Tag: GreatLakesNews

{{Three people have been killed and several wounded in two explosions in the Kenyan coastal city of Mombasa, police say.}}

In the deadliest attack, a grenade was reportedly thrown in a bus that had just arrived from Nairobi.

The other blast happened at a bar near a hotel in the Nyali beach area. There are no reports of casualties there.

Kenya has been hit by a spate of attacks blamed by the government on Somali Islamist militants.

The al-Qaeda-linked group al-Shabab has carried out several attacks in Kenya since 2011, when Kenya sent troops into Somalia to battle it.

No-one has yet claimed responsibility for Saturday’s blasts.

{{Third attack?}}

The first blast is believed to have occurred after a grenade was thrown in a Nairobi-Mombasa bus that had just arrived in the busy Mwembe Tayari transport terminal, killing three people and wounding at least four others.

The second explosion took place at a beach bar near the Nayali Reef Hotel, after a device was left in a plastic bag in the washroom.

It is thought that a third attack was planned for a nearby cinema complex but was unsuccessful.

All three incidents happened within minutes of each other, reporters said.

Tensions have been rising in Mombasa in recent months, with authorities accusing Islamists of radicalising local youths.

Al-Shabab was blamed for an attack on a church in Mombasa in March that killed six people.

{{Under pressure to release the final draft Constitution, Zambia’s Justice Minister Wynter Kabimba said Wednesday he will need the authority of Cabinet to do so.}}

The move is likely to brew fears the document will be doctored, allegations government denies.

“Yes, we”ll release the document, but will only release the draft Constitution to the public after Cabinet authority,” State radio quoted Mr Kabimba as saying.

“The document will be made available very soon, or within a reasonable period of time.”

The heated debate has been about when the government, seemingly back-tracking on its promise to deliver a new Constitution in 90 days, would release the document to the public.

In his maiden address to Parliament in 2011 following his election, President Sata, 76, said his government was committed to delivering a people-driven constitution within three months–one of his campaign pledges–which drew widespread praise.

He later appointed a Committee in 2011 to collect views, but toward the end of its mandate a “tug-of-war” ensued between it and the Executive on the mode of releasing it simultaneously to the President and the public for debate.

The document is now in government possession.

The government seemed “uncomfortable” with the idea of releasing the document to the public, which is also demanding a referendum, before it had a “chance” to read through the content, some political commentators say.

President Sata’s ruling Patriotic Front party, which while in the opposition gave a wide berth to the constitution making during the administrations of former presidents Levy Mwanawasa and Rupiah Banda, has not indicated whether the process would be followed by a referendum, which stakeholders are demanding.

Zambia got its independence from Britain in 1964 and has struggled to formulate a people-driven constitution for many years now.

{{At least seven people were killed Saturday in a huge explosion believed to be from a roadside bomb in the centre of the Somali capital Mogadishu, police said.}}

The bomb went off near the busy KM4 junction in central Mogadishu, close to the Turkish embassy – although it was not clear if the attack had a precise target.

“Several people have been killed, there are at least seven, including four civilians and three policemen,” police officer Mohammed Duale said at the scene.

Another security source at the scene said the bomb appeared to have been planted at the side of the road. According to another police official, a former regional government official was among the dead.

The attack is the latest in a string of bombings in the city attributed to Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Shabaab rebels, who are battling to overthrow the war-torn country’s internationally-backed but fragile government.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, although the Al-Shabaab have said they were behind a series of similar attacks in recent weeks.

Al-Shabaab have been driven out of fixed positions in Somalia’s major towns by a UN-mandated African Union force, but still regularly launch attacks that include bombings and guerrilla-style raids.

Recent Al-Shabaab attacks have targeted key areas of government or the security forces, in an apparent bid to discredit claims by the authorities that they are winning the war against the Islamist fighters.

Last month Al-Shabaab said they assassinated two MPs in the space of 24 hours in Mogadishu in a shooting and car bombing. In February, Al-Shabaab militants carried out a major attack against the heavily fortified presidential palace, killing officials and guards in heavy gun battles.

{{President Uhuru Kenyatta has urged the media to be responsible in their work as there was no absolute freedom of press.}}

Speaking at a meeting ahead of this year’s World Press Freedom Day at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre on Friday, the President called on journalists to countercheck their facts before broadcasting or publishing their stories.

“It is your job as journalists to know what the law requires, and to observe its demands. It is your job always to keep by your side your own code of conduct and to refer to it before your story is written, “President Kenyatta said.

He urged journalists to always own up to their mistakes when they fail to adhere to their professional ethics.

The President said the Government will always protect those who may not be able to defend themselves when maligned by the Press.

He noted with concern that the media has not been acting responsibly but used its freedom to perpetuate falsehoods that could have been avoided.

President Kenyatta appreciated the fact that the work of journalists is not easy as they devote themselves to serve public interest, but practitioners need to always concede when they fail the standards.

“My Government expects that the Media Council and the Communication Authority will monitor and remedy your shortcomings in a spirit of fraternal correction. Just as we will accept fair criticism when we fall short of our standards, so you too should accept blame when you fail to hit your mark,” said the President.

Saying that Kenyan journalists cannot afford to practise their profession as though they lived elsewhere, President Kenyatta challenged them to tell the African story from the local point of view.

This means, the President added, “standing up for and defending African values, and the African experience, giving it expression, giving it a voice, and authenticating it”.

The Head of State said time had come for a robust media debate on how the Press can contribute to national development, and the evolution of our social values.

“Our experience in and with the media is still in a flux; we must continue to debate the kind of media we have,” President Kenyatta said.

He however said the Government would continue partnering with the media to improve the lives of Kenyans.

In pursuit to its role of educating the public, the President urged media houses to allocate time for free public service announcements.

He cited health and other matters articulated in Article 10 of the Constitution as some of the national development issues which could be aired free in the media.

“There is no reason whatsoever for any Kenyan to remain ignorant of basic public-service information when we have nearly 100 stations broadcasting right across the country,” he noted.

Cabinet Secretary for Information, Communication and Technology, Fred Matiang’i said the Government is committed to the growth and development of media freedom.

Media Council of Kenya Chief Executive Harun Mwangi thanked the Government for assenting to the Media Council Bill 2013 and called for the formulation of a media policy to guide the industry.

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{{Republic of Congo has expelled more than 50,000 citizens of the Democratic Republic of Congo over the past month, authorities in Kinshasa said on Thursday, a move rare on this scale in the relations between the two neighbours.}}

Officials in Brazzaville, capital of the Republic of Congo, said the operation is aimed at ending a crime wave linked to foreigners, and that all those living in the country illegally, not just those from the DRC, were being targeted.

The Kinshasa government has expressed concern about the way in which the operation was being carried out but said it is seeking to resolve the issue through diplomatic channels.

“As of yesterday, we had counted 52,226 people expelled from Brazzaville,” Andre Kimbuta Yango, the governor of Kinshasa, told Reporters. The operation, dubbed the “Slap that hurts” in the local language, Lingala, began on April 3.

There are strong ethnic and commercial ties between the capitals of the two countries, which are separated by the Congo River. While there are sporadic political tensions, expulsions on this scale are rare.