Author: b_igi_adm1n

The Executive Secretary of Muganza Sector, Rusizi district has said that the letter issued by his office cautioning local farmers against premature harvest of maize has been misinterpreted.

Oscar Nizeyimana the Mayor of Rusizi district in an announcement yesterday January 7, said that all farmers are allowed to harvest their maize, rice and the related crops.

Previously in a letter dated 27th December 2011 and signed by Mukamana Esperence an official of muganza sector in Rusizi district allegedly refrained locals from harvesting maize with intention to roast and or sell shall be punished with a fine of Frw 20,000 caught selling and Frw 10,000 found transporting such maize harvested.

The official in charge of communications at the district has responded to the allegations saying that the news released by leprophete website was misreported and are telling lies.

The news says that the district refused farmers from harvesting their maize from their farms.

Mushaija Goeffrey the Executive secretary of Rwamagana District has been suspended for three months during an extraordinary district meeting on saturday that held the decision.

Mushaija is accused of failing to submit a progressive report on good governance as prepared by the office of the ombudsman office. Rwamagana district has been a poorest performer among the 30 districts in the country.

The extraordinary meeting also held that three other district officials working in the district’s good governance office shall have ¼ of their salaries removed. Also another official was strongly warned.

Rwamagana Murenzi Alphonse the district committee chairperson said the officials had to be punished for they are solely responsible for the district poor performance record.

A not-yet confirmed report suggests that President Paul Kagame may be decorated among heroes who played a big role in Uganda’s liberation war in 1986.

Placed source told IGIHE.com Kagame who will have a four-day state visit beginning January 22, will go Uganda on an invitation from his counterpart Yoweri Kaguta Museveni.

Kagame has been invited to attend the highly celebrated event of January 26 in commemoration of Uganda’s National Resistance Army (NRA) guerilla army that toppled the Gen. Tito Okello Lutwa’s military rule.

Highly placed source said that honoring Kagame is a vow fulfilled of a promise President Museveni made in his recent visit to Rwanda that he will belatedly reward Kagame for “his role in NRA liberation war.”

“Kagame who head of intelligence is said to have been the first 27 NRA fighters,” the source said.

This year’s ceremony will be held under the theme, “Uganda, the Land of Opportunities: NRM’s contribution during the last half of the 50 years of Uganda’s independence,”.

On the other hand, Kagame has also honored his counterpart in Uganda, listed among heroes for his contribution in 1990 liberation war that stopped the 1994 Genocide.

President Museveni was in Rwanda 2009 attending the Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF) 15th anniversary celebrations at Amahoro Stadium, during which he was decorated with two medals.

One medal is in honour of his contribution to the RPF struggle that liberated Rwanda, while the other is in recognition of his campaign against the 1994 genocide.

ENDS

President Paul Kagame has arrived in South Africa to attend celebrations to mark the centenary of South Africa’s ruling African National Congress that begun with a golf tournament.

More than 100,000 people are expected over the weekend in the central city of Bloemfontein.

Other events include a candle-lit vigil at the church where the ANC was formed and a major political rally on Sunday, the 100th anniversary.

The ANC was founded to fight white minority rule, which ended in 1994.

ANC party secretary general Gwede Mantashe says Nelson Mandela, who led the party to power after the end of apartheid, will not be attending the ANC celebrations.

“He is not coming and we are not expecting him to come,”Gwede told South Africas public radio SABC. “He is in good spirits but very, very old.”

Farmers in Rwanda have been advised to put extra efforts on subsistence farming as a way of enhancing food security and also reduce on imports of cereals such as rice, beans, maize among others.

In order to achieve this, Francoise Kanimbla, the minister of Trade and Industry (MINICOM) emphasized that the ministry intends to strengthen cooperatives dealing with agriculture produce.

The support includes easing their access to credit, training farmers on latest technologies as well as supporting them with latest technology.

He added that the above strategies have worked well for some crops; rice for instance is progressing in several regions particularly in the eastern province, “We have enough rice in our galleries to sustain us for four years.”

