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By: Andrew Kareba

After the official opening of Rwanda’s 14th International Trade show by Prime Minister Bernald Makuza, the show is on its fifth day but some exhibitors feature difficulties.

“The exhibition is on a higher gear; lovely people with hospitality, clean city and cooperative Private Sector Federation” said John Mwesigye a marketing Manager of Movit Products Ltd from Uganda.

“The Trade Fair is increasing brand awareness and market sharing where exhibitors are selling on a higher rate”, said Mwesigye.

Customer care principles, clearing process and agents at the border, unhurried assistance by Rwanda Revenue Authority (RRA), loud music, are some of the challenges the Ugandan exhibitor Mwesigye articulates.

Dennis. N. Bideri is a Managing Director of “Soap of Karongi’ known as King of Soap finds the 14th trade fair as the best in East African Community due to the organization and the number of exhibitors but requests exhibitors’ to provide warm customer care services.

“King of Soap is mostly known in Karongi, and we extremely value the Private Sector Federation’s contribution in marketing local products” though Lack of capital and advertisement are some of the challenges we face” says Bideri.

According to the trade show coordinator, Mr. Ephraim Karangwa , the show was well organized and mostly 99 percent of exhibitors drew closer at the first day of the trade show.

Dorothy Mutesi is Miss NUR 2010, who visited the trade fair ground at Gikondo and says: “The Trade show is amazing but some products are luxurious according to previous show.”

Rwanda International 14th Trade Fair is one of major annual events organized by Private Sector Federation (PSF), in conjunction with the Ministry of Trade and Industry where 486 exhibitors participated and 141 are foreigners from various countries, providing unique sales.

Yesterday July 31, at his farm located at the shores of lake Muhazi, Kayonza district in the eastern part of the country, President Kagame gave out 10 long horned cattle commonly known as ‘Inyambo’ to his counterpart President Museveni.

Prior to the ceremony, two presidents had visited and interacted with the residents of Nyagatovu and Kitazigurwa model villages in the same districts to witness the importance of people living in the planned settlements.

President Museveni who arrived in the country on Friday for the four-day state visit, has already visited and interacted with different Rwandan residents and involved in social activities like; the Rwandan monthly communal work, where both Presidents had on Saturday laid a stone foundation for the construction of the Nine Year Basic primary school located in Nyarugunga, Kanombe, Kicukiro district.

While at the school construction premises, President Museveni also offered US$300,000 for the construction of the school.

By: Igihe.com reporter

An activist in the UK’s conservative party Lynne Faulkner has said she has been impressed with Rwanda’s way of using foreign aid.

The 66 year old retired international human resource manager at CBP and Water Company says she has witnessed the benefits of the UK donations to Rwanda.

“Some African countries have been so corrupt that you cannot see what the donation has done on ground. Rwanda is pulling herself up, I am impressed,” Faulkner said in an interview at the communal work Umuganda held at a primary school in Kanombe sector where both Uganda and Rwandan Presidents participated.

Faulkner is among 100 volunteers from the conservative party that have been in the country for two weeks training Rwandans working in different sectors including; businesses, sports, education and health under project Umubano.

She said that Rwanda is a country that truly showed value for not only UK’s financial support for her development but also other donations.

“We are very much inspired by the developments in Rwanda. Human spirit is indomitable and by working together like this in Umuganda nothing can fail this nation,” She also added while commenting on Umuganda.

The National Vice chairperson of European Union of women, British section said that through Action Aid, Conservative Party volunteers have supported vulnerable groups in Gitezi near Kabuye, Gicumbi District.

They bought a milling machine that has helped different families by improving their livelihood. They now have two goats and earn some money for their home support.

According to her, UK’s Prime Minister David Cameron has a vision of creating a big society of volunteers to carry out social actions.

So far, the conservative party has sent volunteers to Rwanda under the project Umubano led by state minister for development, Andrew Mitchel.

Emma McClarkin a member of European parliament said Umuganda was a good spirit that needs to be spearheaded by the youth.

An association of Kenyan residents in Kigali dubbed, All Kenyans in Rwanda (AKR) has vowed to participate in this Saturday’s Umuganda Communal work, igihe.com has reliably learnt.

The association was created five years ago and today it counts more than 3,000 members according to its aspiring chairman, Boniface Mutua, who says AKR didn’t do much except organizing amicable get-togethers, during which members just ate and drank without a tangible result.

He however, points out that is yet to change now. And as part of his campaign manifesto, Kenyans ought to take part in the country’s community development activities, and to start with, the team will tomorrow participate in the monthly event at Bwiza cell in Kacyiru district, opposite the national police headquarters.

