IGIHE

Tag: GreatLakesNews

  • President Kenyatta calls for constructive leadership

    {As the August elections close in, President Uhuru Kenyatta has cautioned leaders against destructive politics, saying they only work to hurt the people.}

    He asked Kenyans to instead unite to fight challenges that afflict the nation.

    “Ndovu wakipigana nyasi ndiyo huumia….ndovu ni hawa wanasiasa na nyasi ni wananchi (When elephants fight, the grass suffers….elephants here are politicians while grass represents electorates),” he said when addressing a rally at Emurua Dikirr in Narok County.

    {{Enhance development }}

    He said Kenyans are faced with a myriad of challenges, which leaders should strive to tackle.

    “My agenda is to fight poverty and improve the economy of the country,” he said.

    While asking the national and county governments to partner in advancing development, he said bad leadership resulted to wastage of resources.

    He entreated the residents to support his re-election bid saying: “I plead with a lot of respect we work together.”

    {{Heckling }}

    Accompanying him were Deputy President William Ruto, National Assembly Majority Leader Aden Duale, Narok Governor Samuel Tunai and Emurua Dikirr MP Johana Ng’eno, who had a rough time addressing the Jubilee and CCM supporters who had thronged Dikirr Township for the rally.

    Mr Tunai was forced to cut short his speech after a brief address, after which he welcomed the President to the region.

    “Today we have our President here. I take this opportunity to welcome you on behalf of the county. This is a Jubilee zone, which overwhelmingly supported you in the last elections,” he said.

    But Mr Ruto, Mr Duale and Mr Ng’eno managed to address the crowd amid heckling.

    Jubilee supporters shouted down Mr Ng’eno while those belonging to Chama Cha Mashinani, which is headed by Bomet governor Isaac Ruto, jeered the Jubilee leaders.

    {{Re-elect Uhuru }}

    Mr Ng’eno, who has been one of the critics of Jubilee leadership, told the President that his constituency supports him and are satisfied with his rule.

    He pleaded with the President to tarmac roads in the region.

    Mr Duale said the Jubilee government has good plans for Kenyans and asked them to re-elect the President come August 8, who will then hand over to Mr Ruto come 2022.

    President Uhuru Kenyatta addresses Narok town residents on April 7, 2017. He said Jubilee Party is ready for elections in August 8.

    Source:Daily Nation

  • Tanzania:Fausta the Rhino deserves 64m/- up-keep costs, Prof Maghembe

    {The government has defended the costs incurred for keeping Fausta the Rhino, aged 54 years, who is described to be the oldest in the world, currently being kept at Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA) in Arusha Region, Northern part of Tanzania.}

    Natural Resources and Tourism Minister, Prof Jumanne Maghembe, told the National Assembly here on Thursday that the government was spending about 64m/- per month, an amount described by some Members of Parliament (MPs) as colossal.

    “It is true that there is Fausta the Rhino at Ngorongoro Conservation Area. The animal has been placed in a cage because it is too old and was being threatened by a variety of diseases. The purpose is to ensure the life of this animal continues,” the minister said.

    According to Prof Maghembe, different researches are being made and data collected regarding this Rhino because these kinds of animals are very few in the country at the moment.

    He pointed out that each statistic being collected is compared with the real life of those who are in the forest and was so essential for the life of others that also live in the areas. “It is true that this work needs costs, but those are the real costs for the conservation. I, therefore, ask the MP to continue trusting us that we are doing this in good faith and that the statistics availed are true value for the conservation of this animal,” the minister said.

    He was responding to a supplementary question by Pauline Gekul (Babati Urban-Chadema), who had expressed her concern over the costs incurred for keeping Fausta the Rhino inside Ngorongoro Conservation Area.

    The report, quoting the Head of NCA, Dr Fredy Manongi, as saying that Fausta the Rhino was too old, whose age is at 54 and was placed in the cage because at the time when it was mixed with other animals in the forest had received some attacks from hyenas, thus creating some wounds on its body.

    Further reports suggest that Fausta the Rhino, who is among more than 50 Rhinos living in Ngorongoro Conservation Area, never bore any child in his life. It is stated that hyenas managed to attack such a Rhino because of the age and being weak.

