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  • Rwanda Film makers to attain advanced skills

    As the Rwanda film industry continues to gain international recognition, the few filmmakers in the country ought to have professional skills backed by sophisticated equipments.

    It is in this respect that a delegation of eight renowned film professionals from the American Academy of Motion Pictures are in the country to conduct a one week training to local filmmakers under the Rwanda Cinema Centre. (R.C.C).

    In an exclusive interview with igihe.com, Ellen Harrington, a film director noted that the weeklong training will cover subjects related to film writing, directing, producing, acting and cinematograph amongst others.

    She explained that though Rwandan films have exited many, the talent would manifest itself well if the filmmakers had professional skills since they wouldn’t only compete internationally but also their films would have a higher demand.

    The weeklong training also marks the opening of the Kwetu Film Institute (KFI) that will be conducted by RCC with the aim of promoting professionalism in the film industry.

    Pierre Kayitana, the director of the Rwanda Cinema Centre noted that enrollment of students is underway. “So far we have 100 applicants but it would be better if interested people first showed us their interest through a short footage they have made”.

    He further said that one ought to have a minimum academic qualification of a high school certificate, explaining that its an institute of higher learning.Those that have completed a three year course will be entitled to a university degree.

    Kayitana adds that the institute has a film master’s program for those who have both average skills and long time experience.

    The visiting US professionals will focus more on the skilled filmmakers since there’re able to handle some sophisticated equipments which they might later acquire through donations.

    Currently acquiring the right machines is still a major challenge to the Rwandese film industry.

    “Getting better equipment is the main problem, the cameras for instance are highly expensive and even those imported are highly taxed; that’s why we don’t have a choice but to use some of the traditional cameras,” said Chrisitan Gakombe RCC cameraman.

    He pointed out that he is disappointed to use low quality equipment because they’re not fit for modern production which frustrates him given the skills he has acquired from several trainings abroad on how to use professional cameras.

    Reacting to that assertion, Redempter Batete, the Director of Planning and Policy at the ministry of youth noted that the ministry has the will to promote local film industry if the filmmakers unite and consolidate their ideas.

    “If only they would unite and send us a credible proposal, who knows the advantages they would get? She wondered, adding that financing their activities would be followed by easing taxes on necessary equipment for film industry which is making a commendable progress.

    She further revealed that the ministry has a project to promote film talent at the Kimisagara Youth Centre which is open to interested people.
    Yet lack of sophisticated tools is not the only challenge.

    Joseph Njanti, a screen writer at RCC noted that though he has acquired most of his skills through experience, getting a mentor to guide him in the profession is still a constraint for him since even the ones available are either expensive or inaccessible.

    Trying to give a solution to Njanti’s concern, Kayitana was quick to note that lack of mentors was a major problem both for Rwanda and region but insisted that the film institute will try to deliver better studies.

    “Our director who is a professional from German has assured us that he will avail more mentors through his network with some of the renowned film training centers,” he stressed.

    Eric Kabera the RCC Chief Executive Officer says the rationale for the film school is simple: “We have over the past seven years trained over 200 young people, with the assistance of partners in Sweden, the USA and elsewhere”
    Kabera explained that at first they invited similar professional trainers to assist those in post graduate classes which covers all aspects of film-making and in the end, Rwanda needs a real film school.

    Moreover the school will not focus on Rwanda only because the institute aims at serving the whole region and that is why it was called it Kwetu , a Swahili word meaning home of the East Africa Community according to Kabera.

    “A cinema is a social and cultural tool that can promote cohesion and integration within the region. We want to create a form of cultural expression from this part of the world – apart from the Nigerian film industry- Nollywood, there isn’t much.”

  • Candidatures for senate to be submitted in two weeks

    Eligible candidates for the forthcoming senatorial elections are expected to submit their candidatures effective from 1st to 15 August . Campaigns will later kick start from 6th to 25 September.

    The National Electoral Commission (NEC) chairman Chrysologue Karangwa has noted that senatorial aspirants must be Rwandan citizens aged at least 40 years and above and should have a minimum academic qualification of a university degree.

    The Rwf 500 million amounts to be used in the voting process will come from the government coffers.

