Igihe

Author: b_igi_adm1n

  • Ebola Kills 7 in DRC

    The Deadly Ebola disease has brokenout in DRC where seven people have been reported dead and others admited to clinics.

    DRC Minister of Public Health, Felix Kabange Numbi said August 17, confirmed twelve cases, including seven deaths were recorded in Province Orientale.

    Kabange has urged all Congolese to avoid touching any animal found dead in the forest or eating meat.

    “We must also avoid touching unprotected blood, vomit or urine of a patient having viral haemorrhagic fever,” he adds.

    The minister assured that “the faster these preventive measures are applied, the faster the spread of disease will be stopped.”

    The last cases of Ebola were reported in the DRC in 2007 in the region of Mweka and Luebo (Kasai Occidental), killing one hundred and sixty-eight people on four hundred patients registered in four months.

    Radiookapi

  • Gasabo Youth Accuse Employers of Gender Descrimination

    The government of Rwanda through vision 2020 has mandated the mainstreaming of gender, empowering women and girls, family promotion and protection of children.

    All these have been major priorities for the Government of Rwanda throughout the process of rebuilding the nation since the genocide.

    Changing mindsets and practices which do not favour gender equality and family promotion is seen as a solution where both women and men have equal chance to work together toward sustainable development of the country.

    The Ministry in charge of gender and family promotion recognizes the evident that women have been empowered to take up leadership roles and to be free to use their skills and talents and participate in building the nation.

    According to the statement posted on MIGEPROF website Hon. Aloisea Inyumba, the Minister of gender and Family Promotion, says presently, economic empowerment of women is a major focus for the country.

    She adds that government seeks to create opportunities for more women to use their skills and talents and improve their own livelihoods and those of their families.

    In a discussion about gender and employment held earlier this week, youth in Gasabo district conflicted with the way gender is practiced when it comes to job market.

    They accused employers to be gender biased when hiring new staff.

    Gasabo youth acknowledged many employers do not yet understand the meaning of gender equality and this results in employment denial especially among the males.

    By proclaiming his anonymity in media, one of participants in a discussion said, “Beautiful young girls are found everywhere in offices especially receptionists, when you investigate about the way they have been hired you will be aware that they have been employed not because they competed for those posts but because they are beautiful girls not handsome boys”.

    He inquired whether this was the real sense of gender adding that he has been denied such position because he is male.

    David Ndushabandi 30, said that he has been looking for a job for three years. He says he realised that employers favor women more than men while recruiting new employees.

    It has been argued that there are some institutions who have established principles of recruiting 50% of women whether ranked among top scores or not they will be hired simply because they are women.

    On the side of girls, those who have been interviewed have not gone far from boys’ views; however, they said women have capacity to compete for the posts where employees are needed without waiting to be favoured.

    Nyirazuba Jeanne d’ Arc, is a teacher in a Kinyinya primary school. She said she has competed for the post of teacher with other men and she passed the exam while some men failed.

    She adds however, “if there is favoritism among women in the face of employee recruitments it will end up with making female sex incompetent” .

    Generally, the youth concluded by calling upon the Ministry of public service and Labor to work with respective institutions to change mindset of employers over gender balance and clearly explain to which extent gender issues are to be taken into consideration while recruiting for the positions where both sex can have equal chance.

  • Pastor Conducts Baptism in a Bar Swimming Pool

    Residents of Nyanza district were shocked when christian believers of the ADEPR faith in Rwanda had their pastor conducting baptsim of group members at a swimming pool inside a bar.

    The Bar is at Dayenu Hotel located in Nyanza district where new ADPR faithfuls were immersed in a swimming pool as a form of baptism conducted on August 17.

    Other members of the ADPR have condemened this act saying its absurd to baptise members in unholy waters moreover in a Bar.
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    Source: Kigalitoday

  • Man Kills Father Over Money Dispute

    A man is under Police custody at Ruli Police station in Gakenke District in connection with the death of his father.

