Focus Media (Kigali)
Sam Ruburika
16 September 2008
Nathan Kanuma-the head of the Rural Development and Agribusiness Department at ISAE Busogo-is a deeply frustrated man after his efforts to secure a loan from the Student Financing Agency of Rwanda (SFAR) were stymied by Emmanuel Muvunyi, the institution's director.
Nathan Kanuma hopes to join Lakehead University.
Mr. Kanuma was scheduled to join Lakehead University in Ontario Canada after securing an admission last year to do a three year PhD course. Mr. Kanuma has been teaching at ISAE Busogo University for more than five years.
Early last year Lakehead University wrote him an admission letter in which they also informed him that he had to enroll by September (2007).
For Mr. Kanuma to access a student's loan from SFAR he had to get a recommendation letter from the then rector, Professor Kalisa Mbanda (which he easily did); he had to present SFAR the admission letter from Lakehead and to fill a SFAR application form (which he did).
He took the documents to SFAR offices at Remera and he was informed he would get a response. "I waited but there was no response so I decided to visit SFAR to inquire about the loan as I was running out of time to enroll," Mr. Kanuma says.
This is what Mr. Muvunyi told him, "You don't have to come to my office. You wait until you are informed of our decision then you can come here." Mr. Kanuma went back to Busogo and waited and waited. But no one from SFAR informed him of anything.
Lakehead University was prepared to be very generous to him. It asked him to foot 36,000 Canadian dollars (Frw 11.3 million) for tuition for the three years he would attend his course, a PhD in forest economics and management. Lakehead would cover the rest of the expenses which included accommodation for him and his wife, their living expenses while in Canada as well as air fares.
As Mr. Kanuma waited for word from SFAR, Lakehead University kept writing to him asking whether he had managed to get the tuition money. "I informed them (Lakehead) that I hadn't accessed the loan," he told Focus.
By that time Mr. Kanuma was left with only one month to enroll. So he requested Lakehead to allow him more time to pursue the loan.
By December SFAR hadn't yet called Mr. Kanuma. It was very apparent, from the SFAR director's attitude that he had not the slightest interest in helping Mr. Kanuma secure the loan.
Once more the man traveled to Kigali and pleaded with Mr. Muvunyi informing him he only had a very short time left to get the loan and to enroll.
Mr. Muvunyi instead had a rude outburst, "you don't have to come to my office are you listening? Go ask the secretary the decision we have made on your dossier."
The secretary, one Susan Karemera, told Mr. Kanuma that he had been advised to look for an African university. But there are no rules barring SFAR from finding people loans to go study overseas. Mr. Kanuma again tried to talk to Mr. Muvunyi.
The latter again had one of his outbursts. "Have you come to tell me your stories again? You either look for an African university or you forget about loans from SFAR forever."
The SFAR director added for emphasis: "If you don't look for an African university you will lose out on the scholarship completely. Are you satisfied? Get out of my office then!"
The man is rude. Many who have ever dealt with him know that is what he is-rude and arrogant.
September came and Mr. Kanuma still wasn't getting anywhere with the loan request. He asked Lakehead to re-activate his application process and in February this year they wrote kindly to inform Mr. Kanuma that his admission had been reactivated. He is required to enroll this September.
Meanwhile ISAE had gotten a new rector, one Dr. Charles Karemangingo, and it required Mr. Kanuma to get a new recommendation from him to take to SFAR.
The rector was more than willing to give it to him and in fact thought Mr. Kanuma such an exemplary employee that he encouraged other lecturers at ISAE Busogo to follow suit and aim for higher education goals. The rector obviously has never met Mr. Muvunyi.
Karemangingo in his recommendation pointed out the need for specialists in sciences courses and highlighted how important that is for the country's development.
Why a man like Mr. Muvunyi entrusted with finding loans especially for students in priority areas needs this pointed out to him is difficult to understand.
Mr. Kanuma is the holder of a masters degree who has more than five years teaching experience and has been one of the university's heads of departments. A more deserving student for a Rwanda government loan to go for further studies would be hard to find.
But that isn't how Mr. Muvunyi thinks. Mr. Muvunyi's response to the re-done application never materialized. Mr. Kanuma now senses his hopes to enroll at Lakehead are finished. He is desperate. He is now is appealing to the highest authorities in the country to help him.
"I ask his Excellency President Kagame to intervene and help me if he is reading this," says the despondent man.
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