Kenya’s debut $2 billion Eurobond pushed its total public debt to 57 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) at the end of June, up from 51.7 percent a year earlier, the Treasury said.
The east African nation’s total debt stood at 2.37 trillion shillings (26.78 billion US dollar) after Kenya’s maiden sovereign bond was issued in June, according to data from the finance ministry seen by Reuters on Monday.
Analysts said the higher level of debt was sustainable because the government had negotiated low interest rates with multilateral lenders like the World Bank.
“The new level should be sustainable in terms of debt repayment because most of it is booked on concessionary terms,” said Alex Muiruri, a fixed-income trader at Kestrel Capital.
A weaker shilling contributed to the upswing in debt as foreign loans denominated in major currencies like the dollar usually go up when the shilling weakens.
The shilling is trading above 88.00 per dollar, having weakened from 87.50 in the same period last year.
Debt as a percentage of GDP is expected to fall in late September when the statistics office updates the base year for calculating output to 2009, which will result in the size of the economy going up.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Monday it has sent protective equipment for medical staff to Democratic Republic of Congo, where authorities have confirmed two cases of Ebola in a remote area.
“The ministry of health has declared an outbreak and we are treating it as such,” WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic said in Geneva in response to a query.
The current Ebola epidemic, which has killed at least 1,427 people, has focused on Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone with several cases also in Nigeria.
Democratic Republic of Congo declared an Ebola outbreak in its northern Equateur province on Sunday after two of eight patients tested for the virus came back positive, Health Minister Felix Kabange Numbi said.
Congolese authorities who went to the remote area found 24 cases of hemorrhagic fever of “unknown origin”, including 13 people that had died, Jasarevic said.
Of these, two have tested positive for Ebola, but other samples taken from suspect cases are being analysed, he said.
Hemorraghic gastroenteritis, malaria and shigellosis have also been identified in the area, he said. At least 70 people have died in northern Democratic Republic of Congo from an outbreak of hemorrhagic gastroenteritis, the WHO said last Thursday, dismissing reports that the illness was Ebola.
Ebola virus, which was discovered in the former Zaire in 1976, is endemic in the area. This is the seventh known outbreak of the deadly disease in the country, according to the WHO.
{{Online auction company IronPlanet has announced that it will conduct its first West African online auction for surface and mining equipment, and construction machinery on 3 September 2014}}
KomatsuPC1250ExcavatorAmong the range of equipment, the Komatsu PC 1250 Excavator will be available on auction. (Image source: Komatsu)
IronPlanet will work with GraysOnline to sell over 100 items from brands like Caterpillar and Komatsu. Specifically, the Komatsu PC 1250 excavators and Komatsu HD 785 mining trucks will be available at the auction.
Matt Bousky, vice-president for mining at IronPlanet, said, “This auction is a very exciting step for IronPlanet. The mining industry is seeing continued growth in West Africa.
However, the size of mining machinery can be an issue — which is why online auctions are the ideal platform for the buying and selling of equipment for this sector.”
Customers are invited to visit the site in Ghana to view the machinery till 22 August 2014. The auction would facilitate customers to learn about IronPlanet’s business model and speak to experts from GraysOnline and IronPlanet in person.
The format of IronPlanet’s online auction benefits sellers, who can gain access to international markets and can save them money and time.
In addition, they have access to a wide range of equipment at market prices, which come with inspection reports and IronPlanet’s Iron Clad Assurance.
Ugandan youths that were jailed for protesting against rampant corruption were released on bail after two weeks on remand in the country’s central prison Luzira.
The Nine youth charged with participating in unlawful protests were Friday granted a (Shs400,000) cash bail each by City Hall Magistrate’s Court.
Grade One Magistrate Moses Nabende also granted a non-cash bond of Shs3 million for each of their two sureties.
The youth are Mr Ferdinand Luutu, Mr Amos Ojok, Mr Oloya Akena, Mr Ambrose Juma, Ms Nasimbwa Nalongo, Mr Augustine Ojobilo, Mr Joram Mwesigye, Mr Robert Mayanja and Mr Norman Tumuhimbise.
Through their lawyer, Mr Isaac Ssemakadde, the youths pleaded with court to grant them a non-cash bail as they are jobless, but in vain.
“Your worship, two of the suspects, were earlier granted bail on similar charges and terms, but have never broken any condition. There is no sound reason as to why the State prosecutor, Ms Joyce Onyango, should object to the suspects bail,” Mr Ssemakadde said.
“The allegations that my clients will frustrate the investigations are baseless. My clients have no previous criminal record and bail should not be denied on mere allegations,” he added.
{{The charges}}
They are facing one count of participating in unlawful assembly on Kampala streets.
Prosecution alleges that on August 4, on Speke Road in Kampala, the suspects with an intention of causing disturbance in Kampala participated in unlawful assembly by moving around with a coffin.
Police records show the suspects were arrested earlier this month after they were found carrying banners with the words, ‘We are mourning for our country over corruption, unemployment, youth desertion. Do not lead us into temptations’.
