Quake victims’ plight to be over soon – Minister

KIGALI - The Ministry of Internal Security has released the first batch of funds aimed at assisting people in the Western Province who were affected by the earthquake that rocked the region in February this year. The development was confirmed yesterday by the minister, Sheikh Musa Fazil Harerimana under whose ministry falls disaster management coordination. The docket was formerly in the Office of the Prime Minister but is now under the Rwanda National Police, which is under the ministry of interior. “The disaster management team visited all the affected areas and has come up with what is required to help those that were affected. We have actually disbursed money to build houses in Bigogwe sector in Nyabihu District,” Harerimana said by telephone yesterday. He said that Frw35 million was released by the ministry to help in the renovation of 113 houses in this sector. “There were facilities like cement, sand and hydroform bricks already in place. So the money will help in other facilities that were still lacking and construction will begin soon,” said Harerimana. The new move comes after stakeholders from different ministries met earlier this month and vowed to immediately solve the plight of the affected people. The February tremors which were felt across the country mainly affected the western region leaving 39 people dead, while 276 were injured and 367 traumatized. Houses, hospitals and health centres and schools worth over Frw6 billion francs were destroyed. According to Harerimana, the team also visited Rubavu District in the same province to assess what was needed. Asked whether there were irregularities in the use of the Frw5bn donated by different institutions to solve the plight of these people, the minister said that this would be handled by line institutions. “The role of the disaster management team is to assist in the evacuation of people and ensure that the affected people have shelter but we shall leave that to the line institutions after the immediate problem is solved,” he said, adding that the delays were mainly caused by tendering procedures. “For instance, the ministry of education will have to follow up on the rehabilitation of schools while the ministry of health will oversee the building of hospitals and health centres and the irregularities that might have ensued in putting to use the collected money,” he said. During an earlier meeting that was also attended by the former Minister of Health Dr. Jean Damascene Ntawukuliryayo, it was realized that despite the Frw 5bn that was raised by the Ministry of Education, MTN, the Rwanda National Office of Tourism (ORTPN), UNICEF, China, the European Union and the African Union, among others, little had been done. Other districts that were affected by the quake which was also felt in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo were Nyamasheke and Rusizi. In a related development the minister of interior addedthat the team had also gone to Kirehe District in the Eastern Province which was hit by heavy downpours that left hundreds of houses destroyed last month. “The major problem was roofing, and in this regard, all the iron sheets needed have been raised; 4,000 from ORTPN and over 300 from the Red Cross,” he said. He however added that those who need urgent assistance most were the quake victims because of the length of time that has elapsed since the catastrophe. Ends