Igihe

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  • Jimmy Henchman associate admits his role in robbery/shooting of Tupac

    A man has admitted to being involved in the attack on rap star Tupac Shakur in 1994, inside Manhattan’s Quad Studios in November of 1994, after allegedly being paid $2,500 dollars by James “Jimmy Henchman” Rosemond.

    Dexter Isaac, a former friend of Rosemond, is an inmate currently serving life in prison for murder, robbery and other offenses. Isaac came forward Wednesday (June 15th) with the information on the eve of what would be Tupac’s 40th birthday.

    He confessed to his involvement in the November 30th, 1994 robbery of Tupac Shakur after Jimmy Henchman identified him in a statement, relating to Henchman’s indictment for dealing numerous kilos of cocaine.

    “I want to apologize to his family [Tupac Shakur] and for the mistake I did for that sucker [Jimmy Henchman],” Dexter Isaac from prison. “I am trying to clean it up to give [Tupac and Biggie’s] mothers some closure.”

    Henchman, who’s is currently on the run from federal officials, claimed that Dexter Isaac, along with other incarcerated inmates were cooperating with the government in an investigation of his alleged drug dealing activities.

    “If the government is relying on informants like Winston “Winnie” Harris, a convicted drug dealer and Jamaican deportee, who came to me and motioned via hand signal that he was forced to wear a wire and begged me to skip town or Dexter Isaac who is serving life in prison plus 30 years, then I’m sure I will not be offered a fair trial,” Henchman remarked.

    Dexter Isaac highlighted that he decided to confess to the robbery to prove Jimmy Henchman’s involvement, in addition to clearing his conscience for his role in the robbery.

    Isaac said he was comfortable going on record relating to the robbery and shooting which resulted in Pac being reportedly shot, five times.

    Since the statute of limitations had expired, legally, no one can be prosecuted for the assault at this time.
    Isaac was a lifelong friend of Jimmy Hechmen, who helped the former mogul set up his first company, Henchman Entertainment, in 1989.

    Isaac claims he never cooperated with the government in any investigation, and Jimmy Henchman’s allegations infuriated him.

    Isaac, who is also from Brooklyn, has long been suspected of being involved in the Quad shooting of Tupac Shakur, along with an associate name Spencer “Scooter” Bowens, who is also serving a life sentence and another man named George Roland Campbell.

    According to the confession Dexter Isaac not only knows what happened to Tupac Shakur’s jewelry, but he claims he is also in possession of the Hip-Hop star’s chain that was taken during the altercation on that infamous night on November 7, 1994.

    The shooting on November 30th, was the start of a deadly feud that resulted in the murders of both Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G.
    Their murders have never been solved.

    Isaac was indicted by the government in 1998 and was subsequently sentenced to life in prison for murder, robbery, fraud and witness intimidation charges.

  • RSE market highlights as of 16 June 2011

    Today, the RSE traded higher in volume than yesterday but went slightly down in price. BRALIRWA shares traded at Rwf 230 and Rwf 220 and closed at Rwf 220; a decrease of 2% from yesterday’s closing price of Rwf 225.

    A total turnover Rwf 2,333,000 was recorded from 10,600 BRALIRWA shares transacted in 5 deals.BRALIRWA shares are trading ex-dividend since Monday 14 June, 2011.

    The KCB and NMG counters did not record any transaction today and their share prices remained unchanged from yesterday’s closing prices of Rwf 175 and Rwf 1200 respectively.

    At the end business, there were outstanding bids of 5,000 BRALIRWA shares and 10,000 BRALIRWA shares at Rwf 216 and Rwf 215 respectively. There were also outstanding offers of 6,900 BRALIRWA shares at Rwf 225 and 47,300
    BRALIRWA shares at Rwf 226 each. On the other hand, there were outstanding offers of 2,100 KCB shares at Rwf 180 each.

  • ICTR complains Zimbabwe uncooperative on fugitive

    The prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in Arusha (ICTR() Hassan Jallow says the former Rwandan presidential guard commander Protais Mpiranya is hiding somewhere in Zimbabwe but Harare has not cooperated in his extradition

    Jallow explains the former Rwandan presidential guard commander Protais Mpiranya is hiding somewhere in the southern African country but the Harare government has not taken action on Rwanda’s request for his extradition.

    Mpiranya is wanted for genocide and crimes against humanity by the UNs war crimes tribunal for Rwanda.

    Despite a $US5m ($5.2m) bounty, Mpiranya has evaded justice for 14 years. But his presence has been detected, sometimes in Zimbabwe and sometimes in the Congo, a UN source said.

    Yet the Zimbabwean government and police have denied Mpiranya is in Zimbabwe. But sources say he enjoys ties with the military and may be enjoying their protection.