    Normally the senate is made up of 26 seats of which 12 represent various provinces while eight are appointed by the President, four by the political party forum, and finally two come both the private and government institutions.

    The eligible voters are electoral colleagues from both the district and sector advisory councils while senators representing higher learning institutions from both public and private sectors will be voted by their fellow lectures.

    In terms of gender equality, Charles Munyaneza the NEC executive secretary noted that women would make up at least 30 percent. Final election results are scheduled to be announced on 4 October.

  • Singapore Investor takes over MAGERWA

    Soon activities at MAGERWA and branches will be much quicker than before. This follows announcement by the new investor Larry lam, chairman of Portek a Singapore operator of medium sized containers and multipurpose ports.

    Portek now owns 66% shares of MAGERWA and it will be in charge of the day to day activities of the once public bonded warehouse. Lam noted that much effort would be put in ensuring better customer care, better service delivery and reducing congestion at the warehouse.

    The Singapore based company will also construct several dry and seaports at the two largest ports in the region situated at Mombasa and Dares salaam.

    “We intend to buy several lands closer to the ports at which goods from Rwanda and region would be offloaded. Currently, the two major ports are holding more than their capacity a fact that delays activities,” he remarked.

    In Rwanda more storehouses will be constructed. “With new branches cargo trucks for instance will offload quickly and service delivery would be enhanced reducing the current long queues,” he commented adding, “there will also be a reduction of miscellaneous costs.”

    The minister of trade and industry Francois Kanimba hailed the new investors saying that they represent a country that has shown tremendous economic progress. “We’re happy that you bring to Rwanda professionalism and replicating some of the best practices,” said Kanimba.

    The minister noted that improvement of the warehouse would be a big achievement for the landlocked country.

  • Guma Guma superstar last four selected

    By: Igihe.com

    In the ongoing Primus Guma Guma Superstar competition, four contestants have been selected to continue in the competition for the final prize winner.

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    The contestants selected this night include DREAM BOYS, JAY POLLY,TOM CLOSE and KING JAMES.
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    The Primus Guma Guma Superstar competition is designed to bring together the best of Rwanda’s local artists and engage the whole nation in an exciting and energetic music journey.

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    The winner of the competition THE PRIMUS GUMA GUMA SUPERSTAR 2011 will win 10 000 USD; perform live with Sean Kingston on July 30th and fly with the star to the USA to record a track and a music video – boosting his career to a higher level and giving his talent tremendous exposure.
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  • Republic of South Sudan is born

    By: Igihe.com

    Gen. SALVA KIIR MAYARDIT(President of Republic of South Sudan)

    This is a Dinka name; according to Dinka custom, this person properly should be referred to by the name “Kiir”, not “Mayardit”.
    Salva Kiir Mayardit (born 1951) is the first President of the Republic of South Sudan.

    LIFE AND CAREER

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    Gen. Kiir is a Dinka, though of a different clan than former Southern Sudan president John Garang. In the late 1960s, Gen.Kiir joined the Anyanya in the First Sudanese Civil War. By the time of the 1972 Addis Ababa Agreement, he was a low-ranking officer.

    In 1983, when Garang joined an army mutiny he had been sent to put down, Gen.Kiir and other Southern leaders joined the rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Movement(SPLM) in the second civil war.

    Garang had little military field experience and relied upon the more experienced Anyanya veterans, including Gen.Kiir, to actually carry out the ground war. Gen.Kiir eventually rose to head the SPLA’s military wing.
    Most of SPLA operation successes in the field during the war were attributed directly to Gen.Kiir, who controlled the movement’s army.

    An attempt to remove Gen.Kiir from his post as SPLA chief of staff in 2004 nearly caused the organization to split. Following the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement formally ending the war in January 2005, which he had helped start, he was appointed Vice President of Southern Sudan.

    After the death of Garang in a helicopter crash of 30 July 2005, he was chosen to succeed to the post of First Vice President of Sudan and President of Southern Sudan. He is popular among the military wing of the SPLM for his battlefield victories and among the populace for his unambiguous pro-secession stance.

