Ibi babigarutseho ku ya 29 Kamena 2024 bari kwamamaza Umukandida Perezida Paul Kagame watanzwe n'Umuryango FPR Inkotanyi n'indi mitwe ya politiki yamushyigikiye ndetse no kwamamaza Abakandida depite b'iri shyaka, mu gikorwa cyabereye mu Karere ka Rubavu.
Avuga imigabo n'imigambi by'iri shyaka, Visi Perezida wa mbere wa PSD, Muhakwa Valens, yavuze ko kuri ubu umugore yamaze kwiyubaka ku buryo 30% bagenerwaga n'itegeko ikwiye guhinduka bagahabwa amahirwe angana n'ay'abagabo bakagera kuri 50% mu myanya ifata ibyemezo.
Yagiye ati “Twifuza ko habaho 50% kubera impamvu nyamukuru yo kuvuga ngo ubu igihugu aho kigeze umugore amaze kwiyubaka ku rwego rwo gutanga ibitekerezo, ku rwego rw'ubumenyi, urwego rw'ubuhanga n'ubushobozi.”
Yakomeje ati “Mu rwego rw'uburinganire ni ngombwa ko habaho iryo hame rya 50% ku bagore na 50% ku bagabo kandi byagaragaye ko nta mpungenge zihari ibitekerezo umugabo atanga nibyo umugore atanga igihugu kigakomeza gutera imbere hatabayeho kuvuga ngo ibi byatanzwe na runaka ibi byatanzwe na runaka.”
Iri shyaka rivuga ko nta mpungenge zihari z'uko ibyo bizashyirwa mu bikorwa kubera ko mu myaka 30 y'urugendo rwo kubakwa igihugu, ihame rya 30% by'abagore mu myanya ifata ibyemezo bagaragaje ubushobozi bugaragarira bose igisigaye ari ugishyiraho itegeko ribaha amahirwe angana n'abagabo.
Ishyaka Riharanira Demokarasi n'Imibereho myiza y'abaturage, PSD, rifite abakandida 53 riri kwamamaza ku myanya y'abadepite mu matora ateganyijwe kuri 15 Nyakanga 2024 yahujwe n'ay'Umukuru w'Igihugu.
Abarwanashyaka ba PSD bagaragaje ko bishimiye ibyo bagezeho n’ibiteganyijwe gukorwa
PDS yemeje ko aho ibihe bigeze abagore bahabwa 50% mu myanya ifata ibyemezo
Yavuze kandi uburyo yabonye amahirwe yo kwinjira mu ndege bwa mbere abikesha Perezida wa Repubulika Paul Kagame ari nayo mpamvu azakomeza kumushyigikira mu matora ari imbere.
Ubu buhamya yabutanze ku wa Gatandatu tariki ya 29 Kamena 2024 ubwo Abakandida depite ba FPR-Inkotanyi biyamamarizaga mu Murenge wa Sake ahahuriye abanyamuryango benshi bo mu Karere ka Ngoma.
Uretse kwamamaza aba ba depite hanamamajwe Umukandida wa FPR-Inkotanyi ku mwanya w'Umukuru w'Igihugu, Paul Kagame.
Bakorana n'abahinzi babagemurira umusaruro 2300 bo muri aka Karere, bafite abakozi bahembwa 30, bafite ubushobzoi bwo gukora ibyo kurya by'abana n'amafu anyuranye. Kuri ubu rufite agaciro ka miliyoni 400 Frw.
Bizimana yavuze ko kugira ngo agere kuri urwo ruganda byagizwemo uruhare na Perezida Kagame binyuze mu miyoborere myiza ye, yatanze urugero rw'ibyo yabayemo birimo kwiga arindiwe umutekano.
Ati ' Njye nize ku Nyundo ariko twigaga Inkotanyi ziturinze, mu 1997 twigaga turi kumwe n'abasirikare baturinze. Dusoje amashuri yisumbuye banyohereje gukorera Kirehe ariko ngenda mfite umwenda ukomeye wo kugira uruhare mu kuzamura igihugu, nishyuriye abanyeshuri batandatu barangiza kwiga amashuri yisumbuye.'
Bizimana yavuze ko agikora kwa muganga yabonaga ababyeyi bafite imirire mibi ukuntu bitabwaho n'amafu avuye muri Amerika n'u Bufaransa bituma agira ishyaka ryo gushaka uko yakora ayo mafu mu bihingwa bihingwa imbere mu gihugu.
