Tag: GreatLakesNews

Tanzania:Six newly-appointed envoys assigned working stations

{Six out of 15 recently-appointed envoys have been assigned to their working stations, with two of them posted to new embassies in Qatar and Turkey.}

The two new embassies were part of six new embassies that the government planned to inaugurate soon to extend its diplomatic presence in countries where there was no representation.

The other four-newly established embassies would be in Algiers (Algeria), Tel Aviv (Israel), Seoul (South Korea) and Khartoum (Sudan).

A statement issued yesterday by the Directorate of Presidential Communications in Dar es Salaam also said President John Magufuli has announced working stations for the new ambassadors he appointed in December, last year.

The assigned ambassadors will be swornin at the State House in the city today.

Chief Secretary (CS) John Kijazi named the ambassadors and their stations as Mr Mbelwa Brighton Kairuki (Beijing, China), Mr George Kahema (Rome, Italy), Emmanuel Nchimbi (Brasilia, Brazil), Fatma Rajab (Doha, Qatar), Professor Elizabeth Kiondo (Ankara, Turkey) and Dr James Msekela (Geneva, United Nations).

The other recently-appointed ambassadors yet to be assigned missions are Mr Samuel Shelukindo, Mr Joseph Sokoine, Mr Silima Haji, Mr Abdallah Kilima and Mr Baraka Luvanda.

Others are Mr Sylvester Ambokile, Ms Pindi Chana, Mr Rajab Luhwavi, Lieutenant General (Retired) Paul Ignace Mella, Ms Grace Mgovano, Mr Mohamed Bakari, Mr Job Masima, Mr Omar Mzee, Ms Matilda Masuka and Mr Sylvester Mabumba.

President Magufuli yesterday appointed another new ambassador, Mr Muhidin Ally Mboweto, who will also wait for his working station and date for his swearing-in.

Meanwhile, Dr Magufuli met former President Benjamin Mkapa for talks at the State House.

Mr Mkapa said he sought a meeting with Dr Magufuli as Chairman of the East African Community (EAC) so that he could share with him a report about the ongoing mediation work he was carrying out in resolving the political crisis in Burundi.

Earlier, President Magufuli also held talks with the German Minister for Development, Mr Martin Herman, during which the two discussed about strengthening good cooperation between the two countries, particularly in the area of economic development.

January 20, 2017
Uganda:Blood shortage hits health facilities

{Arua Regional Referral Hospital and other health facilities in the district are facing a shortage of blood after the regional blood bank failed to collect enough blood.}

Arua Regional Referral Hospital and other health facilities in the district are facing a shortage of blood after the regional blood bank failed to collect enough blood.
The blood shortage in West Nile has created a crisis in the health facilities and left hundreds of patients stranded and some have died in the process.

The main hospital in Arua has been forced to suspend blood transfusion operations for some patients who need blood until further notice.

The acting regional director of Arua regional blood bank, Mr Gilbert Anguyo, confirmed the crisis and explained that they did not have enough blood to supply the health centres.

Daily Monitor understands that blood shortage in West Nile has been further compounded by the intermittent power outages and the long holiday period of students who are major blood donors.

“We don’t have enough blood to supply the hospital and other health centres. The hospital has deferred some of the patients who need blood transfusion and in the process we have lost some lives,” Mr Anguyo said.

Mr Agunyo, however, could not reveal the number of patients who have died as a result of lack of blood transfusion. He said he did not have the figures at hand but explained that last week, a patient who was referred from Angal hospital in Nebbi to Arua in need of blood transfusion died on the way.
The blood bank has as a result launched an appeal for blood donation in coordination with National Social Security Fund (NSSF).

The crisis in West Nile came to limelight a day after this newspaper reported that the country was facing a shortage of 140,000 blood units. The director of Uganda Blood Transfusion Services, Ms Doroth Kyeyune, told Daily Monitor that the country requires at least 340,000 units of blood annually as recommended by the World Health Organisation, yet about 200,000 units are collected.

