Tag: GreatLakesNews

{The newly promoted Maj Gavas Mugyenyi , the Commander Air Defence Division, Maj Gen Sam Okiding, the artillery commander will also be decorated.}

The newly promoted UPDF officers including the incoming Chief of Defence Forces, Gen David Muhoozi will be decorated this Tuesday at Defence Headquarters in Mbuya.

According to a statement issued by the Information Department the function starts at 9:30 am. The new deputy army boss, Lt Gen Wilson Mbasu Mbadi and Maj Gen Brig Peter Elwelu, the Commander Land Forces will be decorated.

Others include Brig Charles Lwanga Lutaaya, the Air Force Commander, Col Abel Kandiho, Chief of Military Intelligence, Col Don Nabaasa, Commander Special Forces, Maj Gen Charles Otema, Commander Reserve Forces.

The newly promoted Maj Gavas Mugyenyi , the Commander Air Defence Division, Maj Gen Sam Okiding, the artillery commander will also get their new pips.

The first female Major General Proscovia Nalweyiso, Brig Michael Kabango, Maj Gen Joseph Musanyufu, the new Joint Chief of Staff, Brig Chris Bossa, and Maj Gen Henry Matsiko, the new Chief Political Commissar will be given new pips.

{President Uhuru Kenyatta has unveiled the third batch of police vehicles and equipment acquired through the government’s leasing programme.}

Mr Kenyatta unveiled 525 vehicles, including 25 armoured personnel carriers, at Uhuru Park in Nairobi, as part of the government’s police modernisation programme.

{{Bad state }}

In his speech, the President reiterated the government’s commitment to improving the working conditions of police and other security officers.

“Four years ago, there were only 3,155 vehicles which were in a bad state of repair and this lack of effective means of transport hampered effectiveness of the National Police Service in combating terrorism and organised crime,” he said.

“During the first and second phases of the leasing programme, we launched 1,200 and 1,020 assorted vehicles respectively, and with the launch of 500 vehicles, we now have 2,720.”

The move is aimed at improving police mobility by providing vehicles, among other modes of transport, as they step up their fight against terrorism and organised crime.

Some of the vehicles were leased from General Motors East Africa, which will be responsible for servicing and maintaining them.

The fight against crime by use of air surveillance, Mr Kenyatta said, had also been improved following the procurement of additional helicopters and the repair of those that had broken down.

“In 2013, the country had only one serviceable helicopter and at the moment we have three that are helping our security forces in the fight against crime. We also expect to have two more and bring the number to seven by July this year,” he said.

The President also said that the country had done a lot in increasing the number of police officers through recruitment, adding that Kenya was almost attaining the United Nations recommended ratio of one police officer for every 450 civilians.

He praised Kenyan security forces for their efforts in the fight against terrorism, which he said, had reduced drastically, thanks to strategic counterterrorism efforts, including intelligence sharing and cooperation.

Since 2013, the government has been leasing vehicles in a move aimed at cutting costs.

In attendance were Internal Security Cabinet Secretary Joseph Nkaissery, Directorate of Criminal Investigations boss Ndegwa Muhoro and National Police Service Commission chairman Johnstone Kavuludi, among other leaders.

{Presidnet John Magufuli yesterday nominated two Members of Parliament, a move that has made some political analysts ‘smell’ some changes in the cabinet.}

Those nominated are Law Professor Palamagamba Kabudi and Chairman of the CCM parents’ wing, WAZAZI, Mr Abdallah Bulembo, bringing the total number of presidential nominees in the House so far to eight.

Along with the nomination, President Magufuli has appointed Mr Benedicto Mashiba as a new ambassador. Mr Mashiba’s working station and the date for his swearing-in will be announced later, according to a statement issued by the Directorate of Presidential Communications in Dar es Salaam yesterday.

Signed by the Director of Presidential Communications, Mr Gerson Msigwa, the statement said Prof Kabudi and Mr Bulembo will be sworn in – in accordance with House procedures. Analysts argue that looking at past nominations; the president has placed all his nominees in some of highest posts of the land. Of the six previous nominees, one is the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, Dr Tulia Ackson, while others are ministers and a deputy minister.