Bizimana yavuze ko ubwo Perezida Kagame yasuraga ibitaro bya Kirehe akabona hari abaturage barwaye bwaki yibajije niba nta cyakorwa ngo abantu bikure muri icyo kibazo.
Ati 'Nahise mbyumva vuba kuko nashakaga kubikora, natangije rero ibikoresho bike ntangira gukora amafu yo kurwanya imirire mibi, nakoze amarushanwa yo guteza urubyiruko imbere mba umwe mu batsinze, nahawe miliyoni 2 Frw mpita ntangiza uruganda ruto rwo gukora ya mafu, nagiye mfashwa na BDF mbona miliyoni 50 Frw nkomeza kwagura ibyo nkora.'
Bizimana yakomeje avuga ko mu rwego rwo kunguka ubumenyi no kuzamura ibyo akora Leta yamufashije kujya mu Burayi na Koreya y'Epfo yiga uko bakora ibyo kurya by'abana bikabarinda igwingira, ibyo byose akaba yarabifashijwe nta kiguzi ahubwo ari ukubera Leta nziza iyobowe na Perezida Kagame.
Ati 'Ikintu cyantangaje nshaka kubasangiza nagiye mu ndege bwa mbere kubera ubuyobozi bwiza, tugeze hanze twasanze Umunyarwanda yubashywe cyane kubera Paul Kagame biteye ishema rero kuyoborwa na FPR-Inkotanyi.'
Bizimana yavuze ko mu myaka itanu iri imbere yifuza gukorana n'abahinzi barenga ibihumbi 15, agaha urubyiruko 100 akazi kuko imiyoborere myiza igihari kandi ntawe irobanura.
Bizimana yagaragaje ko iyo hatabaho ubuyobozi bwiza iterambere u Rwanda rugezeho ritari gushoboka
Ati 'Ariya mashyirahamwe y'abakora umwuga w'uburaya ntabwo ari ho dufite ikibazo cyane. Bo bemera kubukoresha [uburyo bubarinda ibyago byo kwandura]. Ikibazo kiri muri ba bandi baba batari mu mashyirahamwe kuko abayarimo bashyizeho uburyo bw'ubukangurambaga tubona bunadufasha. Ahari ikibazo ni bamwe bakora uburaya mu buryo butari ubwa kinyamwuga.'
Umuyobozi w'Akarere ka Rubavu wungirije ushinzwe imirebeho myiza y'abaturage, Umugwaneza Pacifique, yavuze ko koko amashyirahamwe y'abakora uburaya ahari ndetse ko akora ku rwego rwa buri Murenge; aho bifasha ubuyobozi mu kubegera no kubaha ubutumwa.
Ati 'Ubu bafite n'amatsinda yo kubitsa no kugurizanya, tubikora ari uburyo bwo kubigisha kuva muri uyu mwuga, bakayoboka indi myuga itandukanye irimo imirimo y'amaboko bakora ikabatunga atari uyu mwuga w'uburaya kuko tubona urimo ibyago byinshi kuruta uko bakora ibindi.'
Visi Meya Umugwaneza yakomeje avuga ko kubufatanye n'abafatanyabikorwa, buri wese uzwi ubyiyemerera yashyizwe mu ishyirahamwe. Yavuze ko hari irindi bahurizamo abemera kuva mu buraya, bakigishwa imyuga ndetse bakanahabwa ibikoresho bibafasha kwibeshaho.
Uyu muyobozi yavuze ko uko bagenda babegera bakabaganiriza ndetse bakanabafasha kwiga indi myuga, abenshi bagenda bava mu buraya ku buryo bafite icyizere ko bazabugabanya ku kigero cyo hejuru.
Kuri ubu imibare itangwa n'ibitaro bya Rubavu igaragaza ko abafite Virus itera SIDA muri aka Karere bakurikiranwa n'ibigo nderabuzima ari 7780.
CSP Dr Tuganeyezu yavuze ko muri aka Karere bafite abakora uburaya 3620
Umugwaneza yavuze ko bari gufasha abakora uburaya kubureka
Uru rutonde ruriho abantu 9.071.157 barimo ab'igitsina gabo barenga miliyoni 4,2 mu gihe abagore barenga 53% by'abazatora bose; bivuze ko ari 4.845.417.
Imibare ya NEC yatangajwe ku mugoroba wo kuri uyu wa 29 Kamena 2024 igaragaza ko muri abo bantu bazatora harimo urubyiruko rungana na 3.767.187 rugize 42% by'abazitabira amatora.
Gahunda yo kwiyimura no kwikosoza na yo yarangiye ku wa 29 Kamena 2024. Bisobanuye ko urutonde rwashyizwe ahagaragara rw'abazitabira amatora ari ntakuka.