Mr Anguyo also singled out parts of Arua and Maracha district for having poor attitude towards blood donation and applauded Nebbi residents for being the largest blood donors in the region.

Mr Paul Lifua, the relationship manager at NSSF Arua branch said the blood donation campaign was being conducted in ten towns across the country. “Our target is to collect around 6,000 units of blood so that we can save lives,” Mr Lifua said.
Ms Domitilla Bileru, a resident of Omugo Sub-county, whose mother was referred to Arua hospital from Omugo Health Centre IV asked the government through the Health ministry to rescue his mother who needed blood transfusion but could not get blood.
“My mother is anemic and needs a blood transfusion urgently. However, we were told to be patient as hospital workers are still mobilising blood. We are hopeful that it will be acquired,” she said.

{{Issues at hand}}

Shortage. The crisis in West Nile came to limelight a day after this newspaper reported that the country was facing a shortage of 140,000 blood units. The director of Uganda Blood Transfusion Services, Ms Doroth Kyeyune, told Daily Monitor that the country requires at least 340,000 units of blood annually as recommended by the World Health Organisation, yet about 200,000 units are collected.

Drive. The blood bank has as a result launched an appeal for blood donation in coordination with National Social Security Fund.

January 19, 2017
Kenya:Thousands could be locked out of General Election for lack of registration documents

{Thousands of potential voters could be locked out of the August 8 General Election for failing to register to vote, many of them for lack of the documents required to be listed.}

The stark revelation came on Wednesday as Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) officers lamented the low turnout since the Monday launch of the final phase of voter registration in the current election cycle.

The IEBC targets six million new voters by February 14, or about 200,000 daily. But figures filed by its county officers show an average of only 2,000 listings per day in each of the 47 counties, which is less than half the target.

“We hope that these numbers will go up as the exercise picks,” IEBC Chief Executive Officer Ezra Chiloba told reporters at the agency’s Anniversary Towers headquarters in Nairobi. “The commission is pleased with the turnout and interest from Kenyans”

An alleged number of those who had registered had been shared posted on social media, prompting Mr Chiloba to dismiss the figures as false. He said only the IEBC had authority to publish the official number of voters.

The number of voters is expected to be another political battlefront with aspirants rallying their support bases to list and vote.

{{GENERAL ELECTION}}

The IEBC’s target would add on the 14,337,399 voters who had registered ahead of the 2013 General Election, in which 12,330,028, or 86 per cent, voted.

But on Wednesday, the IEBC admitted that the current drought in several counties posed a new challenge as the affected Kenyans prioritised search for food and water over lining up to register.

Leaders from hard-hit areas in the north had called on the IEBC to register these people wherever they were.

But the IEBC also said it had faced other challenges, this time with faulty biometric voter registration (BVR) kits.

Mr Chiloba however said: “The commission has reserved BVR kits in every constituency to serve as back-up to those already in the field.”

This time round, the IEBC was specifically targeting Kenyans who had not registered between 2012 and 2016 and those who have just attained voting age and obtained the national identity card.

But thousands in this group have no IDs yet. Politicians have petitioned the IEBC to go to schools and colleges and also register those with ID waiting cards. But on Wednesday, the IEBC categorically stated that that would be illegal.

{{‘NO NUMBER’}}

“The waiting card is not an acceptable document for purposes of voter registration,” Mr Chiloba explained. “And this is following amendments that were done on the Elections Act.

“The logic is also very simple: there is no ID number on the waiting card and yet you are telling that person to register with the waiting card. So, there is some disconnect there and potential for abuse.”

The waiting card is a slip given to applicants of national ID cards as a certificate of application. But since not every application is successful, the slips only bear serial numbers and are not an identification document.

The National Registration Bureau is yet to announce how many new ID applicants are awaiting the document. But on average, it takes 60 days for first-time applicants and 10 working days for those seeking replacements to get IDs.

