Author: Wycliffe Nyamasege

In new appointments announced on Thursday, May 2, President Ruto promoted Lieutenant Gen Charles Muriu Kahariri of the Kenya Navy to the rank of General and named him the country’s new military chief.

CDF Ogolla, 61, and his colleagues died after a military helicopter they were travelling in crashed at the Sindar area in Elgeyo Marakwet County on April 18.

The investigation into the deadly crash, led by officers from the Kenya Air Force, is ongoing.

In Kenya, the position of CDF rotates among the Kenya Army, Kenya Navy, and Kenya Air Force. This rotation is in accordance with rules established by the retired Chief of General Staff (CGS), Daudi Rerimoi Tonje.

The late General Ogolla came from the Air Force. He succeeded General Robert Kibochi, who was from the Kenya Army. General Kibochi, who retired after 44 years in the military, had taken over from General Samson Mwathethe of the Navy.

Further military changes in Kenya

In the Thursday changes, the Kenyan Head of State also promoted Major General John Mugaraval Omenda to the rank of Lieutenant General and appointed him Vice Chief of the Defence Forces. Until his appointment, Lieutenant General John Mugaraval Omenda served as Kenya Air Force Commander.

Further, President Ruto posted Major General Fatuma Gaiti Ahmed to Kenya Air Force and appointed her Commander. Similarly, Major General Paul Owuor Otieno has been posted to the Kenya Navy and appointed Commander.

Further, President Ruto upheld the Defence Council recommendations and made promotions, postings and appointments of KDF officers.

Major General Thomas Njoroge Ng’ang’a has been posted to National Defence University and appointed Deputy Vice-Chancellor Administration and Finance while Brigadier Peter Nyamu Githinji has been promoted to Major General and appointed Senior Directing Staff, Air at National Defence College.

Brigadier Jattani Kampare Gula has been promoted to Major General and appointed Managing Director Kenya Meat Commission.

Brigadier George Okumu was also promoted to Major General and appointed Managing
Director Kenya Ordnance Factories Corporation and Food Processing Factory.

The changes also saw Brigadier Samuel Kosgei Kipkorir named the new Deputy Commander Kenya Air Force.

Rwanda Prime Minister Édouard Ngirente made the commitment on Wednesday, May 1, 2024, during the official opening of the 5th edition of the International Network for Governmental Science Advice Conference at the Kigali Convention Centre.

“Our Government has accepted to support the establishment of a regional unit of the International Network for Governmental Science Advice currently hosted by the University of Rwanda,” Ngirente stated.

“It is expected that this unit will expand its operations to support the creation of functional networks at a regional level and serve as a hub for capacity development for Africa,” he added.

The conference brings together policymakers, practitioners, national academies, scientific societies, and researchers to share experiences, build capacities, and develop theoretical and practical approaches to the use of scientific evidence in informing policy at all levels of government.

INGSA research and training hub was established in the University of Rwanda in 2022. The government’s support is expected to spur its development and expansion to greater heights.

In his speech, the prime minister emphasized that the government recognizes the significance of science, technology, and innovation in all sectors as crucial drivers for promoting social welfare and sustainable development in the country, in line with the vision to become a high-income nation by 2050.

“Aligned with our Vision 2050, science is expected to play a key role in Rwanda’s journey towards becoming an upper-middle-income country by 2035 and a high-income country by 2050, ensuring high standards of living for all Rwandans,” he stated.

As part of efforts to build a knowledge-based economy, the Prime Minister asserted that the government has made huge investments at all levels of education, from primary and secondary education to tertiary institutions of learning.

“Our goal is to develop our human capital by providing comprehensive trainings in different fields of science. Through this approach, we prepare our workforce with the necessary skills to meet the demands of both private and public labor markets,” the prime minister noted.

“The Government of Rwanda has established the institutional arrangement that is needed to create an environment conducive for science development and innovation. This in turn translates into new technologies needed to support the economic growth of the country.”