Imibare ya NEC igaragaza ko Intara y'Iburasirazuba iza ku isonga mu kugira abazatora benshi bangana na 2.246.371, Amajyepfo akagira abangana na 2.055.939, Uburengerazuba bukagira 2.038.931, Amajyaruguru akagira 1.480.558 mu gihe Umujyi wa Kigali ufite abazatora 1.172.229.
Ku birebana n'Abanyarwanda bari mu mahanga, imibare yariyongereye cyane ugereranyije n'amatora aheruka kuko kuri uru rutonde ntakuka rwatangajwe bangana na 77.138, barimo abagabo 41.243 n'abagore 35.895 bari mu bihugu bitandukanye.
Uretse imibare irebana n'abari kuri lisiti ntakuka yatangajwe ariko NEC yanatangaje umubare w'ibiro by'itora biri mu gihugu no hanze yacyo.
Yagaragaje ko hari ibiro by'itora bizakoreshwa 2591 birimo ibiro 158 bizifashishwa n'Abanyarwanda bari mu mahanga biri mu bihugu bitandukanye.
Abakandida ku mwanya w'Umukuru w'Igihugu n'Abadepite bari kwiyamamaza hirya no hino mu gihugu, aho bagenda bagaragariza abaturage ibyo bateganya kubagezaho mu gihe bazaba babagiriye icyizere bakabatora.
Ku mwanya w'Umukuru w'Igihugu hari abakandida batatu barimo Paul Kagame watanzwe n'Umuryango wa FPR Inkotanyi, Dr Frank Habineza watanzwe n'Ishyaka rya Green Party ndetse n'umukandida wigenga, Mpayimana Philippe.
Ku mwanya w'Abadepite, abari kwiyamamaza ni 589 bemerewe barimo abaturuka mu mitwe ya politiki itandukanye, umwe wigenga ndetse n'abandi bari mu byiciro byihariye birimo icy'abagore, urubyiruko n'abafite ubumuga.
Biteganyijwe ko amatora y'Umukuru w'Igihugu n'ay'abadepite 53 azaba ku wa 14 Nyakanga 2024 ku Banyarwanda baba mu mahanga no ku wa 15 Nyakanga 2024 ku Banyarwanda baba imbere mu gihugu mu gihe kuri 16 Nyakanga 2024 hazaba amatora y'ibyiciro byihariye.
Tesla is claiming Elon Musk won his legal battle over his $56bn pay package because shareholders voted for the compensation, despite a judge rescinding it earlier this year, according to court filing made public on Friday.
The company's filing comes two weeks after Tesla shareholders voted to ratify the 2018 package of stock options. Tesla held the vote following a January ruling by a Delaware judge to void the compensation because Musk improperly controlled the negotiation process and the company misled shareholders about key details.
The uncertainty in the case hangs over Musk's relationship with Tesla, which is struggling with slower sales and stiffer competition. He has said he might develop some products outside the company if he does not obtain a larger ownership stake.
Tesla made its argument in its proposal for how the judge, Chancellor Kathaleen McCormick of Delaware's court of chancery, should craft a final order that is needed to implement the January ruling. Tesla said the final order should state that 'judgment is entered for the defendants'.
The shareholders' legal team wants the judge to stick with her original ruling voiding Musk's pay package. They want her to order Tesla to pay them potentially billions of dollars worth of Tesla stock as a legal fee award.
Tesla has said a fair fee might be as low as $13.6m.
On Thursday, McCormick ordered the parties to begin preparing briefs laying out their views on the effect of the shareholder vote on the case. She also asked the parties to agree on a date in late July or early August for oral arguments on the issue.
McCormick will hear oral arguments over the legal fee on 8 July and she might take at least a few weeks before ruling.
Even if she does not reverse her January ruling, she might recognize that the shareholder vote demonstrated that there was little value in winning the case because Tesla shareholders want the record-breaking compensation. That would undermine the plaintiff's attorney-fee request, which is based on the value they provided to the company by rescinding the pay package.
Ibyo byagarutsweho mu bikorwa byo kwamamaza umukandida Paul Kagame w'Umuryango FPR Inkotanyi mu matora y'Umukuru w'Igihugu n'ay'Abadepite, byakomereje mu Murenge wa Masaka mu Karere ka Kicukiro mu Mujyi wa Kigali, ku wa Gatandatu tariki 29 Kamena 2024.