Mutua urges those who are professionals to act like mentors, especially to local students who have just finished their higher learning education since there are few local companies to nurture their skills.

“On my part as an accounts professional I intend to connect some Rwandans who are practicing accounting for instance to some of the Nairobi’s renowned auditing firms and those in Rwanda for them to gain experience ,” he rvealed.

Contributing to the society is not a wish to Mutua but rather a passion, so far he has constructed a school in his village situated in Mwala district close to Machakos town, in the same community he also took part in the construction of a water well which connects more than 200 households.

He, Moreover, wants to replicate the same in Rwanda by constructing houses to orphans as well as sponsoring students who have lacked finances to continue with their education on team-work basis.

“Normally I don’t work alone. I believe in joint efforts and that’s why I managed to uplift my village which was on the verge of facing famine.

“I’m not saying all this because I want to be voted as the AKR chairman; whether in leadership or not I’ve always had a passion to assist the needy and my friends have been supportive including some of the AKR members whom I know will vote for change,” he remarked.

He emphatically says the association needs to be streamlined, in the interests of its members such as initiating income-generating projects that will create jobs for members who are jobless.

Mutua is also the Country Director of PKF an audit firm from Nairobi further pointed out that, the job opportunities will also favor Rwandans who will be recommended to Kenyan firms seeking local employment because “perfect information sharing is essential”.

In order to further improve the flow of information, AKR has linked up with the Ke­nya-Rwanda Business Association (KRBA) which was created to enhance collaboration among business­ people of the two countries.

In a previous interview with the KRBA chairman Edgar Ogao who is also a mem­ber of AKR, through joint efforts the two associations have made available information on trade op­portunities in Kenya and Rwan­da.

They also assist entrepreneurs who experience trade-related problems in either of the two countries and Ogao cites a case where Rwandan traders discovered that products they had bought in Nairobi were counterfeit whereupon, the association did not only help them to recover their money but also linked them with authorized dealers who have legitimate products.

Unlike an association where members are brought together with a common interest, AKR is rather driven by a family spirit. As a result, its executives also want to promote social activities such as a sports day which will involve as­sociation members and the public.

A Ugandan singer Bobi Wine commonly known as ‘Ghetto President’ is in the country to solicit funds for his wedding.

Bobi will this evening perform at Sports View Hotel in Kigali, and according to the close pals; all proceeds from the show will go to his wedding preparations.

The Ghetto President has invited all Ugandans, all his fans to come and support him as he tries to win his long date ‘Barbara’ commonly known as Bebe.

He will be accompanied by his ‘Firebase Crew’ and also local artistes including Kamichi, Knowles, Kitty, and Uncle Austin among others. He will also have an after party with loaded guys with the aim of soliciting more contributions.

Confidants say he is set to walk down the aisle of his Bebe, in August this year and the couple already has three kids.

Igihe.com spoke to the organizer of this show, Eric Mugisha who denied the allegations that he is here to solicit funds for his wedding.

“That’s not true. What they are saying is really wrong. He will perform but not solicit contributions for the wedding” he emphasized.

Efforts to reach singer himself were futile as we were told that he is doing interviews on the local radio station.

Bobi Wine’s real name is Robert Ssentamu Kyagulanyi, born on February 12, 1982 in Mpingi District South West of Uganda’s capital Kampala.

He joined music industry in the early 2000s and his first singles were Akagoma, Funtula and Sunda featuring Ziggy D, which brought Bobi Wine into the limelight. He was previously part of the group Fire Base Crew. Later he formed new group Ghetto Republic of Uganja.

Rwanda’s Prosecutor General Martin Ngoga has expressed shock about the news that one of the highly ranking genocide suspect has been given a new refugee hearing despite being turned down six times.

Exclusively speaking to Igihe.com, Ngoga said, “In fact I am surprised by the news that this suspect could be given the hearing for the refugee status. The Canadian Law Enforcement is aware of the accusations against him and my hope is that certain steps will be taken to prevent him from gaining the status.”

“He is the one of the notorious fugitives who among other criminal acts standards accused of killing a neighbor who refused to have sex with him. The accusations are too serious to be ignored by any standards,” Ngoga added.

Henry Jean Claude Seyoboka, 44, a resident of Gatineau, accused of shooting to death a neighbor who refused to have sex with him at a roadblock in Rwanda, will have his case re-heard by an Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB), following an appeal to the Federal Court of Canada.

Officials said no date has been set for his hearing, which will take place in Toronto.

The IRB spokesman Robert Gervais said a hearing date for Seyoboka is not “in the public domain.”

Seyoboka is not on a list of 30 of the CBSA’s Most Wanted but victims want him added to bring a speedy deportation. Five of the 30 fugitives have since been arrested.

