Igihe

Author: b_igi_adm1n

  • Mbazi Mutuelle Defaulters’ Property Seized

    Residents of Rusagara, Mbazi in Huye district are bitter with the manner in which their properties are being seized as collateral when found lacking health insurance commonly known as Mutuelle.

    Residents further claim that local leaders in the area always confisticate livestock and farm produce whenever they find out that a local resident has defaulted on Mutuelle.

    However, the leader of Mbazi sector disputes the claims saying if any of local leader got involved in such illegal actions against residents, they would be published.

    Normally every citizen is placed in a specific level of abilty to pay for health insurence (Mutuelle.However, residents also are unhappy with how their grading was conduted.

    Mbazi executive secretary Claudine Mukamudenge however, notes that the grading of residents was conducted in a general assembly that consisted of all area residents.

    Residents are always aware and knowledgeable about ability of fellow members and thus during the grading sessions,information provided is always considered correct incase there is no objection from residents.

  • Mrs. Kagame gives US$10,000 to Ugandan Cultural Center

    Rwanda’s First Lady Jeannette Kagame has funded the upkeep of Igongo Cultural Centre to the tune of $10,000; the museum is located in Uganda’s Mbarara district.

    While handing over the cheque to to the executive director of Igongo Cultural Centre, James Tumusiime, Rwandan High Commissioner to Uganda, Maj.Gen Frank Mugambage noted that the support intends to promote cultural values between Uganda and Rwanda.

    “The First Lady was highly impressed by what the Centre does in contributing to cultural values of humanity,” Mugambage said.

    He said the contribution was also meant to inspire others in making the cultures of the two countries known.

    Tumusiime, noted that the Centre will send local crafts makers and local artiste to Rwanda to expose Ugandan culture in the aspects of crafts and music.

    He added that the exchange of culture will also help in promoting political integration, education and vibrant economies between the two countries and in the region.

  • Regional Police Urged to Combat Cross-Border Crimes

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    The Inspector General of Police Emmanuel Gasana has advised regional police officers to fight cross-border crimes and those related to computer technology.

    Gasana was speaking at the launch of a two -day East African Police Chief Cooperation Organizations (EAPCCO) subcommittee meeting, which he also chairs.

    He noted that police force ought to equip themselves with skills on latest technology since the majority of crimes emerge from use of ICT.

    Francis Rwego, the head of Interpol in the region, agreed with Gasana that the use of ICT would facilitate information sharing among the police forces in the region in fighting crimes.

    “Nowadays people with ill intentions are using technology to conduct cyber crimes, duplication money, human trafficking and terrorism that’s why we need to cooperate to curb these offences.

    The EAPCCO subcommittees include Permanent Coordination Committees made up of the heads of Criminal Investigation Departments and heads of National Central Bureaus (NCBs), legal, training, and Gender subcommittees.

    These committees are set to discuss the progress in the implementation of the 13th EAPCCO Annual General Meeting resolutions, challenges and way forward. The outcome of the two day meeting will be forwarded to the Committee of Police Chiefs.

    EAPCCO was formed in 1998, as follow up to regionalization policy, adopted by the INTERPOL executive committee in 1985. It was confirmed by the Interpol General Assembly in 1995 as an effective way of improving international Police cooperation in combating transnational crime and criminals.

    EAPCCO objectives are stipulated in article 3 of its constitution as primarily combating cross border crime though cooperation and collaboration, adoption of joint strategies, monitoring, information exchange and training.

    It is also responsible for crime situation reviews and meetings, legal and mutual assistance and legal harmonization and other activities that would enhance combating cross border crime.

    Currently EAPCCO is composed of twelve member countries and they include Burundi, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eretria, Kenya, Rwanda, Seychelles, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan Tanzania and Uganda.

  • EWSA Boss Explains Frequent Power Cuts

    Yves Muyange the director general of Energy, Water and Sanitation Authority (EWSA) has noted that frequent power rationing in the city is due to the ongoing repairs of some equipment in various power plants.

    He noted that repair works at the Gikondo power plant and Jabana are scheduled for completion soon, “most of the machines were old causing periodical technical faults, hence we’re fixing new spare parts,” he explained.

    However, Muyange disclosed that power shortages wouldn’t end over night since even after the repair process is over; water levels at Rusizi power plant have reduced a fact that has led to the reduction of electricity production from 12 to 8 mega watts.

    “This is very common during dry seasons but no need to panic since we’re trying to come up with alternatives. That’s why we’re fixing our mega generators,” he remarked.

  • Dialogue To Discuss Land Challenges

    Following debates on land taxation rates, the Rwanda Institute of Sustainable Development (RISD) has announced its intentions to organise a dialogue aimed at discussing land related issues.

    According to a communiqué from RISD, “the dialogue is in line with evaluating implementation of land reforms through discussions of land lease and land taxation,” the statement reads in part.

    The dialogue will attract experts from LandNet, a local network involving relevant stakeholders dealing with land issues in the country.

