schools identified,” Mukama said.

According to the official,  the initiative will bring teachers in all secondary schools at the same stand as far as computer literacy is concerned; and that this will automatically create a standard computer education or teaching and learning across the country.

Mukama said in addition, the teachers will also have the responsibility to educate local leaders and other members of the public especially by using the telecentres which have been installed across the country by Rwanda Development Board. These telecentres are also aimed at enabling rural communities access basic ICT services. 

This followed a series of programmes both by the private and public institutions or government in promoting ICT usage in schools and by the general public. The most recent is the five year ICT literacy awareness campaign that was initiated by the Ministry of Youth and ICT.

Expected to bring on board other players, especially in the private sector including telecommunication companies and financial institutions among others, the government aims at enabling people especially at the grassroot to access information through their mobile phones. Among others, the ICT ministry officials said, farmers should be able to get information concerning market prices for their products as well as government programmes.  

During the launch of this campaign in Rulindo district, the Northern Province Governor, Aime Bosenibamwe, called upon the population to embrace the campaign, urging that it will effectively contribute to development in terms of  providing information to safe guard farmers and businessmen as well. 

Contact email: grace.mugoya[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

 

Rwanda, India sign water management pact

THE MINISTRY of Agriculture and Animal Resources has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Indian government to promote cooperation in water resource management with a focus on irrigation and capacity building.

The pact was signed on Tuesday by Agriculture minister Dr. Agnes Matilda Kalibata, and the Indian Union Minister of Water Resources Harish Rawat in New Delhi where the minister had been invited.

The signing of the MoU was witnessed by the Rwandan High Commissioner to India, Williams Nkurunziza and Indian government officials.

The MOU sets up a joint commission composed of technical staff from both countries that will be charged with follow up of planned activities, a statement from the ministry says.

A first Joint Commission meeting of both technical teams will take place late March to identify and agree on projects and programmes that will form the basis of sectoral cooperation.

“Minister Rawat commended the progress made by the Government of Rwanda and reiterated India’s commitment to continue working with Rwanda as a genuine partner in development,” reads part of the statement.

Kalibata commended the cooperation with the Indian government and conveyed the government’s best wishes to the Government and people of India on the occasion of India’s Republic Day to be celebrated on January 26.

It is understood this cooperation will help transform agriculture in Rwanda by increasing agricultural production for home consumption and export through irrigation.

 

 

Chinese embassy constructs playground for Kacyiru school

Mutesi receives transfer documents including a cheque from Amb. Shu Zhan on Tuesday. The New Times/ Courtesy.
The Embassy of the People’s Republic of China has built a play ground and paved compound sidewalks for Kacyiru I Primary School.

The facilities were inaugurated on Tuesday by the Chinese ambassador to Rwanda, Shu Zhan, together with the State Minister fro Primary and Secondary Education, Dr Mathias Harebamungu.

Ambassador Zhan said the facilities were China’s contribution to the government’s policy of school safety. 

He observed that the quality of education rely on so many aspects, including studying environment, among others.

“Students who come to school from different areas must have some facilities so that they can have a comfortable environment when they are at school,” he said, adding “it is our contribution to the community welfare.”

Harebamungu expressed appreciation of the good gesture, saying it shows China’s commitment to support Rwandas policies and contribution to the country’s development.

“It is clear that the Republic of China is committed to work hand in hand with the Government of Rwanda in order to support its policy, especially in improving the quality of education,” Harebamungu said.

Reaffirming government commitment to close cooperation, he highlighted that China supports Rwanda in so many domains. 

According to the school’s head teacher, Joy Mutesi, the newly acquired facilities would help the school improve pupils safety and extra-curricular activities.

At this ceremony, the Chinese embassy also offered equipment to the school computer lab.

The Chinese Embassy supports Rwanda in different domains, especially in education by offering students scholarships.

Kacyiru I Primary School has 2,833 students; 1,521 boys and 1,312 girls.

 

 

 

Kagame in One Million Health Workers crusade

President Kagame announces Rwanda’s fond interest in the One Million Health Workers for Africa campaign in Davos, Switzerland, as Sachs (R) looks on. The New Times/ Courtesy.
President Paul Kagame yesterday joined renowned global personalities in unveiling a ‘One Million Community Health Workers Campaign’ to scale up workforce across the continet.