    “But we have organised ourselves to make sure the animal lived many more years, leaving a unique history in the world,” the leading Rhino Conservator at NCA, Cuthbert Lemanya, is quoted as saying.

    Fausta the Rhino is among the black rhino, whose original is South Africa.

    There are claims that the animal has lost its sight ability due to the old age it has. Unlike other Rhinos with old ages in the world, Fausta the Rhino lives in the natural environment, but other Rhinos in different countries in the world, including Kenya are living in zoos or designated areas for rhinos known as ‘Rhino Sanctuary’.

    Source:Daily News

  • DRC repatriates bodies of American, Swedish experts for UN

    The United Nations mission in Democratic Republic of Congo says the bodies of American and Swedish experts have been repatriated to their countries of origin.

    The UN’s deputy special representative for DRC, David Gressly, said on Wednesday that investigations have opened into the deaths.

    American Michael Sharp, Swedish national Zaida Catalan and local interpreter Betu Tshintela went missing March 12 in Central Kasai province while looking into recent large-scale violence by the army and militia groups.

    Their bodies were found last week.

    President Joseph Kabila on Wednesday promised punishment for those responsible.

    Source:News 24

  • Detectives link Ugandan Ronnie Nsale to IEBC hacking

    {Kenyan police are holding a Ugandan on suspicion of attempting to hack into the electoral agency’s systems and working with the Islamic State group.}

    Mr Ronnie Nsale is also being investigated over hacking into databases of banks, mobile phone companies and money transfer service providers.

    He was arrested on Friday and after spending the weekend in cells, police took him to court on Monday and asked for more time to complete investigations into claims that he stole money from Safaricom and several banks.

    {{Theft }}

    Police were allowed to detain him for three days. They said it was while in custody that the terrorism angle was discovered.

    Mr Nsale was taken to court for the second time Thursday. The court allowed anti-terrorism detectives to hold him for 15 days.

    He was in court with Mr Morgan Kamande, who is also being investigated for links to terrorist groups.

    Safaricom issued a statement saying one of its customers lost Sh266,000 “through an unauthorised SIM Swap”.

    “However, proactive action saw him refunded immediately,” the statement said.

    {{High-tech }}

    The company added that it foiled an elaborate cybercrime fraud attempt to hack into its systems.

    According to the statement, Safaricom’s risk management unit detected the intrusion and immediately escalated it to security agencies.

    Safaricom CEO Bob Collymore said the company maintains a state-of-the-art information security system, which easily triggers an alarm if a breach is detected.

    “This matter is being treated with the seriousness it deserves with the suspects due to be arraigned for hacking and fraud. I wish to assure our customers that their data is safe and we have no evidence of any money being removed from the system,” Mr Collymore said.

    {{‘Terrorist’}}

    He said the issue was sensitive and that details would be provided at a later date “to avoid jeopardising the ongoing investigations”.

    But it is the issue of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission and the IS, the terrorist group that declared a caliphate in Syria and Iraq, that has escalated the importance of the investigation.

    An officer close to the investigation told the Nation that the two men were found with Internet Protocols (IPs) of IEBC and Safaricom servers as well as those of several banks.

    Investigators said Mr Nsale’s other associates were in contact with wanted IS agents in and outside Kenya.

    The prosecution said the two were being investigated for hacking into computer systems of “vital and key installations, agencies and a telecommunication service provider”.

    {{More time }}

    The court was told that the hacking resulted to a loss of unspecified “huge amount of monies”.

    The prosecution said more details would be disclosed in camera.

    “Their actions can jeopardise the country’s security,” Mr Duncan Ondimu, the prosecutor, said.

    “The Anti-Terrorism Police Unit has been investigating the presence of ISIS/ISIL cyber caliphate in the country and whether the hacking of computer systems was linked to the terror groups, but will require more time since the information to be examined is about one terabyte,” Mr Ondimu said.

    The two were arrested on March 31 in connection with fraudulent activities at Safaricom.

    {{Travel }}

    They were initially released on bond but were rearrested immediately thereafter and locked up at Central Police Station, Nairobi.

