Author: b_igi_adm1n

After addressing the East Africa Summit on the EAC region future, the Kenyan Prime Minister, Raila Odinga has met President Paul Kagame in village Urugwiro.

The two-day summit hosted by Swiss-based Economist Group the publishers of The Economist weekly magazine tackled trade potential of the bloc.

It attracted investors, economists and government officials from the region and looked at how to determine the future of the region.

“I briefed the president about this conference, and also talked about a number of regional issues needed to unlock the potential and the bottlenecks experienced currently,” Odinga said.

Odinga said they also discussed the progress of the East African Community (EAC), and what countries need to do to speed up the integration process.

“We all know that EAC member states faster the process of getting rid of Non-Tariff Barriers,” Odinga said.

“The issue of work permits is of concern to all of us. Rwanda and Kenya have already led the way by removing work permits and we would like to see other member states follow suit and do the same”.

He had also previously called upon EAC member states to share intelligence and collectively fight pirates and terrorist groups in the Indian Ocean, in order to foster regional peace and economic growth.

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Two senior judicial officials Chief Justice and Deputy Chief Justice of Supreme Court have been nominated by President Paul Kagame and have been approved by the Cabinet.

Sam Rugege has been nominated as Chief Justice and Zainabo Sylvie Kayitesi as Deputy Chief Justice of Supreme Court, according to the cabinet meeting statement that sat this Wednesday.

Sam Rugege will upon senate approval replace Aloysea Cyanzayire who has served for 8 years which will end by the end of this month.

Rugege and his deputy have been nominated after the approval of Supreme Council of the Judiciary.

He was appointed as a deputy Chief Justice at the Supreme Court 2004, following the appointment of the incumbent Chief Justice Cyanzaire who was appointed into the office in 2003, when Rugege was a Professor of Law at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) in Cape Town, South Africa.

Kayitesi, Rugege’s nominated deputy is the chairperson of the Rwanda National Human Rights Commission.

Rugege studied law at Makerere University in Uganda, Yale Law School in the United States of America and Oxford University in England where he obtained LLB, LLM and D.Phil. degrees respectively.

He started his law career as a lecturer at Makerere University, he then taught at the National University of Lesotho and University of Swaziland, rising to the position of Associate Professor.

During 1995 as visiting Scholar at Cornell Law School where he taught African Law.
His last teaching post before being elevated to the bench was in Cape Town, South Africa, as Professor of Law at the University of the Western Cape (UWC).

Justice Rugege was appointed to the Supreme Court of Rwanda in 2004 and since 2005, he is also the Principal Judge of the First Instance Division of the Court of Justice of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA).

Other appointments included Valens Munyabagisha as Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Internal Security, replacing Penelope Kantarama who now a Senator.

Dr. James Vuningoma, former Vice Rector of Kigali Institute of Education (KIE), has been appointed the Executive Secretary of the newly created Rwanda Academy of Language and Culture.

Regis Gatarayiha, was confirmed as Director General of Rwanda Utility Regulatory Agency (RURA) while Yusuf Murangwa replaces Diane Karusisi as the Director General of the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (NISR).

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The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) made a special appeal to the United Nations Security Council to find a lasting solution of getting host countries to acquitted persons who remain in safe houses under the Tribunal’s protection.

‘’The Tribunal has had no other choice but to call upon the assistance of the Security Council to find a sustainable solution to this issue,” stated ICTR President, Judge Khalida Rachid Khan in a letter to the President of the Council.

She explained that efforts to find host countries for the five acquitted persons proved unsuccessful due to the absence of a formal mechanism to secure the support of the member states to accept those persons in their countries.

Three persons whose acquittals have been confirmed on appeal are still trying to find a host country. They are former Rwandan Transport Minister André Ntagerura, General Gratien Kabiligi and Protais Zigiranyirazo, brother-in-law of the late former president Juvénal Habyarimana.

Two more people are waiting to know whether their acquittals will be confirmed by the ICTR Appeals Chamber including, former Foreign Affairs Minister Jérôme Bicamumpaka and former Health Minister Casimir Bizimungu.

Ntagerura has been looking for a host country for the longest time. He was acquitted by the lower court in February 2004 and the decision was confirmed on appeal in February 2006.

‘’The Tribunal considers the settlement of persons acquitted by an international criminal tribunal to be a fundamental expression of the rule of law and is concerned about the consequences of failing to fulfill this obligation,” ICTR President underlined.

In the same letter, President Khan also told the Security Council that the effort to track down the remaining nine fugitives including the top on the list, Felicien Kabuga, the alleged financier of genocide was still on.

‘’The Prosecutor continues to seek due diligent from Kenya in the discharge of its international obligation pursuant to Security Council resolution 1966 (2010) by expediting work on the tracking and arrest of this top-level fugitive,” she states.

