Rwanda: Moral Values Thrown to the Dogs, As Pastor And Economist Incarcerated

George Kagame29 September 2007
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Kigali — Altering tender regulations to benefit themselves is the latest favourite pursuit for many officials in Rwanda's public sector; from senior officials in government ministries to public parastatals have not spared the tax payer in their effort to fleece money from public coffers.



Retired Colonel Charles Musitu and Anastace Ntabahire-both senior officers with Travaux d'Interets Generals (TIG) are accused of breaking the law while awarding Prosper Muhirwa-a businessman a tender to supply food to prisoners in the Southern Province. The two cohorts awarded the deal worth Frw 43 million to Muhirwa without the consent of their boss, Emmanuel Twagiramukiza. The corruption suspects on top of side stepping the law, also inflated the value of the tender from Frw 28m to Frw 43m, and never advertised the deal as the law stipulates-instead they just called Muhirwa at a personal level that he had won the tender.

Like Commerce Minister Protais Mitali-who was accused of allegedly messing up the tender to import oil into Rwanda, the two TIG officials reverted to the time tested cliché- they were trying to avert a food shortage crisis at a prison facility in Kamonyi District. Twagiramukiza, (who has since left TIG), has vehemently refuted reports that Musitu and his colleague were solving a food shortage crisis, "They had more than thirty days to handle this particular case, which they did not." he said. TIG serves community by organising community service activities for Genocide convicts. In a related development, a senior official from the Ministry of Finance Jean Jacques Nyirubutama who is accused of defiling his 14 year old housemaid will have more days languishing in the less alluring environs of Central Prison. This is after prosecution refused to accept his plea for bail at Nyarugenge court of Lower Instance.

Moral corruption has attacked the house of God as well-at the heart of Kigali's Shining Light church actually.


Pastor Charles Murenzi has been in the media lately for all the wrong reasons-but he has also consistently been on the defensive. First it was a couple of girls who accused him of sexual harassment, then one of the girls allegedly 'kidnapped' his teenage daughter-who mysteriously disappeared from home and according to reports headed to Kampala, only to return by herself. Now Pastor Murenzi has been arrested for rape and defilement cases. The whole of seven girls reported to CID headquarters how their pastor Murenzi has sexually harrassing them in the past.

Unfortunately Murenzi, accompanied by his wife Jolly is the one who took himself to be arrested by Police; he had gone to Kacyiru Police headquarters to deny the accusations of the girls, who say the Jesus man(Sajjawalyayesu as known in Uganda where he was a pastor too) used them whenever his wife was away. Murenzi who works for his wife as an assistant pastor in the family run Shining Light Church has come out strongly to defend her husband against all the accusations. Concerned with the increasing reduction of moral values in this country, Parliament has decided to institute a law banning the practice of homosexuality in Rwanda. Though the homosexuality syndrome in Rwanda has so far been appearing in prisons, the legislators are concerned that the practice will soon break into mainstream society as it has happened in neighbouring countries in the Great Lakes Region.


Nonetheless, the legislators say they need to prempt the issue, "We don't have a specific law against homosexuality but we have a law that states that a person gets married to another person of the opposite sex," Francis Kaboneka said. It remains to be seen what the government will do about homosexuality, as Justice Minster Tharcisse Karugarama said, "Issues of prostitution and homosexuality are sensitive but government has more concerns to give prominence to than those."

It is generally considered that government exists to help society understand and participate in sensitive issues-there's room for wonder what exactly the honourable minister meant by "sensitive". While many public leaders are busy fighting to retrieve their loss integrity or lack of it, two senior army officials were recently in the dock for allegedly facilitating the escape of city Tycoon Assinapol Rwigara. General Kaka and Rusagara won the right to have theirs (integrity) as they were acquitted by the Military Tribunal. The court did not find evidence enough to incarcerate the army top shots for unprofessional behaviour of disrupting justice and letting Rwigara off the hook during a funeral early last month. The Judicial Sector in Ruhango is at loggerheads after the disappearance of court files containing the minutes of cases against Genocide suspects in the area. Genocide survivors in the area allege that the case of one Thaddee Mukezabatware, an official with the Adventist Relief Agency-ADRA has not been brought to answer; they also accuse the Adventist church of blocking Gacaca proceedings by using biblical teachings before and after Gacaca sessions.

"The suspected Genocide masterminds are protected by the church and Mukezabataware is one of them." Mulinda Byuma one of the survivors says.


Rwandan business tycoon Miko Rwayitare 65 passed on to the next world last Tuesday while undergoing a routine surgical operation in a Belgian Clinic. Miko was a multi millionaire with huge investments in the telecommunication industry owning 40 percent of cellular networks that serve the Sub Saharan regional market. He is also listed as the first person to make a cellular call on the African continent in 1986, according to UCT School of Business. The billionaire was buried on Thursday in South Africa. Miko's death comes not long after the death of another money magnate Vedaste Rubangura. The tribal wars in Eastern Congo were back again last week after a brief period of a ceasefire between General Laurent Nkunda and the DR Congo government, the armistice lasted for only three weeks. Nkunda- it has come to light is not fighting against the government of DR Congo but fighters belonging to Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda-who stand accused of carrying out the 1994 Genocide, these bandits want to exterminate Congolese Tutsi tribesmen to which Nkunda belongs.

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Rwanda is the most improved nation according to The Ibrahim Mo index; the index compiles data about government in African countries and rates the countries according to improvements in the public, private and security sectors. Mo Ibrahim is a Sudanese entrepreneur that has set up a different version of awards to rival the Noble prizes. The prizes will be awarded to African leaders that demonstrate commitment to improving the quality of life for their citizens. Bernard Kouchner and Dr Charles Muligande Foreign Affairs minister for France and Rwanda respectively met in New York last week for the first time since relations between the two countries broke off diplomatic relations a year ago. It was not established what exactly the two ministers discussed but analysts say the meeting could help starting dialogue between the two states.

From sports circles it has been reported soccer super stars Zinedine Zidane Didier Drogba, Nwanko Kanu, are expected in the country-yes-Rwanda for a charity match in the weekend of 13-15 October.

Minister Habineza said the match is aimed at boosting football standards in the country as well as improving bilateral relationships between French soccer players and their counties of origin. It is not known yet which among France's black players on the national team is from Rwanda.