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As schools open for the second term,a Rwandan living in Holland has given school bags containing various scholastic materials to over 439 pupils of Kanyanza Primary school in Muhanga district.

Brigitte Mugiraneza (pictured above) founded the ‘United Wisdom of Africa Foundation (UWAF)’, that organised the ‘One-school Bag per Child’ campaign aimed at motivating children to attend school.

Mugiraneza told IGIHE that through the ‘One Bag Per Child’ program, UWAF grants binders equipped with pens, dictionaries, a mathematical set and exercise books.

“This program will motivate children to attend school,” She said adding that it reduces the pressure on poor parents and improves education.

“We focus on concrete and achievable objectives.Initially, the programwill distribute 3,500 school bags in nine schools in the district of Muhanga. After the first phase, the UWAF plans to replicate the program in districts in the country, “she said.

Védaste Mukeshimana, director of the school attended by other students under the 12 years of basic education,says, “this program will motivate students to study.”

Other books and mathematical sets remaining were distributed to 472 other students of the 12 years of basic education.

The Media has been transferred to the local government ministry (MINALOC). It was previously under Cabinet Affairs Ministry.

Discussions are underway between MINALOC and the Cabinet Affairs Ministry to officially effect the transfer.

The Minister of Local Government Musoni James told a local news website, “from now it is MINALOC that will be catering for issues of media policy and going to Parliament and Cabinet on issues of media.”

The recently established Rwanda Governance Board [RGB], supervised by MINALOC, will handle media advocacy.

Sources indicated that Minister Protais Musoni previously in charge of Media expected to address the Legatum institute in London,UK on Monday morning but it was cancelled.

The Legatum Institute is an independent non-partisan public policy organisation whose research, publications, and programmes advance ideas and policies in support of free and prosperous societies around the world.

LI’s signature annual publication is the Legatum Prosperity Index, the world’s global assessment of national prosperity based on both wealth and subjective wellbeing.

LI is a co-publisher of Democracy Lab (with Foreign Policy Magazine), a website dedicated to covering political and economic transitions around the world.

Huye district officials on 22 April, visited members of Urumuri Club- that brings together orphans of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi- they usually stayed at school in holidays because they had no home.

During the visit, Urumuri members presented challenges they face. The district officials promised to solve their challenges.

Mutwarasibo Cyprien, the Vice Mayor in charge of economy and finance led the delegation. He said the district will continue to help Urumuri Club.

He said these young boys and girls have no other parents and said the district would act as their parent and urged the orphans to work and build their future.

Members to Urumuri said they are satisfied by the visit, and suggested that an increase of such visits saying they needed people to support them ensuring they are not left lonely.

Urumuri club was established created after a notice that some students stayed at school because they had no homes to go to during school holidays.

The district worked with partners to build homes for them, and so far these children’s life has improved. Some have already completed their studies and others are still studying.

The young lady ‘Lulu’(red dress) suspected of having a hand in the death of Tanzania’s film superstar several weeks ago, appeared before the Kisutu Resident Magistrate’s Court in Dare salaam Monday for preliminary hearing amidst tight security.

Lulu, whose true names are Elizabeth Michael aged 17, also an actress, is charged with the murder of film star Steven Kanumba.

Six prison officers guarding Elizabeth had a difficult time as they made their way to the courtroom through a crowd of anxious members of the public and journalists who thronged court corridors hours before she was brought in.

At this stage of the case, a magistrate will hear the case to determine if Lulu should be tried for the crime she is charged with, based on whether there is substantial evidence that she committed the crime, before the case goes to the High Court.

She would not be allowed to enter any plea since the lower court has no jurisdiction to hear a murder case.

It emerged Monday that a team of prominent lawyers including an official of the Commission for Human Rights and Good Governance (CHRAGG) and former president of Tanganyika Law Society (TLS) Joaquina De-Mello have came to the defence of the young actress.

United States Embassy this year awarded De Mello the 2011 Tanzania Women of Courage Award in recognition of her efforts to promote equality, opportunity and justice for Tanzanian women and girls.

Others are Mr Kennedy Fungamtama who has successfully been representing Dowans Tanzania in a $94million case against state power company Tanesco and TLS vice president Peter Kibatala as well as Mr Fulgence Massawe from the Legal and Human Rights Centre (LHRC).

The late star’s girlfriend, Lulu, is believed to have pushed him to his death during a particularly heated argument between the two lovebirds at midnight on April 7, 2012 this year at Sinza Vatican.

