Author: b_igi_adm1n

Rwanda Prisons authorities have refuted claims by families of eight Sierra Leonean war crimes Prisoners that they are being mistreated in a Rwandan prison.

The Sierra Leonean war criminals serving their sentence in Rwanda have complained about their mistreatment in prison and want to be transferred back home.

Paul Rwarakabije, the Commissioner General of the Rwanda Correctional Service, told the press that the Rwandan government was not only respecting its MOU with the Special Court but also providing extra incentives for the prisoners.

He also said that a team from the Special Court was in Rwanda and would be visiting the prisoners soon.

“Prisoners will always complain, but the fact is we have accorded them more than what we are required.”

“They are frequently visited by their relatives and are also accorded conjugal rights. These are international prisoners and we treat them in a special manner.” RCS Rwarakabije pointed out.

Two family sources, who asked not to be named, told Sierra Leone based press that they had called on government to intervene and have the prisoners back to complete their sentences in Sierra Leone.

According to Sierra Leone Press, the Government spokesman Ibrahim Ben Kargbo said that the UN-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone, set up to probe atrocities during the country’s 1991-2002 civil war, had warned the government not to interfere in the matter.

“We have been asked by the court to stay off from the matter as any such act will be interpreted as contempt,” said Kargbo.

In a nine-page petition handed by the families to the government on September 7, the men alleged that since their arrival in Kigali in October 2009 they had suffered poor nourishment and a lack of access to medical facilities.

The prisoners are three ex-leaders of the rebel Revolutionary United Front (RUF), Issa Hassan Sesay, Morris Kallon and Augustine Gbao and three former leaders of the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC), Alex Tamba Brima, Ibrahim Bazzy Kamara and Santigie Borbor Kanu.

The other two are former leaders of the Civil Defense Forces (CDF), Moinina Fofana and Allieu Kondewa.

The men, serving terms of between 15 and 52 years, were sent to Rwanda under a special arrangement as Sierra Leone does not have proper facilities for their detention.

Pioneers of Fashion and Design trained by Synergy International (SIR) Ltd, will be graduating next month, igihe.com has learnt.

Synergy International (SIR) Ltd is a Kenyan based textile industry that opened its branch in Rwanda and has expanded to a vocational training institute that trains mostly in fashion design.

The institute that now targets to ensure the promotion of quality technical skills, equips Rwandans with entrepreneurial knowledge.

Additionally, the institute train in entrepreneurship skills, business English and computer skills. It is also intending to expand to other areas of training like in carpentry, leather work, plumbing, wielding among others.

Recently SIR Ltd announced that it was offering its technical skills in relevance to the country’s Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) policy.

Esther Nduta Chege its Managing Director said many Rwandans do not believe in themselves and also they fear to take risks in doing business.

“We looked to the needs of the society and tried to see how to bridge that illiteracy gap and therefore decided to import the trainer to train the local people and equip them with market skills most especially in designing department also teach them English that can help them to communicate easily with their regional clients who may not know local languages,” Chege added.

She said that the institution is aiming at producing people who can be entrepreneurs adding that, one of the primary challenges faced by African youth is unemployment.

Chege also said that SIR Ltd is also set to open up employment opportunities for some of its brightest students.

“From my students there are some that I will absorb and retain them in my textile industry, and for those ones I can’t afford, still we are looking for other possible means to help them start small businesses because most of them are financially crippled,” Chege pointed out.

However the emerging challenge many people turning for training and cannot afford the little money requested as tuition fees.

Saloma Wamachii Ngabi a professional in clothing and textiles and fashion design and also a trainer at the institution pointed out if someone starts a opens up a related business with the starting capital worth Rwf350.000, he or she can be in the position of earning up to Rwf1M per month.

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Inspector General of Police Emmanuel K. Gasana has been elected as a delegate in the standing executive committee of International Criminal Police Organization(INTERPOL).

INTERPOL is an organization facilitating international police cooperation. It was established as the International Criminal Police Commission in 1923.

