Author: b_igi_adm1n

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

ENDS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rwanda received (Monday) the Dossier of Uwinkindi Jean-Bosco a Pentecostal pastor accused of helping to orchestrate the mass killings in Rwanda’s 1994 Tutsi genocide.

Martin Ngoga the Prosecutor general hailed the development saying this is a win for Rwanda’s Justice system.

The chief Prosecutor International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, Hassan Bubacar Jallow presented to Rwanda’s Prosecutor general the dossier containing all criminal charges against Uwinkindi.

This follows the request by Rwanda to try within the countrys judicial system some genocide suspects being held at the Arusha based International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda ICTR.

The ICTR chief Prosecutor Bubacar Jallow explained that the decision to transfer Uwinkindi and others to be tried in Rwanda was adopted in December 2011 following a clear transformation of Rwanda’s justice system especially the removal of the death penalty.

Uwinkindi who had a five-million dollar reward on his head was arrested as soon as he crossed into Uganda from the Democratic Republic of Congo following a tipoff from the ICTR that had been tracking him.

Uwinkindi was in 2001 indicted by the UN-backed International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) for genocide, conspiracy to commit genocide and extermination as a crime against humanity.

President Mwai Kibaki of Kenya also the Chairperson of the Summit of the EAC Heads of State is expected to deliver the annual State of EAC Address at a Special Sitting on Wednesday, January 25.

From January 24 to February 2, 2012 the East African Legislative Assembly will hold its plenary which is the Second Meeting of the Fifth Session of the Second Assembly due in Kampala, Uganda.

Meanwhile, Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni is expected to address a Special Sitting on January 24.

The Assembly to be presided by the Speaker, Rt. Hon Abdirahin H. Abdi, shall during the two-week period discuss matters of legislative business including debates on bills; Inter-University Council of East Africa (IUCEA) Bill (2nd & 3rd Reading), bill, the EAC Trans-boundary Ecosystem Management Bill, 2010.

Other bills to be debated during this period include the EAC Polythene Materials Control Bill (2nd & 3rd Reading).

Legislative members will also receive and consider reports from various Committees of the Assembly and consider Motions and Questions brought before the House.

EALA shall also hold briefing sessions with the Deputies Secretaries General of the EAC who shall apprise the Assembly on progress concerning Political Federation, Social Sector, Customs and Trade, Planning and Infrastructure and Finance and Administration among other areas.

Lt. Col. Dr. John Nkurikiye, the only Rwandan Ophthalmology specialist Consultant has disclosed that 67% of blind Rwandans lost sight due to Cataract disease.

Dr. Nkurikiye announced the percentage during the end of the free surgery week that saw at least 60 people with cataract eye disease getting operated.

A cataract is a clouding that develops in the crystalline lens of the eye or in its envelope, varying in degree from slight to complete opacity and obstructing the passage of light.

According to Dr Nkurikiye, there are about 50,000 blind Rwandans in the country, adding that some of this blindness can be cured through surgery.

Among the beneficiaries, Hamim Rutayisire, running a spare-parts shop in Gatsata narrated, “I have lived with the eye problem for over six years. At some point I had almost completely lost my sight.

This derailed my business which suffered losses since I wasn’t able to attend to it all the time due to my eye problems. Both my eyes have been operated upon and now I can see clearly.”

The free surgery is an outreach service of the Rwanda Institute of Ophthalmology in collaboration with The Rwanda Military Hospital.

Meanwhile with the ever increasing interaction of citizens in the member states of East African community, caution has to be considered following a deadly and fast spreading outbreak of Trachoma infection reported in Uganda’s Moroto district with more than 5, 000 cases confirmed.

Sister Emily Akuru, the in charge of Moroto Eye Clinic at Moroto Referral Hospital, told local media on Monday that they are overwhelmed with the number of the trachoma patients visiting the clinic diagnosing between 35 to 45 patients daily.

Trachoma infection presents with among others, the itching of the eye, eye discharge, and swelling of the eye.

If left untreated or not treated immediately, trachoma causes the inflammation of the conjunctivitis of the eye resulting in subsequent blindness.

Trachoma is the world’s leading cause of preventable blindness and occurs where people live in overcrowded conditions with limited access to water and health care.