IGIHE

Tag: GreatLakesNews

  • Kenya’s Elephant Population Stabilises

    Kenya’s Elephant Population Stabilises

    {{Sometime last month, Kenyan security agents assisted by their US and Chinese counterparts made a significant breakthrough when they pounced on a crime lord of Chinese origin, believed to be behind the current wave of illegal trafficking in ivory and rhino horns.}}

    The arrest of Li Xue brought with it the realisation that the new Conservation and Wildlife Management Act 2013 was beginning to bite, at last.

    The arrest and repatriation of Xue was a significant turning point in the war against poaching, which in the past three years has been on a climb, not just in Kenya, but also in Tanzania and Uganda, where it is rampant, thanks to laxities in park security.

    Around the same time, two Chinese traffickers faced hefty court fines and long prison terms for dealing in illicit ivory. Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) acknowledges the threats posed by illegal trophy hunters but says the drop does not necessarily mean poaching has been on the ascent.

    KWS spokesperson Paul Mbugua said the decline was a function of multiple factors, including natural attrition and migration.

    “The numbers of elephants have dropped in Tsavo. They, however, are within a range that is considered healthy for the ecosystem. There are factors that can lead to a reduced population. These include poaching, natural attrition, migration to other ecosystems and also predation of the young. The next census will be critical in ascertaining the exact trend of this population.”

    While Kenya has recorded success in clamping down on poaching, a new report by Internal Environmental Security Sub-Directorate identifies Tanzania as the new hub for poachers.

    The report estimates that 30 elephants are butchered in Tanzania daily, translating to10,000 annually. By comparison, poachers killed about 800 in Kenya last year.

    To illustrate the seriousness of poaching in Tanzania, which affects Kenya’s herds, the country has seen a decline in stocks in Selous Game Reserve from 70,000 in 2006 to about 13,084 at present.

    KWS says over the same period, Kenya’s stocks had stabilised to sustainable levels.

    A perusal of recent reports on underworld activities of the crime rings involved in poaching suggests the 1,573 that died in Tsavo National Park alone since the last count in 2011 may have been enough to finance terror activities in Kenya and Somalia.

  • Radioactive Cars Still at Mombasa port

    Radioactive Cars Still at Mombasa port

    {{A container with four motor vehicles alleged to be contaminated with radioactive materials is still lying at the port of Mombasa a year after it was recommended for reshipping to Japan.}}

    Correspondence between State agencies and a motor vehicle importers lobby group indicates the container detected on January 31st last year is yet to be shipped out following a dispute.

    The Car Importers Association of Kenya says the Kenya Bureau of Standards (Kebs), through its appointed inspection agency — the Japan Export Vehicle Inspection Centre (Jevic) — gave the consignment a clean bill of health that was rejected by the Kenya Radiation and Protection Board (KRPB) upon offloading at Mombasa.

    “Our stand as an association is that Kebs is carrying out the radioactive measurement in Japan and this can be evidenced by the roadworthiness certificate which quotes ‘radiation free zone’.

    Importers are paying inspection charge at a rate of $220 (Sh18,700),” association chairman Peter Otieno said in a letter to KRPB dated January 6.

    Whereas Kebs has appointed agents to do pre-export verification, KRPB, which is charged with testing radio-active contamination, has appointed two agencies to carry out tests before vehicles are off-loaded from the ship at Mombasa port for a charge of Sh1,000.

    Those that fail the standard test are not allowed onshore but taken back to their country of origin.

    The board dismisses claims that Kebs agents carry out radioactive tests, saying Jevic did not apply to be a radiation service provider with the board and, therefore, the radioactive tests are not recognised by the authority.

    “The board has confirmed that Jevic Ltd inspection fee of $220 is not for radiation. In fact, this is the same figure of inspection fee charged by Jevic Ltd even before the March 11, 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident in Japan,” KRPB wrote to the Kenya Maritime Authority in a letter dated January 29.

    According to the association, since it is the responsibility of the government to ensure radiation-free imports before shipment into the country, the consignee should not bear any cost in case tests turn positive after arrival of the vehicles. “Inspection should be done at the port of loading not that of discharge.

    Logistical challenges

    This will protect all the interests of importers,” said Mr Otieno, adding that the cost of re-exporting a container ranges between $3,000-4,000 and importers do not have any way of recovering it.

    On Wednesday, Nixon Mdachi, the principal radiation protection officer in Mombasa, said reshipping of the vehicles had delayed due to logistical challenges.

    Storage charges have hit $56,000 (Sh4.7 million) and the importer has asked for a waiver that is yet to be granted.