    He is suspected of enjoying business links with former army officers close to the country’s president, Robert Mugabe.

    Mpiranya fled to neighbouring Congo. When conflict erupted there in 1998, sucking in six African countries including Zimbabwe, he allied his forces with the 11,000 Zimbabwean troops that Mugabe had sent in.

    UN sources said Mpiranya established personal business links with several Zimbabwean officers, some of whom set up their own companies to plunder Congos wealth. It is these links that enable him to feel secure in Zimbabwe.

    After hunting down, sexually assaulting and murdering Agathe Uwilingiyimana, the prime minister, on April 7, 1994, troops under his command hacked to death the 10 Belgian UN paratroops who had been ordered to protect her.
    Their slaughter panicked the Belgian government into withdrawing its troops, in effect rendering the UN force powerless.

  • A brief picture of heroism in Rwanda since its origin!!!!

    The mythology in Rwanda acknowledges the courage and heroism that had been a paramount character trait among Rwandese mainly in the pre-colonial era. Different kings in their respective reigns have always projected to extend Rwanda to far reaching edges, would it be that sometime borders had to be drawn and put an end to ancestral warfare; some people believe, Rwanda would today be an enormous nation in Africa.

    The determination of people towards self sacrifices makes Rwandese an exception type of people in the whole region. Rutayisire Paul, et.al (2010) argues that the king Ruganzu Bwimba and his sister Robwa have shown an outstanding heroic love to Rwanda until they died for it. This is well reflected during the first battle between Rwanda and Gisaka which later was overtaken by Rwandese.

    Among other kings who followed the paths of Rugwe and his sister extended the country further; they preserved highly the integrity and identity of Rwanda amid the neighboring countries. Rutayisire continues and argued that it was a respected country amongst others.

    Heroism in Rwanda became a way of life to some extent because people were driven by nothing but a conquest spirit to further extend the country, and they were too much exposed to various war and conflicts incidents. Rutayisirte went ahead and singled different kings who expanded widely the country, among them comes Ruganzu Ndoli, being taken as a demigod and an outstanding warrior Rwanda has ever known.

    Ndori revived Rwanda, a country which was in the hand of Abanyabungo, and a lot of things were named after him. He blended the new kingdom’s emblem Karinga, after Abashi took over Rwoga the first emblem. Ruganzu fought and defeated Bunyabungo and Bugara communities as a revenge for his country, he got Bunyambiriri, Bwanamukari, and Bugoyi, Byahi, Bwishya and Bufumbira in volcano region.

    He also named successors who took over Ruganzu with the same heroic spirit of expanding Rwanda to the far reaching ends, those include, three Kigelis, Nyamuheshera, Ndabarasa and Rwabugiri. All of them were in the category of Abami b’intambara, literally to mean kings of wars who during their reins Rwanda as a country had to focus much more on militarism. Reserve forces were created to normally maintain and safe guard borders of the country and its sovereignty.

    The country’s organization was based on different mainstreams where the monarchy was God respect based and patriotic. According to Rutayisire the country was formally structured having the king, the queen’s mother, elders and fighters as the top decision makers. The king was mandated to distribute the power and was the only custodian of the monarchy emblem Karinga. He represented God and was a demigod.

    Heroism in Rwanda cannot be narrowed down to reflect the pre-colonial era alone, it was a culture and a legacy from the ancestors that continued to flourish during the colonization and after independence. Two categories of heroes mainly Imanzi and Imena have now been given a memorial day in the whole country. The acknowledgement of seven people to include those in the colonial era, 1994 genocide and liberation war, today are still honored for their heroic performances in preserving, fighting and dying for the country’s well being.

    In Imanzi category, we have the late major general Fred Gisa Rwigema, who died in the 1990 liberation war that saved the lives of different Rwandese people. In the same category we also have the common Unknown Soldier who also died during the same war. The Unknown Soldier is a representation of every soldier who died fighting for the country to be liberated from the hands of genocide perpetrators in 1994 genocide.

    Under the Imena category we have, the king Mutara Rudahigwa, the son of Yuhi Musinga who died mysteriously after he was taken by Belgian European. He was said to be a strong pacific patriot, who despite his cooperation with the Belgian protectorate, wanted to see his country and people free from the hands of white people.

    There is also Michelle Rwagasana who was his close aid and might have died in the same circumstances. Lastly, the country also honors and remembers the three late genocide heroes who died trying to protect others for being killed. Those include Agatha Uwiringiyimana, who was the Prime Minister in 1994, Felcite Niyitegeka a then parish administrator and Nyange students; they all died because of what their ethnic identities and what they believed was moral and genuine for Rwandese citizen.