The elected Rwanda’s IGP, was attending INTERPOL’s 80th annual general assembly in the Vietnam capital city of Hanoi.

In a four-day assembly Rwanda’s IGP will serve a three year term of office.

According to Police spokesman Supt Theos Badege the appointment of IGP Emmanuel Gasana will contribute towards enhancing further cooperation and collaboration in combating emerging transnational organized crimes within international system.

“This representation to INTERPOL executive committee is a pride to Rwanda as a member country which shows recognition of Rwanda’s role and contribution to the International Police cooperation in addition to partnership in combating cross border crimes.” Badege said.

The executive committee on which Rwanda was elected is comprised of 14 members who include the president of the organization, Secretary General, three vice presidents and nine delegates all from different continents.

Another African elected during the meeting was Adamu Mohammed, the Deputy Commissioner of Nigerian Police as the new vice president for Africa.

Interpol General Assembly is the supreme governing body of the institution.

It is composed of delegates appointed by governments of 190 member countries.

It meets once a year and takes all the major decisions affecting general policy, the resources needed for international cooperation, working methods, finances, programs and activities.

In addition to the appointment, Rwanda currently chairs the East African Police Chiefs Cooperation Organization EAPCCO which it hosted in September.

It has also hosted several key regional and international conferences on security issues such as the Regional center on small arms conference, the African contact officers meeting and the International conference of gender based violence among others.

In an effort to ensure a safer and secure world for all, Rwanda has pursued a policy of international cooperation and has hence contributed both Army and Police contingents to peace keeping missions in Sudan, South Sudan, Haiti, Chad and Liberia.

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Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) alerts the General Public on demolition of unexploded ordinances and ammunition to take place at GABIRO barracks.

The exercise which will also include detonating mines will take place from this Friday November 4, to 7, 2011.

In a press release from RDF, the demolition of these unexploded ordinances(UXOs) and ammunitions was in the framework of implementing National Action Plan to fight against proliferation of illegal small arms and ammunition.

“We alert residents because it is in our mandate to deal with security; we care about the security of the residents and their animals around the vicinity of our military activities in the baracks,”

“There are several times resident around the barracks have tendency of grazing their animals in the military land and we have also talked grassroot leaders in addition to announcements in the media,” Col Joseph Nzabamwita the army spokesman has told igihe.com.

Col. Nzabamwita said RDF was to destroy 40 tones unexploded ordinances and ammunition

In previous months over 600 cattle were impounded grazing within the zones of Gabiro military barracks.

It is believed that over 10,000 heads of cattle have reportedly been encroaching into the barracks in recent years.

The population around Gabiro which is also a home of Gabiro military school of infantry, are called upon not to be frightened by this operation.

The RDF also calls the population to keep away from where the exercise will be conducted to avoid incidents.

The destruction will see 1,270 mines and 53,357 unexploded ordinances (UXOs) from 1994 -2011.

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Lower Chamber of parliament has voted for the setting of an adhoc committee which will investigate Rukarara hydro power and Mutobo water projects.

This followed most of the parliamentarians’ dissatisfaction over explanations both Minister of Infrastructure Albert Nsengiyumva and State Minister in charge of Energy and Water Emma Francoise Isumbingabo presented.

The house chaired by the speaker of parliament Rose Mukantabana, 59 over 68 MPs present voted for the setting of the adhoc committee.

According to several MPs Ezekias Rwabuhihi, Charles Kamanda, Connie Bwiza and others questioned how firms given a tender of developing the projects are made a follow up, and how their contracts are managed.

Other issues included explanations of how US $ 2.42m was spent over Rukarara hydro power project, how to penalized entrepreneurs who fail to accomplish their tasks or perform shoddy work and accountability of the 0.5MW which will not be produced yet it was budgeted for.

MPs also questioned poor distribution of electricity where you find some areas get together and request for their connectivity and some are connected while others are left out.

Lawmakers also wondered why water continues to be scarce yet the matter has been discussed and projects mentioned in several speeches but implementations continue to fail.

