Tag: GreatLakesNews

{{The East African Community heads of state of Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda are scheduled to meet later this month in Kigali amid growing concerns about Tanzania’s apparent isolation by the “coalition of the willing”.}}

Rwandan President Paul Kagame will host his Kenyan and Ugandan counterparts, Mr Uhuru Kenyatta and Mr Yoweri Museveni, respectively, on October 28 and 29 to discuss joint infrastructure projects, Tanzania media reported.

On the agenda will be the planned Mombasa-Kampala-Kigali standard-gauge railway, an oil pipeline connecting the three countries, an oil refinery and construction of a modern port in Lamu, Kenya.

It was reported last weekend that divisions within the EAC had deepened after Burundi said it was not party to the “coalition of the willing” that has left Tanzania out.

Some prominent government and business leaders have said Tanzania has been increasingly isolated by Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda, whose leaders have met on a number of occasions in recent months.

But EAC Secretary-General Richard Sezibera said in Nairobi Monday that he was not aware that Tanzania had been sidelined or isolated from the regional integration process.

The Rwandan national said alliances among some EAC partner states that excluded Tanzania were not proof that the largest country in the bloc was being systematically isolated by its partners.

“From the secretariat point of view, we are not aware. I can’t say if Tanzania has been sidelined or is a reluctant partner in the bloc,” he told reporters on the sidelines of the EAC Secretary-General’s Forum.

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{{Former Liberian president Charles Taylor is to serve his 50-year war crimes sentence in the UK, Justice Minister Jeremy Wright has confirmed.}}

Sweden and Rwanda had also offered to imprison him following the rejection of his appeal last month by a UN-backed special court in The Hague.

It ruled that his convictions had been proved beyond doubt.

He was sentenced in May 2012 for aiding rebels who committed atrocities in Sierra Leone during its civil war.

Mr Wright made the announcement in a written statement to Liberia’s Parliament.

The Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL) found Taylor, 65, guilty of 11 crimes including terrorism, rape, murder and the use of child soldiers by rebel groups in neighbouring Sierra Leone during the 1991-2002 conflict.

He was found to have supplied weapons to the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebels in exchange for a constant flow of so-called blood diamonds.

Taylor has always insisted he is innocent and his only contact with the rebels was to urge them to stop fighting.

He is the first former head of state convicted by an international war crimes court since World War II.

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{{Kenya on Wednesday signalled that President Uhuru Kenyatta was unlikely to travel to The Hague to attend his trial at the International Criminal Court where he is charged with crimes against humanity.}}

Foreign minister Amina Mohammed said President Kenyatta had fully cooperated with the court when he was the country’s deputy prime minister, but his new status as head of state completely changes the circumstances.

“Are the circumstances different? Absolutely, totally, completely different. Before, he wasn’t the head of state of the republic. It is going to be the first time that a sitting head is brought before any court of any time, not just here but anywhere in the world,” Ms Mohammed told a news conference at the steps of the president’s office in Nairobi.

On Saturday, African leaders are expected to hold a special sitting of the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to discuss their future relationship with the ICC.

The Kenyan parliament last month passed a motion to pull out of the Rome Statute, but Ms Mohammed has denied reports that the country was lobbying the 34 African members of the ICC to withdraw from the statute en masse.

“I think it’s actually quite naïve to think that 34 countries can come together with the sole aim of moving out of the Rome Statute.

“We have not supported anybody to support a walk out…whether it was a mass walkout, we have never asked for that,” the Foreign minister said.

She added that the countries did not join the statute together and she could not see any reason why they would come together to discuss a possible walk out.

There have been calls within the AU for the continent’s ICC members to pull out in protest against the court’s alleged bias against African leaders.

source:capitalFM

{{South African travellers wishing to visit Tanzania for holiday or business have been exempted from applying for a visa for stays of up to 90 days, the Tanzanian High Commission in South Africa announced on Monday.}}

The exemption applies to South Africans holding ordinary passports who wish to visit the United Republic of Tanzania for holiday, private and official business purposes and those in transit.

The visa exemption applies for 90 days. The decision to exempt South Africans from visa requirements took effect in the beginning of July this year.