    Gen. Kiir in October 2009 comments that the independence referendum was a choice between being “a second class in your own country” or “a free person in your independent state” were expected to further strain political tensions.
    Gen.Kiir has an unenviable task to balance the rival and heavily armed ethnic groups in the vast and grossly underdeveloped swamps, jungles and grasslands of the southern Sudan.

    Some members of other groups, especially the Nuer, the second most numerous in the south, resent the perceived Dinka dominance. The two groups sometimes battled each other during the civil war, as well as fighting together against northerners.

    ORIGIN OF CONFLICT

    According to intelligence notes, the origins of the civil war in the south date back to the 1950s. On August 18, 1955, the Equatoria Corps, a military unit composed of southerners, mutinied at Torit. Rather than surrender to Sudanese government authorities, many mutineers disappeared into hiding with their weapons, marking the beginning of the first war in southern Sudan.

    By the late 1960s, the war had resulted in the deaths of about 500,000 people. Several hundred thousand more southerners hid in the forests or escaped to refugee camps in neighboring countries.

    By 1969 the rebels had developed foreign contacts to obtain weapons and supplies. Israel, for example, trained Anya Nya recruits and shipped weapons via Ethiopia and Uganda to the rebels.

    Anya Nya also purchased arms from Congolese rebels. Government operations against the rebels declined after the 1969 coup, and ended with the Addis Ababa accords of 1972 which guaranteed autonomy for the southern region.

    The civil war resumed in 1983 when President Nimeiri imposed Shari’a law, and has resulted in the death of more than 1.5 million Sudanese since through 1997. The principal insurgent faction is the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), a body created by the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA).

    The SPLA was formed in 1983 when Lieutenant Colonel John Garang of the SPAF was sent to quell a mutiny in Bor of 500 southern troops who were resisting orders to be rotated to the north.

    Instead of ending the mutiny, Garang encouraged mutinies in other garrisons and set himself at the head of the rebellion against the Khartoum government.

    Garang, a Dinka born into a Christian family, had studied at Grinnell College, Iowa, and later returned to the United States to take a company commanders’ course at Fort Benning, Georgia, and again to earn advanced economics degrees at Iowa State University.

    By 1986 the SPLA was estimated to have 12,500 adherents organized into twelve battalions and equipped with small arms and a few mortars. By 1989 the SPLA’s strength had reached 20,000 to 30,000; by 1991 it was estimated at 50,000 to 60,000.

    ABYEI–The oil rich province

    The dispute over the province of Abyei flared into open fighting between northern and southern forces, although there is now agreement to bring in an Ethiopian peacekeeping force. There is no agreement, however, on the referendum that was promised for the province but never held.

    Abyei`s permanent population is Christian by religion and `southern` in their loyalty. The north, however, insists that the Misseriya, Arabic-speaking Muslim nomads who bring their herds of cattle into Abyei to graze during the dry season, also have the right to vote in the referendum. So, there is deadlock.

    Such ethnic quarrels will persist and proliferate: at least five rebel groups are fighting the new southern government, and Bashir`s regime faces big rebellions in Darfur, South Kordofan and Nile Province.

    Bashir`s immediate problem is economic. The deal to split the oil revenue equally between north and south lapsed with South Sudan`s independence, and he is bringing in harsh austerity measures.

    LATEST

    On 14 July 2011, South Sudan became a United Nations member state. The country is not yet a member of the African Union, but membership is expected soon. South Sudan has also applied to join the Commonwealth of Nations, the East African Community,the International Monetary Fund,and the World Bank.

    The country was declared eligible to apply for membership in the Arab League as well.

    What is now South Sudan was part of the British and Egyptian condominium of Anglo-Egyptian Sudan and became part of the Republic of the Sudan when independence was achieved in 1956. Following the First Sudanese Civil War, the Southern Sudan Autonomous Region was formed in 1972 and lasted until 1983.

    A second Sudanese civil war soon developed and ended with the Comprehensive Peace Agreement of 2005. Later that year, southern autonomy was restored when an Autonomous Government of Southern Sudan was formed.

    South Sudan became an independent state on 9 July 2011 at midnight (00:00) local time following a referendum held in January 2011 in which nearly 99% of voters opted for independence from the rest of Sudan.