Ni ibikorwa byitabiriwe n'Abanyamuryango ibihumbi 25, biyemeza gusigasira ibyo Umuryango wabagejejeho ndetse no kuzongera kuwutora kugira ngo bakomeze kugera ku iterambere.
Umuturage wo mu Murenge wa Masaka mu Kagari ka Mbabe yagaragaje ko azatora FPR Inkotanyi yabubakiye amashuri ndetse ikanatanga amashanyarazi ku buryo usanga abantu baravuye mu bwigunge.
Ati 'Twubakiwe amashuri, dufite amashanyarazi ikiruta byose noneho dufite umutekano. Nkorera mu isoko rya Gahoromani nkataha igihe nshakiye ntikanga uwanyambura, Bivuze ko nzahitamo gusigasira ibyagezweho na Chairman wacu.'
Rutagarama Fred yagize ati 'Uwagaruye ubumwe mu banyarwanda ni we ngomba gutora kuko n'ibikorwa bye birivugira. Reba ibitaro byuzuye hano Masaka, iyi sitade yubatswe ryari niba ubyibuka? Ibi bikorwa remezo ubona n ibyo tugomba gusigasira twitorero umukandida wacu.'
Umwe mu bakandida depite b'Umuryango FPR Inkotanyi, Nkuranga Egide, yavuze ko Umuryango FPR Inkotanyi kuri wo imvugo ni yo ngiro bityo ko bakwiye kuwutora kugira ngo bakomeze kugera ku iterambere.
Ati 'Ibyo Umuryango ubateganyiriza, ibyo Chairman abateganyiriza muri byo cyane cyane abaturage ba Kicukiro ni ukuvugurura igishushanyo mbonera kugira ngo buri muntu wese akibonemo.'
Murumunawabo Cecile na we uri ku rutonde rw'Abakandida depite b'Umuryango FPR Inkotanyi, yavuze ko ubwitabire bw'abaje kwamamaza bigaragaza ko bazatora ku gipfunsi 100%.
Edda Mukabagwiza wari ushinzwe ibikorwa byo kwamamaza Umukandida Perezida Paul Kagame n'Abakandida Depite b'Umuryango FPR Inkotanyi muri ako karere yasabye abanyamuryango kuzinduka kare ku itariki 15 Nyakanga 2024 bakitorero Paul Kagame 100%.
Yagaragaje ko ibyo yasezeranyije Abanyarwanda mu 2017 byagezweho bityo ko n'ibyo arimo kubasezeranya muri manda y'imyaka itanu iri imbere nta gushidikanya ko bizagerwaho.
Abakandida depite bagaragaje ko ibyo Umuryango usezeranya abaturage bizagerwaho
Abagore bo muri Kicukiro bashimye umuryango wa FPR Inkotanyi
Yabigarutseho ubwo Paul Kagame yakomerezaga ibikorwa bye byo kwiyamamaza mu Karere ka Karongi mu Ntara y'Iburengerazuba kuri uyu wa 30 Nyakanga 2024.
Dr. Sabin Nsanzimana yagaragaje ko ubwo Ingabo za RPA zari ziyobowe na Paul Kagame zahagarikaga Jenoside yakorewe Abatutsi, hari abashatse gucamo u Rwanda ibice bagafata icy'uburengerazuba cyose bakakigarurira mu cyiswe 'Zone Turquoise'.
Tariki 22 Kamena mu 1994, Umuryango w'Abibumbye, ubisabwe n'u Bufaransa, wafashe umwanzuro No 929 wemerera u Bufaransa kohereza ingabo zabwo mu Rwanda muri 'Operation Turquoise'.
Dr Sabin Nsanzimana wavuze ibigwi umukandida wa FPR Inkotanyi, Paul Kagame yavuze ko by'umwihariko, yazanye umutekano muri aka gace kari karimo 'Zone Turqouise' agakuraho umugambi w'abanyamahanga bashaka gucamo u Rwanda ibice.
Ati 'Ubwo Chairman yari ayoboye RPA, hari abanyamahanga baje bashinga urubibi ku Rufungo, urundi barushyira Rusizi, bahita izina 'Zone Turquoise'. Uwo mbabwira araza aravuga ati 'Oya', u Rwanda ntawe urucamo ibice. Muvuge muvuye aha'.
Yakomeje avuga ko Paul Kagame yabashije kubirukansa akabakura ku butaka bw'u Rwanda.
Ati 'Icyakurikiyeho, bayabangiye ingata. Bagenda 'kibuno mpa amaguru'. Banagerageje kugaruka baca mu Kivu, mu Ishyamba rya Gishwati na Mukura, aravuga ati 'Ntibishoboka'.'