They include the Minister for Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, Ambassador Augustine Mahiga, the Finance and Planning Minister, Dr Philip Mpango, Education, Science, Technology and Vocational Training Minister Prof Joyce Ndalichako and Minister for Works, Transport and Communications, Prof Makame Mbarawa.

Commenting on the latest nominations, University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) political science lecturer, Dr Bashiru Ally, said the president has constitutional powers to elect 10 MPs and is not obliged to tell the reason behind his selection.

However, among other factors that give the president the opportunity to nominate would be the issue of social balance in the Parliament such as representation of the disadvantaged groups in the Assembly — for instance, people with disabilities or political parties’ balance. “But, who knows…with the new nominations, the president could make changes in the cabinet…a minor reshuffle,” Dr Ally opined, learning from previous experience.

On other hand, he believed that bringing Mr Bulembo into the House could mean a major strategy to push CCM’s agenda in the House, considering that he was the Campaign Leader during the 2015 general elections.

“The president has managed to properly nominate the MPs…it’s a good selection,” he remarked. A senior lecturer at the Ruaha University College (RUCU), Prof Gaudence Mpangala, also thought that President Magufuli might have seen some shortfalls in the cabinet and plans to make some changes.

“No doubt that he wants to give them (Prof Kabudi and Mr Bulembo) high posts in the government — probably in the ministries,” he commented, adding: “Let’s wait and see.”

{Registration of voters kicked off countrywide Monday with the electoral body targeting to list six million Kenyans.}

The registration started early morning in most parts of the country with no hitches reported.

In Eldoret, Meru and Nyeri, residents started steaming in at registration centres as early as 6am Monday.

Nyeri Town MP Esther Murugi visited Huduma Centre in Nyeri to check the uncollected national identity cards.

She said there are at least 1,800 uncollected identity cards at the centre.

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) launched the registration campaign on Sunday and warned that those who will not have registered by February 14 will have no other opportunity to do so.

IEBC Chief Executive Officer Ezra Chiloba said his team would target six million voters, to add to the 15.9 million already registered.

President Uhuru Kenyatta and Cord leader Raila Odinga are expected to mobilise their supporters to turn out in large numbers and enlist in readiness for the August elections.

State House spokesman Manoah Esipisu said President Kenyatta would lead the Jubilee team in rallying Kenyans to register.

Mr Odinga would tour all Cord strongholds to campaign for voter registration.

{Mr Oryem also accused Kinshasa of renegading on its promise to repatriate more than 400 rebels who have been staying in Bihanga Barracks in Ibanda District.}

Uganda’s State Minister for International Relations Mr Okello Oryem has told the Democratic Republic of Congo government to stop making “false allegations” that Congolese rebels of M23 had crossed from Uganda and entered Congolese territory.

“We know there are problems in Kinshasa, but they [government] should not use Uganda as an excuse for their problems,” Mr Oryem said.

DR Congo government spokesperson Lambert Mende told journalists in Kinshasa on Sunday that M23 rebels who have been in Uganda since 2013, after suffering defeat by the combined force of the UN and Congolese army, had made an incursion into Congo.

Mr Oryem said the claims by the Kinshasa are intended to divert attention from increasing pressure on President Joseph Kabila who is trying to fend off mounting opposition over his decision to stay beyond his mandate which expired last month.

Mr Oryem also accused Kinshasa of reneging on its promise to repatriate more than 400 rebels who have been staying in Bihanga Barracks in Ibanda District.

“President Kabila had assured us that they would organise and take them [M23] back but it’s taking forever,” the minister said.

Before their defeat four years ago, the M23 controlled huge swaths of land in the eastern part of the country.

{Pension funds may soon be merged as the government is finalising the process to reduce their number, the ‘Daily News’ has learnt.}

According to the Social Security Regulatory Authority (SSRA), currently the country has seven social security funds–National Social Security Fund (NSSF), PPF Pension Fund, Public Service Pension Fund (PSPF), Local Authorities Pension Fund (LAPF), Workers Compensation Fund, Government Employees Provident Fund (GEPF) and National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF), which offer similar benefits.