January 19, 2017
Tanzania:Fresh bid to seek release of nationals in Malawi

{The government is pursu-ing diplomatic procedures to secure the release of eight Tanzanians languishing in remand custody in Malawi, where they are facing crimi-nal trespass charges.}

The Malawian security officers arrested them in December, last year, at the Kayerekera Uranium Mine Site in Karonga where it was initially alleged that the lat-ter were sent by the Tanzania government to investigate if Malawi was manufacturing nuclear weapons.

The arrested Tanzanians are Ashura Yasiri (63), Wala-sa Mwasangu (30), Binto Ma-terinus (32), Christian Msoli (38), Martin Jodomusole (25), Layinali Kumba (47), Maliyu Mkobe (37) and Gilbert Ma-humdi (32).

On Tuesday, Mzuzu Chief Resident Magistrate Tecious Masoyamphambe denied bail to them, sending them back to remand prison to wait for the next hearing of their case on January 26, Malawi media re-ported yesterday.

The Principal Secretary (PS) in the Ministry of For-eign Affairs and East African Cooperation, Dr Aziz Mlima, told the ‘Daily News’ yester-day that the Tanzania High Commissioner in Lilongwe was closely following up the matter, including visiting the detained Tanzanians.

He said last week, the high commissioner visited them at the remand and was given 30 minutes to have conversation with them regarding the issue.

“We are continuing with diplomatic procedures in ef-forts to ensure that this matter is being resolved amicably,” he said.

The ministry’s Spokesper-son, Ms Mindi Kasiga, said it was a relief that the case was shifted from the High Court to the district court, proving that the allegations facing them have now become ‘less weighty’.

Recently, the government dismissed claims that the ar-rested Tanzanians were spies, insisting that they were activ-ists opposed to uranium ex-traction.

The government had es-tablished that the eight Tan-zanians being held in Malawi were employees of a German-based non-governmental organisation (NGO), which advocates a stop in the extrac-tion and use of uranium.

During the court pro-ceedings on Tuesday, drama erupted when the accused Tanzanians demanded that a fellow national should be the case’s interpreter.

“We are failing to under-stand what the court is say-ing because your interpreter is poorly translating our lan-guage; we, therefore, need a good interpreter from our country,” said one of them.

However, the court man-aged to hire a translator from Misuku District Magistrate’s Court in Chitipa District.

The court then told the group their charges, which in-clude criminal trespass, con-trary to Section 314 of the Penal Code and carrying out scouting (using suspicious equipment) without permission.

When they asked for bail, the police through Malawi’s Director of Legal Services Mwayi Kaluwa, argued that tracing the group will be difficult because they were foreigners.

Kaluwa further noted that giving the bail to the suspects will jeopardise investigations. Concurring with the police, Magistrate Masoyamphambe ruled that the eight suspects should remain in the hands of the police.

January 19, 2017
Badou Zaki: Renard is to Blame for Morocco’s Defeat Against DRC

{Invited by Algerian channel, El Heddaf, on Tuesday to analyze the CAN 2017’s matches, Zaki expressed his dismay at the performance of Morocco, saying that “the second half of Morocco’s match against the Democratic Republic of Congo was disastrous.”}

Zaki said on that “the mission of Morocco’s current coach, Hervé Renard has become complicated.”

Zaki’s statement follows Morocco’s 0 – 1 defeat against the Democratic Republic of Congo in their opening match of the 2017 African Cup of Nations (CAN 2017) on Monday.

DRC’s Junior Kabanga scored the only goal of the match against Morocco at the 55 minute mark, securing his team’s place at the top of Group C, which also includes Côte d’Ivoire and Togo, who tied in their match on Monday.

Zaki went on to say that “50 % of the players who were selected by Renard to participate in the CAN 2017 are not competitive, including Omar El Kaddouri and Aziz Bouhaddouz.”

Zaki continued, noting that “Renard is the one who takes responsibility of Morocco’s defeat.”

In a previous interview with Algerian channel, Annahar, Zaki ruled Morocco out of the list of favorites to win CAN 2017 in Gabon, saying that Morocco can hardly hope to advance past the first round [and qualify for other rounds], something it has not managed it to achieve since 2004.”