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    MEDIA. There is a printing press and a score of publications and online media,TV and radio.unrestricted access for journalists to the country.

    LITERACY: only 15% of the population of the southern sudan is literate

    POLITICAL VIEWS: Homosexuality is condemned and Gen. Kiir considers homosexuality as a mental illness.

    RELIGION: Christians and other indigenous traditional African religions.

    POPULATION: The 2008 census conducted by Kharotoum government shows 8.26Million. However, this was been rejected by Gen. Kiir.

    SPORTS: southern sudan has a national football team

    AVIATION:Juba international airport

    TERRITORY

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  • Civil Society warns against election irregularities

    Despite a few irregularities in the recently concluded local leaders’ election, the Rwanda Civil Society (CSEOM) in it’s report has given recommendations aimed at avoiding reoccurence of mistakes that were highly due to lack of capacity and corruption among some polling officers.

    However, the chief observer Eugene Rwibasira noted that the elections were fair and the voter-turn-up was impressive. “In general the elections were free and fair, there was high turn-up of voters that freely elected candidates of their choice,” he remarked.

    The elections that started on 4 February to 5March saw the nomination of leaders from the cell to the district levels, other elections included representatives for both women and disabled people.

    For the disabled and women elections, a good number of hindrances were seen especially in polling stations where voters arrived late and voting had to be postponed, while elections involving people with disabilities, in some districts they lacked candidates with the required academic qualification that allows only those with high school certificates to compete. The majority haven’t studied to this level.

    Lack of adequate awareness was a challenge even though the election guidelines were published late since in some areas some voted without any legal documents (national identity or voter’s card).

    Some election supervisors abused their powers by voting on behalf of some voters that had not turned up to vote. However,the National Electoral Commission (NEC) chairman Chrysologue Karangwa noted that disciplinary measures were taken against the fraudulent polling officers.

    “In our future trainings to polling officers we will insist on honesty and transparency and of course we will also make the penalties clear hoping they wouldn’t favor anyone,” he remarked.

    Another challenge was seen in the withdrawal of some candidates in the last minute which made it hard to inform voters on latest changes. “ There should be a time limit for the withdrawal of candidates that ends before candidates photographs are sent to the printer since this would not only avoid confusion but also reduce the printing costs and other resources,” Rwibasira pointed out.

  • UK Media Scandal: A Dark Day for Freedom of Press

    By Supreetha Gubbala

    The past week has unraveled a horror story for all those involved in high stakes media and one of the richest men in the world. Rupert Murdoch’s British media giant News Corporation took a tumultuous fall amid rising accusations of
    The News of the World’s involvement in hacking of 13 year-old girl’s cell phone who was murdered earlier this year and the father of a victim of the London train bombings in July of 2005.

    The hot scandal although providing ample stories for top media sources worldwide, will also hugely impact the media worldwide, including Rwanda.

    The New’s of the World is Londons most widely read Sunday tabloid, and has long been involved in minor scandals involving hacking. Former Editor Andy Couslon resigned in 2007 over a phone-hacking scandal of the royal family, which eventually resulted in the jailing of the royal editor. However, currently the New’s Corp is facing is biggest scandal yet.

    It was uncovered recently that The New’s of the World reporters and editors had long been involved in hacking of cellphones in order to gain tips and information. Bribes were also given to mid-level police officers to provide more information on crimes and tips for stories. Just recently, it was accusations arose against News of the World for hacking a 13 year-old girl’s phone who was founded to be kidnapped and later murdered by a London night club doorman in 2002.

    When Milly Dowler’s parents detected her missing, they had repeatedly left voicemails, in great concern of her not returning home from school. Allegedly News of the World hackers had deleted some of these messages in order access newer ones, therefore giving false hope to investigations, and her parents, that Molly remained alive.

    After accusations of this hacking incident were made, further connections to hacking of victims families in the London train bombing also surfaced. Later investigation narrowing down the hacking to a father of a bombing victim.