For sometimes now, stakeholders have been engaged to air their views on envisaged reduction in number of the social schemes from the current number to either one or two to reduce the costs of pension benefits and operating costs.

The Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office (Policy, Parliamentary Affairs, Labour, Employment, Youth and the Disabled), Ms Jenista Mhagama, said her permanent secretary was finalising plans with the stakeholders to reduce the number of funds.

“When everything is completed, I will make it public. But now I can’t reveal exactly time when we are going to have the reduced number of the pension funds,” she said. SSRA Director General Ms Irene Isaka told the ‘Daily News’ recently that they had already done their part since last year regarding the review of the number of the pension funds and submitted the views of the stakeholders to the government for further steps.

Among other recommendations, stakeholders have for sometimes now been proposing that the funds should be merged to form either one or two funds—one for public sector and the other for private sector. The experts argue that costs to operate social security funds are higher except with the Public Sector Pension Fund.

Ms Isaka was quoted saying only the PSPF had low operating costs compared to the others. The high cost of running the other funds is ruining their ability to offer quality services, prompting the SSRA to prepare guidelines to reduce their operating costs.

As of July last year, the funds were directed to spend no more than 10 per cent of their values — down from 15 per cent.

{Investors will be able to buy a slice of a rare earth miner in Burundi after Rainbow Rare Earths revealed plans to list on the London Stock Exchange.}

RRE wants to raise £5.7m to dust off and restart the Gakara mine in the landlocked east African country, which operated for 30 years until 1978.

Rare earths enjoyed a flurry of interest at the start of the decade before prices cooled. However, RRE believes the minerals at Gukara – such as lanthanum, cerium and neodymium – will enjoy rising demand as they are needed in batteries, magnets and the automotive industry.

“As the world grows, we will consume more of these things,” said Martin Eales, the managing director of RRE. “The fundamentals are pointing the right way.”

RRE believes the very high grade of the rare earths at Gakara – some 57pc concentrate – will keep its costs low as the ore will require little processing. Mr Eales said the mining process was “very simple”.

“The grade is so high you can extract it from the hillside with excavators and manual labour,” he said.

RRE also has an offtake agreement with German industrial giant Thyssenkrupp to take “everything we can produce”. “It’s a great seal of approval to have a company like that want to do business with us,” Mr Eales said.

Adonis Pouroulis, the chairman, who founded Petra Diamonds and a series of other companies within his Pella Resources stable, said he had been encouraged to take RRE public by several potential cornerstone investors.

“We’ve listed a few companies in London and there’s certainly a positive feeling in resources [stocks] at the moment,” he said.

“There’s a lot of funding for African projects in London, and we see this as a dividend payer down the line.”

The project has “very strong support” in Burundi, Mr Pouroulis added, as it will create up to 200 jobs plus dozens more indirectly in the surrounding area.

Despite their name, rare earths are not particularly scarce, although they can be difficult to extract economically. They tend to occur together in nature and it can be hard to separate them.

China dominates the market, with a share of about 90pc, but RRE believes it can provide a small but useful alternative supply.

It will list in the coming weeks with Hannam & Partners and Daniel Stewart as joint bookrunners. First production from the mine is expected in the fourth quarter of the year.

{The National Episcopal Conference of Congo (CENCO) has expressed “concern” over the delay in the implementation of the release of political prisoners almost a fortnight after the signing of the political deal in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).}

“We are surprised by the delay … there are prisoners who had been announced as freed and until now we have not had proof that they are really released,” said Bishop Fridolin Ambongo, Vice-president CENCO. Emphasizing that ordinarily, “these releases had to take effect immediately” after the signing of the agreement.

“We are worried because the cases that were eligible for release after the negotiations are not followed until now,” Ambongo added.

We are surprised by the delay … there are prisoners who had been announced as freed and until now we have not had proof that they are really released.
Negotiations brokered by the Church between the government and the opposition resulted in an agreement calling for polls to be held later this year. The deal also prevents Kabila from running for a third term whiles giving the opposition the position of Prime Minister in a transitional government.

