Author: b_igi_adm1n

MINALOC Troubled by Rwf 6Bn Embezzled

The Auditor General Obadiah Biraro has revealed that local government ministry MINALOC; mismanaged government funds Rwf 6 billion that was intended for constructing houses for genocide survivors during the year 2006-2007 and 2008.

The fundamental objective was not achieved due to misuse of money and building equipments of Rwf237,880,911 of project funds transferred by FARG to projects during the period 2006 to 2007.

The funds were spent without sufficient support documentation and were not properly accounted for, said Obadiah.

The money was used for other purposes as no official papers were available to justify the expenses, the equipment are not seen any where while others kept in MINALOC and Districts stores, cells and in homes of beneficiaries and some were damaged due to poor storage, he narrated.

Obadiah told the general assembly that a total of Rwf 26,711,281 was disbursed to projects that altered their activities without appropriate approval and changed the activities.

1,895 houses equivalent to 55% were for needy genocide survivors while1,152 (33%) for needy and other vulnerable people, 237 houses(7%) for historically marginalized people and 174 (5%) houses constructed for Rwandans repatriated from Tanzania.

The Audit covered Kicukiro (144houses), Gakenke (290houses), Nyamagabe (973houses), Nyamasheke (919houses) and Gatsibo (1,135houses)

The Auditor General pointed Rwf 64,363,347 transferred by FARG to Kicukiro District FARG bank was utilized for non FARG activities.

As evidence, the projected pictures highlighted the leaking houses as indicators of poor construction materials lack of required skills in construction and poor workmanship that resulted into collapse of some houses.

The findings noted in the five Districts visited during this audit are consistent with findings noted by the Senate investigation in the 12 districts and with the results of the FARG internal physical verification exercise.

The general assembly agreed to call upon the Prime Minister for further details, they also agreed to follow up people involved in such acts.

September 6, 2011
Victoire Ingabire Case Adjourned

Court was this Monday prompted to adjourn the case involving embattled Victoire Ingabire and her co accused until 7 September 2011 following a breakdown in translation.

(EDITOR:..developing story)

September 5, 2011
Miss INATEK Crowned

The 2011 beauty queen of Kibungo Institute of Agriculture, Technology and Education (INATEK) is a 22- year old Odette Uwingabire who was crowned August 3 in Eastern Province.

Odette wore print number 8 while Nadine number 1 and a student in first year came as first runner up and the second runner up was Belise Uwamahoro, a second year student.

Nadine Kabatesi was Miss Photogénique as Dr. Higiro Jean Pierre and judges told igihe.com. Among all contestants, she was better than others. Nadine is a first year student studying History and wore print number 6.

Miss UNATEK said she will try her best and support women: “In a motivation, an advocacy plan to all women especially in rural areas, INATEK and Nyamasheke as her home District”. She said she will try her best to develop them.

Bernard Banamwana, vice Rector of INATEK said that, the institute will continue supporting such events.

He said, INATEK facilitates students and the surrounding environment to endorse sports and culture. “We saw beautiful girls and how they model in front of the public, and assure you that each year INATEK will be having a beauty queen” he added.

François Niyotwagira, the Mayor of Ngoma District, urged the nominated beauty pageants to promote Rwandan culture and promised that, the District is also going to organize such events.

As event organizer Mr. Gitori pacific in charge of sports and culture hailed the university management for the support they expressed but also urged parents to sensitize their daughters not to be afraid since being an ambassador of the university is an act of a great value to society.

Odette Uwingabire was born on 17th January 1989. The event was last held in 2009 when Louis mukazana was crowned.

September 5, 2011
Cross-Border Traders Review Challenges

Cross-border traders have a big role to play in the growth of the economy, yet there’re less efforts to help them tackle enormous challenges they face while trading acrossborders with neighbouring countries.

In this regard cooperative associations are meeting in Kigali for a 3day workshop during which they will learn how to improve their performance and jointly devise means addressing some of their challenges.