    The Murdoch’s have been thrown into the spotlight internationally, especially due to their recent bid to purchase Britain’s largest broadcasting network, British Sky Broadcasting, or BSkyB. News Corp already own 39.1% of the companies shares and has recently made a deal to broker the largest deal in Murdoch’s history of 14 Bil. to own it entirely. The entire corporation however, will now be under investigation and the big for BSkyB thrown into question with a possible vetoe in the near future.

    In a public statement made Wednesday, Rupert Murdoch took his stance on the matter saying, “Recent allegations of phone hacking and making payments to police with respect to the ‘News of the World’ are deplorable and unacceptable. We are committed to addressing these issues fully and have taken a number of important steps to prevent them from happening again.”

    Moreover, Britain’s new Prime Minister Cameron has also been throw into question, causing the entire scandal to hit even the upper echelons of British politics. Cameron hired Andy Coulson in 2007 as his spokesman despite his former involvement in the royal family hacking case and kept a close relationship with the most recent chief executive, Rebekah Brooks. Coulson resigned in January due to accusations of his possible involvement in the current scandal and a call for his arrest.

    “Very bad things had happened at the News of the World, he had resigned, I gave him a second chance, he had proved himself as an effective person in opposition and it was acceptable for him to come into Downing Street,” Cameron told the press Friday when questioned about his judgment.

    The atrocious abuse of freedom of press signified a dark day in the world of the press and the official closing of the 168 year-old newspaper on Friday. The Times published a 10-page editorial entitled, “ Hacked to Death” announcing the official closing of the tabloid and summarizing the papers path to its own downfall.

    However, more than the loss of over 600 jobs and resignation of current Prime Minister’s spokesman Andy Coulson, the scandal a major step backwards for those who have defended freedom of press.

    As Times editorial concluded, “A handful of people have trampled upon others in grief and despair. They have shamed themselves, destroyed a newspaper and damaged trust in the free press. It will be a long time before that trust is regained.”

    Rwanda has a hit its era of fighting for its freedom of press, and the shuttering of News of the World has displayed clear support for conservative press rights. Moreover the quick closure of the company, proved to be economically efficient for the Murdoch’s as they bid to a move to television, also signifying a new push for televised journalism.

    We need ot do a lot of dialogue and media reuglartion in this country.as we come up with new laws to govern media, we make them in order to make responsibility.

    Unfortunately, as Rwanda enters its novel press era, this scandal could put the government and all those working within media here to take a giant step backwards. It is time for the press here to also ponder how much freedom is too much freedom, along with their fight for access and rights.

    Patrice Mulama, the Executive Secretary of the Rwanda Media High Council, told Igihe, “For our part of the world, I think this something that is very important. We have discussed with colleagues and have noted that what is happening in the UK is a serious challenge to media, and to us as well.”

    “In the first place, in a country like Rwanda that is under going media reforms, this represents major media self-regression. So it presents a very interesting challenge. We need to do more in terms of discussion, critical thinking as a country, given he level the media is and where we want to go,” he revealed to Igihe.com

    The lessons learned from this scandal should also ensure that Rwanda Bureau of Information and Broadcasting are taking adequate measure to prevent such incidents from occurring in the future of Rwanda’s advancing media.

    When questioned about what the Media Council is doing to ensure this does not occur in Rwanda, Mulama told Igihe.com, “ What happened in the UK put in question, very seriously, the role of a self-regulatory organization in ensuring media responsiblities.”

    “You see one of the questions being asked today in the UK is the role of the Press Complaint Commission (PCC). Since the commission was established and managed by the media itself, there is a conflict of interest because they don’t want to criticize their colleagues. It was under their watch that the invasion of privacy occurred,” he explained to Igihe.com.

    Ultimately, Mulama believes the question for Rwanda remains, “Do we want to emulate the UK model of self-regulation or pursue a different model?
    Lastly, it seemed that those who may have been involved in the scandal did so out of pressure to obtain “hot” stories. As competition arises between the media moguls of Rwanda, it is vital to keep in mind what exactly we are training journalists to see as important. Their ethics or a good story?

    For many in the profession, it’s a task that is often dealt with daily. From the use of off-the-record quotes to source anonymity to invasion of citizen privacy, ethics are at the core of good journalism. With the large number of young people entering media in Rwanda today, training in ethics may easily be lost in the growing competition.

