Author: b_igi_adm1n

ICPAR together with the key stakeholders and all participants June 26, in a one day seminar reviewed the previous East Africa states budget pronouncements.

This is to provide the opportunity for participants to fine tune their knowledge and gain strategic insights on the previously read budgets of Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania; their effects on business and to find way forward in aligning them to business growth strategies.

Peter Rutaremara ICPAR president narrated, “We are the key stakeholders of the government because as accountants, we are the implementers of the budget proposals, so we intended to critically understand the budgets read recently so that we can submit them correctly to the tax payers.”

“We are the link between tax offices, Rwanda Revenue Authority, and also tax payers and therefore, we have to be very critical and go through everything to bring significant levels of expectations and professionalism,” Rutaremara added.

The seminar brought together among other participants and from different institutions; employees from public and private sector organizations, Professional Accountants, Tax Managers, Internal Auditors, and Practicing Auditors.

Henriette Nishimwe an Internal Auditor at Rwanda Social Security Board (RSSB) said that “the budget review gave me wider knowledge because we saw how Budget proposals from different countries are being prepared.”

Among others, insights looked on during the seminar were; the Implications of the 2012/2013 finance bills, Income Tax, VAT, Customs and Miscellaneous Pronouncements, Cross Boarder Pronouncements and their implications.

Tax payers have been mainly complaining about reverse charges on VAT but Rutaremara further during the press interview said that ICPAR as government stakeholder will spearhead the process and review the possible adjustments.

In an effort to enrich the experience of its customers, Bank of Kigali (BK), the largest Bank in Rwanda, has entered into a partnership with Rwanda’s leading telecoms operator MTN Rwanda to offer services under its mobile money platform.

Under the partnership, BK will offer MTN mobile money existing and new subscribers the full bouquet of mobile money services including; account opening, cash deposits, transfers and withdrawals.

At present, 41 of our 56 branches are offering the services but BK will continue to roll out the service to the remaining 13 branches by the end of the year.

MTN pioneered the mobile money platform in Rwanda in February 2010. Since its inception, the service has transacted volumes of over Rwf70 billion.

“This is probably the biggest partnership between a telecom and a financial institution in Rwanda. We remain committed to bringing financial services closer to the people and we believe this partnership will further expand the potential that mobile money services have on banking the unbanked,” Lawson Naibo the Chief Operating Officer, BK said.

An estimated 45 percent of households in Rwanda have access to a mobile phone and MTN mobile money can leverage our extensive branch network to increase the penetration of their service, while we can capitalize on the increased footfall to bring these customers into the formal banking sector,” he added.

Mr. Naibo also said that since the mobile phone is the most ubiquitous distribution channel on the continent at the moment BK believes that the delivery of financial services through mobile telephony is where the real innovation and development is taking place in the retail market.

MTN Rwanda’s CEO Khaled Mikkawi said that with looming and growing competition in Rwanda’s financial industry, MTN as the market leader in the country also leads the way by creating partnerships with financial institutions, to widen access to services.

“The mobile money platform should not be seen as competition to consumer banking but instead as a catalyst to services offered by leading financial institutions like BK. Rwandans can only benefit from greater convergence between conventional banking services and the mobility that mobile telephony offers,” Mr. Mikkawi said.

Albert Kinuma, Head of MTN Business said that the partnership is in tandem with the company’s strategy of stretching the mobile money’s footprint beyond the regular agent outlets.

“Through MTN’s innovative products, we may deploy different channels as a way of promoting customer satisfaction. It is now possible for senders from outside Rwanda to register online (MTNMMO.COM) and send funds from their debit card or bank transfer to MTN Mobile Money in Rwanda,” Mr. Kinuma said.

About 42 people have suffocated to death in a truck in Tanzania. Security officials say the truck was carrying immigrants. 74 have survived.

The bodies were discovered on Tuesday in the truck in Dodoma province, about 400 kilometres (250 miles) west of Tanzania’s economic capital Dar es Salaam.

Tanzania Police said the truck driver fled the vehicle after finding the dead bodies.

Deputy Interior Minister Pereira Silima said, “Police and immigration officials are questioning the survivors to establish their identity including names and nationality.”

It was initially reported the migrants were from Malawi, but officials said that they were suspected to be originating from the Horn of Africa region to the north, and were on their way southwards to Malawi.

“Preliminary reports noted that the immigrants were destined to Malawi,” Silima said.

In December, 20 Somali migrants were found dead in Tanzania.

The United Nations wants an African Union force hunting fugitive warlord Joseph Kony and his Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) to be fully equipped by December, according to a U.N. strategy due to be presented to the world body’s Security Council on Wednesday.

The AU force, which has U.S. backing, aims to have a full strength of 5,000 troops from South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Central African Republic (CAR) and Uganda, but lacks equipment, training, food and transportation.

