This study claims that interpreting taboo from English and French to Kinyarwanda and vice versa can affect negatively the quality of interpreting due to cultural factors. Therefore, it explores the negative consequences of interpreting taboo and investigates relevant strategies to cope with them. The methods adopted for conducting the research were the following: questionnaires to and semi-structured interviews with interpreters, as well as a comparison of interpreting performances. All these methods helped to identify the difficulties the interpreters face when dealing with taboo and the frequency of strategies they use in the case of such difficulties. In order to assess the quality of the interpreting rendition, the study mainly adopted the list of quality assessment criteria by Schjöldager (1996). Her list is comprised of comprehensibility and delivery, language, coherence and plausibility, and loyalty. Findings obtained at the end of the analysis first show that linguistic taboos in Kinyarwanda, English and French cultures include but are not limited to words related to sex, race, ethnic group, blasphemy, bad language (swearing, cursing, insults), sexual taboo (sexual organs, bodily functions) and scatological taboo (excrements). Secondly, they indicate that ignoring or using taboo while interpreting from English and French to Kinyarwanda and vice versa may have severe consequences on the message, the listener and the interpreter. The message may be unfaithful, implausible, misleading, distorted, diluted or lost. The listener may be shocked, embarrassed or offended. The interpreter may be marginalized as someone who talks “dirty”. Finally, the findings show that interpreters resort to various strategies to cope with challenges posed by taboo language. On the one hand, the strategies include, for euphemistic purposes, equivalence, paraphrasing, omission, addition and substitution. On the other hand, they are comprised of literal interpretation and equivalence techniques for faithfulness and linguistic accuracy purposes. In view of the above, this study recommends schools of interpreting and/or interpreting associations to organize specialized training on interpreting taboo, to monitor the practice of interpreting taboo and to draft guidelines on interpreting taboo. It also recommends research on interpreting taboo from the psycholinguistic, ethical and listener’s perspectives.

The problem of street children is one of the challenges that many developing countries are facing. However, the government of Rwanda has made remarkable efforts in solving this problem. It has initiated various programs such as returning them to families, reintegrating and rehabilitating them as well as taking them back to school. The aim of this study was to investigate driving forces that influence children to return to street life after being reintegrated in the families or rehabilitated. The study employed descriptive method using qualitative approach where interview and recordings were used to collect data from two Sectors (Nyamirambo and Kimisagara) of Nyarugenge District in Kigali city. The sample size was composed by fifty street children who return to street life after being reintegrated or rehabilitated, selected randomly in above-mentioned Sectors. The findings of this study show that boys (60%) were more visible to street life than girls (40%). The study revealed that the main factors that induce to return to street after reintegration include poverty by 30%, conflicts and parental break up (28%) and children preferences (26%). Further, the findings found that the combination of efforts including safe environment, provision of basic needs such as households and parental guidance and care for children are major tools to deal with the issue of street children. Finally, different suggestions and recommendations were highlighted in details to allow the government, local leaders, community, parents and children to be aware and handle this challenging issue.

This thesis presents the findings and recommendation for the research title the use of smart technology in collection of land lease fees in comparison of Kimironko and Nyamata sectors from the period 2010 – 2013 and 2014-2017 before and after introduction of the smart technology. This is carried out for the fulfillment of the Masters Degree in Local Governance studies. The primarily objective of this thesis is to investigate the role and impact smart technology has brought in the Local Government revenue collection with more specific the Land Lease fees. The study targeted primarily ordinary citizens who are taxpayers and stakeholder/ Tax collectors. I used a multi-approach sampling technique including purposive, simple random and systematic sampling methodology to collect primary and secondary qualitative and quantitative data. Quantitative techniques included a household survey covering 64 villages 8 cells, 2 sectors and 2 Districts of Gasabo and Bugesera using a closed questionnaire. We carried out interviews with key stakeholders in MINALOC, MINECOFIN, RRA, RALGA and GIZ in the selected two districts, comprehensive review of policy, laws and regulations, revenue collection reports, financial reports, commissioned survey reports and administrative statistical databases, the data were analysed using Excel and statistical package for social sciences (SPSS).

