Igihe

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  • Rwanda Rejects M23 Rebels, takes Custody of 7 FDLR

    Rwanda has taken custody of seven rebels of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) based in eastern DR Congo.

    The seven rebels were part of 29 ex-combatants transported saturday to Rwanda aboard a truck from the camp DDRRR (Disarmament, Demobilization, Repatriation, Reinsertion and Reintegration) of the UN Mission for Stabilization in Democratic Republic Congo (Monusco) to the border with Rwanda.

    However, Rwanda rejected to take custody of the others whom Monusco said were former members of the M23 rebel group who surrendered to UN in DRC claiming they were Rwandan Nationals.

    Rwanda authorities told Monusco that those who fought in the M23 be handed to the DR-Congo government, because “this movement does not exist in Rwanda.”

    The twenty-two Rwandan combatants of M23 spent almost 45 minutes in the no man’s land (neutral zone) between the DRC and Rwanda, before being taken back to DRC.

    DRC has consistently accused Rwanda of having a hand in the ongoing crisis in Eastern DRC, where the M23 rebels have staged a fight against government forces. M23 rebels have made significant battle successes in the past weeks where they seized Bunagana a major boarder city and threatening to go and capture Kinshasa.

    In an interview with the BBC,President Paul Kagame said, “We (Rwanda) do not support the M23 and we do not intend, because we do not know what they want. It makes no sense to be involved, because our relationship with the DRC was very good. Before all this happened, we worked together to eliminate the problem that existed between the two countries. ”

    He said the problem of the M23 is “an internal problem of the Congo, and a failure of the authorities to solve their own problems.”

  • UK Wants Rwanda-DRC to Resolve Kivu Crisis

    The British Secretary of State for Cooperation, Andrew Mitchell, said Friday, July 13th in Goma that Britain is concerned about the security situation in the province of North Kivu, where there is the rebellion of M23.

    After meeting with Rwandan authorities in Kigali, Andrew Mitchell arrived in Goma to inquire about the situation and assess humanitarian operations financed by the countries in North Kivu.

    “As part of our good relations with Rwanda and the DRC, Britain wants to work together with the UN to help solve the problem,” he said.

    According to Andrew Mitchell, Britain has a very important cooperation program in the DRC, especially in humanitarian support, but also in Rwanda, with which his country also maintains friendly relations.

    To the Secretary of State for Cooperation British, his second visit in three months in North Kivu is a “very strong signal that shows the importance his country attaches to its relations with the DRC, and the situation current “.

    The DRC accused Rwanda of supporting the rebellion of M23.

    FARDC and Monusco bombed Thursday, July 12 positions of the rebels to stop their advance towards Goma, capital of the province of North Kivu.

  • 24% Rwandans Use Mobile Money Transfer

    Rwandans and people of Mali are the least likely to make mobile money transactions compared to other money transfer modes in sub-Saharan Africa. This was revealed in a survey by a US-based research group Gallup Inc.

    The report titled “Payments and Money Transfer Behavior of Sub-Saharan Africans” released in June indicates that 24% of Rwandans that transferred money in 2011 used mobile money services.

    Accodring to the report, Kenyans and South Africans were the most likely to having made any transactions in the 30 days prior to the survey (76% and 69%, respectively), while residents in Rwanda and Mali were the least likely to do so (24% and 27%, respectively).

    Uganda(53%) is second to Kenya(76%) in the number of people that use mobile money transactions. Statistics also show that only 44% of Tanzanians embraced mobile money transfer. The survey was conducted in 11 countries.

    South Africans and Kenyans were also the most likely to only have used non-cash (electronic) channels (18% and 15%, respectively). In all other countries, fewer than 1 in 10 respondents used only electronic payment channels.

    In Mali, Rwanda, and Sierra Leone just a handful of respondents reported this (1%-2%).

    However, even in South Africa and Kenya, the two countries with the most advanced payment markets, respondents were more likely to report that they only used informal cash payments than to have used only electronic payment methods; 31% of South Africans and 22% of Kenyans used only informal cash payments in the past 30 days.

    These shares translate into 10.9 million and 5.2 million potential consumers, respectively.

    The fact that cash transactions are still prevalent even in Kenya, where mobile money penetration is nearly complete, is likely due to some people carrying money or sending it with traveling relatives to save on the money transfer fees rather than to lack of coverage within the country.