    Some say Britain may never be able to regain the level of trust its citizens had in the media, lets make sure Rwanda never loses theirs.

  • Man rapes, cuts off head of victim

    By: Dianah mutimura

    Dusengimana Ephraim aged 28, is under police custody at Nyamata police station in Bugesera district on charges of rape and murder Igihe.com has reliably established.

    The accused met the victim, Mukahirwa Annonciatha on July 12 at 7pm while on her way back home at Gakoni village, Kamabuye cell, Shyara sector in Bugesera District.

    He reportedly confessed to police to have raped and later murdered the victim.

    He allegedly claimed that he was under the influence of alcohol and stressed that he had no grudge against the victim.

    During interogation by the Nyamata Police on why he killed the victim after rapping her, Dusengimana revealed to police that after rapping Mukahirwa, he realised that his actions were criminal and disgraceful in Rwanda and decided to kill the victim instantly by chopping off her head using a panga.

    Mukahirwa 26 years, was reportedly preparing for her forthcoming wedding when she met the rapist on her way back from circulating her wedding invitation cards that had been slated for August 4, 2011.

    The accused told police Spokesman Sup. Theos Badege that he will comply to any criminal punishments provided by law because he accepts that what he did is inhuman.

    Sup. Badege urged the public to always avoid overdrinking and using drugs because they have side effects to people’s lives and the society.

    He called on the general public to reporting such incidents to nearest police stations early enough for police to rescue victims.

    If convicted by the competent court, a convict on rape and murder counts is sentenced to life imprisonment.

  • Fund deposits Rwf 11 Billion for borrowers security

    Difficulties of accessing bank credit especially due to lack of collateral shouldn’t worry people anymore.
    The Business Development Fund (BDF) is offering banks a financial security on behalf of borrowers as a way of promoting lending to upcoming business.

    BDF is an established company meant to support SME’s by offering credit guarantee facility. They generate their funds from government entities such as the National Bank of Rwanda (BNR) Rwanda Development Bank (BRD) and several ministries.

    The preferred ventures are Small and Medium Enterprises (SME’s) as well as agriculture.

    In his remarks the minister of trade and industry, Francois Kanimba noted that the grant was timely with the government’s campaign to strengthen SME’s through encouraging the private sector and stakeholders to join the cause.

    The BDF Chief Executive Officer Desire Rumanyika was quick to support the minister adding that the grant also aimed at facilitating upcoming businesses to access finance as a way of promoting the economy, of which 90% of its growth is gained from SME’s.

    He further pointed out that the fund was formed to the tune of Rwf 11 billion and that Rwf 1.5 billion of the amount has be channeled to several banks to support agriculture projects.

    This supplements a BDF grant for Rural Investment Facility which was availed by the ministry of agriculture and animal resources.

    The grant is worth US$ 10 million with main purpose of providing incentives for both financial institutions and for entrepreneurs making productive investments in agriculture.

    About accessing the grant, an applicant should present a solid business plan meaning it should be technically feasible, financially viable, with projected cash flow that will enable repayment within a maximum of 12months.

    The project should also observe standard environmental norms, yet in case of amounts below Rwf 5million a simplified business plan will suffice.

    In agriculture the three categories of investments that qualify include; primary production, processing of the products and agriculture support services.
    BDF will also offer advisory services related to investment, corporate and microfinance development.

  • Graves Could Be Silent Environmental Disaster

    In the near future, things are slated to change regarding how the dead will be treated. The REMA director suggests a mass grave for each family and or cremation (burning of dead bodies) all in the name of better environmental practices.

    IGIHE has noticed that there is a continuous violation and disregard of better environmental management practices especially when determining cemetery sites and their preservation.

    Dr.Rose Mukankomeje, Director General Rwanda Environment Management Authority says, “With the allocation of these grave yards, people in charge should always first consult the environmentalists to make environmental impact assessment so that the area can not affect the surroundings in the long run by having a negative impact”.

    According to UN health Experts, during purification of the human corpse, there is a seepage of decay products into percolating water. The seepage contains bacteria, viruses and organic and inorganic chemical decomposition products.