    Later, they were transferred to the ATPU headquarters.

    According to an ATPU detective, they are being investigated for “providing property and services for the commission of terrorism, collection of information for the same and obstructing the course of justice”.

    “Pursuant to intelligence information received and evidence gathered so far, there has been an increase in the use of the cyber space by ISIS/ISIL/DAESH propagating terrorism and related activities,” the court heard.

    The prosecution said Mr Nsale refused to produce his passport and that his travel history was yet to be ascertained “as he frequently leaves and jets back into the country”.

    {{Accomplices }}

    The prosecution also told the court it intended to contact the Ugandan Immigration department on the matter.

    The court was told that the pair had associates who were yet to be apprehended and that they had refused to reveal their identities.

    A senior manager at Safaricom’s fraud investigation department reported on March 10 an unlawful access to the company’s protected systems and the two were held at Parliament Police Station and later released.

    Investigations had initially targeted Safaricom staff on suspicion of targeting the system remotely.

    Detectives also pointed to a number belonging to a Mr Edward Migwi Waweru, who is still at large.

    Police are looking for a Safaricom agent who registered the line. The case will be mentioned on April 21.

    {{Compliance }}

    Safaricom moved to reassure its customers saying the company routinely and proactively implemented preventative and detective controls around its information security on its platforms.

    “The firm holds the globally acclaimed ISO 27001 Information Security Management System certification that confirms adherence and implementation of appropriate processes and controls relating to mobile data, mobile money services, cloud services, billing and customer support,” the statement said.

    “Safaricom complies with laws regarding protection of customers’ privacy and consumer data in line with Article 31 of the Constitution of Kenya and the Kenya Information and Communications Act.”

    In his LinkedIn account, Mr Nsale markets himself as senior information security consultant at Lockheed Martin.

    He also says he is a “certified information systems security professional specialising in IT security solutions, with notable success directing a broad range of IT initiatives while participating in planning and implementation of information security solutions in direct support of business objectives”.

    Morgan Kamande (left) and Ronald Nsale in a Nairobi court on April 6, 2017 during the hearing of a case in which they are accused of hacking into databases of banks.

    Source:Daily Nation

  • US warns its citizens of election violence in Kenya

    {The US State Department issued a travel alert on Thursday warning Americans residing in or traveling to Kenya of possible violence in the run-up to the August elections.}

    “Rallies, demonstrations and protests may occur with little notice and even those intended to be peaceful can escalate into violence,” the notice said.

    “As with all large events, there is also the opportunity for criminal elements or terrorists to target participants and visitors,” the State Department added.

    It urged US citizens to avoid areas where protests or demonstrations are occurring and to “exercise caution if unexpectedly in the vicinity of any such events.”

    Candidate selections for national and county offices are taking place this month, the State Department noted.

    A travel alert last June urged US citizens to avoid visiting Lamu, Nairobi’s Eastleigh neighbourhood and Kenya’s northeastern counties.

    {{Safety concerns }}

    That warning also cited a US embassy recommendation to avoid using the Likoni ferry “due to safety concerns” and to visit Mombasa’s Old Town only during daylight hours.

    US Ambassador Robert Godec has made pleas for a peaceful election in 2017.

    “Youth need to make a commitment to use their power peacefully — a commitment to reject violence, and those who would call for violence,” the US envoy declared in February.

    “The future doesn’t just depend on who wins the election; it also depends on how the elections happen,” Ambassador Godec added in a speech in Kariobangi.

    US Ambassador to Kenya Robert F. Godec. The US has issued a travel alert warning Americans of possible election violence in Kenya.

    Source:Daily Nation

  • Tanzania:Ivory case suspect was not tortured, witness tells court

    {Two witnesses have confirmed before a Dar es Salaam court that Manase Philemon (39), who is accused of leading organized crime and unlawful dealing in government trophies worth 5.4bn/-, was not tortured while making his statement.}

    Philemon who is charged alongside the alleged Queen of Ivory, Chinese Yang Feng Clan (66) and Salivius Matembo (39) had claimed to have been tortured by the police to agree to the charges.