Yagaragaje ko Paul Kagame kandi yafashije abaturage muri byinshi birimo kubaka ibikorwaremezo bitandukanye nk'imihanda, amavuriro n'ibindi byahinduye isura y'Umujyi wa Karongi.
Minisitiri Dr. Nsanzimana kandi yashimye Paul Kagame wabashije kuzana ikarita itariho ubwoko, idini, indeshyo ahubwo yanditseho ko 'Uyifite ntabwo arembera mu rugo,' avuga mituweri.
Yabwiye abaturage ko Paul Kagame atajya abeshya abaturage ahubwo ko ibyo abasezeranyije byose abasha kubisohoza nk'uko yabibijeje.
Ati 'Aha turi, kera muri za 1980, hari abantu bayoboraga igihugu baza guhura n'abaturage biyamamaza, abaturage bati 'ibyo mwatwijeje mwiyamamaza biri he? Icya mbere cyari umuhanda, bawubajije barawubura. Barabwira bati 'Ntimuzi ko twabahaye i Kivu, abaturage bati 'twarakihasanze'. Ngo ariko twabahaye Urutare rwa Ndaba, bati na rwo twararuhasanze. Chairman we yaduhaye umuhanda wa Kivu Belt.'
Yavuze ko umuhanda mubi watumaga umusaruro bajyana ku isoko ugerayo warangiritse cyane bigatuma batabasha kwiteza imbere.
Ubwo yari akomereje ibikorwa byo kwiyamamaza mu Karere ka Ruhango ku wa 29 Kamena 2024, Mpayimana yabwiye abaturage ko kimwe mu bikwiye kugaragaza ubwiza bw'imiyoborere yegerejwe abaturage ari uko urwego rw'umudugudu rwaba rufite ubushobozi bwisumbuyeho.
Ati 'Umuyobozi wa mbere nifuza ko aba ikimenyetso cy'ubuyobozi bwa manda dutangiye ni umuyobozi w'umudugudu. Mudugudu ni umuyobozi ukomeye twubaha, nifuza ko nk'uko mwarimu twamuhaye ubushobozi na we tumuha ubushobozi.'
Mpayimana yabwiye abaturage bo mu Ruhango ko nibamutora azaha imbaraga abayobozi b'imidugudu n'imirenge ku buryo urwego rw'utugari rwazavanwaho.
Uyu mukandida yavuze ko izi mpinduka zizatuma umuturage agira ijambo mu miyoborere y'igihugu kurushaho.
Ati 'Icyo numva ni uko ibyo Minisiteri y'Ubutegetsi bw'Igihugu n'uruhare rw'abaturage byaba Minisiteri imwe bigatuma nta muyobozi wumva y'uko umuturage amuri hasi cyangwa amuri kure. Ibindi twashingiyeho ni ibirebana n'iyobokamana biri hejuru muri aka Karere. Tuvuga ko rero uko Abanyarwanda bubaha amasaha y'amasengesho, bakwiye no kubaha amasaha mu bikorwa bisanzwe bya Leta, tukagira umuco wo kubaha amasaha.'
Mpayimana yasabye abaturage bo mu Karere ka Ruhango kuzamugirira icyizere bakamutorera kuyobora u Rwanda kugira ngo azashyire mu bikorwa imigabo n'imigambi bye.
Yakomereje mu Karere ka Kamonyi, yongera gushimangira ko afite gahunda yo guteza imbere ibikorwa bya siporo mu rubyiruko ku buryo muri buri murenge haboneka ingengo y'imari igenewe ibikorwa bya siporo.
Ati 'Nsaba ko hashyirwaho ingengo y'imari ijyanye n'imikino muri buri Murenge kuko kugeza ubu ntayo igira. Bizatuma umupira w'amaguru n'indi mikino ikinirwa ku rwego rw'Akagari, abakinnyi bakazamuka baturutse hasi.'
Ati 'Ejo bundi tuzataha Stade Amahoro, iyaba byashobokaga ngo icyifuzo cyanjye kibe cyarumvise ku buryo n'Amavubi azahinduka indi kipe itandukanye na yo. Imyaka tumaze tudwinga ariko tutaragera ku rwego rwa Afurika ngo tugire n'umukinnyi umwe nibura ku rwego rw'Isi?'
Mpayimana agaragaza ko mu migabo n'imigambi ye harimo ibitekerezo 50 bikubiyemo ibyo azageza ku Banyarwanda mu gihe yaramuka atsinze amatora y'Umukuru w'Igihugu ateganyijwe ku wa 15 Nyakanga 2024.