    Innocent Munyemana 28, allegedly murdered his father identified as Evariste Habufite 55, on August 16.

    The murder resulted from a dispute between the two after Habufite refused to pay his son enough money which they had earned jointly after finishing the house they had been contracted to build in the area.

    Munyemana admited to Police claiming he killed his father deliberately because he had refused to give him his share of the money they had worked for together.

    “It’s unbearable that family wrangles lead to deaths, even when they can be avoided,” Police Spokesperson, Superintendent Theos Badege, said.

    If convicted, Munyemana is likely to be sentenced to life in prison.

  • Five Seriously Injured in Car Accident

    Five People have sustained serious injuries and rushed to Kabgayi hospital for urgent medical attention following an accident involving a commuter taxi that crashed into a UNHCR truck.

    Either other people sustained minor injuries. The accident is said to have been a result of overspeeding while overtaking.

    The accident happened along Muhanga-Ngororero highway between Mata and Karimira stretch in Muhanga district.

    IGIHE arrived at the scene moments after the accident had occured.

    The Truck driver only identified as Mohamed said, “I was driving uphill from Gitarama connecting to Ngororero. When i reached at the junction , i saw a commuter taxi overtaking a Coaster Bus (belonging to International Company). Immidiately the commuter taxi crashed into the truck i was driving. I tried to avoid the commuter taxi but it was too late.”
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  • Slow Translation Problems Delay ICTR’S Longest Case

    After a trial that took ten years, the “Butare case” before the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda could also be its longest at the Appeals stage.

    One year after the judgment of the six accused, their appeals procedure has hardly got started because of translation problems.

    On June 24, 2011, the ICTR sentenced former Women and Family Affairs Minister Pauline Nyiramasuhuko, her son Arsène Ntahobali and former mayor Elie Ndayambaje to life imprisonment for their role in the 1994 genocide in the southern Rwandan prefectureof Butare.

    Another former mayor, Joseph Kanyabashi, was sentenced to 35 years, while former prefects Sylvain Nsabimana and Alphonse Nteziryayogot 25 and 30 years respectively.

    They all decided to appeal, but they are still waiting for the French version of the judgment.

    Although some members of the defence teams speak English, the working language of the six convicts is French.

    On June 24, 2011, presiding judge William Hussein Sekule read out only a summary in English of the court’s conclusions.

    The full judgment in English was distributed to the parties three weeks later. It consists of 1,500 pages, over which the translators are still sweating.

    “We are working tirelessly. It’s not easy to translate a text full of judicial terms,” said one of the translators who asked to remain anonymous.

    “And then in judicial matterseven more than in other areas you have to be very careful when you translate.But we hope to be finished in a few weeks time.”

    Cameroonian translator François Bembatoum told Hirondelle in February 2010 that this invisible but indispensable team were already struggling.

    “Translation, it’s not like photocopying,”he said.

    “There are well known international standards for translation. Unless we get sufficient resources in relation to the workload, well itis just going to take time.”

    Since then, according to a memberof the Registry, the language section has not been spared in the gradualstaff cuts as the ICTR prepares to close by December 2014.

    The Court has advised the defence teams with members who understand English to prepare provisional appeals on the basis of the English judgment, which can be adjusted once the Frenchis available.

    Nsabimana’s lawyer Josette Kadji says her team has been doing just that. “We have worked with the English version, while we wait for the French.

    When we get it, we’ll have 60 days to finalize our written appeal.”
    Kanyabashi is waiting for the translation of another document as well as the judgment, since the Prosecutor has also decided to appeal in his case only.

    Once the convicts have filed theirwritten arguments, the Prosecutor will be given the necessary time to respondin writing.

    It is only after the judges have read all these documents that the Chamber will set a date for an appeals hearing. “Maybe towards the end of this year, maybe next year,” says Kadji.

