Politics

Although strides have been made, the level of skill development in Rwanda remains insufficient for achieving the country’s development ambitions, says the latest World Bank Economic Update released today. As a result, a significant skills gap exists in Rwanda due to a mismatch between the demand and supply of qualified…

Imagine a time when only 2.6% of Rwandans had health insurance. This wasn’t a distant past, but the reality for Rwanda in the mid-1990s. Access to healthcare was limited, and life expectancy remained tragically low. However, this data point serves as a powerful starting point to appreciate Rwanda’s remarkable journey…

At the media podium on all the campaign sites of President Paul Kagame and his coalition partners, there is an unusual sight; popular YouTubers and social media influencers. These have not come alone, they have teams of assistants. Welcome to the RPF Inkotanyi presidential campaign 2024. For the 2017 campaign, social media was there. But not in the same fashion and format we…

Following independence, the Gregoire Kayibanda government planned a donor-funded road to directly connect Ruhengeri (now Musanze) in the north with Gitarama (now Muhanga) in the center. The whole ruling class hailed from the latter. However, after Juvenal Habyarimana took power in 1973, the project was scrapped. Instead, a new road…

On April 8, 1993, UN special rapporteur Bacre Waly Ndiaye arrived in Rwanda to investigate the worsening political, security and humanitarian  situation. He visited several camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs) spread in different parts of the country. In a report, following his week-long trip, Ndiaye wrote that the camps…

Rwanda stands at a crossroads as it heads into the general election; parliamentary and presidential due July-September, 2024. To shed light on this critical moment, we are launching a groundbreaking data project – a deep exploration of Rwanda’s transformation over the past 30 years, as seen from the prism of the…

Dr Frank Habineza speaks to his wife during the campaign trail in 2017 In early 2003, young university student Frank Habineza travelled to the UK at invitation of friends he had met previously at various international climate conferences. He found they were political figures with a party promoting green agenda.…

On January 31, 2023, the Lower Chamber of Parliament set up Ad hoc Committee to assess the legacy of colonial history as one of the sources of the conflicts in the east of DR Congo and its impact on the relations between DRC and Rwanda. This Wednesday, the 9-member team…

The Vatican has stressed that allowing priests to bless same-sex couples is not an endorsement of homosexuality, but neither is it blasphemous, after some Catholic bishops reacted negatively to the measure announced last month. Pope Francis approved a ruling in December allowing priests to bless unmarried and same-sex couples so long…

Then Prime Minister Faustin Twagiramungu attends swearing of new Deputies in Kigali as post-genocide government was being put in place (Photo by Jacques Langevin/Sygma/Sygma via Getty Images) RPF ideologue Tito Rutaremara, popularly referred to as Muzehe Tito, was among very few people, who could sit on the opposite side of…

What has happened since the arrest five months ago in South Africa of Fulgence Kayishema, one of the last four fugitives wanted for their role in the 1994 genocide in Rwanda? A new arrest warrant was made public in September, calling for him to be transferred to the UN Mechanism in Arusha, rather…

Rwandan peacekeeper provide medical services to a resident in Sam-Ouandja City in Central African Republic. Truth is always the first casualty in war. This well-worn maxim serves as an important reminder that mis- and disinformation is not a new problem. However, with today’s fast-changing communications landscape and developing digital platforms,…

Njuguna Joseph, a Kenya, was director of the school of journalism at University of Rwanda. He is no longer and said to have since returned to Kenya. As prosecution’s appeal against Dr Kayumba Christopher acquittal got underway at the High Court in Kigali, serious questions hung over one prosecution witness;…

On this Monday September 18, the Kigali High Court is set to start hearing of the case in which prosecution is challenging the acquittal of Dr. Kayumba Christopher Dr Kayumba was set off the hook by the Nyarugenge Intermediate Court on February 22, 2023. He was immediately released from more…

Alicia Herbert, OBE (Middle) shares a light moment with Rwandan girls and boys at EPAK Don Bosco School A UK Special Envoy who is in Rwanda to attend the 2023 Women Deliver conference has recommended Rwanda for the progress made in English learning and giving girls spaces to build their…