The first secretary of the Tanzania High commission in South Africa, Mr Habib Mohamed, said the decision was made on reciprocity purposes after discussions that involved officials from the governments of the two nations.

Being a member of the Southern African Development Community, Tanzanians visiting South Africa are also exempted from visas for 90 days.

Earlier in an interview, the Tanzania high commissioner to South Africa Radhia Msuya said the two countries were in discussions on how to improve their relationships, with the recent agreement being on exchange of information on different issues such as the economy, tourism, immigrants and prisoners.

“We have now embarked on what we call a bination commission, which is the highest level of co-operation amongst ourselves … It covers all the areas involved in our co-operation,” Msuya said.

She said the agreements between the two countries were being implemented through a joint permanent commission that was tasked to work on economic issues, trade, diplomacy, tourism, and social and political issues.

The ambassador said that, at the moment, there was a group of South African youths travelling to Morogoro every year to learn of the relationship between the two nations.

“I wish the youth of Tanzania could also do the same. I would really want young people coming to South Africa to learn more about the history of the two countries and not come here to loiter and become destitute,” she said.

She said the relationship between the two countries, has been benefiting both sides and that the government of two countries were determined to improve it.

“You will know that Tanzania’s foreign policy is anchored on promoting independence, self-determination, regional integration and subsequently, socio-economic development. So our bilateral relationship is very good.

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{{Kenyan Parliament will get the opportunity to scrutinize the Sh425 billion financing agreements signed between Kenya and China during President Uhuru Kenyatta’s State visit to Beijing in August.}}

The Leader of Majority Coalition Aden Duale assured MPs the agreements would be brought to Parliament for approval before they are implemented.

This is after Minority Coalition MPs challenged the Majority Leader to declare the exact amount that the financing deals cover.

Deputy Minority Whip Chris Wamalwa, Suba MP John Mbadi, Wajir County Woman Representative Fatuma Ali and Karachuonyo MP James Rege noted that the money borrowed will be paid back by Kenyans and they have the right to know how much they will be paying back.

“I really doubt if you can go to China, stay for all those days only to negotiate for Sh15 billion to be advanced in five years, really, for a country like Kenya. That should be a personal loan of John Mbadi or Homa Bay County,” said Mbadi.

Wamalwa and Mbadi claimed that the Chinese deals signed by the Head of State will raise the country’s external debt position to Sh1.26 trillion up from the Sh843.6 billion as at the year ending June 2013.

Wamalwa argued that the government cannot borrow more from external sources unless Parliament scales up the Sh1.2 trillion ceiling that was set in January this year.

“We don’t want to mortgage our children and our future generations, in our role as the National Assembly, we wanted to know this for the purposes of planning,” said the Kiminini MP who had requested for the statement.

The Leader of Majority Coalition had told the House that on the trip to the Far East, President Kenyatta secured a grant, a loan and a concessional loan worth a total Sh16.02 billion.

“There were huge investments that went between the Kenyan private sector and the financial institutions in China. There were many outgoing projects funded by many Chinese banks and the government but I want to confirm for you that the Jubilee government does not make a trip for Sh15 billion,” said Duale.

Duale said the loan and grants will be spent on energy projects, a standard gauge railway linking the port of Mombasa in east Africa’s biggest economy to its border town of Malaba, meant to provide faster access from Kenya’s port to markets in the region.

Suna East MP Junet Mohammed and Kitutu Chache MP Richard Onyonka expressed concern that the deals include allowing Chinese firms to import construction materials and human labour for the projects which will deny Kenyans business opportunities and employment opportunities.

Onyonka had alleged that there was an agreement to have 250,000 Chinese nationals come to Kenya to perform manual jobs that should otherwise be given to Kenyans but Duale denied the claim.

He said the all projects will be awarded with strictly adhere to the Public Procurement Act.

The Majority Leader said the loan would be paid at the rate of one tenth over 10 years from September 1, 2023 to August 31, 2033.

China will also provide Kenya with a concessional loan for Sh11.8 billion to be used on Nairobi City Centre Extra High Voltage and the 66KV network upgrade and reinforcement project.

Projects would be appraised by the Chinese Export-Import Bank, which would also supervise the use of the loan. The agreement for the loan would remain valid for three years after it is signed.