    Hirondellenews

  • Analysts Say Tsvangirai Comments on Draft Constitution Misleading

    Legal and political analysts say politi­cal party leaders have authority to effect changes to the Zimbabwe draft constitu­tion con­trary to what MDC-T leader Mor­gan Tsvangirai said on Wednesday after meeting South African President Jacob Zuma.

    The Sadc-appointed facilitator was in Harare on Wednesday to meet leaders of parties to the GPA to assess progress made in the implementation of the accord.

    Tsvangirai, who is Prime Minis­ter in the inclusive Government, claimed principals had no “veto power” over Copac.

    However, analysts said Copac’s role ended with the handing over of the draft constitution to the management committee — which was set up by the principals and not by the GPA.

    Harare lawyer Mr Farai Mutamangira said the basis upon which the entire constitution-making process is premised is, article 6 of the GPA.

    “Put differently the constitution making exercise derives its mandate from a political agreement, and the Principals as the parties to the GPA, have the privilege to affirm an agreement or lack thereof, as among themselves in respect of the draft constitution,” he said.

    “In doing so they do no more than exercise the contractual mandate they derive from the GPA. You will recall that the same Principals had previously drawn up and signed off as agreeable the Kariba Draft, which is annexure ” B” to the GPA.

    “Clearly the new draft is intended to supplant the Kariba Draft, and its political and legal significance is no more than the Kariba Draft, and in any event much weaker because it has not garnered a consensus of all the Parties to the GPA.

    “Unfortunately the legal significance of the new draft is that it can not assume an importance beyond that of the GPA, until the principals accept it and integrate it with the GPA and initiate the formal referendum process through parliament.”

    Mutamangira said the involvement of the select committee of parliament does not change, this position, in the absence of an Act of Parliament constituting the select committee by law, such as the select committee of Kenya which was constituted under the Constitution of Kenya Review Act number 9 of 2008.

    Prominent Harare lawyer, Mr Jonathan Samkange concurred saying referring a document to someone subjects it to the whims of the person or people it has been referred to.

    “The fact that this draft was referred to the management commit­tee which was created by the princi­pals means that the management committee was supposed to carry their mandate on behalf of the princi­pals.

    “This is just basic logic that the man­agement committee will then have to submit the document to the principals so that they can audit to see if they fol­lowed the instruction.”

    Samkange said the principals had the mandate to effect changes to the draft constitution if they felt their emis­saries did not capture what they wanted.

    He described the principals as the highest political offices with the final say on the draft constitution.

    Political analyst and Zanu-PF polit­buro member, Cde Jonathan Moyo said Tsvangirai’s statement was mislead­ing.

    He said the final draft constitution was not a product of Copac but the management committee.

    “What the Prime Minister said reflects either ignorance about Copac and its composition or a dishonest attitude and his disrespect of Sadc because everybody except the Prime Minister knows that the July 18 draft constitution was prepared by the management committee which is a forum of negotiators and not part of Copac,” Prof Moyo said.

    He said the management commit­tee was not Copac contrary to what Mr Tsvangirai said.

    “Ministers Patrick Chinamasa, Nicholas Goche, Tendai Biti, Elton Mangoma, Priscilla Misihairabwi, Moses Mzila Ndlovu and Eric Mati­nenga are the management commit­tee and none of them is a member of Copac.

    “Only Copac co-chairpersons, Paul Mangwana, Douglas Mwonzora and Edward Mkhosi are members of Copac but they had no role in the preparation of the final draft.

    “They were just used as messengers between the management committee and the drafters. It is common knowl­edge that when the management committee finished the draft, they sent it to Copac and Copac members were made to endorse it without read­ing its contents.

    Copac neither crafted this draft nor read it before their endorsement.

    “For the PM to say this is a Copac draft which cannot be amended by principals, it is either ignorance of the actual process or an expression of his disrespect of Sadc because the facts speak for themselves.

    “All along until yesterday (Wednes­day) when he met President Zuma, Tsvangirai has been saying the draft constitution would be a negotiated document.