Their president Migisha Nyangezi who’s also the chairman of Nyagatare district said that the talks will focus more on how to fight injustice from their neighboring traders who often hike prices to Rwandan traders.

This would be solved by strengthening the Simplified trade regime which will avoid corrupt activities towards cross-border traders.

“Our cooperative deals with grains which we buy from neighboring Ugandan traders but what’s annoying is when they hike price yet we have to cater for the transport cost and other taxes,” he argued.

Another way of fighting the injustice he said is by building capacity to cooperative members and so far COMESA has started offering lessons on management, marketing obstacles.

Leornard Kabagambe the COMESA’s coordinator of small cross-border associations in Rwanda insisted that traders are particularly taught on their rights through raising their awareness on some of the regional trade policies.

“According to EAC market protocol, regional traders selling local products shouldn’t pay tax as long as they have a certificate of origin confirming their products are not foreign”, said Kabagambe.

Indeed, understanding regional trade policies is essential but what happened to harmonization of some trade laws? Wonders Jeane Bayera, a representative of Gatuna small cross-border traders, her worry is mostly on the US$ 76 charged on every foreign car that enters the country yet in other regional countries there’re not charged the amount.

By press time the minister of trade and industry Francois Kanimba couldn’t comment on the matter saying he was busy chairing a meeting. An official in charge of trade issues at the Ministry of East Africa Community said he was not aware of the issue.

However, Augustine Mugabo, the chairman of Rubavu cross-border traders said besides the cross border taxes, there other priority challenges and insisted that financial institutions should ease lending to small traders even though they lack bigger collaterals their businesses are promising.

And since access to lending is hindrance to progress of the cooperatives, some members have started moving out of the associations.

“We started with 100 people then after sometime some left the team we’re now 80, those who left showed weaknesses in the contributions, normally the entry fee is Frw 100,000 while monthly contributions is Frw 20,000, we’re very strict on the contribution in order to raise our working capital hence we need more people,” he remarked.

He further highlighted that with enough capital, they would sell more than they buy from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Hence for a start they have plans to have a bigger warehouse which they hope would positively have an impact in their business.

“We’ve always wished to have our own warehouse to store our goods since it would help us to buy goods at lower prices and sell them when there’s demand on the market.”

September 5, 2011
Amavubi’s Fatal Loss to Cote d’voire’s Elephants

Rwanda’s National team, Amavubi was whipped five goals by the Elephants of Cote d’voire’s. The Rwandan team must atleast win their last fixture against Benin in Porto-Novo or they will finish last in Group H.

September 5, 2011
Products Manufactured for Local Sale on Rise

Products manufactured for sale on the local market increased according to recent statistics at National Institute of Research of Rwanda.

The latest publication on national statistics official website indicate that the index for products manufactured for local market stood at 168.58 June this year, which is a slight increase of 0.66% compared to the index of May 2011 (167.48).

It is also indicating that on annual basis, the index for June 2011 was 3.25% higher.

“This increase is mainly attributable to price increase in the subgroups of Food products, beverages and tobacco (+1.47 %),” the information on the website reads parts.

The increase is due to price changes of the food products of which the manufacture of bakery products, pastry, and biscuits (+10.92%), grain mill and animal feeds products (+22.86%), dairy products(+10.44%) and Processing and preserving of fruits and vegetables (+3.96%).

“This increase is mostly attributable to the overall effect of price changes in the manufacture of textiles, wearing apparel, paper and paper products, chemical products(+10.89%), fabricated metal products(+1.65%) tanning and dressing of leather (+26.48%) and publishing of books, newspapers (+1.60%),” NISR indicated on its website.

Nevertheless, manufacturing of plastic products, tubes, retreading and rebuilding of rubber tyres (-10.30%) have partially offset the positive trend of this subgroup.