“These troops lack almost everything,” AU special envoy on the LRA Francisco Madeira told a news conference at U.N. headquarters in New York on Tuesday.

“They lack boots, they lack uniforms, they lack food rations and sometimes they lack training. So there is a need for these things to be supplied.”

Abou Moussa, U.N. special envoy and head of the U.N. Regional Office for Central Africa, is slated to brief the 15-member U.N. Security Council on Wednesday on the U.N. regional strategy to address the threat and impact of the LRA.

The strategy, obtained by Reuters, requires U.N. countries and agencies to ensure the AU force is “adequately equipped, including with regard to air capabilities, communications, office and living accommodations, medical support, and fuel and rations, as soon as possible, and no later than December 2012.”

The Security Council is likely to release a statement endorsing the strategy on Wednesday, diplomats say.

Kony, accused of terrorizing northern Uganda for 20 years, is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes.

His LRA is accused of abducting children to use as fighters and sex slaves, and of hacking off living victims’ limbs as a method of intimidation and revenge.

In a report released this month U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon said the AU force lacked the necessary resources to “enable troops to mount effective operations against the LRA” and urged U.N. member states to provide what was needed.

Rwanda has received the United Nations Public Service Award (UNPSA) 2012 2nd place in the category of “Promoting Gender Responsive Delivery” of Public Services.

UNPSA is the most prestigious international recognition of excellence in public service.

The award was handed over to the Inspector of Police Goreth Mwenzangu the coordinator of Isange One Center which operates at Police Hospital in Kacyiru. The event took place Tuesday at the UN Head Quarters in New York.

The confirmation announcement for the award was made a month ago by the UN, office of the Director Division for Public Administration and Development Management.

The award dubbed “Promoting Gender Responsive Delivery” of Public Services is in recognition of the success of the Isange One-Stop Centre, which operates under Rwanda National Police.

The secretary General of the United Nations Ban Ki Moon commended the innovative projects by different countries and emphasized the importance of sharing of knowledge, experiences and best practices throughout the world in sound public policies, effective public administration and efficient civil services, through capacity-building and cooperation among the United Nations Member States.

Isange One Stop Center was established in 2009 through the advocacy of the First Lady, Jeannette Kagame, to offer free medical assistance to victims of GBV.

The Center is part of a broader national campaign against Gender Based Violence.

Present at the awarding ceremony included; Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Jimmy Hodari, the Rwanda National Police Attaché to the UN, New York, Sha Zukakang the United Nations under- secretary- General for economic and social affairs.

Also present were Dr. Mutlak Al- Qahtani the representative of the president of the UN General Assembly, Inspector of Police Goreth Mwenzangu the coordinator of Isange One Stop Center Kigali among others.

Police in Ruhango district has detained a man identified as Ndahayo Patrick suspected of stealing a door. The suspect confirmed to Police that he had stolen the metalic door.

Ndahayo 17 was nabbed on Monday night by reservists that were on patrol in the area. A metalic door costs between Frw50,000 and Frw100,000 depending on the size and materials used.

Ndahayo alleged that he had been sent by another accomplice he only identified as innocent a resident of Rugarama at Nyamabuye sector in the same district.

The theft incident took place at a residence of Mutijima where Ndahayo had been working fixing doors and windows.

Ndahayo pleaded for mercy saying it was the first time he had stolen but immidiately got nabbed. He said he will never steal again. He hails from Karongi district.

In Ruhango distrct a man identified as Andre Munyeshyaka 30 was killed by another man after the two fought over a woman they both had been romantically involved with.

On Sunday night Felicien Mbazumutima 40 confronted Munyeshyaka at Beatrice Uwingabire’s house at Mwendo sector. They both had sexual relationship with her.

Munyeshyaka was killed in the bedroom while sleeping in bed with Uwingabire. After a thorough search by security organs, they realized that he was dragged and hid in the farm close by Beatrice’s house.

The murder suspect and Uwingabire are detained at Nyamagana Police station while the body was taken to the hospital for postmortem.

Police investigations say Uwingabire had been in a relationship with Mbazumutima and had a child together. They both separated. Later Uwingabire met Munyeshyaka and started a relationship.

Mbazumutima had warned Uwingabire that if any man is found at the house there would be serious consequences.

According to Uwingabire, she did not know how to deal with the problem. She however, admitted to have been with Munyeshyaka during the night he was killed.

However, the Police Commander in Ruhango district explained that such incidents were not common but efforts to sensitize the community were ongoing.

“It is inhuman to see people fighting to the extent of killing one another because of a prostitute, integrity aspects need to be emphasized so that people avoid criminal cases.”

“Self respect is very important when it comes to relationships sudden reactions are very bad and affect the community.” Police Spokesperson, Superintendent Theos Badege said.