Tag: GreatLakesNews

A new survey conducted by Ipsos Synovate says 64 percent of Kenyans support the legalisation of come -we-stay relationships that have lasted over six months as proposed by the Marriage Bill while 36 percent are against it.

Under the proposed Marriage Bill, Chiefs will have the power to consider cohabitation – popularly referred to as “come-we-stay” arrangements – as marriages and will be required to register them as such.

Ipsos Synovate MD Margaret Ireri said 36 percent of those against the proposed law felt that the period is too short for couples to know each other well, 18 percent argued that laws should not force people to marry, while nine percent felt that women will use it to trap men.

“Men who are against it feel the law can be used by unscrupulous women to trap them into marriages they are not ready for,” explained Ireri.

The survey found out that cohabiting was highest in Nairobi where a third of respondents were in this type of union and lowest in the North Eastern region at five percent.

Support for the legislation of ‘come-we-stay’ relationships is highest in Eastern, Western regions at 74 percent and 71 percent respectively and lowest in North Eastern at 44 percent.

An overwhelming 80 percent of those polled do not support polygamy as compared to 20 percent who do but more men than women support polygamy.

More than a quarter of Kenyans polled in every region support polygamy except for Eastern where over half of respondents (53 percent) support it.

30 percent of those polled said they supported the proposed law because the six months is enough time for couples to know each other well, 22 percent said it will enable the institution of marriage to be taken seriously and 17 percent felt the law will ensure that men do not take advantage of women.

11 percent felt it will reduce adultery.

Customary/traditional marriage was the most prevalent by far among 18-24 year olds where 69 percent had this type of marriage compared to less than half in all other age categories.

The Bill recognises Christian, Islamic and Hindu marriage laws as well as marriages consummated under Civil and African Customary law.

With the exception of marriages contracted under either customary or Islamic law, all other marriages are presumed to be monogamous, so those cohabiting have to agree to have monogamous unions.

In the Ipsos Synovate poll, majority of those who are married have been in their unions for more than five years (70 percent). Slightly over one quarter (26 percent) have been in their unions for between one and five years.

64 percent of the respondents in the survey were single, 32 percent married, two percent divorced and one percent widowed or separated. Rural areas had a higher percent of single respondents.

(68 percent compared to married 29 percent).

In urban areas single respondents formed 58 percent of those sampled and married 38 percent.

The proportion of married respondents decreased with education levels. While 89 percent of respondents with no formal education were married, only 42 percent of those with university education were married.

The proportion of those married increased with age with 18-24 years old having the lowest percentage (24%) compared to 35-45years old (90 percent) and those over 45 year old (87 percent)

Rift Valley and Eastern had the highest proportion of married people at 73 percent and 71 percent respectively.

North Eastern and Nairobi region had the fewset married people at 40 percent and 45 percent respectively.

The Inter-Parliamentary Games continued in Nairobi on Sunday with the parliamentary teams from Tanzania and Uganda registering impressive victories.

In netball, Uganda were the better side after beating EAC/Eala 42-17 at the Nyayo National Stadium.

The victors started the game on a high note taking the lead as early as the third minute when Goal Shooter (GS), Susan Ameyo scored the first point.

As the teams went to half time, Uganda had taken a commanding lead of 17-3 with Susan Netalisire notching 12 points for her side.

In the second half, EAC/Eala came back stronger, but the Ugandans who were more experienced, defended and attacked aggressively.

In football, Tanzania got off to a good start beating an under-strength Kenya’s Bunge FC 5-0.

Amos Makalla opened the scoring for the Tanzanian team in the 21st minute when he curved a shot that beat the Kenya National Assembly goalkeeper.

Yusuf Juma Gogo scored a brace in the 27th and 43rd minutes to ensure his team took a comfortable 3-0 lead at the breather.

Majority of the Parliamentarians of Bunge FC were, however, away in a busy weekend of politics greatly costing the team.

Owing to the rules and regulations that restrict the number of staff members playing, the team had only nine players on the field for a larger part of the game.

In the second half, Joshua Nassari and Mark Tanda completed the scoring in the 52nd and 57th minutes respectively to send Tanzania to the top of the table.

In Kenya, 6 suspected terrorists were on Tuesday arrested and three hand grenades and two pistols with 84 bullets recovered from them in the Amuma area of the Kenya-Somalia border.

The six, who included two women, were riding in a Toyota Landcruiser when officers from Lagdera police station stopped them for a regular check.

Four others managed to escape after jumping off the moving vehicle in the 1 pm drama, police said.

The group was reportedly headed to Hagadera Refugee Camp when the recovery was made.

North Eastern police boss Philip Tuimur said the suspects were escorted to the Dadaab Refugee Camp for further interrogation.

Other officers said there were reports the weapons and grenades were to be used in Garissa town for an attack.

Garissa has been the target of attacks by suspected terrorists who ambush and kill security agents, with up to ten dying in similar incidents in the past months.

The attackers usually use pistols to stage the assaults, with the latest taking place on Monday night where a soldier and civilian were killed. A third victim is fighting for his life in hospital.