A bank is defined as a commercial institution that takes people‟s deposits and extends loans. Banks are concerned mainly with making and receiving payments on behalf of their customers, accepting deposits and making short term loans to private individuals, companies and organizations.1 A bank is also referred to as an organization, usually a corporation, chattered by a state or federal government, which does most or all of the following: Receives demand deposits and time deposits, honors instruments drawn on them, and pays interest on them; discounts notes, makes loans, and invests in securities; collects checks, drafts, and notes; certifies depositor‟s checks; and issues drafts and cashier‟s checks

The main purpose of this study was to assess the contribution of Professional night patrols in crime prevention in Gahanga Sector. This research study had three specific objectives: To examine the contribution of professional night patrols to crime prevention in Gahanga Sector; to assess the challenges facing effective professional night patrols in Gahanga Sector; and to identify measures to address the challenges facing night patrols in Gahanga Sector. The importance of community night patrols in crime prevention has been embraced by communities and security organs as a suitable solution for crime problems. This security community-led alternative/approach gained its success since security institutions and governments realized that law enforcement alone cannot reduce crime without involving communities. The study helped the researcher improve on the knowledge about effectiveness of community night patrols/irondo ry’umwuga in crime prevention and provides insight into the effectiveness and challenges facing community night patrols in Ghanga sector. The study employed both quantitative and qualitative methods, and participants such as citizens, local leaders and security members operating in Gahanga Sector were randomly and purposively selected. Data were collected using self administered questionnaires and interview guide. Key findings show that Gahanga community night patrols did not contributed to crime prevention due various factors including delay in payment, poor collaboration and lack of public trust, Limited understanding of the concept of professional night patrols by the residents among others. The information collected and analyzed will help other researchers in the above area; to Gahanga Sector, the recommendations will help it to improve on its general crime prevention.

This thesis is a compilation of a kappa, a binding text of six chapters, and four related papers. The overall aim is to explore women’s experiences of land rights in the context of the Land Tenure Reform Program (LTRP) in Rwanda. In order to fulfil this aim, the thesis addresses research questions concerning how the process of the LTRP was implemented and how it can be understood, and how women’s experiences of the land reform can be described and analysed. Other research questions focus on the conflicts some women face when claiming their rights to land and the experiences of women living in polygamous relationships. The empirical study is based on fieldwork conducted in Rwanda in 2012 and 2013. It is mainly an explorative, mixed methods study combining qualitative and quantitative approaches. Quantitative data were collected through structured interviews with 480 women from agricultural households. For the qualitative data, 23 semi-structured interviews and 9 Focus Group Discussions were conducted with local level policy implementers, women, and members of women’s associations. Theoretically, the thesis is guided by triangulation of feminist/gender and bargaining approaches and a wide range of previous studies, which provided an overall orienting lens through which the material could be understood. The study findings stress the efforts of the Government of Rwanda to ensure land rights for women through the elaboration of gender-sensitive land laws and policies that have challenged some gender norms and ideologies related to male supremacy. However, the implementation of these laws and policies still face challenges. Most of the challenges identified stem from the perpetuation of customary practices and deeply embedded sociocultural norms and beliefs that often clash with the intentions of new laws and policies. This study emphasizes that legal reforms do not completely undo the old forms of discrimination. Instead, situations are created in which new forms of inequality are emerging and some old practices of discrimination are persisting. Although it differs from country to country, this study concludes that gender norms and ideologies affecting the implementation of gender-equal laws and policies are not only of concern in Rwanda but an important issue worldwide.

The aim of this study is to analyze the role played by Civil Society Organizations (CSO) in public policy (PP) process in Rwanda, a case of Rwanda Civil Society Platform. Specifically, the study aims: (i) to explore the activities carried out by CS with regard to the agenda setting, policy formulation and adoption, implementation, monitoring and evaluation; (ii) analyze strengths and weaknesses of Rwanda civil society organizations in public policy formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation; (iii) assess the challenges that Rwanda civil society organizations face when they seek to influence public policies; identify civil society organizations opportunities with regard to public policy processes and how they are utilized. The study is both qualitative and quantitative and relied on two sources of information: primary and secondary data whereby primary data were collected through questionnaires and qualitative in-depth interviews, while secondary data were collected through desk review. The study revealed that the level of participation of CSOs in public policy process is only highest when it comes to the implementation of public policies as confirmed by 43.3% of respondents. However, the involvement of CSOs in policy agenda setting becomes lower as affirmed by only 15.0% of respondents. This does not augur well for CSOs which are expected to influence public policy process and bring a change in government‟s performance. 62% of respondents affirmed that CSOs don‟t carry out research on public policy that interest their beneficiaries, members and constituents. The collaboration of CSOs with leaders is highest at District level (33.3%) while CSOs collaboration at ministry and parliament levels is very low as only affirmed by 5.1% of respondents which implies that CSOs are decreasingly involved in policy formulation and adoption from lower to higher government institutions. These statistics indicate that CSOs perform better in pointing out government‟s shortcomings but their involvement in decision making is very limited. There exist various challenges that become a hindrance to an efficient and effective participation of CSOs in public policy process. These include but are not limited to the low level of understanding by CSO of their role in public policy process, reluctance to confront the government for fear of spoiling their relations with the government, total donor dependency, limited human and material resources, etc. Even so, there are many opportunities that CSOs can be seized to overcome existing challenges and improve performance as well as participation level in public policy process. Existence of political will to involve CSOs in Public policy process, the existence of legal framework and formal structures, open for CSOs, such as JADF, open day within various public institutions, Sector Working Groups, thematic commissions at parliament level, several networks and coalitions at national, regional and international levels to which CSOs are members, availability of donors and development partners which can financially support CSOs in their programs with regard to the agenda setting, policy formulation and adoption, implementation, monitoring and evaluation.