Congo’s Junior Kalonji scored the only goal of the match against Morocco at the 55 minute mark, securing his team’s place at the top of Group C, which also includes Côte d’Ivoire and Togo, who tied in their match on Monday.

Morocco’s second scheduled match, against Togo, will take place on January 20 before moving on to play Côte D’Ivoire on January 24.

January 19, 2017
DRC drops opposition to Lundin copper deal

{The Democratic Republic of Congo has dropped its opposition to the sale of the Tenke Fungurume mine by Freeport-McMoRan (NYSE:FCX) and Lundin Mining’s (TSX:LUN) to Chinese investors for $3.8 billion.}

State-owned Gecamines which owns 20% of the copper mine, strongly opposed the deal and in October opened an arbitration case in Paris. Gecamines was particularly unhappy about Lundin’s right of first refusal to take up a majority stake and its subsequent decision to sell its 24% interest in Tenke to a Chinese private equity firm for $1.14 billion over Gecamines’ objections.

According to a report by Bloomberg, Gecamines would receive an undisclosed amount in compensation:

Gecamines has opposed similar transactions in the past. In 2012, it almost stopped the acquisition of Anvil Mining NL by China’s Minmetals Resources Ltd. The deal proceeded after they reached an agreement that included Anvil paying $55 million to Gecamines.
The Lundin transaction came after joint-venture partner Freeport-McMoRan (NYSE:FCX) signed a deal to sell its 56% holding in the project to China Molybdenum (CMOC) for up to $2.65 billion back in May.

Tenke, which cost $3 billion to build, holds one of the world’s largest known copper resources. The high-grade mine in 2015 produced 203,965 tonnes of the red metal and just over 16,000 tonnes of cobalt.

Even in its current form Tenke is a prized asset notwithstanding its location in one of the more difficult mining jurisdictions in the world. But a contemplated expansion of the mine would likely boost copper cathode production capacity towards 500,000 tonnes per year.

January 18, 2017
Uganda:10 policemen suspended over theft and torture allegations

{At least 10 police officers attached to the Field Force Police (FFU) in Mpigi District have been suspended over alleged torture, assault and stealing from the community.}

The suspended officials had been deployed at Bunjakko Island in Buwama Sub-county to guard forest reserves against encroachment. They are accused of stealing bananas, cassava, chicken and coffee from residents in the area.

The suspension follows a meeting held on Monday at Kyagalanyi playground in Bunjakko Island during which residents brought the matter to the attention of their leaders.

{{Present}}

The meeting was attended by the Katonga regional police commander, Mr Victor Saasi Kule, the Zonal FFU Commander, Mr Titus Byaruhanga, Mpigi District police commander Ahmed Kimera Sseguya and other district officials.

“We deployed our men to protect forests in the this area and keep law, order and stability as negotiations between land lords and tenants continue, but if we get such bad reports from residents, we cannot leave these undisciplined policemen here,” said Mr Kule amid jubilations from residents.

“We are withdrawing them from this area and they will be investigated over these allegations,” he added.

According to Mr Paddy Muwonge, the chairperson Kasawo-Namala village, more than 210 residents were tortured by policemen who have been attacking their homes especially at night. He said some of the victims are still nursing wounds at various health units, while others were forced to relocate to other places.

Mr Swaibu Waggwa, the Resident District Commissioner, said: “Suspension should not only be effected to these 10 policemen. There are other senior police officers in the district who should either be suspended or transferred for various reasons,” Mr Waggwa said.

Two years ago, police on the request of Buganda Prince David Mawanda Namugala, a landlord, created a police post in the area to block residents from encroaching on his three square mile private forest. Police have since sealed off all pathways leading into the forest but some residents who own gardens inside the forest sometimes sneak in which causes clashes between them and security personnel.

Bunjako Island has been a hotbed of land wrangles for nearly a decade. The wrangles are fueled by refugees who come from as far as Kisoro, Bundibugyo, Rwanda and Burundi looking for free land for settlement and farming.