He reiterated that science advice is critical in policy and decision-making efforts to address the world’s pressing challenges and called for collaborative efforts to increase the capability and resilience of global science advisory organizations and national systems such as INGSA.

“To achieve this, collaborative efforts are essential. We must foster synergy across all levels of governance, ensuring better coordination between our systems. By doing so, we pave the way for effective decision-making,” he concluded.

The 5th edition of the International Network for Governmental Science Advice Conference, themed ‘The Transformation Imperative – Expanded Evidence for Inclusive Policies in Diverse Contexts,’ has attracted delegates from more than 50 countries.

It’s the first time that Africa is hosting the high-level conference, previously held in Brussels, Belgium; Tokyo, Japan; Montreal, Canada; and Auckland, New Zealand.

Rémi Quirion, the President of INGSA and Chief Scientist of Québec, termed the conference as unique moment for not just the African continent but the Global South.

“The first meetings in New Zealand, Montreal, Tokyo, and Brussels were more about talking with people from the North. What is unique here, for the first time in the Global South, for the first time in Africa, learning from African colleagues, learning from the experts in Rwanda in terms of science advice, that is one of the main objectives of this meeting. But also, we want to connect with our colleagues from the Global South. The African colleagues learning from the ones in Asia, and ones from Latin America, and so on,” Quirion stated.

He also lauded Rwanda’s young generation as a great resource in national and economic development, insisting on the need to empower them.

“One of the strengths in Rwanda is its young generation, more so than what we see in North America and Europe. It’s a natural resource. It’s amazing. But we need to make sure that they have access to education. If they are interested in science advice, science diplomacy, or research, they can pursue these fields and have good jobs in academia or other industries,” he said.

On his part, the Minister for Education, Gaspard Twagirayezu, said Rwanda is excited to host the conference and reiterated the need to maintain the network and strengthen the hub in Rwanda.

“The conference holds significance for us. As a government, we want to build an advanced economy by 2050, and this will happen based on the quality of our human capital, with science and technology at the base of everything that we do. This means we value science advice in government policy, and we are even more excited about how we are going to strengthen our hub here in Rwanda,” the minister averred.

In a statement on Monday, April 29, KQ Managing Director and CEO Allan Kilavuka said the arrest of the two staffers had affected the Kenyan national carrier’s operations, making it unable to support flights to Kinshasa, the capital of DRC.

The suspension will take effect on Tuesday, April 30, 2024.

“The continued detention of our employees has made it difficult for us to supervise our operations in Kinshasa, which include customer service, ground handling, cargo activities, and generally ensuring safe, secure, and efficient operations,” Kilavuka stated.

He also demanded that the detained staff be “treated humanely and respectfully during this unlawful detention.”

KQ had earlier announced that the affected members of staff were arrested at the airline’s airport office in Kinshasa on April 12, 2024, over missing customs documentation on valuable cargo that was to be transported on a KQ flight.

Kilavuka lamented that attempts to secure the release of the staffers had proved futile due to the continued disregard of court orders by the local authorities.

The CEO said on Monday that the airline will continue to cooperate with authorities in DRC and Kenya to ensure the matter is resolved.

“We ask that the Military court’s direction that they be released to allow due process to be respected so that our innocent staff can return to their families and everyday lives without harassment,” the CEO said on Monday, further apologizing to customers whose flights have been affected.

KQ denies any wrongdoing

KQ, while protesting the arrest and detention of the employees last Friday, denied any wrongdoing, insisting that the cargo under question had not cleared the cargo to be airlifted.

“The cargo was not on the airside for transportation and, therefore, not in the possession of KQ as the logistic handler was still completing documentation before handing it over to KQ. This cargo was still in the baggage section undergoing clearance when the security team arrived and alleged that KQ was transporting cargo without customs clearance.

“All efforts to explain to the military officers that KQ had not accepted the cargo because of incomplete documentation proved futile,” Kilavuka lamented.

The CEO maintained that Kenya Airways adheres to international best practices in handling and transporting cargo.