    Before Kisutu Principal Resident Magistrate, Huruma Shaidi, the prosecutor, Mr Faraja Nchimbi, informed the court that the case had come for trial within a trial.

    A police officer, Sergeant D 7847 Beatus (46), alleged that he had taken Philemon’s statement at Kijitonyama Police Station after his arrest at Njiapanda Segerea and held at Stakishari Station before being transferred. Sergeant Beatus told the court that before taking the statement, he notified his superiors and went through with the interrogation.

    He further claimed that at that moment, the accused was in good shape and was accorded all rights before beginning the interrogation. “I informed him of his right to speak before a lawyer or a relative but he had agreed for us to proceed with neither the persons and upon finishing, he placed his signature and confirmation on the sheet,” alleged Sargent Beatus.

    Sergeant Beatus also notified the court that he had received a call from the then Director of Criminal Investigation (DCI), Mngulu, ordering him to go to Stakishari Station to transfer a suspect who was involved in an illegal business of elephant tusks.

    “The interrogation went on from around 4.05pm to 5.28pm in the evening before handing the accused to the head of the station to place him under custody,” alleged the witness.

    He also denied to having guarded the accused in a Hospital at Sinza where Philemon claimed to have been admitted after being tortured. Responding to a question which was asked by Defence Attorney, Nehemiah Nkoko, Sergeant Beatus said there was no time he had heard that the accused was admitted to a hospital but rather heard of him being sick but he has never guarded him.

    Another witness, Corporal F 29 Lugano (36), notified the court that he was the one who carried out Philemon’s arrest and handed him over to Sergeant Beatus and he had not complained of any illness or injuries.

    “The arrest was carried out on April 18, 2014, when he was tipped off by an informer on the whereabouts of the accused,” he said. The prosecution alleges that between January 1, 2000 and May 22, 2014 in the city, all the three accused carried out business of the said government trophies.

    It is alleged that the trio bought and sold 706 pieces of elephant tusks weighing 1,889 kilogrammes valued at 5,435,865,000/-, the property of United Republic of Tanzania, without a permit from the director of wildlife.

    The prosecution alleged that within the same period and place, intentionally, Clan organized, managed and financed a criminal racket by collecting, transporting or exporting and selling elephant tusks without a permit from the director of wildlife or CITES permit.

    Within the same period and place, Matembo and Philemon allegedly furnished assistance and directions in the conduct of business of collecting, transporting and selling the said government trophies with intent to reap benefits, promote and further the objective of criminal racket. Philemon is facing a separate count of escaping from lawful custody.

    Source:Daily News

  • At least 13 new mass graves found in DRC amid rebellion

    {The United Nations says 13 new mass graves have been found in central Democratic Republic of Congo, bringing the total to 23 amid mounting violence in the area.}

    Jose Maria Aranaz, director of the UN human rights office in Kinshasa, said on Tuesday that Congolese authorities would try to determine how many bodies were in the graves.

    The mass graves are in a part of central Congo where at least 400 civilians have been killed since August amid a rebellion loyal to former traditional leader Kamwina Nsapu. The UN says at least 434 000 people are internally displaced.

    Among the victims were two UN experts — American Michael Sharp and Swedish national Zaida Catalan — and their Congolese interpreter. Three others who were with them remain missing.

    Source:News 24

  • Raila mourns Margaret Wambui

    {ODM leader Raila Odinga has mourned former Nairobi mayor Margaret Wambui, President Uhuru Kenyatta’s eldest sister, as a freedom fighter.}

    In a statement, Mr Odinga said, “As a family, we have had a long history with Margaret and her family from her days as a freedom fighter, through her father, the late President Jomo Kenyatta’s detention and her rise into a towering figure in Kenya’s landscape who ended up being the first and only female Mayor of Nairobi,”

    Ms Wambui, he said, was adopted into the Jaramogi family during her father’s detention, making her part of his extended family.

    “Over the years, she remained a bridge between our two families. We knew her as a loving and deeply caring lady who towered over Kenya’s landscape with humility and decency,” he said.

    Mr Odinga said that although she is gone, her place is preserved in Kenyan history.