    Residents of Sierra Leone were clearly the most likely in the region to exclusively make cash transactions (47%).

    The study finds huge differences in payment behavior between educational groups- More than 8 in 10 (83%) of respondents with high levels of education had made any transactions in the 30 days prior to the survey, compared to 6 in 10 (59%) of respondents with average levels of education and 4 in 10 (41%) of respondents with low levels of education.

    The highly educated were almost 6 times as likely as those with the lowest levels of education to have made only non-cash transactions (23% vs. 4%, respectively).

    Youngest respondents (15-18 years) were less likely than older respondents to have made any transactions (36% vs. 50%-54% of other age groups).

    The youngest were also less likely to have used only electronic channels (3% vs. 7%-9% of other age groups). The survey did not find significant differences in payment behavior of men and women.

    Focusing on differences between various levels of urbanization, large city dwellers and those living in suburbs of large cities more often reported to have made a transaction than residents of rural areas or small towns.

    More affluent respondents and city dwellers were also more likely than the poor and rural residents to have only made electronic transactions.

    That said, high shares of large city dwellers, those living on more than $2 a day and the richest 20% and of the population made only informal cash payments (34%, 28% and 27%, respectively) implying a large underserved market among all groups.

  • Why Rwanda Leads East Africa in Healthcare

    Rwanda leads in the East African Community (EAC) in one important aspect – government expenditure on healthcare per capita, that is, the average amount of money in US dollars that a government spends per person per year based on official exchange rate.

    Rwandan government spent $48 on each individual’s healthcare in 2009 according to the most recent report.

    The Rwandan amount is almost twice as much as Tanzania’s $25 in fourth place, but what is so surprising is that Rwanda has increased spending fivefold since 2000 while Tanzania has increased only two and half times from $10.07.

    This news may not be a surprise but is still important considering the fact that Kenya and Tanzania have recently been hit by medical personnel strikes.

    In December 2011 Kenyan doctors went on strike and within a month their counterparts in Tanzania did the same, in both cases the issues being pay and working conditions.

    In March 2012 Kenyan nurses went on strike before Tanzanian doctors resumed their strike in June which is still troubling the nation.

    According to the report published by the Society for International Development (SID), Uganda had the second highest per capita healthcare expenditure with $43 followed by Kenya with $33 and as usual Burundi was the last with $20.

    There is a lot of financial data on healthcare expenditure, but this one piece regarding per capita expenditure paints a very lucid picture on how strategic each country is.

    Since Tanzania is going through a crisis, let me zero in on it based on World Health Organisation (WHO) data covering the period between 1995 and 2009.

    Starting with total healthcare expenditure as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), Tanzania spent 3.77% in 1995 and this figure never went up significantly until 2006 when it spent 6.53%.

    By 2009 the figure had dropped to 5.12%. Notably, the United Nations wants Tanzania to reach 15%.

    From another observation, in 1995 the government spent 40.10% of the country’s total healthcare expenditure with the remainder coming from non-government sources, but come 2005 the government raised it to 48.51%. As a result of massive donor support by 2009 the government was spending 73.59%.

    In absolute amount of money presented in US dollars, based on official exchange rate, in 1995 the country spent a total of $114 million with the government spending $46 million of that, about 40% as mentioned above.

    As of 2009 the country spent $1,462 million of which the government share was $1,076 million, with the Ministry of Health spending $596 million.

    Looking at donor support one may be surprised at the figures. Back in 1995 external resources on health as a percentage of total health expenditure was only 9.29 per cent, but that figure reached 36.48 in 2005, then jumped to 59.21% and 56.47% in 2008 and 2009 respectively.

    Imagine if donors say enough is enough, you have adequate natural resources, please take care of yourself!

    Another dimension is general government expenditure on healthcare as a percentage of general government expenditure which gauges the attention of government on healthcare.

    In 1995 the figure was 9.13 %, increasing to 14.40% in 2006 before reaching 18.08% in 2009, twice as much as it was in 1995. Not bad, but still more is needed.

    When he addressed the nation on June 30 in his monthly speech, President Jakaya Kikwete hinted that his government has increased the healthcare budget from Sh300 billion in 2005/06 to Sh1.2 trillion in 2011/12, making it the third largest area after infrastructure and education.