    In an earlier interview, lobby Kenya Auto Bazaar Association secretary Charles Munyori claimed KRBP does not have the capacity to test vehicles for radioactive before they leave the ship.

    {Containers at the Mombasa port. One container with four motor vehicles alleged to be contaminated with radioactive materials is still lying at the port a year after it was recommended for return}
    {businessdaily}

  • ‘Strange Object’ Falls from Sky, Burns House in Kenya

    ‘Strange Object’ Falls from Sky, Burns House in Kenya

    {{Residents of Kibaraa in Kuresoi are still in shock after a suspected meteoroid fell from the sky hitting a house loudly before blasting into flames. }}

    Jane Sitonik said she saw an object at around 7.30p.m on Thursday evening fell from the sky and hit her house. She was heading home from a nearby posho mill. She said she screamed and fell down since her three children were inside the house at the time.

    “I fell down not knowing how to rescue my three children who were inside and the house was brought down immediately my children were outside,” shocked Sitonik said Friday. She described the object as disintegrated flames having a head and a tail like a snake.

    Samuel arap Sitienei , a neighbour, said he heard the loud burst and screaming and his family too abandoned the evening meal to witness the rare incident which he says was like lightning.

    “We are just sorry for what happened and fortunately no one was injured,” he told The Standard. Mary Kisortich who saw the object at the end of the village also described it as a snake-like burning cloud.

    “I thought it was a bomb and I asked God to save us,” said Mary adding that the whole village, amid screams, became very bright for a short time.

    “I thought God had come,” Mary added. According to Sitonik, one child who was among three others inside the house, sustained minor injuries while being rushed outside to safety.

    {standard}

  • Sudan Dispatches New Troops to Front Lines

    Sudan Dispatches New Troops to Front Lines

    {{Khartoum dispatched reinforcements to its front lines Thursday as government and rebel delegations gathered in the Ethiopian capital to resume talks to end fighting in Sudan’s South Kordofan and Blue Nile states.}}

    The African Union-mediated negotiations aim to end the nearly three-year-old war in the two restive states, which aid groups say has left 1.2 million people in need of humanitarian assistance.

    Sudan’s Armed Forces are battling ethnic insurgents of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North.

    In a statement, SAF said it held a ceremony on Thursday to send more than a battalion to the “operational areas”, which it did not name.

    “SAF troops are ready to defeat the rebels,” said State Minister of Defence Yahya Mohammed Khair, former governor of Blue Nile.

    The military has made similar vows before, leading only to “the same stalemate,” an African diplomat said last week.

    Khair made his comments at a farewell ceremony for Popular Defence Force and other troops. The PDF is a type of reserve unit frequently used to support units of the regular army, which is also fighting an 11-year-old rebellion in Sudan’s Darfur region.

    The official SUNA news agency quoted Ibrahim Ghandour, Khartoum’s chief negotiator, as saying three days of talks would start on Thursday, and would focus on a draft ceasefire agreement proposed by the African Union.

    Rebel spokesman Arnu Ngutulu Lodi told media that the SPLM-N delegation had already travelled to Addis Ababa for the talks.

    A first round of negotiations adjourned on February 18 without a single face-to-face meeting between the combatants.

    AU chief mediator Thabo Mbeki said Tuesday that he hopes the renewed talks will be a step towards SPLM-N participation in a broader national dialogue about Sudan’s political future.

    AFP

  • World Bank Suspends $90M Uganda Loan Over Anti-Gay Law

    World Bank Suspends $90M Uganda Loan Over Anti-Gay Law

    {{The World Bank has postponed a $90m (£54m) loan to Uganda over its tough new anti-gay law that has drawn criticism from around the world.}}

    World Bank officials said they wanted to guarantee the projects the loan was destined to support were not going to be adversely affected by the new law.

    The loan was intended to boost Uganda’s health services.

    The new law, enacted on Monday, strengthens already strict legislation relating to homosexuals in the country.

    It allows life imprisonment as the penalty for acts of “aggravated homosexuality” and also criminalises the “promotion of homosexuality”.

    The law has been sharply criticised by the West, with donors such as Denmark and Norway saying they would redirect aid away from the government to aid agencies.

    US Secretary of State John Kerry has called the law “atrocious”. Both he and South African Nobel peace laureate Desmond Tutu compared it to anti-Semitic laws in Nazi Germany or apartheid South Africa.