Production of local food would also reduce on imports of the same hence reduction of food prices.

“Even though we import most of our foods from COMESA zone at no tax the transport fee still makes them costly,” he advised.

Congolese people are calling for urgent help following the intensified massacres that have left over 75,000 fleeing after 30 villages were burnt.

A statement released by the Hunde and Nyanga Congolese communities highlighting the situation on armed conflict and the dire humanitarian situation prevailing in the territories of Masisi and Walikale reads in part;

“We, the Hunde and Nyanga communities, are sorry to see that for months, the national and international community stand by and watch clashes between armed conflicts and the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda , and the movement of weapons variously called , or sometimes Peoples Self-defense Movement or sometimes.”

The statement explains that the fighting began in February 2011 in Masisi territory mainly the Nyamaboko groups I and II. They ranged in Walikale territory during the month of November 2011 in the groups Walowa-yungu, Walowa uroba and Walowa-lLoanda.

A small fire, they extend into the body of Luberike, Ihana and Ikobo in Walikale territory and to the groups Banyungu, Buabo and Bafuna in Masisi territory. Thus, both territories Masisi and Walikale are of fire and blood.

These fights, although deadly, have not attracted the attention of those who would help improve the situation.

Abandoned to their fate, the populations are found in the forests where they think they find shelter, but they face a greater threat from their executioners.

During their flight, some females are raped and young people are killed, parts are cut using machetes. These conflicts today present a serious negative impact on the lives of people.

Scattered in the forests, IDPs are exposed to extreme weather and diseases. There are currently thirty more abandoned villages and more than 74.000 displaced persons, but without any assistance.

The current count of those fighting disease is 73 dead. Children, the disabled, the elderly and pregnant women are the first victims.

Since the war began, these people are never assisted. The humanitarian situation is becoming more and more catastrophic if action is not taken we risk a humanitarian catastrophe.

This is why an appeal is launched to get the attention of all people of good will to please help the needy.

To do this, we proceed with the collection of donations and assistance to displaced persons. All Congolese are invited to bring goods or money to alleviate the misery of our people. An ad hoc committee has been set up.

We want to take this opportunity to condemn the actions of the belligerents. We demand the immediate cessation of hostilities; ask the intervention for the protection of civilian populations by MONUSCO to enable everyone to return to their own community and the Congolese government to cope.

The Permanent Secretary in the ministry of trade and industry, Emmanuel Hategeka, on Friday launched a new “Hanga umurimo” program in Rwamagana district in the eastern province.

Hategeka noted that projects approved of high quality will be selected in each district and sponsored by the ministry and its sponsors.

He told the citizens of Rwamagana that creating a work does not require much money.

The permanent secretary later visited a local entrepreneur Diogene Mutabaruka involved in the sell banana beer.

Mutabaruka said that he started his business project with only Frw 80,000 but now earns Frw147 million per month. Mutabaruka employs 120 workers whom he pays Frw 13000 per day.

Hategeka encouraged citizens to refer to their friends and neighbors that have established and succeeded in their projects and obtain advices from them of how they proceeded and succeeded.

He promised promised to support to any creative idea that can lead an individual’s progress and all the population in general.

Rwanda government has earmarked frw 9 billion to cater for teachers’ salaries at all levels. Teachers salaries have been very low compared to other jobs in the public service.

John Rwangombwa, the minister in charge of Finance and Economic Planning, declared during the special term for Deputies assembly that took place on 5th January 2012.

Rwangombwa revealed that the Frw 9 billion had been obtained from other institutions that failed to utilize it in the past 6 months.

He said that 1 billion and 4 million will be used to increase teachers’ salaries of A2 level; more than 4 billion for the newly recruited teachers of A0 level. The rest will be used in the regularisation of teachers’ salaries based on their experience.

During the assembly, law makers voted for a bill modifying and completing the law of the 2011-2102 budget.

The minister said, “the reason of this bill’s renewal is that there is an amount of money that was added to the budget 2011-2012; some of the money is from taxes and revenues, loans, funds and 3 billion from the shares which the government sold in BK and MTN.”