Umukandida wigenga, Mpayimana Philippe, yagaragaje ko ashaka kubakira ubushobozi ba Mudugudu
Ibi yabitangaje kuri iki Cyumweru tariki ya 30 Kamena 2024,ubwo yarari kuri Site ya Mbonwa mu Karere ka Karongi , ahakomereje ibikorwa byo kwiyamamaza by'umuryango FPR-Inkotanyi ku munsi wa munani nyuma yo kuva mu karere Nyamasheke ku munsi w’ejo kuwa Gatandatu.
Mu ijambo Perezida Kagame yagejeje ku baturage biganjemo abo mu turere twa Karongi na Rutsiro dukora ku kiyaga cya Kivu, yavuze ko yumvuse ko basigaye bafite amahotelu agenda hejuru y’amazi y’iki kiyaga ndetse avuga ko ari agashya bazanye.
Ati” Hanyuma rero ibisigaye cyane cyane murimwe hano muturiye hano za Karongi na Rutsiro muturiye kiriya kiyaga kirimo byinshi. Numvise ko musigaye mufitemo na za hoteli zigenda hejuru y’amazi. Ako ni agashya ntabwo byari bisanzwe hano nimwe mwabizanye.Â
Ayo mahoteli rero usibye ari kubutaka atagenda turashaka ko yubakwa akaba menshi mandi akaba meza.Ntabwo twifuza gukora gusa ,twifuza no gukora imirimo inoze ibintu byose bikaba byiza” .Â
Umukuru w’Igihugu yakomeje avuga ko hari hari ikibazo cy’umuhanda uva muri utu turere dukora ku Kivu ugera i Muhanga utameze neza ariko ko ugiye gukorwa kugira ngo abashaka kujya gusura ibyiza bitatse utu turere biborohere.
Ati” Hanyuma hari umuhanda uva hano muri ibi bice ugenda ukagera za Muhanga ukomeza ujya mu mujyi. Ntabwo nishimye cyane ikibazo numvise gihari cyari gikwiye kuba cyarakemutse kera ariko ndabasezeranya ko kigiye gukemuka byanze bikunze.
Aho tuvugira aha ubwo abo mbwira barumva,kugira ngo ibyiza bitatse utu turere ndetse byubakira ku kiyaga abantu bashobore kubigana ndetse ku buryo bworoshye cyangwa se umusaruro uturuka hano ushobore kugera ku Isoko ry’ahandi mu gihugu,mu mujyi mukuru w’u Rwanda byoroshye ndetse muvanemo n’ifaranga.Â
Rero turashaka ko ari abakerarugendo, ari abandi bikorera bacuruza,biba urujya n’uruza hagati y’utu turere n’ahandi. Imihanda bayivuze ,amashanyarazi bayavuze,ari inyubako zindi ari z’amashuri, ari iz’aho bavurira birahari twavuga ko ari byiza ariko turashaka ibirenze,turashaka kubyongera”.
Perezida Kagame nyuma yo kuva mu karere ka Karongi biteganyijwe azakomereza ibikorwa bye bwo Kwiyamamaza mu karere ka Ngoma ku wa Kabiri w’Icyumweru gitaha tariki ya 2 Nyakanga 2024.
Eraste Mwaka, 43, left his home in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) full of hope that he'd find a lasting, peaceful and better life in Nairobi, but reality tasted different when he set foot in Kenya.
By the time he decided to part ways with his old life in eastern DRC, where he had a stable, well-paying job with a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), he had had it all. The rebels in the region had made it their mission to make sure he had no peace in life, only because he refused to join them.
'They really terrorised me, consistently stealing from me the NGO's property, which I had to pay for. They could even come to my house at night while I'm away, steal my things, rape my wife! I felt that was too much and finally decided to leave,' Mwaka recalls.
To him, Kenya was an ideal destination not only because it was far from the home that had become hell, but also because he believed it to be a great and welcoming country for refugees.
Like most first-time visitors to Kenya, he had been persuaded beyond doubt that Kenya is a safe and pleasant place to be in, thanks to the widely publicised song 'Jambo Kenya,' which culminates to the world-renowned phrase 'Nchi yetu, hakuna matata', Kiswahili for 'there's no trouble in our country.'
His little grasp of the Swahili language led him to believe that a beautiful life awaited him and his family in Kenya. In 2014, he sold his property, liquidated his accounts, bought US dollars and set out with his wife and three children to Nairobi.
