From left, Francoise Ngarambe, Ange Kagame, CG Munyuza and Shakilla Umutoni Kazimbaya are among the new appointees.
The Government of Rwanda has announced new time restrictions which are aimed at regulating concerts and other night activities deemed to be non-essential, in a move seen as an effort to reinforce existing noise pollution measures.
A cabinet meeting chaired by President Paul Kagame at Urugwiro Village on Tuesday, set new closing times for all entertainment activities- 2am on weekends and an hour earlier on other days, affirming the government’s unrelenting stance on tackling noise pollution.
“For effective regulation of night-time entertainment and noise pollution, the Cabinet established closing time of non-essential services at 1 a.m. on working days, and 2 a.m. on weekends (Friday and Saturday), effective September 1st 2023,”
“Establishments and events requiring exceptions to operate beyond set closing times may be granted approval upon fulfilment of requirements that will be announced by RDB,” a post- cabinet statement reads.
The decision comes at a time when the enforcement of noise pollution measures by Rwanda National Police (RNP) continues to draw mixed reactions on social media, with many arguing that there is a lack of a standard method used by law enforcers to determine whether there is noise pollution or not.
President Kagame chaired the meeting on Tuesday.
However, both Police and authorities maintain that the welfare of Rwandans comes first and that whenever there is a complaint about noise, they take action without hesitation. The crackdown on noise pollution has rattled bar owners in recent months, with many lamenting about the tough approach used by law enforcement.
Appointments
The cabinet meeting also made key appointments in different positions, among them Ange Kagame, who was appointed the Deputy Executive Director, Strategy and Policy Council (SPC) in the President’s Office.
The First Daughter first joined the SPC, whose role is to advise the Head of State on key economic policies and strategies, in 2015, as a policy analyst, until 2017 when she went to pursue her Masters in International Affairs at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, which she completed in May 2019.
The same year in September, she was appointed a Senior Policy Analyst at SPC, where she has been for the past four years.
Ms. Kagame, who holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Government with A Minor in Afro-American Studies, from Smith College, U.S, previously served as a consultant for the Government of Estonia, as a member of the SIPA Graduate Capstone Consultant.
She was part of a SIPA team that was tasked with conceptualizing a global small nations platform, with a key goal of identifying a set of strategic concerns and strengths common to all members and defining a governance structure that would allow for their effective advancement.
According to her profile on LinkedIn, Ange Kagame had a brief stint as an intern at the New York-based Bloomberg Philanthropies in 2014, while she was pursuing her bachelor’s degree.
The former Secretary General of Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF-Inkotanyi), Francois Ngarambe, was appointed the Chairman Chancellery for Heroes, National Orders and Decorations of Honor (CHENO).
Maj. Gen Charles Karamba heads to Addis Ababa
Ngarambe chairs the body, which falls under the Ministry of National Unity and Civic Engagement (MINUBUMWE), having retired in April this year as the secretary general of the ruling party for many years.
In other appointments, former Inspector General of Police (IGP), CG Dan Munyuza was appointed Ambassador designate to Egypt while Maj Gen Charles Karamba, who until April this year was Rwanda’s Ambassador to Tanzania, heads to Addis Ababa as the new envoy designate and Permanent Representative to the African Union.
In Cairo, CG Munyuza will replace Alfred Gakuba Kalisa, who has been serving as Ambassador to Egypt since 2019 while Gen. Karamba replaces Amb. Hope Tumukunde Gasatura, who completed her tour of duty in June this year, after more than seven years.
Michel Sebera, who was Rwanda’s Minister Counsellor in The Netherlands was nominated Rwanda’s Ambassador to the Republic of Guinea. During President Kagame’s visit to Guinea in April, the two countries agreed to open embassies in each other’s capital in the near future.
Shakila Kazimbaya Umutoni, who has been the Director General of Africa at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation since May 2020, was appointed Rwanda’s Ambassador designate to the Kingdom of Morocco.