  • S.A activist to overturn asylum status for Rwandan fugitives

    LITIGATION by a consortium of human rights groups to overturn the asylum status of an alleged fugitive from justice, Rwandan Lt- Gen Kayumba Nyamwasa, was yesterday described as “absurd” by a close ally.

    Johannesburg-based Southern African Litigation Centre and the Consortium of Refugees and Migrants Rights SA last week filed papers in the high court to overturn a decision by the Department of Home Affairs granting refugee status to Lt-Gen Nyamwasa.

    In January Lt-Gen Nyamwasa was sentenced to life imprisonment by Rwanda’s military court on charges of terrorism.

    Last year he was granted asylum in SA despite claims that he was a war criminal. The decision outraged human rights groups, which argued he played an active role in events that led to the genocide in Rwanda 17 years ago.

    Lt-Gen Nyamwasa’s close ally and Rwanda’s former chief of external security, who also lives in SA, yesterday defended his refugee status.

    Col Karegeya is also wanted in Rwanda for allegedly committing various crimes including corruption and money laundering.

    The Presidency and the departments of home affairs, justice and international relations were cited as respondents to the court application.

    “We had hoped the South African authorities would act … without involving the courts but they have so far failed to accede to our demand,” Alan Wallis, a lawyer at the Southern Africa Litigation Centre remarked.

  • Forest conservation favors gorilla welfare

    Only two days remaining for the long awaited gorilla naming ceremony (Kwitza Izina) at Kinigi’s Musanze district, campaign to sensitize the public on forest conservation goes on, the aim is to curb deforestation which also affects wildlife.

    In this respect, the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) organized a conference on forest conservation involving stakeholders with an aim to find solutions that address the threats and reduction of forests. Moreover it was realized that communities neighboring the national parks have a big role to play in terms of conservation.

    Talking on the same, Rica Rwigamba the RDB head of tourism and conservation noted that, “this year we seek to accrue the merits of conservation to the communities around of our national parks.”

    Indeed the conference is inline with this year’s international focus towards forest conservation which aims to enhance sustainable management and conservation of all types of forests.

    So far Rwanda has set a good example by developing several measures that hinder those destroying forests and its inhabitants. Poachers for instance have been transformed and they now have income generating activities while some have even been trained as rangers and guides in the park. What is more fencing of all national parks is underway.

    It is due this efforts that led to the increase of gorillas from 380 to 480 in the past seven years. The increase is attributed to better forest environment.

    In addition, Akagera national park for example has been training its rangers on law enforcement, security , anti poaching and wildlife management. This knowhow contributes to forest conservation.

    In regard to curb poaching, participants called for joint effort especially in the region. Currently Rwanda is jointly working with its two neighbors Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda to particularly protect gorillas.

    Each gorilla naming ceremony has always had a theme that focuses on the promotion of conservation and of course this years Kwita Izina ceremony has not been left out and it goes by the theme community development for sustained conservation

  • Communication facilitates team work especially in hotel business

    Ones commitment to their work doesn’t really provide better customer care but rather team work has proved to be the most essential due to joint effort, three women who are currently pursuing their diploma in leadership skills and hotel management at Akilah Institute for Women are quick to explain how perfect communication facilitates unity.

    Anita Umutoni who now has a permanent job as a receptionist at the Manor hotel, explains that her occupation involves a lot of communication to ensure that clients get answers to their questions and demands.

    The Manor’s receptionist noted that many are times she receives calls from clients who need various services in the hotel which means she has to collaborate well with the hotel’s departments to know for instance available meals or events.

    Her friend Noella Abijuru who once worked as a waitress in the same hotel, noted that her post helped her realize that a meal or a drink would never reach the customer in time if there was lack of joint effort. “I mean those who serve the client should communicate well to the bar man or chef on what is needed if not so the client will either complain or leave, which is a shame and loss to the hotel,” the former waitress warns.

    “Indeed we learn communication as a special lesson at the institution,” responds Florence Mukundwa who works as a chef at an Indian restaurant situated in the same hotel, her argument is that some servers give wrong orders to her especially meals which are not on the menu but lucky enough she can distinguish some of the special orders since she’s used to international cuisine.

    She further added that even accountants should be aware of what’s going on in the hotel.”I remember there was a time we ran out of chicken and the accountant didn’t have money to buy more, so what happened a colleague sacrificed her money to buy what was required in order to keep the clients around, you see this was so unprofessional because the chefs didn’t communicate earlier that they’d ran out of chicken meat in their stock,” Mukundwa.