    Peter Bazimya, a specialist on land issues has on frequent occasions highlighted that land taxation is an area where urban planners have no action or even no interest because, in general, local taxation on land and rent is imposed mostly to raise revenues for the municipality, and most people think that it has nothing to do with planning.

    He adds that land taxation has a lot of impact on land use because it gives an incentive or disincentive to keep or sell land, “High land tax will force some obsolete industries, like old factories or old warehouses, to leave the city or at least to leave the center of the city and go to the suburbs.”

    Bazimya further explains that in this case, it’s not the action of the planner that is changing land use; it is the price of land and the taxation on land.

    “So taxation can be used to reform land use in a city. It might be a more useful and efficient tool in bringing about more efficient land use than just drawing a plan with color and saying “this is industry” and “this is residential. Very often it is really the tax and the land prices which will change land use, not the colors on the master plans.”

  • Man Promises Wife Never to Booze Again

    A father has sworn never to booze anymore after he drunk himself silly, lost his senses and causing panic in the family.

    In a true story and not fiction as it might sound, Gaspard Nsabimana 45 a local taxi driver resident in Muhima normally retires home late every evening. After a days work, he enjoys a few beers with friends before finally returning home.

    He is married to Agatha with whom they have a son of 4 years named Sebastian.

    However, on 8th February, Nsabimana and wife woke up to the shock of their lives when they could not see their son in the house.

    Earlier on 7th February Nsabimana woke up at 6am and left for routine work. Before he left, he told his wife that he would return home at 5pm to take Sebastian to saloon for a hair shave. Nsabimana had been promising his son a hair cut since the previous weekend.

    One of Nsabimana’s monthly clients paid him that afternoon and headed straight at home at 5pm to pick up his son. He dropped his son at a local saloon located at Kinamba. Nsabimana also waited at a nearby bar having a few beers.

    Unfortunately Nsabimana drunk himself silly before the son was done with the hair cut. He continued drinking and forgot all about the son until wee hours of the night.

    However, Nsabimana’s wife retired to bed before father and son returned but though the son had been put to bed by the father. Nsabimana arrived at 1:00AM while the wife was already asleep. When she woke up in the morning, she noticed that only her husband was sleeping where their son’s bed.

    Nsabimana’s wife screamed endlessly attracting local residents in the area. She physically kicked her husband demanding he gets out of the house to find their son.

    Nsabimana was in shock himself and could not believe that he had forgotten his own son. He said it must have been the housemaid who was with their son that she normally took him along for walks whenever she went for shopping.

    The couple waited for the maid to return as neighbors attempted to calm the wife that was already swearing and threatening to harm her husband bodily if she didn’t locate their son as soon as possible.

    However, a local electrician identified as Lando Bizimana a neighbor and friend Nsabimana narrated to IGIHE.com how the child was found with his help.

    As he was leaving home in the morning, he heard the commotion only to find his friend surrounded by people and an enraged wife. When Nsabimana explained to Bizimana what had happened,Bizimana reminded his friend that he had called him at midnight inviting him for a drink.

    “I would have gone but I was tired. I remember him telling me that he was waiting for his son who was getting a hair cut at a saloon next to the bar.I found it strange that his son was getting a hair cut at that hour but didn’t mention it. So Nsabimana immediately remembered where the son was after listening to me”.

    Nsabimana and Bizimana immediately drove off without telling anyone including his wife and returned an hour later with the boy in the backseat of the car, unharmed with a shiny bald head.

    Nsabimana humbly apologised and thanked those that had kept his son for their generosity and paid twice the amount for the hair cut.

    Nsabimana told everybody that he swears to cut off from the booze for he has learnt his lesson.

  • Man Arrested Bribing Police

    Gentil Rugwiro, a 23 year old man, was arrested while bribing police with Frw70,000 on Tuesday during the Driving license Tests conducted at Gakinjiro.

    Rugwiro said, “After emerging successful in the ‘parking’ test, waiting for ‘demarrage’, I tried to give Frw 70,000 to a policeman though remarking that I am likely to be jailed for I did it publicly.”

    Rugwiro had been a shopkeeper before embarking on the search for a driving License to become a car driver.

    Police Spokesman Supretendent Theos Badege says, “We want to fight the culture of corruption by sensitising citizens that good service delivery is their right.” He noted that for people failing in driving license tests, corruption is not the solution.

  • 5 Held Over Domestic Theft

    Gisozi police is holding Valentin Mugabo, Eric Siboniyo, Samuel Nyandwi, Jean Baptiste Munyaneza and Chrysostome Murengerantwari in connection with domestic theft.
    The incident happened at Kadobogo village, Kagugu cell, Kinyinya sector in Gasabo district.

    Valentin Mugabo, 25 and Eric Siboniyo, 24, a taxi conductor are suspected of stealing domestic items while the three others are accused of buying the stolen materials.

    Only Mugabo confessed to the offense saying that they steal places where they are oriented.