It would be declared invalid if the two governments fail to agree.

agencies

{{Several figures within Sudan’s ruling National Congress Party (NCP) who signed a memo last week calling for the cancellation of recent cuts in subsidies and an end to the bloody crackdown on protesters, refused to appear before a commission of inquiry formed by the party.}}

The economic measures triggered some of the worst protests Sudan has seen in years, with the death toll surpassing 200 according to Amnesty International.

The memo, which was sent to president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir and initially signed by 31 NCP members, criticised the government’s decision to remove subsidies on fuel and other basic commodities, saying it “harshly” impacted on Sudanese citizens.

The signatories, who included former presidential adviser Ghazi Salah Al-Deen Al-Attabani and MP Aisha Al-Ghabashawi, said parliament had not been consulted over the latest economic measures, which were opposed by sections of the NCP.

“Alternatives [to lifting subsidies] were proposed by individuals, experts and political forces but the substitutes were given no consideration and the government insisted on implementing the measures as they are indifferent to their impact and the extent of citizens’ ability to endure them”, said the memo.

The head of the NCP organisational sector, Hamid Sideeg, announced on Friday that his party has formed a committee chaired by national assembly speaker Ibrahim Al-Tahir to query those whose names appeared in the petition that was circulated publicly.

Reliable sources told Sudan Tribune that Ghazi, Ghabashawi and several other signatories refused to appear before the party’s commission of inquiry, pointing that out that the body has no legal basis.

The same sources asserted that the group, known for their reformist agenda, would step up its rhetoric against the party’s dominant group if it continued to implement policies harmful to the Islamic Movement (IM), which is considered the ideological arm of the NCP.

Sources close to Al-Attabani denied rumours that he has been detained or put under house arrest, citing a social visit he made to the Naima area in White Nile state on Friday before returning to his home in Khartoum North.

Disputes within the NCP escalated against the background of divergent positions on the public protests which have lasted for two weeks.

One senior source told Sudan Tribune that a meeting at the NCP’s leadership office last Thursday saw a sharp confrontation between president Bashir and three of the memo’s signatories.

The source said that Al-Attabani and Ghabashawi had outlined the reformists’ vision and criticised the government’s economic measures, as well as its response to the protests, calling for a reversal of recent cuts in subsidies and more political freedoms.

Al-Attabani responded to claims by Bashir’s that the government is intending to approve a new constitution which allows political pluralism, saying the problem is that the NCP has little appetite to play by the rules.

He added that past experience clearly showed that the NCP did not respect the constitution which was drafted and approved by its own institutions, saying that if the government had respected the constitution it could have prevented the war in South Kordofan and Blue Nile states.

The ex-head of the NCP parliamentary caucus further stressed that government institutions should abide by the laws as outlined in the constitution and take tougher action to fight corruption.

One of the memo signatories, Fadl Ahmed Abdullah, told the UAE-based Sky News Arabia that they reject Bashir’s probe and described al-Tahir as “part of the problem”, saying he is not qualified to stand on the committee.

The spokesperson for NCP reformists, Abdel-Ghani Ahmed Idris, told Sudan Tribune from his residence in London that the party is no longer governed by rules and regulations but the “gun”, adding that the party’s institutions function only to implement the decisions of the dominant group.

He added that it has become clear that the NCP is “unreformable”, hinting to a possible split from it.

The first split within the NCP took place in 1999 following a bitter power struggle between Bashir and Islamist leader Hassan Al-Turabi, with the latter subsequently ousted from his post as parliament speaker.

Al-Turabi later established the Popular Congress Party (PCP) and has since been a vociferous critic of the very regime for which he orchestrated the army-backed seizure of power in 1989.

{sudantribune}

{{Botswana has been ranked as the most prosperous economy in Africa for the second year in a row in the 2013 Legatum Institute Prosperity Index}}

According to a report Insight on Africa prepared by the Legatum Institute, South Africa and Morocco occupy the first and second runners up positions, respectively. South Africa moved up one notch from last year’s rankings displacing Morocco to the third spot.

The prosperity index report on Africa ranked 38 countries in the continent based on their overall level of prosperity according to national wealth and wellbeing in eight sub-categories.