    Note that, average annual inflation rate was below 5% in 2005/06 but has mostly been above 10% since October 2008, and is currently close to 19%.

    While in local currency this appears to be a fourfold increase, in foreign currency that isn’t the case.

    WHO data shows that in 2005 it was $301 million, and based on the current average exchange rate, the 2011/12 amount is about $750 million approximately two and half-times. Again, impressive but not enough!

    Frankly, based on our pathetic situation, population explosion, and other known challenges, we need to do far better than this.

    So, where is the magic wand? We need to increase our GDP and the nation’s total expenditure on healthcare as well as the government’s spending; assuming embezzlement and corruption will not interfere.

    Finally, it is time we escaped from donor-dependency syndrome if we truly want to be in charge of our own destiny.

    This is not to mention a host of measures such as effectiveness and efficiency, training, equipment, facilities, various public health programmes and taking care of our medical personnel.

    I don’t think being overtaken by almost all EAC members is a good sign at all.

    Matinyi is a consultant based in Washington, DC.

  • ‘Iam With Tigo’ Campaign Launched

    Tigo-Rwanda has unveiled its new ‘I am with Tigo’ campaign, a celebration of having the freedom to connect with the people who matter the most to Rwandans.

    The Campaign “I am with Tigo” is inspired by actual testimonies gathered from asking Tigo customers why they prefer the Tigo brand.

    Chantal Umutoni, Tigo Rwanda Head of sales and Customer care said at the launch of the campaign, “it is a reflection on how they feel about the service we provide and the recognition of understanding their needs. We aim at keeping Rwandans connected and on trend with the latest telecommunications technology available”.

    It is a reflection of how customers feel about the brand and is a recognition of what Tigo has done to keep them connected with the people they care about the most.

    This concept is based on real testimonies and insights gathered from Tigo customers, essentially Rwandan youth.

    “As part of our activations, a number of activities will follow to ensure that everyone gets to tell their story on why they are with Tigo”, Umutoni added.

    Since entering the Rwandan market, Tigo has connected over 2 million customers by providing a quality network, affordable tariffs and innovative products to suit the everyday needs of Rwandans.

    Tigo has been first telecom company to allow customers to choose their number and borrow airtime and pay back later with Tira Tigo.

    Also customers have benefited from Tigo Muzika-setting favourite song as ringtones on their handsets

    Also Vuga Packs customers were able to talk to each other without paying unbearable rates.

    Tigo has also supported Rwandan talent, bringing together artistes Urban Boys, Kitoko, Dream Boyz, Radio and Riderman for the creation of their hit-single ‘Rwanda Uri Nziza’. The song describes the pride of being and feeling Rwandan and can be heard playing in every radio station across the country.

  • CHORA CHORA Film about Drug Trafficking Between Rwanda and DRC

    CHORA CHORA is a film produced by Richard MUGWANEZA (2012) | Original Kinyarwanda version with English subtitles, 70 min.

    Rudoviko is an 18 year-old, an angel, who leaves his country village to study in a city of drugs consumption and trafficking.

    In order to get money to cover some teenagers’ needs, he finds himself involved in this drugs circuit to which the local Police doesn’t hesitate to put an end.

    The film pictures Rudoviko’s step by step confrontation with the world of drugs. And even when he ends up regretting and getting rid of all drugs, he can’t escape the Police’s black list.

  • Three Smugglers Arrested

    Police and the Revenue Protection Department have arrested three men suspected of smuggling liquors.

    Celestin Mutsindashyaka from Muhanga district, Jean Marie Burere from Goma (DRC) and Onesphore Hategekimana from Musanze district were arrested while transporting smuggled liquors.

    Mutsindashyaka was arrested on Wednesday in Gicumbi district with 71 boxes of African Gin from Uganda.

    Jean Marie Burere and Hategekimana Onesphore were arrested on Monday at Giticyinyoni, Nyarugenge district with 45 bottles Martel, black label and J&B whiskies they had smuggled from DRC.

    Superintendent Emmanuel Karasi, the commanding officer of Revenue Protection Department said most smuggled goods seized come from neighbouring countries especially Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

    He added that different non declared goods, foreign vehicles with expired entry cards, have been seized by the department.

