Weekly Review

Kigali mayor apologises to Jabana residents The week wound up by reports of the Kigali City Council mayor apologizing to the Jabana residents for not taking action when the city was told of the dangers posed by stone mining activities in the area. The mayor made the apologies mid-week during a visit to the area, where she promised to act as quickly as possible to solve the problem. National dialogue held The week also saw the occasion of the 7th National Dialogue (Umushyikirano) which among other key agendas was assessing the country’s progress and plotting new strategies that will guide the country towards a fast-tracked development path. The high level meeting convened annually was opened by President Paul Kagame and brought together the country’s leadership, civil society, the Rwandan Diaspora, diplomatic corps, development partners and special visitors from 26 countries. Kigali ireless broad band launched In what can be termed as a breakthrough in the internet service, this week saw the official launch of the Kigali Wireless Broadband (WiBro) Network and the Kigali Metropolitan Network (KMN) after two years of work on the infrastructure development. With the two projects, which were deployed by Korea Telecom (KT), Internet users in Kigali city will be able to enjoy data connectivity and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services. WiBro is a wireless broadband Internet technology which allows people on the move to remain connected to the Web. Kagame issues ultimatum on illegal girinka beneficiaries Individuals who illegally benefitted from the One Cow per poor family popularly known as ‘Gir’inka project’ were ordered to return the cows with immediate effect. The order was given by President Paul Kagame while addressing the 7th National Dialogue at Parliament . Kagame’s stern warning was provoked by remarks from the Ombudsman, Tito Rutaremara, that the project which was meant to benefit the rural poor was instead benefitting local leaders. Inflation drops It was reported that Rwanda’s year-on-year inflation dropped by 0.33 percent to 5.59 percent from 5.92 percent the previous month, according to the October National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (NISR) report. The underlying inflation rate-excluding fresh food and energy was established at 3.20 percent in the month of October, the statistics body said in a statement. The increase in the consumer prices index is attributable primarily to the increase in food and non-alcoholic beverages which rose by 1.68 percent, housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels 0.71 percent as well as transport 0.87 percent. Fuel pump price to remain stable Government officials said that fuel pump prices on the local market will remain stable despite a drop in international oil prices. Monique Nsanzabaganwa, the Minister of Trade and Commerce said that there is a criteria put in place to cushion any effects from the trends in the international market. She how ever declined to predict whether the prices will be changing now. Genocide survivors call for compensation The National Commission for the fight against the Genocide (CNLG) has called for a high level consensus on compensation to be given to survivors of the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi. The call was made by CNLG’s Executive Secretary, Jean de Dieu Mucyo, during a one-day conference organized by the commission early this week. PLP donates to child headed households It was reported that Peace and Love Proclaimers (PLP), an organisation that is comprised of Rwandan youths over the weekend donated food stuffs and materials worth Rwf12m to Niboye Peace Village, an estate of Child Headed Households (CHHs). In an interview with The New Times Marc Gwamaka head of PLP expressed gratitude to the organisation’s members and other partners who made this exercise possible and called upon more people to contribute to the welfare of vulnerable children. Ends