Rampant youth protests
This is the second time in less than two months that youths are arrested protesting over what they call resentment towards “rampant corruption” exhibited in Parliament and the worrying youth unemployment in the country.
In June, a similar incident happened at Parliament when two youth, Mr Robert Mayanja and Mr Norman Tumuhimbise, sneaked two piglets into Parliament.
The duo has since been charged with three counts which included; interrupting Parliament activities, criminal trespass and conspiracy to commit the offences which charges they denied.
{{South Sudanese former vice-president, Riek Machar, who now leads an armed opposition faction of the Sudan Peoples’ Liberation Movement (SPLM-In- Opposition) is expected to participate in the upcoming regional leaders’ summit of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).}}
Sources close to IGAD in the preparations for the extraordinary summit in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, said the regional bloc’s heads of state and government are expected to converge on Sunday to decide on measures to take in trying to resolve the eight-month old war in South Sudan.
The meeting comes in the wake of boycott of the fifth round of the peace talks by the delegation of South Sudan’s government under president Salva Kiir, stalling the talks with Machar’s opposition group amidst renewed fighting in Unity, Jonglei and Upper Nile states.
The regional heads of state, president Kiir included, are expected to deliberate and resolve on the situation in South Sudan, threatening to take measures against any party seen to be perpetuating the war.
Previously, the rebel group protested against what they said was IGAD’s “dogmatic” approach when it made decisions or passed resolutions on South Sudan in favour of one party, (government) with no presence of the other party to the conflict (SPLM-In-Opposition).
However, the rebel group told reporters on Friday that its leader would this time participate in the summit.
“We felt snubbed by IGAD’s previous approach which seemed dogmatic,” said James Gatdet Dak, spokesperson of the rebel leader.
“We are glad to learn that IGAD is now willing to have our party represented in the summit,” he said.
Dak said the chairman of the SPLM-IO, Machar, is expected to attend the summit and present his group’s side of the story, adding this was important for IGAD to make an informed decision.
{{A woman who was gang-raped and burned in her house has told a military court in the Democratic Republic of Congo she saw an army colonel give the orders.
She is one of some 1,000 people who have named Lt Col Bedi Mobuli Engangela, who is on trial for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
He has denied all the charges.
The UN says the trial is a test case for the Congolese military, which has often failed to convict high-ranking officers accused of sexual violence.
The woman, whose name was not disclosed, insisted on showing her wounds to the judges.}}
But she did not want Col Engangela to see her, so she entered the courtroom wearing an outfit that covered her whole body, including her face. She sat in a box with a hole on one side.
Only the judges peered in as she removed her veil. They flinched.
She told the court in the town of Kalehe, South Kivu province, she was raped four times during an attack from Lt Col Engangela’s troops on her village.
The men then set her straw hut on fire with her and her son still inside, she said.
Col Egangela started his career in the army under former President Joseph Mobutu, before deserting to join a militia.
He was reintegrated into the army as part of a peace deal in 2005 and became commander of the 106 battalion in South Kivu, and is often known as Colonel 106.
But between 2005-2007, he is accused of deserting again, recruiting child soldiers and ordering attacks on several villages. He also allegedly collaborated with the Rwandan FDLR rebel group, based in DR Congo.
Sexual violence is a major problem in eastern DR Congo, where several armed groups still operate more than a decade after the official end of its conflict.
Both militias and the army have been accused but few senior officials have been convicted.
Two soldiers were convicted of rape earlier this year, both of them low-ranking.
{{East African slavery and the Trans-Indian Ocean slave trade are rarely discussed either in local textbooks or at global forums where the West African slave trade is a common topic of debate.}}
“Less is known about East African slavery because it’s been seen as a tabu,” said senior curator at the Shimoni Slavery Museum and Heritage Site, Patrick Abungu.
“There has been denial on the part of many descendants of slaves, primarily because there’s a stigma associated with slavery.”
This is why the current exhibition at Alliance Francaise entitled “Silent Memories: the unbroken chains” is so important. It’s bound to clear the air and clarify what actually happened in East Africa with regard to slavery.
Presented on the occasion of the United Nations International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition, the photo-text exhibition including an equally illuminating documentary film scripted and narrated by Abungu, was produced with support from Unesco, Alliance Francaise and the French Embassy to Kenya as well as the National Museums of Kenya.
The first stunning revelation that the Shimoni Museum’s lead researcher, Abungu, brings to light is that slavery has been endemic in the region for centuries.
“It wasn’t commercialised, however, until outside forces came to the Coast. After that, Africans were marched from as far as Malawi, Mozambique and Congo as well as from Uganda, and Kenya to Shimoni caves where they were held until dhows came to take them to the slave market in Zanzibar,” said Abungu who led the National Museums research team which has unearthed much of the information in the exhibition.
Using archival photographs and drawings together with maps of the various slave routes in the region and detailed texts, the exhibition offers an excellent overview of what slavery and the slave trade has meant both in the past and present.