An old man practising plumbing in Don Bosco vocational training centre. PHOTO | POOL
But the beautiful life he had envisioned was not to be. At first, all was well because he had the money he brought with him. But it would soon run out forcing him to find a job to fend for his family, and there he met his first trouble in Kenya â” getting an identification.
After waiting for over three months, he finally got an alien identification card, but as he would soon realise, the card was nearly worthless if not for giving him legal status in the country.
He couldn't get registered on any mobile network or mobile money platform, open a bank account or access any regulated credit or savings service provider with the alien ID alone. And without any of these, it was not only impossible to get a job but also difficult to self-employ.
'In DRC, I had worked with four NGOs, and I was being paid well, averagely $1,000 every month. But here, I couldn't find a matching job. I could only find menial jobs which were too hard for me, I could barely survive,' he recounts.
Circumstances seemed to have sealed his fate and for over six years, Mr Mwaka and his family lived in abject poverty in Nairobi.
At some point, he says, they had to live in a school, sometimes in churches and some days they would beg caretakers to stay a night in vacant houses. Most days, they survived on handouts from charities in the city. All because he was cut off from the financial system.
Today, he runs a phone repair shop in Nairobi's suburb, thanks to help from two charities â” HIAS, which paid for his training in a phone repair course, and GiveDirectly, which gave him a Ksh100,000 ($772) unconditional grant which he used to start the business.
To get the grant, GiveDirectly, a cash transfer charity working with vulnerable communities, helped him set up a bank account, enabling him access to a safe place to keep his money, but even that still doesn't give him access to credit.
Mobile money
And in a country where many transactions are done through mobile money, he has to manage without an account. In an urban centre no less, it is harder to survive without access to a mobile money account or a bank account.
Like most urban refugees in Nairobi, Mr Mwaka only owns a SIM card and a mobile money account by proxy, the risks of which are not lost on him. Just recently, he lost Ksh12,000 ($92) because he misplaced the SIM card and his proxy couldn't provide their national ID card for replacement.
This challenge is not unique to him. Most refugees in Nairobi today are unable to fully integrate into the society because they lack access to crucial financial services, which seemingly results from increased rigidity of the regulations governing the financial services sector.
For instance, Farhiyo Mohamed Elmi, 42, who fled her home in Mogadishu, Somalia in 2007 due to the civil war, found a home in Nairobi and was able to get a mobile money account using her alien ID card, but laws have since changed and even her own daughter now can't.
'Back then I was able to register a line, but my friends who have tried lately are told they can't be registered using the alien ID card,' she told The EastAfrican.
Such is also the plight of Hakizimana* (not his real name), a Rwandan who fled the country in 2006 due to persecution. He was able to register a phone number back in the days, but his wife and children who joined him later have not been able to, forcing them to using proxies, like many other refugees.
But even Hakizimana still lacks access to crucial financial services like credit. To make ends meet, he makes sculptors and sells them to retailers who sell to tourists in Nairobi, but he wishes he could get more from his craft.
'If I could just access a loan to open up my own shop and be able to sell directly to clients, I could make so much more. I don't make as much here because of the middlemen,' he says.
Both Farhiyo and Hakizimana were also beneficiaries of the GiveDirectly grant to urban refugees, which they both used to start or build the small businesses they rely on today, and was also the only reason they own bank accounts today.
Not all refugees are lucky to land such donations or charities which can help them set up even a bank account.
Many urban refugees in Nairobi rely on proxies to be able to access any semblance of a financial service, and most are completely cut off from the conventional banking services.
'They don't have access to financial services and one of the biggest reasons for that is their lack of proper documentation and perceptions in the community,' argues Teddy Kinyoro, a senior programmes manager at GiveDirectly in Nairobi.
For urban refugees, the financial exclusion is nearly as bad as a lack of identity altogether. 'The challenges refugees face in urban areas are very unique compared to rural set-ups,' argues Mr Kinyoro.
'Refugees don't have access to land. The only thing they have access to is a small space they can set up a business, but even setting up a business requires money, and this is what they can't get.'
According to Mr Kinyoro, all of the over 800 refugees who benefitted from their urban refugee programme about two years ago had no bank accounts.
They were only able to get the accounts through the charity's intervention, since they have a Memorandum of Understanding with one of the commercial banks in the country, which waived the requirement for some documents.
To get a bank account from most banks in Kenya, refugees are required to have a PIN Certificate from the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), a Refugee Card, and sometimes a recognition letter from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) or even a work permit, all of which they cannot immediately access, and most take years before they can get any of them.