    Professionalism is also important especially for waiters and waitress. Health and nutrition for instance is a very important knowledge for servers since it helps them communicate to the chef on the kind of food their clients want since there people who are allergic to some food spice like vinegar or cheese. “Of course a chef who has a detailed demand would prepare a meal which is friendly to their client’s health,” the chef remarked.

  • RSE market highlights as of 14 June

    The Rwanda Stock Exchange was very active and the BRALIRWA shares are now trading ex-dividend. A total turnover Rwf 295,783,000 was recorded from 1,260,100 BRALIRWA shares traded between Rwf 220 and Rwf 235 in 15 deals.

    BRALIRWA share price closed the day unchanged from yesterday’s closing price of Rwf 235.

    The KCB and NMG counters did not record any transaction today and their share prices remained unchanged from yesterday’s closing prices of Rwf 175 and Rwf 1200 respectively.

    At the end of business, there was an outstanding bid of 100,000 BRALIRWA shares at Rwf 220 each and an outstanding offer of 7,300 BRALIRWA shares at Rwf 260 each. There was also an outstanding offer of 100 KCB shares at Rwf 180 each.

  • Microfinance institutions cautioned on issuing alike financial products

    The Association of Microfinance Institutions in Rwanda (AMIR), an 84-member organization that was established in 2007 to build the capacity of the microfinance industry in Rwanda, has cautioned microfinance institutions (MFIs) in Rwanda regarding the risks of offering the same financial products to all clients.

    AMIR Executive Secretary Rita Ngarambe noted that.“MFIs must know that products that work here in town cannot work well in rural areas, they need to craft new products that will help these poor people access financial services….Because of this problem of MFIs using the same products, it is affecting them greatly especially with increasing Non Performing Loans, poor governance and operational risks”

    Despite the challenges, the Rwanda cooperative alliance is optimistic that the tremendous performance of Umurenge SACCOs need stable MFIs that are able to serve the demand already created by the SACCOs.

    “We have achieved a lot in cooperatives and what we need now is strong financial institutions that are able to provide banking services,” Audace Bimenyimana, of Rwanda Cooperative Agency said.

    Reacting on the matter, Ngarambe assured that AMIR has embarked on training MFIs on financial reporting, accountability and customer service in an effort to assist them in tackling the challenges they are facing, especially those in rural markets.

  • Kenya disagrees with EAC axle road limits

    Kenya has broken ranks with its East Africa Community counterparts over plans to adopt harmonised gross vehicle weight limits by August.
    Officials at the EAC Secretariat said Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania and Burundi have agreed on 56 tonnes axle load (weight per tyre).

    In October 2008, President Mwai Kibaki issued a directive reducing the number of axles allowed on Kenyan roads from four to three, lowering the limit of the gross weight of a truck to 48 tonnes. Now Kenya says it can only go up to 52.

    Burundi and Rwanda both have an axle load limits of 53 tonnes while Uganda and Tanzania have theirs at 56 tonnes. The variance could frustrate efforts towards integration.

    Article 90 of the EAC Treaty provides for the adoption of common axle-load to facilitate transit transport in the region, which is a key pillar of integration.

    Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi have harmonised their axle-load limits in line with those of Comesa, while Tanzania has harmonised its axle-load limits in line with the Southern Africa Development Community countries.

    According to PADECO, an international development consulting company that recently conducted a study on transport infrastructure in the region, the EAC will save about $7 million per year if axle load is controlled. Also, that transit time for vehicles carrying goods from one partner state to the other will reduce by an hour.

    EAC’s director of productive Services and Infrastructure Alfred Kisoro, said consultations on the implementation of a harmonised weight and axle limit are in top gear. “The lack of a harmonised axle load is among major factors impeding efficient transport in the region as vehicles on transit are delayed for several hours at weighbridges,” said Mr Kisoro.

    In most East and Southern Africa countries, enforcement is hampered by the lack of harmonised rules on axle load limits and vehicle specifications. Also to blame for poor enforcement of the rules and regulations is the fact that most implementing authorities are ill-equipped for their work. On the other hand, corruption among public officials manning weighbridges has led to a lack of faith in the systems used in different countries.

    Reports indicate that cross-border transport is three to five times more expensive in Africa than it is in Asia and Latin America. For example, truck transport from Mombasa to Kampala over a distance of about 1,100 km takes five days, of which 19 hours are spent crossing borders and at weighbridges.

    EAC Secretary General Richard Sezibera described the efforts to harmonise vehicle weight limits as critical if EAC partner states are to improve transport infrastructure in the region. This, he said would spur efficiency and lower the cost of doing business.

    “If we can ensure efficiency in the transport sector, we shall be able to reduce the cost of doing business by over 50 per cent which will boost the competitiveness of the East African Common Market,” said Dr Sezibera.