Apart from Kenya, the letter also called upon other member states especially the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the neigbouring Great Lakes countries and countries in the Southern African region to double efforts in tracking down the remaining fugitives believed to be in the hide out in those countries.

The other two most wanted fugitives are ex-Rwandan minister for Defence, Augustine Bizimana and former Presidential Guard Commander, Major Protais Mpiranya.

ICTR President Judge Khan and the Prosecutor, Hassan Bubacar Jallow are expected next Wednesday, December 7, 2011 to present before the UN Assembly in New York reports on the progress and challenges facing the Tribunal in the implementation of the exit strategy.

It was expected that the Tribunal would conclude its first instance trials by December 31, 2011 but it is now evident that it is not possible despite all the efforts made.

Definitely to many Rwandans, it is abominable to eat dog meat. The Rwandan traditional culture doesn’t condon eating dog meat. A dog is seen as a pet and most cases a carnivorous animal whose major role is to protect its master and hunting.

However, some foreigners living in Rwanda but with contrasting cultures find dog meat a delicious item.

It is reported that Chinese expatriates working at the Everlasting Commercial Complex in Kigali city are occasionally found in celebration mood while cooking dog meat.

This surprises most of the Rwandans working at the site especially when they see a dog hide.

Rwandan workers at the construction site are now used to seeing their Chinese counterparts eating dog meat.

On the day of preparing dog meat, the Chinese mansons grant a day off to most Rwandan workers at the site and dedicate the whole day to feasting on the dog.

Surprising enough, the dog meat at the site is prepared by a female Rwandan who says that while preparing this exceptional Chinese dish, she adds local ingredients including; onions, tomatoes and fries in cooking oil and that this takes her about forty minutes.

She says the Chinese eat dog meat with rice and a side dish of vegetables.

However, the Kigali city authorities warned without giving specific reasons, that for special cases like waste material from dog meat preparation should be disposed off in isolation and not in general garbage disposal sites.

Proponents of dog meat have argued that distinctions between livestock and pets is subjective, and that there is no difference with eating the meat of different animals, while countering that those critical of dog meat consumption are guilty of cultural supremacy, if not racism.

In South Korea Dog soup, or Boshintang, is a summer delicacy. A minority of people eat it regularly. It’s consumed most frequently in summer but is available year-round. It’s more popular with men than women and is said to possess qualities that “help stamina.”

In china during the three-day annual dog-meat “carnival,” in October, up to 10,000 dogs are killed and skinned in the streets of Qianxi township, located in Zhejiang’s eastern coastal province.

The dog-meat festival has been an annual tradition in Jinhua, China, since 1389 however, this year 2011 dog-meat festival was cancelled following Tens of thousands of Internet protests from all over the world and growing animal activism in China.

Former President of the Senate Vincent Biruta appointed as the new Minister of Education replacing Pierre Damien Habumuremyi who became the Prime Minister.

The Announcement from the Office of the Prime Minister declared that President of the Republic basing on the Constitution has nominated different Ministers.
– Minister of Education, Dr Vincent Biruta

– Minister of Youth, Jean Philibert Nsengimana

– Minister of Agriculture, Dr Agnes Kalibata

President Paul Kagame has expressed his will to support Youth to get in the country’s development by involving them in the executive leadership.

Kagame was referring to a new breed of a young Minister of Youth Jean Philbert Nsengimana who joined the cabinet to day.

He was also giving his short speech at the swearing ceremony of new Ministers that included Dr. Vicent Biruta as the Minister of education and Dr Agnes Kalibata who did not change her portfolio as the Minister Agriculture that have just concluded in the lower chamber of Parliament .

Kagame said that is very important if youth got so much involved in the leadership towards the development of their nation and therefore more youth are needed to work with the new ministry and contribute largely in their own development too.

“we also need to build up young blood leadership, like Jean Philbert Nsengimana, it should not always have to be elderly people alone in leadership,” Kagame has said amidst applouse.

“if possible all his staff should be youth and even more younger than he does,” we would like to see that Ministry being taken over by youth themselves, if possible we would get even a young people who will work very close to him like his personal assistant or parmanent secretary and others to see the whole ministry pioneered by youth,” Kagame added in a just concluded Swearing ceremony that saw three ministers taking oath.

He reminded the ministers and other leaders in the country that the occasion reminds them of their responsibility to serve towards the benefits of the Rwandan population.

The president welcomed Dr Vicent Biruta’s expected contribution to the cabinet saying he has an experience needed since he was heading the senate.

“This swearing in brings to us people with experience, for example Dr Vicent Biruta from his previous office, and you remember I last time appreciated him for the great work he did when he was heading the senate,” Kagame added.

He said that they have a collective responsibility to develop the nation, noting that it has been evident that when there is increased efforts, determination a lot towards developing the nation can be achieved.

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