State Attorney Elizabeth Kaganda informed the court that investigations into the case have not been completed and asked for the court to set another date for the case. Magistrate Rita Tarimo adjourned the case to May 5.

Unlike a fortnight ago when Lulu appeared calm and composed on her first appearance in court, yesterday tears flowed freely from her eyes.

Donned in a red long gown, Lulu appeared panicky and in a tense mood. She soon started crying, something that forced the magistrate and prison officers to repeatedly console her.

Fire has gutted a mattress factory commonly known as Kigali Foam. The incidence happened Monday evening. The cause of the fire hasn’t been established yet.

The factory belonging to Mutangana Jean Baptiste is located at Gikondo at Parc Industriel in Kicukiro district. Mutangana is also proprietor of another factory Volta Super.

IGIHE reporter who was at the scene by the time of inferno said the fire fighters arrived at the scene on time and prevented fire from attacking the nearby factory Volta Super.

The African Union has demanded for a complete cessation of all hostilities and the immediate resumption of the AUHIP-led negotiations between Sudan and South Sudan.

The Chairperson of Commission of the African Union (AU), Jean Ping instructed Sudan and south Sudan to end the senseless fighting and fully implement the security commitments they have entered into, and resume, under the auspices of the AU High-Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP), the negotiations on their post secession relations.

He noted, “Recourse to force will never bring about a lasting solution to the issues at hand. The peoples of Sudan and South Sudan need to leave in peace with one another and to cooperate, as their destinies are intertwined.”

Both Parties need to exercise the much needed statesmanship and to be driven by a vision that takes into account the long term interests of their countries and peoples, as well as by their responsibility towards the region, the rest of Africa and the larger international community.

The Chairperson of the Commission reiterates AU’s request for Sudan and South Sudan to immediately implement the security agreements that they have reached under the facilitation of the AUHIP, with the support of IGAD and the United Nations, particularly the Decision of the Joint Political and Security Mechanism (JPSM) of 18 September 2011, which, inter alia, established the Joint Border Verification and Monitoring Mission (JBVMM).

It should be noted that UN Security resolution 2024(2011) of 14 December 2011 has mandated the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) to support the JBVMM.

The Chairperson of the Commission stresses the need for both Parties to refrain from inflammatory statements which not only complicate the current and delicate situation, but also undermine the prospects for brotherly relations between the two states and their peoples.

Such statements run contrary to the principles on the basis of which the two countries agreed to resolve the post-secession issues.

A strong East African Standby Force is expected to start operations in 2015 after being established in 2013.

It’s against this background that today April 23, Rwanda Defense Force is hosting a meeting of 11 countries from the Eastern Africa region, to discuss about appropriate logistics required for the regional force EASF meant to prevent, manage and resolve conflicts in the region.

In a meeting held at Sports View Hotel- Kigali, members of the military forces from 11 countries are discussing how the combined force will be managed determining its budget and logistics needed.

Colonel Al Said Omar, from Djibouti -the chief of Staff in the activities of forming this Force said, the force will be meant to Prevent, manage, and solve conflicts but mainly treat the crisis beforehand, at any occurrence, in the region.

In his remarks, Major General Jacques Musemakweri, noted that he understands the shortage of logistics that occurred during a Field Training Exercise in Khartoum in 2011.

However, he added that The region is undertaking workshops of this kind as a result of the recommendations that were made during the after Action Review of the Field Training Exercise.

Maj. Gen. Musemakweri also said, “Some difficulties and challenges of course may arise but it is worth nothing that we will get through them as a region.”

Rwanda is slated to benefit from Israel assistance aimed at addressing the issue of food security.

International development agencies in Israel and America last week signed a memorandum of understanding to increase cooperation on food aid to Africa.

The MOU allows for closer cooperation on the issue of food security in four countries: Uganda, Ethiopia, Tanzania and Rwanda.

The assistance will include help with food production and crop cycles, as well as addressing environmental issues that go beyond the agricultural sector.

The MOU between USAID and Mashav (the Israel Agency for International Development Cooperation in the Foreign Ministry) was the first of its kind, according to Mashav head Daniel Carmon, “this MOU is not the start of the relationship; it’s the continuing and the strengthening of the relationship.”

Carmon noted that development – alongside diplomacy and security – was one of the pillars of Israel’s foreign policy and said that increasing cooperation with USAID was not only “the right thing to do but the smart thing to do.”