The index for goods mainly produced for exports stood at 275.62 in April, 274.61 in May and 281.90 in June 2011.

Prices fetched for tea exports registered a decrease of 4.95% in April 2011 and increases of 1.32% and 3.00% in May and June 2011, respectively.

On the other hand on an annual basis, the index of export products registered an increase of 43.93% in June 2011 compared to the index of the same month of the previous year.

This is the twenty sixth publication of monthly Producer Price Index for the Manufacturing sector.

September 5, 2011
Motor-Taxi Crackdown Should be Addressed

Moto taxi operators are decrying the ongoing Traffic Police operation of impounding Motorcycles saying it’s now a routine harassment and that the issue should be quickly addressed.

Among the complainants, one Nsengiyumva operating in Kimironko told igihe.com that: “Recently a police lorry came to the place where we park our motorcycles during lunch time and loaded all bikes that were parked there without any explainations.

“Corps nowadays don’t ask for anything like requirements but just take the motorbikes.They should tell us if they don’t want us to operate in town then we go to village and work from there,” He lamented.

“These days we operate via shortcuts because whether we have requirements or not when police finds you then know that your Motorbike shall be taken,” Said Jean Claude Habimana an operater at Nyarutarama.

Daniel Ngarambe, the president of Taxi-Moto Operators Association (ATAMIMORWA) in the zone of Remera said that the main point of confiscating them has resulted from the reallocations of parking yards.

“There is communication breakdown on the new parking yard allocations and most of motor taxi men are not aware,” said Ngarambe.

He however explained that Starting from today evening the association will move to the field as leaders and help motor taxi operators on the new parking yard allocations.

According to Chief Supt Célestin Twahirwa, the head Traffic Police, the operation is to reduce road accidents that have been a result of Motor taxis and that most of them do not have all the requirements.

He added that others being confiscated are those that are not under the umbrella of Taxi-Motor taxi associations.

September 5, 2011
‘Through Music, Culture Cannot Die’–Mummy

She has been seen singing in different groups with a very soothing and soft voice.She is a towering mother commonly refered to as ‘Mummy’ for her social character and love for children.

Her real name is Maria Mukankuranga, she survived the 1994 Tutsi genocide that claimed a million lives.

Mukankuranga’s music message targets the young generation promoting; culture, unity, peace, and reconciliation using her singing talent.

Our reporter Dianah Mutimura visited her office at Kimisagara under the organization, ‘Maison de Jeunes’ where she works as an accountant and Mukankuranga shared about her life.

Her office is decorated with photos of artists that specialise in Rwanda traditional songs such as Ceccile Kayirebwa, Masamba and others. At Maison de Jeunes, Mukankuranga teaches Rwandan youth how to create their own jobs and to respect their culture.

Mukankuranga says she was born in 1943 in former Kibungo currently part of Eastern province. She was born to Gacinya Faustin and Mukamujyenzi Asteria, both of whom passed away. She is a mother of three also all of whom died like their father and grandparents.

She says that even if God took away all her children, God blessed her with the love for children and the needy people. She says that she adopted four children all orphans and raised them from an early age and they are now in the United States of America where they are persuing University degrees in different fields. Mukankuranga later adopted more three children.

Asked about when she started her singing career, Mukankuranga said she choose to sing traditional songs which she started singing at a very early age inspired by her mother to love singing to avoid becoming shy among her friends and that people regularly told her she has an amazing voice.

“This made me proud and I would sing at different gatherings during the youth stages in what we used to call ‘igitaramo,” She narrates with a jovial smile.

Mukankuranga explains that she liked singing traditional music because Rwandan traditional songs have a melody that brings out a beautiful sound of the song and this makes it different from other cultures around the world.

By adhering to traditional songs, Mukankuranga says she seeks to keep Rwandan culture alive and give chance to future generations to learn about their heritage because parents of today do not have enough time to interuct with their children while others have lost their parents, relatives and society elders that would teach about the importance of culture.