{{Issues at hand}}

Claims of torture. According to Mr Paddy Muwonge, the chairperson Kasawo-Namala village, more than 210 residents were tortured by policemen who attack their homes, especially at night. He said many are still nursing wounds.

January 18, 2017
Kenya:Sports CS Wario to face corruption charges over Rio Olympics mess

{Sports Minister Hassan Wario and his Principal Secretary Titus Ekai will face corruption charges in connection with the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games scandal.}

Director of Public Prosecutions Keriako Tobiko has recommended that Dr Wario and Mr Ekai be charged with abuse of office over the loss of close to Sh200 million relating to the Olympic Games in August last year.

Should the duo be charged, they will be forced to step aside until they clear their names in the same manner several Cabinet and Principal secretaries were shoved aside after being accused of corruption by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) in March 2016.

They included Davies Chirchir, Michael Kamau, Charity Ngilu, Kambi Kazungu, Felix Koskei, Francis Kimemia and Mutea Iringo. Their cases are still pending in court.

Also to be charged over the scandal is the Director of Administration in the Sports ministry, Haron Komen Chebet.

“The persons who should bear the greatest criminal culpability for authorising (or) approving the unlawful payments are the following; Dr Hassan Wario Arero — CS, Ministry of Sports, Culture and the Arts (because he) chaired the Steering Committee meeting (in) which the budget was presented, (and) which had allowances which exceeded the SRC guidelines,” reads a letter from Mr Tobiko to the Director of Criminal Investigations (CID) Ndegwa Muhoro, dated January 12 this year.

ALLOWANCES EXCEEDED GUIDELINES

Mr Tobiko also recommends the prosecution of Mr Ekai for failing to point out that allowances paid to athletes who participated in the Olympic Games exceeded guidelines set by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC).

Mr Ekai is the accounting officer at the Ministry “and having attended the Steering Committee meeting, he should have pointed out and informed that the allowances exceeded SRC guidelines”, recommends Mr Tobiko to Mr Muhoro.

Also to face charges is the director of administration at the ministry, Mr Haron Chebet, who, as the holder of the Authority to Incur Expenditure (AIE), failed to advise that the payments of allowances be stopped because they exceeded the SRC guidelines.

On the spot are top Sports ministry and National Olympics Committee–Kenya (Nock) officials over the alleged overpayment of allowances to athletes and the officials of the Games’ Central Management Committee amounting to Sh15.9 million.

Evidence also suggests that six unauthorised persons were included in the Kenyan contingent to the Rio games.

“In the inquiry file it is alleged that Dr Wario… directed that six persons, namely Monica S Sairo, Richard Abura, Kerich Eunice, Singh James Gitau, Njuguna Samuel and Adan Omar Enow, who were not in the list approved by the steering committee, be included as part of the Kenya delegation, causing the ministry to incur additional cost of Sh2,990,286 on air tickets and Sh3,600,000 on allowances,” the DPP writes.

{{Six joyriders}}

He directs that four of the six joyriders who have yet to record statements explaining how they ended up on the Kenyan contingent do so, and also that the Supply Chain Management Officer at the ministry, Mr Duncan Vincent Ashubwe, who forwarded the names of the six joyriders to the travel agency for the issuance of air tickets, explains why and on whose directives he was working.

Mr Tobiko further says that there is evidence to prove that a number of persons received allowances even though they did not travel to Brazil for the games, and directs that the matter be investigated.

Also under investigation was the alleged irregular procurement of a contract for the provision of air tickets at the cost of Sh154.5 million which was then paid to a tour firm, Greenbay Travels Ltd. The procurement led to the excess cost of Sh59 million in air tickets, according to Mr Tobiko. The DCI also investigated the procurement of air tickets amounting to Sh16.8 million which were never utilised.

Also under investigation were the cancellation, variation or even withdrawal of air tickets to the games, the utilisation of imprest amounting to Sh22.5 million received by one Kimathi Nkabu, the Finance officer at the ministry, and the payment of Sh840,000 to journalists who covered the games under unclear circumstances.