    If the cemetery is located in a porous soil type, such as sand or gravel, movement of seepage can be rapid and mix easily with the groundwater beneath the site.

    This could conceivably be a cause of local epidemics from waterborne diseases, where the groundwater is used as a water source.

    Typical microorganisms known to be responsible for waterborne diseases and present in seepage include micrococcaceae, streptococci, bacillus and entrobacteria.

    There is no doubt by nature of Rwanda’s hill topography and weather pattern, most water sources are spring wells, mostly located at foothills. Most of the gravesites are in somewhat sitting on down hills. This makes it unavoidable for runoff water to cause seepages.

    The quantity of decay products from buried people and wood, fabrics and plastics used in coffins is directly influenced by the age and number of the human corpses decaying in the cemetery at any one time.

    Ideally, coffins should be made of materials that decompose rapidly and do not release persistent chemical by-products into the environment.

    Given the need for an increase in the number of burial sites in Rwanda, there is a need to identify more precisely if, or in what way, cemeteries have any harmful impacts on the environment and public health.

    One approach would be to establish a set of basic design criteria for the siting and construction of cemeteries.

    Careful consideration has to be given to finding the most suitable soil types in which to bury human remains so as to minimize the effect of seepage on the environment and public health.

    In cemeteries, human corpses may cause groundwater pollution not because of any specific toxicity they possess, but by increasing the concentrations of naturally occurring organic and inorganic substances to a level sufficient to render groundwaters unusable or unpotable.

    No reports have been found about epidemics or widespread disease outbreaks that were unequivocally the result of seepage from cemeteries. However, doubt and concern persist due to the paucity of sufficient and clear scientific data.

    However, Dr. Mukankomeje suggests that, “To me I think the better way of burying people in our small nation, let’s adopt the way of deepening the underground and have one mass grave per family.

    “Then the process will cover a small portion or adopt other ways like cremation (burning bodies). This can also work out well since it is well applied in other foreign countries”. She suggested.

    When contacted, the Gasabo district Mayor Willy Ndizeye said: “In our terms of reference which were made by experts in this section, everything and environmental impact assessment inclusive were considered while allocating our new burial yard and therefore I don’t expect any negative impact on environment.

    “There will also be people cleaning the site all the time. It is to be built in a modern way since it’s a survey that was carried out from other developed countries about the construction of burial sites.” The Mayor stressed.

    “On the issue of land, yes I understand it takes a big area for the burial sites but still it’s our culture and we have to respect it until we come and see other possible ways like cremation.”

    The current policy on the graves; length takes 2.30m, width is 80cm and depth take 1.5m.

    Capitholine Musabyeyezu, the President Twifatanye Funerarium Cooperative at Kimironko burial site in Gasabo commonly known as iwabo watwese says: “we felt concerned and developed a proposal and submitted to the district proposing a new policy.

    “It involves removing dead bodies from the grave yard after a period of twenty years and remains can be removed and kept in shelves in a small place so that the land can be used for other purposes.”

    In order to identify the environmental impacts of cemeteries, information is needed on the survival of bacteria and viruses and the fate of the decay products from human corpses in soils and groundwater.

    Both survival and retention are dependent on the type of the soil in which a cemetery is sited, the type of microorganisms present, the prevailing ground temperature and rainfall.

    Scientific research indicates that microorganism die-off rates increase approximately two times faster with every 10 °C rise in temperature between 5 °C to 30 °C (4). Consequently, the survival of the microorganisms is prolonged considerably at lower temperatures. Several organisms in the soil are known to survive better in a pH range of 6–7, and die off more quickly under more acidic soil conditions.

    Adsorption is the major factor controlling virus retention. Most polioviruses are held in the soil layer. Viruses may move through some soils to the groundwater with the help of rainfall and downward seepage flow.Polioviruses may move considerable distances through sandy forest soils and gravels.

    Other soil properties such as particle size, clay content, cation exchange capacity and moisture influence retention, but the relative extent to which they do this requires further research.

    Climatic factors such as rainfall also influence retention. They increase the mobilization of bacteria and viruses from tissues retained on soil particles, and facilitate their transportation to groundwater.