Delegates at the opening ceremony of the Women Deliver 2023 Conference in Kigali, Rwanda Delegates attend the opening ceremony of the Women Deliver conference in Kigali, Rwanda. Photo/UN Women A global report by UN Women and UNDP shows that no country has achieved full gender parity.  According to the report,…

In Bwiza village, they are recieving a district certificate during one of the twice-weekly meetings. The certificate was for being a model village for social order Imagine living in a community for three to four years without seeing a security patrol vehicle. No single crime is recorded at Police. Neighbors…

Dr Christopher Kayumba at the High Court during a previous appearance University academic and media expert Dr Kayumba Christopher appeared this Monday at the High Court in Kigali after prosecution appealed against his acquittal by a lower court. However, the hearing was immediately adjourned at the request of Dr Kayumba.…

Coup attempts were frequent in Africa in the post-independence and Cold War periods.  By comparison, the past 20 or so years have been quiet. From 2011 through 2020, the continent averaged fewer than one completed coup per year. But since then, the relative stability has given way to what looks…

Last week President Paul Kagame indicated to Parliament that he would submit amendments to the 2015 Constitution. Day later, Justice Minister and Attorney General Dr. Emmanuel Ugirashebuja, appeared in the Chamber of Deputies to put forward the amedments. Among amendments President Kagame is proposing is merging elections. Presidential, senatorial and…

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Here is a supply center for charcoal in Goma. The UN estimates much of the charcoal used in eastern DR Congo is supplied by FDLR militia from their bases they’ve held for over 20 years With sales of Hemp, charcoal, ivory and taxation – Rwandan FDLR rebels are making millions…

Moving away from previous many years, President Kagame Kagame used nearly his whole New Year speech to address relations with large neighbor DR Congo. Burundi, with which relations have been bad until recently, was given praises. FULL SPEECH BELOW As we conclude 2022, I would like to thank Rwandans for…

With the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit, Washington appears to be finally reframing its relationship with Africa in largely positive terms. Yet much hinges on the financing and implementation of the dozens of initiatives announced at the summit. The second edition of the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit (ALS) took place in Washington last…

Dr Christopher Kayumba (R) and his lawyer Seif Ntirenganya during earlier appearance while still in RIB custody Both academic-turned-politician Dr Kayumba Christopher and university lecturer-turned-YouTuber Aimable Karasira appeared this Friday in court for their separate cases. Dr Kayumba was arrested in September last year, on allegations of rape and attempted…

On October 31, the Bangui-based Special Criminal Court issued its first verdict. It found three former members of a Central African armed group guilty of crimes against humanity and war crimes committed in 2019. One of the convicts received a life sentence, while the other two got 20 years in…

President Samia Suluhu The Resident Magistrate’s Court of Simiyu Region has sentenced Levinus Kidanabi, popularly known as ‘Chief Son’s’ to seven years in prison and a fine of Sh10 million for defaming the President of the Republic of Tanzania, Samia Suluhu Hassan. He was sentenced to another two years and…

The long-awaited trial of Félicien Kabuga, alleged mastermind of the 1994 Rwandan genocide, is due to start on September 29 in The Hague. However, the accused is appearing with a lawyer he has been rejecting for almost two years. The trial is threatened by the 89-year-old’s frail health and the…

South Sudan President Salva Kiir A long-running state of insecurity has recently intensified in Unity State – one of South Sudan’s 10 states – resulting in many innocent lives being lost. The security crisis is being stoked by many factors. One is fighting between sections of the civilian population, caused by cattle raiding, among…

Anti Xenophobia demo Cape Town, South Africa May 2008 (Photo by Mikko Kapanen) In South Africa, immigrants are often scapegoated as the root of socio-economic problems. In the post-apartheid landscape, Black African immigrants, mainly, from other African countries have been negatively stereotyped as “illegal” and “job stealers” who are “criminal”…