In Abungu’s view, present day slavery is not so very different from the commercial slave trade that was abolished by the British in the mid-nineteenth century and specifically in Kenya in 1907, although the practice continued covertly until the mid-1940s.
Modern-day slavery may be called by different names, such as sex trafficking, child labour, child soldiers and even wage slavery, but these manifestations still deprive human beings of their liberty, said Abungu who includes indentured labour such as was found during the colonial era among the myriad forms of enslavement.
South Sudan rebels have agreed to let Uganda maintain its forces on South Sudanese soil until a regional body deploys a peace keeping force, a spokesman for the Ugandan government told Reuters on Friday.
The new stance by the rebels, which is a 180-degree turn from their earlier position of demanding withdrawal of the troops from South Sudan, could open a way to mend ties between the insurgents and Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni.
At least 10,000 people have been killed since fierce fighting erupted in December, pitting President Salva Kiir’s government forces against supporters of Riek Machar, his former deputy and longtime rival.
Since the conflict in Africa’s youngest nation erupted in mid December, the Ugandan leader has stood by the South Sudanese government, angering the rebels.
Peace initiatives by the regional group of nations, the Intergovernmental Authority for Development (IGAD), have so far failed to end the conflict, fought along ethnic lines between Kiir’s Dinka community and Machar’s Nuer people.
Ofwono Opondo, the Ugandan government spokesman, said a rebel delegation in Uganda met a government team led by Salim Saleh, brother of President Museveni, who acts as his senior advisor on defence and security.
“We explained to them why we deployed in their country and they agreed that we can stay there until IGAD deploys,” Opondo said. “They also agreed that a military option can not bring lasting peace in South Sudan.”
Opondo said Ugandan officials explained to the visiting rebels that Uganda had not deployed its troops to take sides in the conflict, but rather it went “in to stop a genocide”.
President Uhuru Kenyatta has nominated Major-General Philip Wachira Kameru to head the National Intelligence Service (NIS).
National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi made the announcement during Thursday’s House sitting as he passed the message from the President.
Major-General Kameru will replace Major-General (Rtd) Michael Gichangi who resigned last week as the top spy chief on personal grounds.
President Kenyatta noted that Major-General Kameru has given distinguished service to the country over 36 years, during which he rose steadily through the ranks to Director of Military Intelligence of the Kenya Defence Forces in 2011.
His term of duty has been characterised by exemplary diligence, dedication, and leadership.
“Major-General Kameru is credited with the success of Kenya’s intelligence-gathering in Somalia, as part of the AU Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) – a deployment that seeks to restore peace and order to the country, as well as to secure our own borders and the region,” read a statement from State House.
A man known for his discipline and loyalty, Major-General Kameru is rated by the military as ‘an exemplary professional’.
“Our intelligence service must now meet both new and old challenges. Major-General Kameru has gathered extensive experience in operational and administrative matters. He has also undergone rigorous training both in Kenya and abroad,” President Kenyatta said of his nominee.
“His ability has been tested by long service, and his performance and conduct have been found excellent. His experience, learning and integrity show that he is fit to lead and strengthen Kenya’s intelligence-gathering effort.”
The NIS Director designate holds three Masters Degrees – MSc in Natural Resources Management; MA in International Studies; and MSc in Security Management.
The National Assembly Committee on Defence and Foreign Affairs will vet the nominee within 14 days after it first meets after receiving the names of the nominee and present the report to Parliament.
The committee led by Tetu MP Ndungu Gethenji will make history as it considers the suitability of Major-General Kameru, because until the passage of the 2010 Constitution, past spy chiefs were always appointed by the President without going through ‘public scrutiny’.
The Speaker shall notify the President of the decision of the National Assembly.
Section 7 (6) of the National Intelligence Service Act says Director-General shall be deemed to have been approved if the National Assembly has neither approved nor rejected the nomination of the person upon the expiry of a period of 60 days from the date of the nomination.
A person is qualified for appointment as the Director-General if the they are a citizen of Kenya, holds a degree from a university recognized in Kenya; have knowledge and at least 15 years experience in intelligence or national security;
The nominee must have served in a senior management position in the service or public service for at least 10 years, and meets the requirements of Chapter Six of the Constitution on leadership and integrity.
{{Uganda government has barred Senegal’s U-19 rugby national team from entering Uganda following the Ebola outbreak in the West Africa region.}}
Senegal was among three foreign teams to be hosted by Uganda in the Confederation of Africa Rugby (CAR)1B U-19 tournament at Kyadondo Rugby Club.
The other teams are Madagascar and Zambia.“We were informed by the Commissioner of Health Services Dr. Anthony Mbonye that a decision was taken in their meeting and we should pick the formal letter from the Commissioner for Disease Control,” URU Chief Executive Officer Ramsey Olinga confirmed the development.
Olinga added that they have also communicated to the International Rugby Board Manager for Africa about the move.
But he said they are yet to get a reply.Meanwhile, South Africa’s Cheetahs Rugby Club coach Naka Drotske conducted a training session for the national rugby team in Kampala on Tuesday.
He will recommend to his employers the type of technical assistance to be extended to Uganda.