    Other goods regularly seized by Revenue Protection department include coffee, minerals soaps, cloths, energy drinks and motorcycle spare parts among others.
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  • The First Lady of DRC

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    Marie- Olive Lembe di Sita is the wife of president Joseph Kabila of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) little is known about this woman.

    She was born in July, 29th 1976 in Kailo, Maniema, (former Zaire). She is the current first lady of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

    She was very secretive and discreet, almost elusive long term fiancée of Congolese president Joseph Kabila since 2000. They got married on 17th June 2006.

    She is a mother of two, Sifa Kabila and Laurent-Desire Kabila. The couple got their daughter, Sifa Kabila named after Kabila’s own mother and former first lady of the DRCongo, Sifa Mananya in 2001 before they got married.

    On their wedding day, 17th June 2006, the Catholic Archbishop of Kinshasa, Cardinal Frederic Etsou Bamungwabi and the Presiding Bishop of the Church of Christ in Congo Pierre Marini Bodho were both present to sermon their wedding because Joseph Kabila is Anglican and Mrs. Lembe di Sita is Catholic.

    The pope Benedict XVI sent them a message through the Cardinal Etsou and Bishop Marini on behalf of all DRC communities gave the couple two kitenges (fabric used as African traditional wear) and two ropes representing the traditional ritual.

    In 2008, the first couple was living a serious marital crisis and attempted to divorce. Joseph Kabila wouldn’t allow it and he prohibited his wife to leave the country and charged the security service to make sure she was within the country.

    In 2010, presidential sources confirmed that Marie- Olive Lembe was violently beaten by her husband.

    She was first admitted in Ngaliema, a clinic in Kinshasa but she was in such bad shape that she resumed her medical treatment in Brussels, Belgium at the Brugman hospital.

    According to her people, Olive Lembe Kabila is a woman who has always been generous and outgoing with people. She is defined and seen as a very simple and positive lady.

    She created an association,Maman Olive Lembe Kabila Sisters Organization that consists on supporting women farmers into getting involved in development and attaining their independence, supplying ploughing equipment and improved seeds, raise awareness about HIV/AIDS and STI’s as well as awareness about deforestation.

    Compiled by Nice Kanangire

  • China-Rwanda Sign US$ 350 million Agreement

    Rwanda and China have today signed Loan Framework Agreement at a meeting held at MINECOFIN main boardroom.

    The aforesaid signing concerns the contribution of China to a very important infrastructure project, the Rusizi-Karongi-Rubavu Road, the Kivu Belt (Road of 185 Km, Project total cost around USD 350 million).

    This loan will cover the construction of Lot 4 of the Road, Mwityazo (Nyamasheke)-to Ruvumbu (Karongi) and Lot 5, Ruvumbu to Kibuye of the Belt Road.

    The Government of Rwanda was represented by Hon. Minister John Rwangombwa, Minister of Finance and Economic Planning and the Government of the People’s Republic of China represented by HE Chu Zhan, Ambassador of China in Rwanda.

    The cooperation between Rwanda and China is currently 51 years old, the Chinese government has supported more than 40 projects with totally over RMB 1.3 billion since the establishment of diplomatic relationship in 1971, including the National Stadium, 36 Km of Kigali City Roads, MINAFFET Building, Kibungo Hospital and Kibungo Nurse School, Masaka Polyclinic and one Agriculture Demonstration Center.

  • PSquare Mother Dies

    The brothers Peter and Paul Okoye and their other siblings lost their mother Josephine Okoye who was in her 60’s on Wednesday, 11th July 2012 due to some prolonged heart illness.

    Close friends to the Okoye family say that Josephine Okoye was first admitted in St. Nicholas Hospital in Lagos but her health state wasn’t improving.

    She was then taken to India where she released her last breath five hours after her heart surgery in Apollo hospital (India).

    Josephine’s death was a shock to many; friends and fans to the P Square and family sent condolences and sympathy messages to the Okoyes.

    Their mother was a good parent and their biggest fan. She almost never missed their shows until late 2011 where she started feeling weak due to her illness.

    “You know that she was a prayer warrior, so I don’t need to tell you how she stood by us spiritually. Besides she was the only one that believed in us when we decided to make a career out of music. I can remember that she used to sneak out at night then to attend shows without the consent of our father who insisted that we must quit music to face our education” peter recounts.