“I don’t understand why water continues to be tabled and continues to scarce yet we get promised of things to get better even in the past years. It seems there could have been corruption involved,” Ezekias Rwabuhihi said.

“This donor money of which they also give accountability to their tax payers, there should be an audit which will avail details of how that fund was spent so as we get a clear picture too,” Connie Bwiza also said.

The speaker of the parliament however responded to Connie Bwiza that the adhoc Committee to be set will decide what is right to be done, whether it goes its self and compiles the whole required data or if it will ask the auditor general office to audit the project since it will be having the competence to do so.

Minister explained how to achieve 1000 MW in six year, 230MW from micro-hydro power projects in the country which include those hydro projects we share with the neighboring countries that have been funded so far.

He said that a feasibility study has been done on other two projects which are still in negotiations which will produce at least 100MW each.

The Minister said that there is another feasibility study to also get geothermal energy in Kalisimbi, Kinigi, Bugarama, Rusizi and Rubavu which expects to produce 700MW.

The state minister Isumbingabo re-explained in details the Rukarara hydro power project where she told the house that they have a security of US $ 2.7m and penalties to refund the ministry for the delay due to breach of contracts.

Despite other explanations to several other questions asked, lawmaker showed their discontent hence voting for independent inquiry.

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A new monthly teenage girl-focused magazine, ‘Ni Nyaminga’ has been launched. The magazine will work along with weekly radio shows highlighting the adolescent girls’ potential giving them tools that will enable them become future leaders.

The launch took place today, in an event hosted by Girl Hub, a joint venture by the Nike Foundation and the UK’s Department for International Development and held at the Girl Hub head office in Kigali.

Speaking to the press shortly after the launch Jessica Thornley, Brand Manager for Girl Hub’s Rwanda office said,“Ni Nyampinga is about fostering a culture for girls that gives them the space, time and tools needed to experience their teenage years in the most positive way.”

“This is the time for girls to not just dream big and plan for their futures but also equip themselves with the tools to make it happen.”

Thornley added that the magazine and radio programs will be great motivators for girls, while also having a positive impact on their parents and brothers.

Among the participants Antoinette Umuhoza defined the initiative, as a girl who knows what she is doing to create a platform for her future.

She added that Ni Nyaminga will help express the needs and raise voices by young girls to the rest through hosting the programs over the radios and writing for the magazine.

The initiative will cover topics such as Rwandan culture, Health, English development and Economic empowerment and sharing stories and advice from inspirational role models and providing fun ways to share experiences.

It will be hosted by a team of teenage girl journalists that will create shows about the issues that matter to them and their peers.

Both platforms will prompt audiences for feedback and input through social media, mobile, and suggestion boxes in the community.

The event also mirrored the G(irls)20 Summit that held recently in Paris and attended by girls from the 20 leading nations of the world, plus two girls from Rwanda.

Two top officials from the Ministry of Infrastructure (MINIFRA) have just started facing parliamentary questioning about water and energy situation in the country.

The pressing issue that remained unanswered yesterday was the controversy of Rukarara hydro power project and the electricity distribution and water distribution of 80% in the country.

Chaired by speaker Rose Mukantabana, the parliament is now listening to what the two MINIFRA top officials Albert Nsengiyumva the Minister of Infrastructure and the state Minister in charge of Energy and water have to respond to the questions not answered yesterday.

The speaker has immediately opened the meeting with allowing more questions from the MPs that were not asked their questions yesterday.

Most MPs that have so far asked their questions have repeatedly questioned the leasing of Rukarara hydro power project to a local firm Digitech Solution for 40 years, contract management and accountability of the previous firms that managed the project previously.

MPs are questioning the exorbitant funds spent during the project implementation noting millions of funds used to visit Sri-Lanka entrepreneur who managed the micro-hydro power before being leased.

Deputy Charles Kamanda begun the questioning session also suggesting an adhoc committee to thoroughly investigate the project and refuting what the officials said that 80% of Rwandans have access to safe water.

