Rwanda’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Kigali condemned Berlin for what it termed as the “politicization of development cooperation.”

The Rwandan government has strongly criticized Germany and Canada over their recent positions regarding the conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), accusing them of bias and disregard for Rwanda’s security concerns.

In a statement issued by Rwanda’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Kigali condemned Berlin for what it termed as the “politicization of development cooperation.”

Rwanda expressed disappointment that Germany’s caretaker administration was undermining the African-led peace efforts by failing to hold the DRC accountable for its repeated violations, which Kigali argues have only emboldened Kinshasa’s aggressive stance and prolonged the conflict.

“Germany contradicts its own claims of supporting the African-led process to resolve the conflict in eastern DRC by letting the DRC off the hook for numerous violations, which only reinforces its belligerent posture and needlessly prolongs the conflict,” the statement read.

Kigali also accused Germany of ignoring the threat posed by the DRC-backed FDLR, a militia group composed of elements responsible for the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

President Paul Kagame’s administration asserted that Germany, given its “historical responsibility” in the region’s instability, should not resort to “one-sided, coercive measures” that fail to address the root causes of the crisis.

Rwanda also took issue with Canada, summoning its High Commissioner following Ottawa’s statement that placed blame on Kigali for the violence in eastern DRC.

It rejected the accusations, stating that Canada was wrongfully attributing atrocities in the region to Rwanda while ignoring the crimes committed by the DRC army (FARDC) and allied militias.

“Canada is voluntarily accusing Rwanda of atrocities committed in eastern DRC, while those crimes are committed in broad daylight by the FARDC and DRC government militias,” the ministry stated. 

Rwanda further accused Canada of dismissing its legitimate security concerns, particularly regarding the persecution of Congolese Tutsi communities in North and South Kivu and Ituri by the FDLR and other DRC-aligned forces.

Despite the criticisms, Rwanda maintained that it would not waver in its commitment to protecting its national security while remaining engaged in regional peace efforts.

The diplomatic tensions between Rwanda and its international partners have escalated in recent weeks following a resurgence in fighting in eastern DRC, where clashes between the Congolese army and the M23 rebels continue to displace thousands.

Rwanda has repeatedly accused the DRC government of supporting the FDLR, while Kinshasa alleges that Kigali backs the M23 rebels—claims that Rwanda denies. By BRUHAN MAKONG, Capital News

The government of Rwanda is seeking damages of £50 million from the UK following the cancellation of a migrant transfer deal between Rwanda and the UK on Monday. The controversy comes amidst growing human rights concerns and diplomatic tension over Rwanda’s military presence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

Rwanda’s government spokesperson, Yolande Makolo, alleged the British government “asked Rwanda to quietly forego[ing] the payment based on the trust and good faith existing between our two nations.” Contrarily, the British government spokesperson told BBC that “Rwanda has waived any additional payments.”

The UK-Rwanda deal was a treaty between the UK and Rwanda where asylum seeker claims would be processed in and remain in Rwanda should their asylum claim be denied. According to the UK National Audit Office, the UK government would pay £370 million as funding to support the development of Rwanda and to compensate for the cost of relocating Rwandan individuals. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer ended the scheme after the Labour government won the general election, stating that the scheme was ineffective as a migration policy. The UN human rights experts welcomed the scheme as “an important step to ensure the right to asylum.”

The treaty was widely condemned for violating British human rights statutes. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) also considered the deal was a breach of the UK’s international law obligations. Specifically, concerns about the potential for refoulement were raised, where asylum seekers are subject to persecution risk in their country of transfer, as were concerns about the UK passing its responsibility for asylum processing onto a developing country which already bears a significant burden in protecting refugees.

Apart from suspending the UK-Rwanda deal, the British government has suspended foreign aid and limited inter-country trade in response to Rwandan intervention in an ongoing conflict in the Eastern DRC. Makolo described the suspension as “unjustified punitive measures.”

Makolo also raised an issue about Lord Collins making “inflammatory comments” on February 25 when answering a question in the Parliament. The Rwandan government interpreted it as insinuating a connection between the government and a terrorist attack on a church in the DRC. The Rwandan government promptly denied any connection between them and the terror group Allied Democratic Forces. Rwanda has requested a public correction and apology from the UK government.

According to local news outlet the New Times, Rwanda summoned the British High Commissioner in Kigali, Alison Thorpe, following the comment made by Lord Collins on February 27. The outlet also reported that Lord Collins wrote a letter to Rwanda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Olivier Mduhungirehe, on February 28 to retract his comments. By George Macauley | U. Toronto Faculty of Law, CA/Jurist

Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah has called for the immediate suspension of the Social Health Authority (SHA), urging the Ministry of Health to take swift action on what he termed as glaring operational failures.

Omtatah also said SHA operations should be suspended until a thorough investigation is conducted following damning findings by the Auditor General.

“Instead of advancing universal healthcare, SHA has become a dysfunctional system that exploits Kenyans while enabling large-scale corruption,” Omtatah said on Wednesday.

“This is not reform; it is an elaborate fraud designed to enrich a few at the expense of millions. SHA is not just riddled with corruption — it is operationally collapsing.”

Omtatah emphasized that those responsible must be held accountable to prevent further plundering of public resources.

The legislator warned that continuing with the broken scheme would cause irreparable harm, betraying the trust of millions who deserve a transparent, accountable, and functional healthcare system — not a corruption cartel disguised as progress.

“Healthcare facilities are refusing service due to unpaid claims, patients are being forced to pay cash despite contributing, and out of 18 million registered Kenyans, only 4 million are actively contributing. This is a glaring sign of distrust and financial instability,” said Omtatah.

Audit findings

His remarks follow Auditor General Nancy Gathungu’s revelations of irregularities in the procurement of the technology system running SHA, urging Parliament to take decisive action against those responsible.

Appearing before the Senate Public Accounts Committee on Tuesday, Gathungu asserted that she had fulfilled her constitutional duty by exposing flaws in the tender process. 

“I have concluded that there was no effectiveness or lawfulness in the use of public resources on these matters. There is the aspect of governance and risk management, and I have been very clear that there were issues,” she said.

Her remarks came as senators criticized her reports for lacking specific recommendations for prosecution.

However, Gathungu pushed back, insisting that it was now Parliament’s role to ensure accountability.

Gathungu’s 2023-2024 audit report revealed significant legal violations in the Sh104 billion procurement of SHA’s technology system.

The report highlighted unbudgeted and non-competitive procurement, an undefined scope of work, and a lack of payment agreements.

It also flagged unfavourable contract clauses that cede control of the system to a private entity, barring government health agencies from accessing or modifying it. By Sharon Resian, Capital News