The investigations by Mr Muhoro’s team revealed that a total of 87 athletes were paid a daily allowance of $250 (about Sh25,000) for the period of 30 days they were in the Brazilian capital, against SRC’s ceiling of $200 (Sh20,000).

Members of the team’s Central Management committee were paid $350 (Sh35,000) per day against SRC’s recommendation of $300 (Sh30,000) per day. The total unlawful overpayment made amounted to $151,500, equivalent to Sh15 million.

January 18, 2017
Tanzania:3 Chinese nationals in court over ivory haul

{Three Chinese nationals, Xiao Shaodan (30), Chen Jianlin (35) and Liang Hu (31), appeared before the Kisutu Resident Magistrate’s Court in Dar es Salaam yesterday charged with leading organised crime relating to several pieces of elephant tusks valued at over 7bn/-.}

They were not allowed to enter plea to the charges when they were brought before Principal Resident Magistrate Respicious Mwijage because their case will be tried by the High Court.

The magistrate ordered them to go to remand until January 31 when the case will be mentioned.

According to the prosecution, investigations into the matter have not been completed. But before adjournment of the case, the accused persons complained that the case has been framed against them having being acquittedof a similar case that was pending before the High Court, Mbeya Registry.

According to the accused persons, after being acquitted of the offence last year, they were rearrested and taken to a police station where they were allegedly tortured.

They claimed to have remained in remand for about 70 days before their second arraignment.

Reacting to the complaint of the accused persons, the magistrate directed the prosecution to observe justice and treat them fairly, as looking at the charge sheet it appeared that the offence was committed a long time ago.

He wondered why such arraignment was so delayed. State Attorney Elizabeth Mkude, for the prosecution, who was assisted by a legal officer from the Natural Resources Division, Mr Samson Saye, told the court that the accused persons committed the offence on diverse dates between January and November 2013 in Dar es Salaam.

It is alleged that jointly and together, the accused persons and others not in court intentionally organised and furthered the objective of a criminal racket by acquiring, possessing and transporting 1,023 pieces of elephant tusks from Tanzania Mainland to Zanzibar.

January 18, 2017
Burundi: Government orders troops to withdraw from AMISOM

{The Burundian government has reportedly instructed its Foreign Affairs and Defense ministries to begin withdrawing troops from the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM). The Jan. 16 order comes after Bujumbura’s repeated threats since November to abandon the mission because its troops have not been paid in months. If Burundi follows through with the order, it would deal a significant blow to AMISOM since the country supplies over 5,400 soldiers — about a quarter of the total force — to the mission intended to stabilize Somalia.}

At the heart of the impasse between Burundi and the African Union is the European Union. The Continental bloc is AMISOM’s largest donor; Brussels sends aid directly to the mission, which then turns the funds over to African governments that contribute troops to its cause. Recently, however, the European Union has prohibited AMISOM from paying the Burundian administration of President Pierre Nkurunziza, whose controversial (if successful) bid to seek an unconstitutional third term has mired the country in instability. Amid credible reports of widespread human rights violations in Burundi, Brussels levied sanctions against Nkurunziza’s government, freezing its AMISOM payments for more than 10 months. In an effort to find a work-around, the European Union proposed that the African Union pay Burundian soldiers participating in AMISOM directly, cutting Bujumbura out of the process. But the African Union rejected the idea, concerned that it would set a dangerous precedent for future peacekeeping missions.

Many of the states contributing to AMISOM have complained about the mission before, but Burundi’s grievances have put it in a unique position. Not only have Burundian troops not been compensated in some time, but the financial perks tied to the mission are also one of Bujumbura’s only reasons for staying involved in it. After all, Somalia is far from Burundi’s borders, and the Nkurunziza government has no strategic interests there, save for the EU funding to be gained. AMISOM, by comparison, has been struggling to maintain its troop levels against the aggressive resistance put up by Somalia’s largest militant group, al Shabaab. By threatening to pull its soldiers, Burundi hopes to compel the African Union to reach a compromise on paying its military, and fast.

January 17, 2017