The recovery was made a day after a man was arrested with six G3 rifles and 16 bullets in Elwak, Mandera at the Kenya-Somalia border.

The 53-year-old Somali national was ferrying the weapons on a donkey cart when police stopped him on Sunday afternoon. Also seized were six empty magazines and a spare barrel.

Police said the alien was transporting the weapons to Mandera, and later they were to be transported to an unknown destination.

The recoveries are the latest in the area as police work to stop terrorists from ferrying weapons from Somalia.

A suspect was arrested in connection with the three soldiers’ killing in November and is facing various charges.

A parliamentary team is currently investigating the incident. The attacks are linked to a decision by Kenyan troops to cross to Somalia to hunt for Al-Shabaab militants, who had been blamed for various insecurity incidents in the country.

The troops now operating under Amisom have displaced the terror group from various places and are pacifying the occupied regions.

The government says most of the attacks are being staged by refugees who have sneaked out of their camps. In Nairobi more than 600 refugees were at the weekend arrested in an operation.

Nairobi Provincial Commissioner Njoroge Waweru said the operations are still ongoing until the aliens are apprehended.

Waweru said it was unfortunate that most of the people arrested had escaped from the Dadaab camp, which hosts refugees from Somalia.

Prime Minister Raila Odinga and internal security Permanent Secretary Mutea Iringo said the government was in consultations with UNHCR to have Somali refugees return to their country.

The UN accuses DRC government troops and M23 rebels of raping and killing civilians and looting towns during battles in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo last month.

The United Nations said last week on Friday that UN investigators had confirmed that M23 rebels and government troops had committed serious abuses in their battle for control of mineral-rich North Kivu province and its capital Goma.

The investigations indicate that Congolese army soldiers committed rapes, looting and other human rights violations after they retreated from Goma following its capture by M23 rebels.

The UN mission could not confirm reports that 72 rapes were committed in the Minova area, about 60 kilometres (40 miles) south of Goma, but its initial investigation found that several violations, including rape and looting, were committed by Congolese army elements, UN deputy spokesman Eduardo del Buey said.

“Preliminary investigations by MONUSCO indicate that several human rights violations, including rape and looting, were committed by FARDC (Congolese army) elements (in Minova),” del Buey told reporters in New York.

“MONUSCO cannot confirm the reported figure of 72 rapes but is on the ground conducting further investigations,” he said.

The UN also accused M23 rebels of killing civilians and looting when they took Goma last month.

“MONUSCO is also able to confirm several serious human rights violations, including the killing and wounding of civilians as well as looting, committed by the M23 in Goma.” The UN spokesman said.

However, criticism over the conflict has also been levied on the UN.

Yoweri Museveni, Ugandan president and key broker in the crisis, said at a summit on Saturday that the inability of UN peacekeeping forces to prevent the conflict was shameful.

“It is a very big shame,” Museveni said of MONUSCO, during a summit of the southern African bloc SADC in the Tanzanian economic capital Dar es Salaam. “It is some sort of military tourism.”

Russia’s largest private crude producer, Lukoil, has expressed interest in the exploration, production and refining of Uganda’s waxy oil, according to reports in the Russian media.

The development came a day before President Yoweri Museveni met his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Moscow yesterday, where they discussed prospects of bilateral cooperation on energy and mining.

President Putin’s office issued a statement after the meeting, indicating military supplies were on the table alongside talks on investments in engineering, construction and finance.

“Vladimir Putin and [the] President of Uganda Yoweri Museveni discussed prospects for bilateral cooperation in energy, engineering, geological exploration, construction, finances and military supplies,” the Kremlin said, “Views were also exchanged on the situation in Africa.”

Details of the talks were scanty by press time, although it is understood the two spoke at length about oil and gas, a sector in which Museveni is scouting for overseas investors.

In Kenya, 3 terror suspects were killed and four more arrested as police foil their dawn raid on Freretown station in Kisauni during the 2am incident.

According to area residents, about 50 people were heading towards the Freretown Police Patrol base armed with arrows and other crude weapons.

However, police were alerted by the residents and repulsed the armed group. Unconfirmed reports also say that petrol bombs were recovered.

According to Kisauni OCPD Julius Wanjohi, the four suspects have confessed to be members of the outlawed Nyuki group, which is affiliated to MRC.

The Secretary General of the East African Community Amb. Dr. Richard Sezibera is expected to officiate at a two-day sensitization workshop themed Role of Private Sector and Civil Society in the Implementation of the EAC Common Market Protocol taking place 10-11 December 2012 at the Blue Pearl Hotel in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

The main objective of the sensitization workshop is to allow selected stakeholders and the EAC to consultatively work towards realising the Community Objectives and promote a people-centred integration process.

Specifically, the sensitization workshop aims to, among others, update stakeholders on the progress of implementation of the Common Market Protocol; discuss the role of private sector and civil society organisations in the implementation of the Common Market Protocol; and share experiences on the opportunities, lessons learnt and the challenges in the implementation of the Common Market Protocol.

It is also expected that participants will develop an action plan for stakeholders to strengthen the synergies in monitoring and advocacy of the implementation of the Common Market Protocol.