    He says, “ I used to work in a home and the gatekeeper told us that they own electronic materials and that home proprietors are not around; he gave us a key and stole TV; CD and DVD reader and amplifier.

    Eric Siboniyo says that he did not steal but he kept materials which he did not know had been stolen.

    Samuel Nyandwi, Jean Baptiste Munyaneza and Chrysostome Murengerantwari are arrested for having bought stolen.

    Samuel Nyandwi, a 41 year old resident in Kicukiro bought the stolen Television set. He urges the general public to be cautious when buying such items, “people should not buy items without a receipt; if they want to buy a material out of a shop, they should ask the authorities to approve it.”

    The police spokesman, Supt. Theos Badege, said that it is not good to buy materials out of shops for they may have many risks to the customer.

  • Genocide Survivor Wants Help

    In a general sense, Rwanda has healed from effects of the 1994 Tutsi genocide. However, Uwamwezi Marie Claire has never healed. Every second of her life is real pain resulting from her brutal beating that left her traumatised with two damaged lungs.

    Uwamwezi born 1969 to Gasana Nepomserie and Uwantege Adele from the district of Nyanza had lived a life of royalty. She was brutally beaten all over her body during the genocide.

    She told IGIHE.com that she wants financial support to pay for her medical operation abroad. Operation of her damaged lungs cannot be done in Rwanda; she fears she will die from the damage to her lungs.

    Uwamwezi was a young girl when she was living the life of a fairy tale, living with the royal family of the Kings wife, a time when life was full of opportunities and promises. Sadly her dreams of the future would be tragically shattered forever.

    During the 1994 genocide Uwamwezi was assaulted by the interahamwe militia who savagely chopped off her hips with a machete and beat her with clubs over every inch of her body leaving her on the ground for the dogs.

    However, she didn’t die but since then, her life has been a nightmare. Uwamwezi has thronged nearly all private clinics and hospitals all over Rwanda only to be told that her condition cannot be handled locally.

    Since the aftermath of the genocide, FARG was created (Funds for assistance for genocide victims.) which are the reason why Marie Claire has gotten any treatment at all, they gave her a house which she plans to rent out in order to help save money for her operation, and have paid over millions of Rwandese francs since the beginning of her hospitalization and have taken care of all her medical needs except for the money that Marie would need to pay for her operation.

    FARG and King Faisal hospital are only allowed funding patients whom are receiving treatment in Rwanda which leaves Marie Claire lying in hospitals since December 2008 seeking contributions and sponsors that may help her get an operation before its too late.

    Uwamwezi told IGIHE.com that she needs Euros 5400 for the operation. Both her two lungs are damaged and has a lump on her back that has been a permanent pain, she has breathing difficulties and so seclusion is forced upon her for she cannot risk wasting the little oxygen she needs.

    Uwamwezi pulled out the letter and transfer requests from three different doctors in Rwanda and the hospital of centre ‘Hospitaliter Univerversitaire Brugmann’ of Belgium since 2008, she had acquired signatures from all those she sought audience with, signatures from CNLG, MINECOFIN, FARG, MINALOC, PRIMATURE, and PRESIDENCE.

    However, to date she still lies in King Faisal medical ward. Uwamwezi’s plan is to “seek donations because I think this may be my last chance”, “if no one in the government has responded to my plea to let me know if they can assist me, then am left with no choice, for I have no family, no parents, no husband, no children, I am an orphan, but that does not mean I do not want to continue living.”

    She told us that she has opened up bank accounts where people can donate some money by sending it to both accounts in Rwanda and Belgium where the operation is to take place.

    IGIHE.com will keep you posted Uwamwezi Marie Claire’s story, as we follow her on her struggle to complete her journey to Belgium for a medical operation.
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  • Survey On Poverty Levels Today

    Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning(MINECOFIN) is scheduled to present a survey on poverty levels carried out in conjunction with the National Institute of Statistics Rwanda (NISR).

    The presentation of the new survey will update the public and development partners about the progress of government’s first phase of Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy (EDPRS) ending this year.

    The survey which will be launched by MINECOFIN at the ceremony to be attended by present Paul Kagame, will represent the international benchmarks for measuring poverty.

    It has indicated that poverty has dropped by 11.8 percent since 2006 which also indicates six times reduction rate as compared to the rate between the year 2000 to 2006, according to the third Integrated Household Living Conditions Survey.

    The findings which were reviewed by a panel of international experts and supported by all key donors, indicate that over 200,000 households, equivalent to one million people, have emerged from poverty since 2006.

    It also indicates that 45 percent of the 10.7 million population are still under the poverty line as compared to 57 percent five years ago.

    Also to be launched today is the fourth Demographic and Health Survey (DHS4) which indicates that infant and maternal mortality rates have declined by 41 and 35 percent respectively.

    The survey further indicates double growth in secondary school enrolment – among other achievements since 2006; all attributed to home-grown solutions with programmes such as Mutuelle de Sante, Nine-Year Basic Education and Once Cow per Family programmes playing a vital role.

    ENDS