The President was joined by Novartis CEO Joseph Jimenez and Earth Institute Director Jeffrey Sachs in announcing the campaign at the ongoing World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

The campaign aims to increase the number of health workers in Africa, which will be overseen by a steering committee at the Earth Institute and will be run through the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network.

“As President of Rwanda and Co-chair of the Millennium Development Goals Advocates Group and the UNESCO Broadband Commission for Development, I wholeheartedly endorse the ‘One Million Community Health Workers Campaign’ to scale up community health across Africa,” President Kagame said.

The effort is also supported by the UN MDG Advocates and the UN Broadband Commission, both of which are co-chaired by President Kagame.

Kagame added, “We have seen in Rwanda the ability of community health workers to improve public health and believe that this initiative can serve the cause of public health throughout Africa. This campaign will support many ongoing public-private partnerships, UN initiatives, and African Union efforts to meet the health Millennium Development Goals.”

He said Rwanda has “trained 47,000 health workers and today, the whole country is covered.”

“We have also used information and technology infrastructure to improve efficiency of community health workers,” Kagame said, adding, “Use of community health workers is something we have had experience with and we have seen the good results. We are more than happy to be part of this not only because it serves us, but it serves the people of Africa.”

Novartis to donate

At the event yesterday, Jimenez announced that Novartis will donate $1m to support training and development of cadre health workers.

In Africa, around 10 per cent of children die before reaching the age of five. Maternal mortality rates are high. Many people die from preventable and treatable diseases such as malaria, diarrhea and HIV/Aids. 

“The campaign will transform healthcare delivery across the continent and help some of the world’s poorest nations meet health-related Millennium Development Goals,” said Sachs. “We are proud to be working with Novartis to launch this campaign and to work with African leaders to develop new cadres of community health workers to reach the rural populations.”

In Rwanda, health worker programmes have been in place for many years through government health programmes and other non-governmental initiatives, such as the Millennium Villages Project. 

In addition to providing basic treatment and preventative care, the health workers keep track of disease outbreaks, overall public health and offer a vital link to the broader healthcare system of professionals.

The new campaign will work with governments and aid agencies to finance and train the health workers, who would serve an average of 650 rural populace, at an estimated $6.58 (Rwf4,000) per patient per year.

Contact email: edwin.musoni[at]newtimes.co.rw

 

Residents storm province over delayed compensation

Some of the residents camped outside the Northern province headquarters last week. The New Times/ Sam Nkurunzinza.
FRUSTRATED Residents of Musanze district who were evicted to pave way for the construction of Musanze-Rubavu highway five years ago are yet to receive their compensation.

Last week, some of the residents stormed the Northern provincial headquarters seeking to have their grievances addressed.

Most expressed disappointment, citing the long time that has elapsed ever since they were ‘thrown’ out of their houses. They demanded for swift intervention.

David Niyitegeka, a 30-year-old father of three, said he now pays Rwf15, 000 in rent every month which is a lot considering he is a casual labourer.

He reckons that rent fees amounting to Rwf150,000 has accumulated in debts amid empty promises of receiving the compensation for a period of over five years. The Rwanda Transport Development Agency (RTDA) has, on several occasions, promised to pay off the victims but to no avail.

On October 11, 2012, RDTA Director General, Dr Elias Twagira wrote a letter to the mayors of Musanze, Nyabihu and Rubavu districts to have paid off the first installment of Rwf322.9million by the end of last year.

Without specifying the estimated number of affected residents, the letter puts the total cost of the evictions at Rwf537.3million.

During last month’s national dialogue, the issue was raised and President Paul Kagame called for swift intervention to address it.

When the residents stormed the provincial headquarters, they met David Nkurunziza, an official in charge of good governance and social affairs.

He later told The New Times that he was in talks with officials at RTDA to have this issue solved immediately.

Dr Twagira was detained mid last month over breaching of tendering services. Though he was released on non cash bail, he is currently on suspension and could not comment on behalf of RTDA.

Efforts to get a comment from Guy M Kalisa, the RTDA acting director general boss were futile as his known mobile phone was not answered.