Grenade suspects apply for bail in High Court

Close to 30 men suspected to be behind the spate of grenade attacks in the country, early this week appealed to the High Court against their provisional detention.

This follows a decision by Nyarugenge Intermediate Court to deny them bail, owing to the gravity of their crimes and the fact that they do not have physical addresses.

The men, suspected to be working for the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) militia, with an aim of destabilising the country, challenged the decision of the lower court saying that they had been in detention for long.

The prosecution, however, argued that the decision by the Nyarugenge Court should be upheld because there is concrete evidence incriminating the accused and most of them pleaded guilty. The High Court will pronounce the verdict on Monday, April 4, 2010.

C’wealth pledges to support local media
The Deputy Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Mmasekgoa Masire-Mwamba, has said that the 54-member country bloc will support the local media through sharing experience and offering technical expertise.Mwamba made the remarks after meeting the caretaker Minister for Information, Protais Musoni, ahead of the  just concluded Commonwealth Forum on Media and Economic Development.

Masire-Mwamba also highlighted some key issues that the local media need to address; some include facilitation and capacity building.

The Minister noted that both the Commonwealth and the government share the conviction that a vibrant, accountable and professional media is a cornerstone for building strong, effective and accountable democratic institutions - key drivers of good governance and development.

Stolen fertilisers recovered in Rusizi
Police in Rusizi District have impounded 26 sacks of NPK fertilisers recovered from people who were smuggling it to Burundi.

They also arrested three men in connection with the smuggling. The fertilizers are part of the consignment the government supplies to farmers at subsidized prices.

The ministry of Agriculture offers NPK fertilisers to farmers at affordable costs, to boost production. Police, blamed farmers who sell their fertilisers, instead of applying them on their farms. This is the second time smuggled NPK fertilisers are seized in Rusizi. Over 100 sacks were recovered last year.

EAC to modernise border markets
The East African Community (EAC) will modernise market places located at the borders of the five partner states, by providing the necessary infrastructure to make them more attractive.

Alloys Mutabingwa, the EAC Deputy Secretary General in charge of Planning and Infrastructure, said that the initiative will make the markets more profitable. "It is important to make ordinary people realise the benefits of easing the border movements and also creating those marketplaces within the picture of Common Market protocol,” Mutabingwa said.

RPPA blacklists 43 companies
A total of 43 companies are currently on the blacklist of the Rwanda Public Procurement Authority (RPPA) after they were found to have flouted tendering procedures across the country.The list of blacklisted companies is posted on the NPPA website.

This was announced by the RPPA Director, Augustus Seminega, during an exclusive interview with The New Times.

Seminega said that any company that violates the procurement law is subject to punishment which includes blacklisting for up to 3 years. A blacklisted company is barred from bidding for public tenders. Seminega added that 56 companies had served blacklisting terms since 2005 when RPPA was established. He cautioned companies against breaking the law

EAC varsity fee structures still discriminative
Most universities within the East African Community (EAC) still impose discriminative school fees on students from the region, despite a directive from the Council of Ministers calling for uniform structures.

The Chairperson of the EAC Council of Ministers, Hafsa Mossi, said this on Thursday while addressing a session of the East African Legislative Assembly, currently underway in Kigali.

Mossi, who is also the Burundian Minister for EAC, said that the majority of regional universities that have complied were private, which she attributed to the fact that these usually charge commercial fees as compared to the public institutions.

EALA hails Mwapachu
The East African Legislative Assembly (EALA), mid-this week, paid tribute to the outgoing EAC Secretary General, Ambassador Juma Mwapachu of Tanzania, for his exemplary work in the advancement of the community. Members of EALA met in Kigali for their 4th ordinary session.

Reading the assembly resolution to the House, Clarkson Karan described Mwapachu as a dedicated hardworking civil servant who always led by example. "His work is self evident through significant milestones and achievements throughout his tenure.

He performed beyond expectations and we hope his successor will build upon his legacy and extend the growth of this EAC,” Karan said. He added that Mwapachu steered the community from hard times and managed to build a stronger bloc trusted by donors who increased their funding to the Community.

Mwapachu’s tenure as EAC Secretary General began in April 2006 and comes to an end this month. A candidate from either Rwanda or Burundi is expected to take up the post.

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