    “Copac is not a negotiating forum but a Parliamentary Select Commit­tee which was supposed to produce a people-driven constitution and not a negotiated constitution.

    “Copac failed to do that and it also failed to publish the people’s views and the result was the draft constitu­tion was negotiated by the manage­ment committee which is a forum of GPA negotiations and that com­mittee reports directly to political principals who created it,” Prof Moyo said.

    He said the principals and their political parties would have a final say about the fate of the draft constitu­tion.

    Prof Moyo urged Mr Tsvangirai to help the process by getting his politi­cal party “to play ball”.

    Herald

  • Ethiopian Orthodox Church Leader Dead

    The head of Ethiopian Orthodox Church,His Holiness Abune Paulos, Fifth Patriarch and Catholicos of Ethiopia, Ichege of the See of St Tekle Haymanot, Archbishop of Axum Abune Paulos, has died at the age of 77 in an Addis Ababa hospital.

    The sudden death of the controversial leader could add to tensions in the influential church that is already divided both at home and abroad.

    The church’s public relations office said Thursday that the synod and other leaders would meet to arrange the funeral and transitional leadership.

    Unlike his predecessor, Abune Paulos was a handpicked Patriarch, chosen by prime minister Meles Zenawi in an apparent bid to defuse opposition by Christians to his rule.

    Around half of Ethiopia’s 85 million population are orthodox Christians and traditionally, the Orthodox Church plays an important role in Ethiopian political life.

    Abune Paulos survived an assassination attempt in the mid 1990s inside the church.

  • Koffi Olomide Gets 3 Months Prison Sentence

    A DRC court has given Koffi Olomide a three-month suspended prison sentence Thursday for injuring his producer in a fight in a Kinshasa hotel.

    Olomide fought in a hotel room with his music producer Diego Lubaki who was then visiting kinshasa for a few days.

    Gombe court in Kinshasa heard that Olomide went to the hotel and confronted the producer, better known as “Diego Music”.

    Olomide wanted to discuss Euros6000 he had paid the producer for a video that was never produced. In the process a fight broke out and several hotel security agents had to intervene. Olomide was subsequently arrested.

    Lubaki said Thursday he wanted to drop the charges against Olomide, the judge continued the trial.

    “He wanted to withdraw charges in favour of social peace and peace between him and the one he calls his big brother,” said one of Lubaki’s lawyers.

    Still, Olomide was convicted of assault and battery but acquitted of another charge of malicious destruction, after the hotel room door was damaged in the fight.

    A conviction on that charge could have earned him a much tougher sentence — up to five years in prison.

  • Gay Activists Hack into Uganda Prime Minister’s Website

    Uganda has reportedly tightened its Internet security after hackers attacked the prime minister’s website posting statements supporting gay rights, the country’s Internet regulator said Friday.

    Its alleged that Activists hacked into the website of the prime minister’s office earlier this week and posted a fake press release announcing the minister’s support for a gay pride parade.

    “Our first priority is to apply all necessary resources to give all institutions, the tools, processes and support they require to strengthen the security of their IT systems in case of any incident,” Uganda’s National Information Technology Authority said in a statement.

    Pro-gay activists targeted Uganda after a controversial bill that would see certain homosexual acts punished by the death penalty was re-introduced to parliament earlier this year.

    Homosexuality is already illegal in Uganda, but the proposed legislation has previously attracted heavy criticism for the draconian penalties it proposed.

    It would introduce the death sentence for anyone caught engaging in homosexual acts for the second time, as well as for gay sex where one partner is a minor or has HIV.

    The statement posted online claimed to be from the prime minister’s office and condemned widespread homophobia in Uganda.

    “We have got to expel the narrow mindedness from this country, and begin afresh, starting with a full and formal apology to all homosexuals living in Uganda today,” the statement, purporting to be from Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi, said.

    The statement had been removed from the website as of Friday.

    AFP