Mummy believes that through music, culture cannot perish because music does not die.

Mummy says that her hobbies are to see traditional music concerts live, to pray to the almighty lord for her relatives and friends and the nation.

Asked about what inspires her in traditional music and who still keeps her breath in music up to now she says, ”My uncle Karinganire Vienne, my niece Uwera Florida with whom I composed the song called ‘Itsinzi after RPF had gained victory.

“Those people give me strength to continue singing and writing many songs to different dancing troops of which I am even a member, like indahemuka and Ballet National”.

Asked why she chose to help the young children and train them instead of the popular dancing troops, “I train young children starting from primary school until secondary school ensuring that they grow with knowledge about their culture and learn to love it when they are still young.”

“ I call them ‘Utunyange’, it is a God sent sign from heaven and declared Jesus as his own beloved son and I too consider young children as angles sent from God. When they are dancing and singing with me I feel over joyed and releived at heart.”

However, Mukankuranga believes that cultural music is threatened by emerging modern music. According to her, modern music is trying to dominate cultural music and its not the right thing to happen.

She thinks that if these young artists would mix cultural songs with modern songs both could produce agreat melody, but if they continue to sing the way they do, there is a possibility that Rwandan culture could perish and the future generations emerge without knowledge of the past.

“Music is doing a bit well to the young talented musicians for examples Miss Jojo, Kitoko, Man Martin and others but the problem is the young generation are forgetting what history is all about and the elders also seem to be less willing to teach the youth.

“They should try to sing more similar to their traditional songs so that it can help keeping the record of Rwandan culture,” She urges.

Mukankuranga calls upon the Government, parents and people in the society to support her in teaching the future generation about their culture.

Children should be brought up understanding the history of where they are from and how important it is to know their culture.

As told to Dianah Mutimura.

September 5, 2011
Rwanda’s Inflation Rising

Like other countries in East African region, Rwanda is suffering from a sharp rise in inflation this year, accompanied by a weakening of its currency against the dollar.

Rwanda’s inflation increased to 7.07% as of July up from 5.49% in the previous month, according to National institute of Statistics of Rwanda.

However, Rwanda’s Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, John Rwangombwa (pictured above), told Igihe.com that government wished to contain inflation to single digits and boost economic growth to at least 7% in the 2011/12 financial year.

The latest publication on its official website shows that all Rwanda’s general Consumer’s Price Index(CPI) is established at 108.0 which stands for an increase of 0.28% over the previous month which was 107.7 of consumer’s prices indices.

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is a measure of the average change over time of goods and services purchased by households.

As of July this year the all urban general index has been established at 110.8 showing an increase of 0.40% over 110.4 of the previous month.

The urban annual change increased by 7.14% compared to 5.82% in the previous month that gives a general inflation rate by an annual average of 2.8% during the month of July this year.

“The underlying inflation rate excluding fresh food and energy is increased by 0.46% if compared to the previous month and increased by 7.04% on annual change. The annual average underlying inflation rate is + 2.4 % in July 2011 up from the previous month 1.9 percent,” The report reads in parts.

In rural areas it has been established at 106.5 standing for an increase of 0.26% over the previous month which was 106.3 and its annual change increased by 7.03% compared to 4.80% in the previous month.

It is indicated that the increase in the consumer prices index of 0.40% is attributed to primarily the increase in Food and non-alcoholic beverages (1.14%).

Additionally it has been noted that the increase of 1.14% in prices of Food and non alcoholic beverages is primarily attributable to the increase of 1.87% of vegetables, 2.55% of Non-alcoholic beverages and 0.45% of meat.

This brings an annual change of increase in the general index of 7.14% mainly due to the rising prices of Food and non alcoholic beverages(10.55%), Transport (11.85%) and Education (20.85%) which contributed +3.70%, +1.54% and +0.71%. respectively.