    NMG

  • Kenya to Build First Nuclear Plant

    Kenya to Build First Nuclear Plant

    {{Kenya has announced that it will build a 1,000 MW nuclear plant worth US$3.5bn by 2025 to support the country’s growing energy needs.}}

    William Ruto, deputy president of Kenya, said, “I have no doubt that Kenya will successfully implement its nuclear power programme safely and efficiently, borrowing from best practices in countries that have embraced and used the technology successfully for many decades.”

    The plant is expected to be built near the country’s Lake Victoria coastline, according to The Star.

    Davis Chirchir, energy and petroleum cabinet secretary, said that no consensus has been reached so far on financing the project as the Kenyan government would prefer a public-private partnership (PPP).

    Ruto added that Kenya would develop nuclear energy alongside other renewables such as geothermal, hydro, wind and solar.

    Kenyans face frequent blackouts due to the demand for electricity outstripping demand.

    {africanreview}

  • South Sudan Rebels Threaten Massive Attack

    South Sudan Rebels Threaten Massive Attack

    {{A senior rebel leader has warned the South Sudanese president, Salva Kiir, to resign or risk full armed resistance from the rebels of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) in opposition.}}

    Alfred Ladu Gore, a former national minister of environment who also commanded significant support, particularly from members of Bari community from his home state of Central Equatoria, said Kiir was a total failure beyond repair.

    He accused the South Sudanese leader of what he described as genocide he committed against a section of the society.

    “Salva Kiir should resign for the blood-letting to stop. The president has proved that he has no capacity to lead and so must go and face the ICC [International Criminal Court] who should try him for genocide,” Gore told journalists on Wednesday in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.

    Gore and Angelina Teny, wife of the South Sudan’s former vice president, Riek Machar, who leads the armed resistance, were addressing a joint press conference in the Ethiopian capital where talks between the two warring parties had been taking place.

    The general who survived the 21 years north-south conflict narrowly escaped from Juba on 15 December when the violence started and had been based in Lakes and Unity states since January.

    The two leaders who arrived in Addis Ababa on Monday said they were ready for the worst should Salva Kiir not heed to the calls to resign, adding they have been establishing armed resistance groups in various parts of the country to force Kiir out of power if he refuses to step down.

    They also warned foreign forces, particularly from Uganda to withdraw and avoid the conflict sliding into regional violence.

    The opposition leaders however said there were indications that the talks might resolve the conflict between the two factions despite repeated violations of the cessation of hostilities agreement by the government and its foreign allies.

    Gore together with the opposition leader Riek Machar and Taban Deng Gai, former governor of Unity state, were charged with treason by the minister of Justice in Juba for allegedly attempting a coup, a judgement the rebel leaders discredited as Salva Kiir’s one man’s show.

    Gore and Teny will take part in the second round of the peace talks in Addis Ababa with the government to discuss the root causes of the conflict and how to resolve it.

    {sudantribune}

  • Report Says Uganda Market to Get More Volumes

    Report Says Uganda Market to Get More Volumes

    {{Market observers have given a positive outlook predicting that Uganda’s economic recovery will accelerate further this year.}}

    A Crested Stocks and Securities outlook posted Wednesday afternoon noted that the Ugandan stock market will also post more activity than in 2013 owing to a stable economic climate which supports investment in listed securities.

    “We expect more corporate actions, particularly in banking and insurance, as companies look to access capital and meet industry capital requirements, the spotlight on emerging and frontier markets by off shore investors presents more opportunity for growth of the stock market,” says the report.

    Agriculture and services are anticipated to be the main driver of this growth while the expected oil explorations and other activities which are aligned to the commencement of this quickly establishing sector will see more investments.

    The stock brokerage firm also predicts that the banking sector will recover from the effects of the high non-performing loans that were accumulated in 2011-2012 therefore the sector is projected to perform better than in 2013.

    The main market indicator is currently trading in the mid 1,400s.

    “The USE Index has had a similar trend of low at the beginning of the year, reaches its highest in the middle of the year as most listed companies close their registers for dividend payment before becoming stable at the end of the year,’ observes the report.

    NV

  • How Tourists Will Travel in EAC

    How Tourists Will Travel in EAC

    {{Kenyan tour operators’ vehicles will not take tourists directly to national parks and other attraction sites in Tanzania even after last week’s deal reached by the two countries to enhance cooperation in the tourism sector.}}

    Instead, the vehicles from the neighbouring country will be allowed to drop visitors at specific towns in Tanzania before they are taken to the sites by locally registered vehicles, stakeholders in the industry affirmed yesterday.

    The executive secretary of the Tourism Confederation of Tanzania (TCT), Mr Richard Rugimbana, said a meeting held in Arusha under the auspices of the East African Community (EAC) agreed that tourists coming into the country would only be dropped at their destination sites.