It investigated changing demographics, safety, and corruption in the continent, among other parameters.

The report revealed that only 26 per cent of the people in Botswana felt that their government was not doing enough to address the poverty crisis. It is the least when compared with the other African countries.

Botswana scored well in both the governance and the entrepreneurship and opportunity sub-indices, the report stated.

In Rwanda, about 34 per cent of the general masses felt that the government was not doing enough to address poverty in the country.

This year Senegal and Rwanda have risen up in rankings and come into the top ten, occupying the eighth and ninth positions, respectively, while Zambia moves into the 10th position from 12th last year.

Legatum Institute member Professor Daniel Chirot said, “Countries like Botswana have small populations and low population densities, which could be part of the reason why they have proved to be more politically stable states.

In parallel, people are competing for space in countries like Rwanda, Nigeria and Uganda.”

Legatum Prosperity Index programme director Nathan Gamester said, “High growth rates, declining poverty, substantial improvements in health, educational enrolment and attainment, a reduction in internal and cross-border conflicts, and an increase in the number of democracies over the past 20 years all point towards a continent that has reached a tipping point.”

He added, however, that to continue their progress, African states need to undertake further reforms, build better institutions, and improve education and infrastructure.

“Good governance and a supportive business environment remain crucial for building a prosperous country. As such, our hope is that growing prosperity across the region will empower the people of Africa to demand more from their governments and institutions, enabling them to progress yet further on the path to prosperity,” Gamester said.

wirestory

{{Kenya Police at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport have detained a Ghanaian man found trafficking Cocaine worth Sh4m to Benin.}}

The 34-year-old man was arrested on Saturday night while connecting a flight to Benin on arrival from Sao Paulo, Brazil.

“He displayed a peculiar character that clearly matched that of drug traffickers and that is when he was taken in for further interrogation and examination,” Airport CID chief Joseph Ngisa said.

The suspect was found to have swallowed 48 pellets of Cocaine which he has since emitted.

“He is still under observation before he is arraigned in court tomorrow,” Ngisa said.

Police in Kenya have lately intensified the war against drug trafficking following President Uhuru Kenyatta’s directive.

Two months ago, police deported over 30 Nigerian nationals suspected of involvement in drug trafficking in Kenya, including controversial businessman Antony Chinedu who had stayed in Kenya for several years and even acquired property.

“We will allow them to turn our country to a drug haven. That is why I have ordered that all drug traffickers be deported to countries,” the president said.

Three of those deported were however, arrested several weeks later after sneaking back.

capitalFM

{{Kenya’s government said a Sudanese man trained by al Qaeda was among the leaders of a raid on a Nairobi shopping mall in which at least 67 people were killed, the worst attack in the country in 15 years.}}

Al Qaeda-linked group al Shabaab has claimed responsibility for the assault two weeks ago on the Westgate centre, saying it was an act of revenge for Kenya’s military campaign in Somalia, but the identities of the gunmen have remained unclear.

A Kenyan military spokesman on Saturday named four of the attackers, saying they also included a Kenyan Arab and a Somali.

Closed-circuit television footage from the Westgate mall was broadcast on Kenyan television channels that appeared to show four men with guns walking around the mall’s supermarket and a storage room.

Major Emmanuel Chirchir, the spokesman for the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF), named the four as Abu Baara al-Sudani, Omar Nabhan, Khattab al-Kene and Umayr.

“I confirm these were the terrorists. They all died in the raid,” Chirchir told Reuters, citing the findings of the KDF and national intelligence bodies.

He said Al-Sudani, which means “The Sudanese”, was the leader of the group shown in the CCTV footage and was trained by al Qaeda.

“He is an experienced fighter and sharpshooter,” he said.

Nabhan, a Kenyan of Arab origin, was born in the coastal city of Mombasa and travelled to Somalia with his uncle at the age of 16, said Chirchir.

Al-Kene was thought to be from the Somali capital Mogadishu, and was linked to country’s al Shabaab militants, he said.

Umayr’s full name, nationality and background were “not yet identified”, Chirchir added.

Kenya has said as many as 15 militants took part in the raid and the authorities were holding nine of them. The government said five of the attackers were killed, but survivors say some may have escaped.

{agencies}