Politics

The East African Community (EAC) Secretariat has called off the controversial job interviews in which Uganda felt it was unfairly edged out of the process by some of the partners states. In a statement issued yesterday, the Secretariat’s media unit said the interviews that had been scheduled to start on…

Across a range of political, scientific and medical, public and cultural issues arising from government operations, some politicians have emerged stars of the political moment. It is a sweat moment craved by political figures and they usually respond ‘appropriately’. These performances of political rhetoric exemplify observation in various studies that…

Communities supposed to be worried about the fate of Rwanda’s most significant river are actually the ones who are its biggest threat, a new study suggests. The findings of a research commissioned by the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda (DGPR) shows that the waste produced in our homes is biggest…

The UN Population Fund has recalled its Ethiopia chief, the agency said Tuesday, the second such departure this month following an explosive interview in which both officials complained of being sidelined by UN higher-ups they claimed were sympathetic to Tigrayan rebels. The departure of Dennia Gayle, country representative for UNFPA,…

Dushimirimana Antoinette, who appeared in a viral YouTube video last month making serious allegations is currently in detention awaiting prosecution for attempting to illegally cross border. The Immigration and Emigration Directorate says the woman was arrested September 29 after together with her husband attempted to cross to Uganda through an…

At least ten people, all of whom are from the Muslim community, have been missing since August 30 – with families searching for them unsuccessfully. Some of them, appeared today among 13 suspects including a woman, paraded by Police and RIB as having been planning to blow up busy parts…

When a finance ministry delegation appeared on Monday before the Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC), it had no substantive response as to why development projects worth hundreds of billions remain on paper. The finance minister Dr. Uzziel Ndagijimana with his two deputies, Dr. Uwera Claudine and Richard Tusabe dodged the…

Appearing for the second time for hearing of his case, Dr Kayumba Christopher, founding leader of the Rwandese Platform for Democracy (RPD), has told court that his detainers are blocking his rights. In a virtual session at Kagarama Primary Court in Kicukiro which started more than six hours late, as…

Despite efforts used and put in place to prevent loss of much-needed medicines, there is still poor inventory management and big loss due to expiry of medicines at the Government’s Medical Procurement and Production Division (MPPD), the agency that handles medicine imports. During five years from 2014 up to 2018,…

Rwanda’s High Court Chamber for International Crimes has found Hotel Rwanda movie’s personality Paul Rusesabagina gulty of serious charges. He faces many years in jail. Rusesabagina and co-accus Nsabimana Calixte aka Sankara were found guilty of forming and financing a terrorist organisation, which launched armed attacks on the Rwandan territory,…

It was one of the most admired family names in Rwanda. They owned prime real estate and many other businesses left, right and centre, some of them fictitiously attributed to the family. Today, the family is a different self. The patriarch is no more, let him RIP. Their businesses have…

Virginia Ironside’s book ‘You’ll Get Over It’ has an interesting subtitle – The Rage of Bereavement. That description may resonate with many of us, but even if you’ve not felt actual ‘rage’ at the loss of your loved one, ‘anger’ may be a more familiar emotion. It’s a common thread running through the…

Local and security officials in Gisagara district were shocked when they were led to a house in which a man lay in pain as a result of beatings by his wife. The case emerged from a chorus of reports recorded during a sensitisation tour in Mamba sector of Gisagara district…

Days after President Paul Kagame called for “costly” punishment for people involved in sexual abuse crimes, his team seems to have listened intently. The Rwanda Investigations Bureau (RIB) announced Thursday mid-afternoon that it had arrested Dr Christopher Kayumba, the founding president of political organization Rwandese Platform for Democracy (RPD). On…

President Évariste Ndayishimiye’s efforts to signal a more media-friendly environment do not amount to a clean break with Burundi’s recent history of media repression. The government should unconditionally lift all media bans, overturn convictions of exiled journalists, and overhaul laws that restrict the journalists’ work. NAIROBI – Jean Bigirimana, a…

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Africa has relied on bilateral agreements and multilateral platforms like COVAX to deliver vaccine doses. But these have proved far from adequate, demonstrating just how important it is for the continent to develop its pharmaceutical industry. WASHINGTON, DC – During the pandemic, wealthy countries led the…

The relationship between President Paul Kagame and Ugandan counterpart Tibuhaburwa Yoweri Museveni appears to be over unless Rwanda’s neighbour to the north does something spectacular. That’s the message one gets from the words and body language of Kagame at a television engagement with journalists and selected citizens today. For the…

A debate has been raging as to whether Rwandan authorities acted properly when they deported a Belgian lawyer Vincent Lurquin who showed up in the court session of “Hotel Rwanda” movie figure Paul Rusesabagina. Subsequent explanations by government and the Rwanda Bar Association, was that Lurquin had entered Rwanda on…

With an economy battered, a tired population treated to regular images of people in neighbouring countries going about normal, government appears to be preparing the Rwandan population for full reopening. The ongoing restrictions are simply too costly at different levels. The way the messaging is evolving since the beginning of…

The High Court sitting in Nyanza district, Southern Rwanda, has set September 30 to deliver verdict in a case of a woman who claimed in YouTube videos that President Paul Kagame had died. Idamange Iryamugwiza Yvonne, 42, and mother of 4, has been hearing her case in camera since June.…

As the genocide against the Tutsi unfolded in 1994, the Netherlands minister for development cooperation Jan Pronk was one of the few vocal voices calling for the intervention of the international community. Pronk actually visited Rwanda on May 11-17, 1994. He saw first-hand what was going on. The Netherlands, with…

In Rubavu district, several years ago, the daughter of 51-year-old Kamaliza (not real name) who is blind, could not attend school despite living within walking distance of a free government school. The mother claims that she didn’t have money to buy school materials and uniforms, and they would often go…

The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) has thousands of pending applications for asylum by Rwandans running away from their country, data from the agency shows, despite vigorous government efforts to end refugee-hood and the ruling RPF’s long declared wish to end causes of refugees. As of the end of 2020, the…

Death is as natural to all human beings as life itself. Regardless of one’s station in life or nationality, race and geography, it’s common to all. Because it’s inescapable, death tends to unite people in most societies regardless of political or other differences. In some nations it’s even celebrated. In…

The case of detained former University of Rwanda (UR) computer science lecturer Aimable Karasira has taken a new twist. Appearing today virtually for hearing of his bail application, Karasira made an allegation which will open a new direction for his case, at least in the court of public opinion. Karasira…

The Ministry of National Unity and Civic Engagement established Wednesday has provoked expected heated emotions with some of President Paul Kagame’s fierce critics wondering why it has taken him 27-years to set up the institution. The new institution was communicated in a communique from the cabinet meeting held on Wednesday…

The cold war between Rwanda and its northern neighbor Uganda is taking on a new shape; who will better deal with the raging COVID-19 pandemic. In the six-member bloc of the East African Community; Rwanda, Uganda and Kenya are undergoing major infection waves that began in May. The neighbours Burundi…

The Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) announced nearly a month ago that it would send a standby force to Mozambique “to combat terrorism”. However, while the bloc is still discussing the matter, Rwanda this Friday sent 1000 soldiers and police in a surprise deployment. Until today, there was no sign…

At the beginning of any given financial year, each state institution has a plan of what it will do. They issue tenders going into the billions. Ordinarily, any Rwandan with the requisite competence can seek any of the contracts, at least that is what is on paper. A trend has…

The Members of the East African Legislative Assembly are demanding that they be paid their allowances or else they may refuse to pass the secretariat’s budget. The lawmakers from Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Uganda, Tanzania and South Sudan say they have not been paid allowances for the sessions they had for…