    “I am not a spokesman of the government, but the two countries agreed to enhance the 1985 Protocol on Tourism Cooperation, this time on the issue of tour operations,” he told The Citizen over the phone from Dar es Salaam.

    He declined to give more details on the outcome of the ministerial conference of EAC on tourism and wildlife, which was dominated by the contentious issues of tourist/driver guides operations at the border crossings and insecurity.

    Tanzania and Kenya, the leading tourists destinations in the bloc, agreed on a draft protocol regarding tourism in 1985, shortly after the re-opening of the border between the two countries.

    During the six-year closure from 1977, no tourists were allowed to cross overland into Tanzania as was the case before.

    When contacted over the issue, an executive officer with the Tanzania Association of Tour Operations (Tato) Sirili Akko said tourists crossing from Kenya through Namanga would now be dropped in Arusha instead of the border town.

    “For the visitors coming in through Uganda, they will be dropped at Bukoba instead of Mutukula,” he said, noting that the measure has been taken because most of the border posts lacked the necessary facilities for the visitors.

    It is estimated that about 40 per cent of tourists from overseas coming to Tanzania enter the country through Kenya.

    A Kenyan leading weekly Sunday Nation reported at the weekend that the decision followed a pressure from the Kenyan tour operators who have been against the rule that required them to drop tourists at the border with Tanzania for them to be picked up by their Tanzanian counterparts.

    However, it emerged from the Arusha talks that Kenyan authorities have been allowing Tanzanian tour operators to take tourists to even to the national parks and airports.

    The Kenyan Cabinet Secretary for EAC Affairs, Ms Phyllis Kandie, who led her country’s delegation to the meeting, said the new arrangement would also help in marketing the regional as a single tourist destination, adding that the newly found relationship with Tanzania will get the support of key stakeholders.

    According to the minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, Mr Lazaro Nyalandu, Tanzania and Kenya have been given six months to meet bilaterally and review their existing cooperation in the latest moratorium in Arusha.

    “By resolving these challenges we will promote the tourism sector with a focus on regional integration”, he said.

    {thecitizen}

  • Tanzania’s CCM Party Wants Zanzibar Constitution Reviewed

    Tanzania’s CCM Party Wants Zanzibar Constitution Reviewed

    {{Tanzania’s ruling party Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) wants the 10th amendment of the Zanzibar Constitution reviewed, particularly those areas that have been criticised for reportedly undermining the supremacy of the Union Constitution. }}

    The current union system is perceived to be weak because the Constitution has been belittled, the party argues in its push for rejection of the proposed three-government system and retention of the status quo.

    A document purported to have been drawn at the end of a meeting of CCM’s top leadership earlier in the month notes also that the 10th amendment of the Zanzibar Constitution fuelled resentment of the current union system because the changes undermine the Union Constitution.

    The document, dubbed Circular Number 3 on the Draft Constitution from the Political and International Relations Department, notes that the Union Constitution should be respected by both parties in order to address the illegality.

    The document, disowned by CCM Ideology and Publicity Secretary Nape Nnauye despite other sources having confirmed that it was prepared by the party, says a three-government arrangement will not solve the problems.

    “We don’t believe that the number of governments will be a panacea for union problems in the absence of a sustainable system of respecting the Constitution,” the document says. “Failing to respect the Mother Law will definitely undermine a union of any kind, be it of two governments or three.”

    CCM wants the new Constitution to explicitly state that the Union Constitution will be supreme and prevail if a partner’s constitution is in conflict with the Union Constitution.

    CCM also wants the new constitution to categorically state that Union partners will amend their major laws to reflect the needs and requirements of the supreme Union law.

    In order to avoid controversies in future, CCM proposes that the new constitution create a special constitutional court that will be mandated to hear and determine all matters regarding the constitution.

    “The powers of such a court should be extended to enable it deal with all challenges bearing constitutional or legal conflicts,” says another section of the document. “For instance, a conflict resulting from Zanzibar’s move to form armed security forces could be solved through this court.”

    Meanwhile, the document insists on the number of proposals by the ruling party that were not included in the second Draft Constitution, one area being arrangement of the articles of the constitution in order to give it a good outline.

    “Articles 52, 53, 54 and 55, which in the former draft were numbered 50, 51, 52 and 53 respectively, refer to a lot of issues on human rights,” the document adds. “It was proposed that these articles be summarised and shifted to Part Four of the Draft Constitution, which deals with human rights.”

    thecitizen