Main opposition Rally delegates, the coalition around the historical opponent Etienne Tshisekedi, had presented “seven particular cases” of political prisoners and pushed for their release as part of the deal.

Four cases had been approved by all parties for release, while three others, including that of the Moise Katumbi, a former ally of Mr. Kabila who joined the opposition in September 2015 and is currently abroad, remains in contention.

The DRC was nearly plunged in a political crisis resulting from the postponement of the presidential election which should have been held late last year. Incumbent Kabila, who has been in power since 2001 was allowed to stay in power by a court ruling till elections are held.

On 20 December, at the end of his term, at least 40 people were killed and over 100 others arrested, some tried and sentenced for protesting for the end of Kabila’s term. The DRC has not undergone a peaceful political transition since its independence from Belgium in 1960.

{Former president Mr Benjamin Mkapa yesterday called on the international community to support Tanzania in its war against poaching.}

He said that the intervention would help to end the problem. Mr Mkapa was speaking after a five-kilometre charity walk dubbed as a ‘Walk for Elephants’ that was organised by Tanzania China Friendship Promotion Association, some Chinese Companies and wildlife protection organisations. Hundreds of Tanzanians, development partners, diplomats and religious leaders turned out to support the movement.

The charity walk aimed at raising public awareness against the poaching of elephants for their tusks. The former head of state, who doubles as Vice-Chairman of the board of Africa Wildlife Foundation (AWF), asked other countries to imitate the Chinese government’s recent ban on ivory trade in China.

He said the move will strongly help to end poaching activities in Africa. “We have the will to protect and preserve, but the resources are obviously limited. We are described as a developing nation. Our needs are numerous but resources are few,” said Mr Mkapa.

He added that to support the war against poaching, various governments across the world must ban the importation and uses of tusks so that poachers and greedy traders could stop killing animals. “We need to work together to stop this, our fellows must ban the importation and uses of elephant tusks, this means there will be no market for tusks and nobody will kill elephants,” he said.

He also asked the international organisations to support the war since the African heritage is for everybody in the world. According to Mr Mkapa, elephants are in the list of top five species that are in danger of being attacked and killed in the world.

The list also includes rhinos and other animals. Mr Mkapa called the international community to protect animals for the betterment of the current and future generations. Earlier, the ambassador

of China to Tanzania, Mr Lu Youqing, said his government is in the frontline in the protection of wildlife species. He said China has been working with the government of Tanzania to ensure safety and protection of wild animals.

“As the signatory of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), the government of China always complies with the convention and highly values wildlife protection,” said the ambassador.

According to him, since 2014 State Forestry Administration and the Customs General Administration of China have crushed about 6.8 tonnes of confiscated ivory. He added that the recent Chinese ban on ivory trade demonstrates how China is determined to protect Africa’s wildlife, elephants included.

Mr Youqing said Tanzania and China have been working on a number of projects intended to create awareness and have raised their voices against animal killing and illegal wildlife products business.

“The Embassy is willing to continue providing support and help Tanzania within ability share the successful experience of endangered species conservation like the Giant Panda,” he promised.

The Permanent Secretary (PS) in the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism, Maj. Gen. Gaudence Milanzi, applauded China’s move to ban the ivory trade and the cooperation China has been offering to Tanzania in protecting wildlife and nature at large.

Citing dinosaurs’ disappearance, the PS cautioned that if immediate measures in protecting elephants and other threatened animals will not be taken, there is a danger for the elephants to disappear as well.

However, the PS said under the Fifth Phase Government there is no single stone that will be left unturned in the war against poachers. On December 30, last year, China announced that it will gradually stop the processing and sales of ivory for commercial purposes before the end of 2017.

The decision by China government was welcomed and applauded by both national and international organisations who described the move as a historic milestone in protecting elephants and other wildlife animals.

It is estimated that in every 15 minutes an elephant is killed somewhere. African elephants are disappearing at 8 per cent per year faster than they are being born. In Tanzania, according to data released by the government in June 2015, between 2009 and 2014, elephant population had dropped from 109,051 to 43,521 respectively.