“We have stringent processes and compliance checks known as ’Ready for carriage’ to ensure any cargo ferried on our flights meets all the statutory requirements across our destinations. All our logistics partners must comply with these measures before KQ accepts any cargo,” he added.

Rwandan government deputy spokesperson Alain Mukuralinda told The Guardian that the authorities are ready to receive the migrants ahead of the first flights scheduled to depart for Rwanda in about 12 weeks, as announced by UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak last week.

“We are ready, and even if asylum seekers arrive here tomorrow, we shall receive them and accommodate them,” Mukuralinda said.

The two governments have made arrangements to host the refugees at city facilities, including Hope Hostel, which is located about 20 kilometres from the airport.

The hostel manager, Ismael Bakina, told the UK publication that plans are underway to accommodate the refugees and ensure their comfort throughout their stay. This includes giving them an orientation that will help them familiarize themselves with the country and its people.

At the well-maintained and elegant hostel, the migrants will be allowed to engage in extracurricular activities, including football and basketball games.

“We have designated even smoking places,” Bakina revealed, adding, “We shall offer them internet services.”

The migrants will enjoy three meals a day and have the freedom to walk to the city at will.
“This is not a prison or detention center. The migrants will go everywhere they want to go, including visiting the city center,” Bakina said.

The government will use the first three months to process the migrants’ documents before taking them to live in permanent houses alongside Rwandans.

The authorities will also cover the refugees’ expenses for at least five years, during which they are expected to start looking after themselves. During this period, those who are educated will be encouraged to apply for jobs to earn a living and contribute to nation-building.

Mukuralinda further noted that the refugees’ safety is guaranteed. He insisted that those who were claiming that Rwanda is not safe had been proved wrong after the UK government finally approved the scheme last week.

Meanwhile, the UK government is expected to start detaining migrants arriving in the UK through irregular routes in the coming weeks ahead of their removal to Rwanda.

The Guardian reports that officials plan to hold up asylum seekers who turn up for routine meetings at immigration service offices. They will also pick people up nationwide in a major two-week exercise.

The migrants would then be transferred to detention centers awaiting their removal to Kigali.

The Rwanda migration plan is part of the UK government’s strategy to deter people from arriving in the UK via small boats across the English Channel.

The UK signed the deal with the Rwandan government in 2022, but the plans were delayed due to protracted legal tussles and parliamentary ping-pong.

The UK plans to offer failed asylum seekers up to £3,000 (RWF 4,866,727) to move to Rwanda under the new voluntary scheme.

The Head of State revealed that he met Janet at the Intercontinental Hotel, and their love blossomed, leading to their marriage in August 1973.

The 79-year-old made the revelations when the couple hosted a private dinner to celebrate the 50th birthday of their son, General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, over the weekend.

“Mama Janet and I hosted a private dinner celebrating General Muhoozi Kainerugaba’s 50th birthday at Entebbe. I am grateful to God for reuniting me with Maama Janet, whom I accidentally met at the Intercontinental Hotel and married in August 1973,” Museveni wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

He described his marriage with Mama Janet as fulfilling and one based on a “foundation of wealth creation, family, education, and the fear of God.”

“I am grateful to God and Maama for raising our children, who have given us grandchildren and brought joy into our lives,” he stated, further praising his son Muhoozi for his “passion and patriotism in the army.”

Museveni and Janet marked their 50th wedding anniversary on August 26, 2023.

The couple celebrated their union in style by renewing their vows in a colourful ceremony attended by close friends and family members.

General Muhoozi and his wife played the roles of best man and maid of honour at the event, with their grandchildren comprising the bridal team.

President Museveni praised his wife for sticking with him through thick and thin and for enduring the challenges of raising their children in his absence when he was fighting to liberate Uganda.

“Maama helped me to create a family, and I am very grateful for her contribution. I salute her for bringing up the children without my presence; her contribution to the upbringing has no comparison. She did it when I wasn’t there and didn’t even know I would ever return to their lives. I therefore thank God for my family, Maama Janet, the children and the grandchildren,” Museveni said.