    “As Jaramogi’s family, we stand with her family in prayer and wish them strength at this moment of loss. We also offer profound gratitude for all that she did for our country,” he said.

    Margaret Wambui, President Uhuru Kenyatta's eldest sister, who died in Nairobi on April 5, 2017.

    Source:Daily Nation

  • Burundi youth threaten to ‘impregnate’ opposition women

    {Burundi’s ruling party sought Wednesday to distance itself from a viral video showing members of its feared youth wing threatening to impregnate opposition women.}

    Hundreds of the youths known as Imbonerakure — “those who see from afar” in the local Kirundi language — are shown in military-like formation singing “impregnate the opposition so that they give birth to Imbonerakure”.

    The ruling CNND-FDD initially said the video which began circulating three days ago had been faked by the opposition, but was on Wednesday forced to admit its authenticity after it sparked outrage on social media networks.

    {{POLITICAL CRISIS}}

    “A video has been circulating on social media showing youths gathering in Ntega in Kirundo province. Unfortunately some youths sang a song which is not consistent with the morals or ideology of the CNDD-FDD,” the party’s communication chief Nancy-Ninette Mutoni said in a statement.

    She said the party condemned their “misuse of language … in the strongest terms”.

    The Imbonerakure have come under the spotlight since Burundi plunged into crisis two years ago when President Pierre Nkurunziza launched a bid for a disputed third term in office, prompting massive protests and a failed coup attempt.

    ATTACKERS

    Human Rights Watch (HRW) has reported their involvement in arresting and attacking opposition members, carrying out torture and gang-raping women.

    “Attackers from Burundi’s ruling party youth league tied up, brutally beat, and gang-raped women, often with their children nearby,” said Skye Wheeler, a HRW women’s rights researcher, after the group interviewed more than 70 rape victims in a Tanzanian refugee camp in May 2016.

    HRW said the youth wing — which the United Nations terms a militia — often collaborated with police and the military.

    In January Mutoni said the Imbonerakure “not only have the right but also the obligation to do surveillance and to signal all movements and suspect acts to the security forces”.

    Since Burundi’s 2015 election crisis, the UN estimates some 500 people have been killed — a year-old death toll that NGOs believe is in fact as high as 2,000. More than 400,000 have fled the country.

    Source:AFP

  • Dar police nab three aliens over 45kg ivory

    {Police in Dar es Salaam have arrested 350 suspects over various crimes, including two South Africans and a Serbian allegedly found in possession of two pieces of ivory weighing 45kg, in ongoing crackdowns in the city.}

    Speaking during a press conference yesterday, the Dar es Salaam Special Police Zone Commander, Commissioner of Police (CP) Simon Sirro said the suspects were arrested during crackdowns in various parts of the city.

    He said the two South Africans and a Serbian found in possession of the elephant tusks were arrested at Upanga- Charambe area on Tuesday night, last week.

    The names of the suspects were withheld to facilitate investigation. The suspects are also accused of involving themselves in narcotic drugs business. According to him, the suspects are held for interrogation and to facilitate further investigations before they appear before the court of law.

    “We also arrested a suspected killer, Musuguri Sylvester (24), who is accused of killing his wife, Samira Masoud (34), and hiding her body in a huge water container at Kibamba area in Ubungo Municipality, last month,” CP Sirro said.

    He said that during interrogation, the Musuguri admitted to have killed his wife as he suspected her of having an extra marital relationship. After killing her, he sent a short text message to his wife’s relatives to go and collect the body before it decomposes.

    The CP further said that other 40 suspects were being held on suspicions of being involved in narcotic drugs business. Thirty three of them were tested by the Government Chemist Laboratory Agency (GCLA) and were confirmed drug users and others seven are awaiting tests.

    He said the other 306 suspects were arrested over various crimes including using marijuana and local liquor commonly known as ‘gongo’. He said the suspects are undergoing interrogation and will appear before the court of law after investigations are complete.

    CP Sirro also warned city dwellers over the presence of conmen who call people on their mobile phones and promise to help them get employment with the Dar es Salaam UDA Rapid Transit (UDART).

    Source:Daily News