This study is concerned with identifying factors that are important in explaining popular support for genocidal violence in Rwanda. It discusses different theories to explain why genocide occurred in Murambi and not in Giti, two neighboring communes1 that were allegedly homogenous on cultural and socio-economic grounds. Despite the fact that “Many inhabitants spoke of a culture of tolerance in the commune‟s sub-region of Buganza” (Strauss 2006:86), the communes differ from one another in their responses to genocidal violence. Giti successfully resisted the genocidal violence while Murambi fell prey to large-scale violence. As a result, Giti proved to be a unique case in Rwanda, widely lauded for such resistance. It is a particular case that attracts the attention of this study, to unearth useful potentials that Giti offers for the efforts of peace processes in the aftermath of genocide. The study hypothesizes the middle range level of leadership (local leaders), and the grassroots thinking (perceptions and belief systems) about identity, to be important variables in explaining Giti‟s unique response to genocidal violence.

This study related to the “Assessment of Consumer Protection in Rwandan Insurance Sector” has been motivated by many complaints we receive and hear from various customers in connection with their request for indemnification, particularly from private insurance companies. Indeed, different customers raise their complaints stating especially that they are not satisfied with the compensation amount, the long time or period taken by insurers for the indemnification, and unbalanced or unsatisfactory contracts they conclude. With regard to above complaints, we have undertaken the initiative to carry out this study with the purpose of evaluation or assessment of consumer protection in insurance sector. Therefore, after the identification of the existing Rwandan legal and institutional frameworks related to consumer protection, we made an assessment by comparison with international standards or benchmarks. The referred standards or benchmarks were those established by the World Bank given the responsibility of the latter in the guidance or management of financial institutions. Given the fact that the protection of consumers requires the existing of efficient and effective legal and institutional frameworks, our assessment focused on the two (2) respective aspects. Concerning the assessment of the legal framework, we have found out that, on the one hand, the Rwandan legislation in place comprises interesting consumer protecting provisions. On the other hand however, we pointed out that the existing Rwandan legal and regulatory framework has important gaps to be made up. Consequently, the related recommendation has been to fill the various gaps identified in the existing legal and regulatory framework. About the assessment of the current Rwandan institutional framework, we noticed that Rwanda has important and various institutions in charge notably of consumer protection. However, it has been underlined that the roles of some of them are overlapping, while other institutions are inactive. For this reason, it has been recommended to clearly specify respective missions of different involved institutions, to sensitize consumer associations for playing their responsibilities, and to speed up the enactment of the law governing the forthcoming Competition and Consumer Protection Regulatory Body.

In all communities, conflicts are natural and inevitable; they are inherent to human being interactions. Family based land conflicts are among the most conflicts that result from the use of the scarce resource land. Rwanda is not an exception to these conflicts. Family based land conflicts are exacerbated by the problem of population growth especially the sub-division of land for inheritances purposes. This makes family members quarrel in order to have a big part of land and their socio-economic development is undermined. A study was conducted in Karongi District especially in Gishyita and Mubuga sectors in order to analyze the impact family based land conflicts may have on socio-economic development of family members. The results of the study have revealed that the key salient family based land conflicts are those between parents and their children, between brothers and sisters, between husbands and wives as well as those between orphans and their relatives. Furthermore, the results revealed that the main causes of such conflicts are poverty, land scarcity, polygamy, ignorance of the law related to inheritance and succession, inheritance as well as the desire to satisfy selfish interest. The results have proven that family based land conflicts have a negative impact on socio-economic development of family members. For the impact on economic development, such conflicts reduce family income, agricultural productivity as well as agricultural employment. As regard to the impact on social development, family based land conflicts restrain the capacity of family members to access health care, shelter and education. In addition to that, family based land conflicts lead very often to violence. Some cases of parricide, fratricide and infanticide have observed in Mubuga and Gishyita sectors. For that reason, some recommendations have been formulated in order to solve family based land conflicts in a peaceful way.