The local goods increased by 6.62% on annual change with a monthly change of 0.47%, while prices of the imported products increased by 9.20% on annual change with a monthly change of 0.12 percent.

The prices of the fresh products had a positive annual change of 8.25% between July 2010 and 2011.

The CPI uses a Modified Laspeyres formula to calculate the index. The reference population for the CPI consists of all households, urban and rural, living in Rwanda.

The household basket includes 1,136 products observed in many places spread all over the administrative centers of all provinces in Rwanda.

All kinds of places of observation are selected: shops, markets, services etc and more than 29,200 prices are collected every month by enumerators of the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda and of the National Bank of Rwanda.

The index reference, or base, for the CPI is February 2009. The weights used for the index are the result of the Household Living Conditions Survey (EICV II) conducted in 2005-2006 with a sample of 6,900 households.

Meanwhile, the Uganda Bureau of Statistics(UBOS) indicated that Uganda’s year on year inflation jumped to 21.4 percent in August, the highest since February 1993 mainly due to a rise in food prices.

Uganda’s inflation rate climbed from 18.8% in July, as the impact of a severely weak shilling currency added to inflationary pressures through imports. Uganda is a major trading partner with Rwanda.

“During the month, food prices rose by 2.4% due to increases in prices of sugar, meat, chicken, fish, eggs, bread and pineaples. The increase in prices of these food items is mainly attributed to low supplies to the markets,” UBOS said.

The inflation rate in Kenya was last reported at 15.5% in July of 2011.
Tanzania’s inflation rate was last reported at 13% in July of 2011.

Burundi’s year-on-year inflation rose to 9.1% in July from 8.6% in June, partly due to high transport costs, the country’s statistics board.

“The transport index increased by 25.3% over the last twelve months to July, up from 19.9% in June,” said Elie Ndiririkirirenza, an official at the Institute of Economic Studies and Statistics (ISTEEBU).

In mainstream economics, “inflation” refers to a general rise in prices measured against a standard level of purchasing power.

Previously the term was used to refer to an increase in the money supply, which is now referred to as expansionary monetary policy or monetary inflation.

Inflation is measured by comparing two sets of goods at two points in time, and computing the increase in cost not reflected by an increase in quality. There are, therefore, many measures of inflation depending on the specific circumstances.

September 3, 2011
RwandAir Boeing 737-800 to ‘Fly’ Nation’s Economy

Boeing 737 means a common airliner found around the world. For many airlines, it is a reliable revenue-making machine.

However, for others it is more than just the sum of its parts. For RwandAir and the country, it represents progress and national pride that no one can put a price tag to.

An airlines reporter, David Parker Brown has described the importance of the new national Boeing 737-800 with Sky Interior as the tool to drive the country’s economic growth due to the fact that Rwanda is landlocked.

Brown says,“Rwanda is a country with a troubled past, but they have come so far in a very short period. It is a landlocked country, looking to grow. To successfully do so, they need a viable air transportation infrastructure,” Brown underscores.

CEO of RwandAir, John Mirenge also stated during the dinner at the launch that he knows what aviation can do to change lives and nations, and hopes to continue to build RwandAir with additional aircrafts including the Boeing 787 Dream liner.

He vowed to go back to Seattle for more aircrafts,“We will be regular visitors in this town. It is a dream come true.”

RwandAir was established on 1 December 2002 as a joint venture between the government of Rwanda (77%) and Silverback Cargo Freighters (23%), under the name RwandAir Express and started operations on 27 April 2003.

It was rebranded from RwandAir Express in June 2009 and the new RwandAir added the tag line: “fly our dreams to the heart of Africa.”

The Airline hopes to reach 12 aircraft in the next five years and to 18 aircraft by 2020.

RwandAir is compliant with International regulations. It is a registered IATA member, and has passed the IATA Operational Quality Standards (OQS) audit.

It has interline agreements with various international carriers, who can issue RwandAir flights on their tickets.

September 3, 2011