He was refused refugee status due to his links to war crimes and the 1994 genocide in Rwanda that left over 800,000 Tutsis killed by the majority Hutu extremists.

Seyoboka a relative of the former first lady of Rwanda Agathe Kanziga Habyarimana, was a former head of Rwanda’s presidential security and was the president’s personal secretary, according to court documents.

His father-in-law Colonel Elie Sagatwa was with Rwandan president Juvenal Habyarimana aboard a plane that was shot down on April 1994. All 12 people were killed.

He is described in the documents as a former “Second-Lieutenant” in the Rwandan army and an advocate of Hutu extremism.

Seyoboka arrived in Canada in 1996 and filed a successful refugee asylum claim, which was revoked in 1998 after it was discovered he was in the military and had participated in the massacres, court records state.

He is accused of killing a woman, who was only identified as Francine, and her two children, because she refused to have sex with him in return for protection, according to court records.

“Mr. Seyoboka was part of a group manning a roadblock where Tutsis were being killed, and that he had murdered his neighbor, Francine, allegedly because she refused to have sex with him,” the high court heard last May in Toronto.

John Rukumbura, of the Rwandese Canadian Association, said Seyoboka was among the highest-ranking Rwandans of the dozens of suspects who fled to Canada.

“This man has a lot of blood on his hands,” Rukumbura said. “He has caused a lot of pain and should be deported from Canada immediately.”

He also called on the federal and provincial governments to stop funding legal aid for suspected war criminals since it can run into millions of dollars yearly

Additional Reporting: Toronto Sun

A young Rwandan artist, Edouard Uwayo Bamporiki aged 27, says he will focus his work on ensuring that peace prevails in Rwanda using his natural gift as an artist.

In an exclusive interview he told igihe.com during the two-day unity and reconciliation lectures held at Lycée Notre-Dame de Cîteaux that: “I came to know this school last year when I was invited to give a lecture about unity and reconciliation to the youth.

“I was enticed by the students here, who showed much concern at knowing and getting involved in demonstrating the meaning of the words “peace, unity and reconciliation” to the rest of the youth.

“ I therefore decided to be visiting them annually, give such lectures and my own films, and award the best student to promote peace at the school.” Uwayo emphasized.

The event was organized by Bamporiki himself in partnership with the National Unity and Reconciliation Commission (NURC) which was intended to award the best student at the school in promoting peace and unity.

The artist stressed that today Rwandans should be enthusiastic to heroism, and bring back the value of Rwandans.

“Let’s inherit our parents responsibility to reconstruct our nation for a brighter future instead promoting divisionism that cause the inhuman catastrophe that ended a million innocent Rwandans”

Lise-Vivian Rurangwa 18 years old at this girls’ school finished last year andis the only girl who was awarded for her great efforts and heroism in promoting unity and reconciliation.

In appreciation of the Award Rurangwa said: “I think I am given the award on behalf of my colleagues with whom we help activities at this school last year that were symbols of great heroism.

“The activities included composing poems and plays among others practically taught peace and unity to fellow students” she said amidst claps from the audience.

She stressed that to enlighten youth on reconciliation is much easier when the message is delivered through plays and poems and other activities.
Jean Batiste Habyalimana, the NURC’s Executive Secretary present also said; “We normally do sensitization in the youth to show them where the tragedy, the country has gone through.

“Many of them do not know about its history. We want them reconstruct the nation knowing well where it has come from because the youth are the only ones that hold the destiny of Rwanda” he emphasized.

The school’s Directress, Sister Helene Nayituriki said that their role is to empower these young people with knowledge, and show them how to live and to give them moral generosity on how to live with the rest in society both within and outside the school.

Nayituriki added: “In this week I decided to work with the NURC and Edouard to give them reconciliation lectures before they set off for holidays and we have done it for two days which I think will help them even in holidays.”

She challenged the Youth in general to study from the role model people, and learns constructive ideas that will help them cite the example of the awarded former student.

Isimbi Sandrine 18 years old, Head Girl at the school said there were positive recommendations on the lectures.

“Such discussions help us to create a clear focus in our minds because sometimes as young people we think in a childish way.

I think from such discussions we shall build our nation as expected,” she told igihe.com.
Magnifique Mukundwa aged 15, in senior 3 student noted; “What I have leant from Bamporiki’s film is that our parents who could have been involved in 1994 genocide should accept their faults and pledge forgiveness.”

Bamporiki is an Awardwinning Filmmaker, actor and poet who have received national and international attention for his stories of hope, unity and reconciliation.
He wrote, directed, acted and produced “Long Coat” film and others that include “Where the truth is storm is over” and acted “Munyurangabo Film