While Ezekias Rwabuhihi suggested that a full audit report is needed about the project and wondered why a problem of water scarcity continues to come back in the past years and it looks not to be solved.

Rwabuhihi noted that this recurring problem of water scarcity and electricity in many places may be involving some corruption acts since it keeps on returning to be tabled and never seem to be closer to be resolved.

He said that not only an adhoc committee is needed but also auditor general’s office is also needed to begin a full audit so as to avail full statistical information about Rukarara hydro project.

Much as women in Rwanda now top the world rankings in decision making, Rwanda has not been ranked in Global Gender Gap report 2011 released yesterday.

The report was released by World Economic Forum, a non-government organization based Geneva, Switzerland.

Another Geneva based organization Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) had observed that Rwanda had overtaken the long-time leader, Sweden in women empowerment but still some reports suggest Rwanda success has been only in political section.

The released report measures the inequality between men and women with political, educational and economic opportunities.

Not only Rwanda was not ranked but also DR Congo and Lesotho emerged number one in Sub-Saharan Africa followed by South Africa then followed Burundi which is ranked on 3rd position in the region hence toping East African Community bloc.

No country has yet to achieve gender equality, although research points to empowering women being the key to unlocking potential and stimulating economies.

Among the headlines this year, women hold less than 20% of all national decision-making positions, India ranks lowest on gender parity.

The report underscore that the world has however made great progress in eliminating inequality between men and women in health and education, but not in economic participation and political empowerment, according to a survey of 135 nations.

The annual survey shows that four Nordic countries, Iceland, Norway, Finland and Sweden, led the world again in promoting gender equality with United States rankings rising from 19th to 17th position.

“A world where women make up less than 20 percent of the global decision-makers is a world that is missing a huge opportunity for growth and ignoring an untapped reservoir of potential,” Klaus Schwab, founder and chairman of the World Economic Forum, said in a statement.

The annual survey, released at a press conference in New York, showed that over the past six years about 85 percent of countries have narrowed the gender gap.

But in other countries the gap widened and the situation for women worsened, including in Nigeria, Mali, Colombia, Tanzania and El Salvador. Pakistan, Chad and Yemen were at the bottom of the list.

Saadia Zahidi, head of the forum’s women leaders and gender parity program, said the world as a whole has closed about 96% of the gender gap in health and 93% in education, but only about 60% of the gap in economic participation and less than 20% in political empowerment.

“So women are starting to be as healthy and as educated as men, and yet, are not being channeled into the economy, into decision-making structures,” Zahidi said.

Zahidi said closing the gender gaps are directly correlated with increased economic competitiveness with the world focused on job creation and economic growth adding that gender equality is the key to unlocking potential and stimulating economies.

The survey shows that a number of relatively developing countries have made major strides to close the gender gap and rank in the top 25, the Philippines, Lesotho, South Africa, Cuba, the Bahamas and Burundi.

The Global Gender Gap Index introduced by the World Economic Forum in 2006, is a framework for capturing the magnitude and scope of gender-based disparities and tracking their progress.

The Index benchmarks national gender gaps on economic, political, education- and health-based criteria.

African women in the on-going two-day meeting in Kigali have condemned what they termed lack of political commitment by most governments to ensure the development of women in African continent.

It is a Pre- Eighth African Governance Forum (AGF-VIII) meeting on Gender Equality, Elections and the Management of Diversity in Africa.

Participants blame their governments saying that if they were dedicated to gender promotion, no African woman would be suffering to date.

Aloisea Inyumba, Rwanda’s Minister of Gender and Family promotion, told the participants in the meeting yesterday that the government embarked on empowerment strategies to allow gender equality all political, economic and social affairs.

“Women have been brought into the mainstream of our political, economic and social life and our government is determined to do that because we cannot talk about democracy without their involvement in national governance,” said the minister.

According to statistics, Rwandan women form 53 percent of the population and currently, in parliament, they occupy 56.25 percent seats making it a world leader in female parliamentary representation.

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