'Very few refugees have a KRA PIN, for instance. To get it, a refugee must have a Refugee Card, it's non-negotiable,' said Mr Kinyoro, adding that based on their research, only about 40 percent of refugees have a valid refugee card.
This essentially means that as a registered asylum seeker in Kenya, there is no way you can open a bank account to enable you transfer assets or receive money from abroad. Even for those granted refugee status, it is still a nightmare.
Congolese refugee Grace Kashama (L) learns tailoring under the guidance of a staff member of People for Peace and Defense of Rights (PPRD), a refugee-led NGO, during a tailoring and fashion training class in Kampala, Uganda on June 11, 2024. PHOTO | XINHUA
'It is possible to open a bank account as a refugee but it's extremely difficult,' argued Mr Kinyoro.
Muthoki Mumo, sub-Saharan Africa representative for the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), told The EastAfrican that even with all the necessary documents, exiled journalists in Kenya still find it hard to access financial services.
'Not only is earning an income a problem, but accessing the basic financial services that many of us Kenyans take for granted,' Ms Mumo said.
CPJ helps relocate journalists facing an imminent threat in their countries due to their journalistic work.
Ms Mumo told The EastAfrican that Kenya has proven nearly uninhabitable for exiled journalists due to the difficulties in accessing financial services, and many of them eventually opt to settle down elsewhere.
Why is it so hard for refugees and asylum seekers to access financial services in Kenya?
According to Mr Kinyoro, the problem is rooted in the difficulty accessing the required documentation, especially the alien ID card, which mainly stems from administrative challenges due to the huge backlog of asylum seekers in the country at any given time.
Refugee status
Ms Mumo adds: 'There's the issue of access to information; maybe people coming here do not immediately have access to the information they need to navigate the system. Secondly, even when things are working perfectly, there's a bureaucracy to deal with, but things never work perfectly because it's a system that is strained with many people seeking to get services.'
Indeed, data from the UNHCR shows Kenya is currently host to about 538,899 refugees and 152,942 asylum seekers â” who are yet to be granted refugee status in the country as of December last year.
The number of refugees rose seven percent since end of 2022, but the number of asylum seekers more than doubled from 69,011 in 2022, reflecting a slow processing of asylum seekers and granting of refugee status.
Compared to neighbouring Uganda, Kenya appears be processing asylum seekers much slower despite having fewer refugees compared to Kampala.
Last year, for example, Kenya granted refugee status to only 34,426 people, while Uganda welcomed 113,975 new refugees to its borders, with only 37,657 asylum seekers left pending at the end of the year.
Currently, Uganda hosts over 1.5 million refugees, more than triple the number in Kenya, and experts believe this could be linked to the fact that refugees find it more habitable than Kenya, especially in terms of financial inclusion.
'In some ways, Uganda is a much friendlier place to be as a refugee compared to Kenya,' argues Ms Mumo.
'Overall, we have a very different situation in Uganda with the national refugee policy and the open-door policy, whereby refugees are allowed to move freely and access all the different types of services like nationals,' said Matilda Jerneck, cash-based interventions coordinator at UNHCR Uganda.
One of the stark differences with Kenya is that in Uganda, the refugee card alone or even the family attestation document â” the equivalent of the proof of registration in Kenya â” is enough to open a bank or a mobile money account.
It is also easier and faster to get the necessary refugee documentation in Uganda, and refugees are allowed to even own assets such as motor vehicles or land, unlike in Kenya.
According to Ms Jerneck, this hasn't always been the case in Uganda.
According to her, Uganda succeeded because it considered refugees as a 'specific interest group' in its national financial inclusion policy and endeavoured to ensure inter-operability between different regulators, banks and mobile network operators to ensure the refugee documentations can be easily verified.
Both Mr Kinyoro and Ms Mumo contend that this one of the major challenges in Kenya.
Banks and mobile network operators cannot easily verify these documents and therefore opt not to take them in the registration process. The Central Bank of Kenya, which is the financial sector regulator in Kenya, acknowledged receipt of our questions on their work plan to help boost financial inclusion for refugees in the country, but did not respond by the time of going to press.
However, the government this month received a $50 million grant from the World Bank to help with its refugee policy reforms aimed at improving their participation in the labour market and their access to basic social and financial services.
GiveDirectly's research reveals that the urban refugees that benefited from their programme and gained access to banks accounts were able to save more and about 81 percent realised an increase in income levels.
Yet, gaining access to these services is the first step. Ms Jerneck and Mr Kinyoro contend that there needs also to be an attitude change towards refugees; to consider them just as risky as locals so lenders can loan them just as easily as they would citizens.
