Tag: GreatLakesNews

{The meeting of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) scheduled for today in Dar es Salaam will mark the beginning of a process that would decide the future of East Africa’s oldest party.}

President John Magufuli, who took over the ruling party’s national chairmanship from retired president Jakaya Kikwete, is expected to lead the committee for the first time since last year’s general elections.

According to a statement released by the committee’s Ideology and Publicity Secretary, Mr Nape Nnauye, the party’s decision making organ is scheduled to review the 2015 general elections — from the local government, parliamentary and presidential elections – for both Zanzibar and the Union.

“This is not a strange thing. It is within our routine to review the elections and outline areas where we didn’t perform well,” Mr Nnauye told a press conference after the party’s Central Committee (CC) meeting, which was held on Friday in the city.

Dr Magufuli’s first meeting with NEC members as the national chairman is expected to offer the party’s blueprint after the general elections, a committee insider told this newspaper on condition of anonymity.

“It’s a must attend meeting as anything can happen,” the source said. Political analysts had it that there are a number of areas that the committee will need to review, especially on the party’s assets, numerous posts within the party, sabotage during last year’s elections and new members of the party’s secretariat.

It was revealed that since the party chairman had raised concerns over its leaders who were embezzling the party’s resources, it was obvious that all those involved will not be spared.

President Magufuli, who has made international headlines for his austerity and impatience with corruption and misconduct has vowed to turn the party around.

Already, the party’s Vice-Chairman (Mainland), Mr Philip Mangula, has announced he had received names of members who sabotaged the party during last year’s general elections.

{KINSHASA —The Democratic Republic of Congo contains some of the largest and most diverse rain forests in the world, but in recent decades it has suffered from deforestation and poaching. On December 10, the country celebrated the opening of its first national park since the 1970s. }

The rain forest of the Congo Basin is second in size only to the Amazon and spans six African countries. More than half of that area is found in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

On December 10, the DRC celebrated the creation of Lomami National Park, the eighth of its kind in the country, but the first since 1975.

The U.S.-financed Lukuru Foundation launched the project to create the park a decade ago and has worked alongside two provincial governments and the ICCN, a semi-government agency responsible for managing protected areas.

Terese Hart of the Lukuru Foundation spoke to VOA about how the 9,000 square kilometers of Lomami National Park was carved out of the DRC’s interior.

“They started with a very large area, more than 40,000 square kilometers, and they figured that ‘OK this area’s been basically hunted out, this area’s been basically hunted out but this area’s still got a lot of animals,” she said. “It’s a very rich and very exciting not only for mammals but also for plants.”

Researching a previously unknown area, they discovered the presence of various rare species endemic to the DRC, such as the okapi, the bonobo and the Congo peacock. They also found about 600 endangered African forest elephants and a new kind of monkey.

VOA asked Hart about the main threats these animals face.

“Really the only threat now in this area is hunting, elephant poaching and commercial bush meat hunting. Those are the threats. So far we’ve been very fortunate in that there’s no gold, no diamonds, no coltan, it’s not a mineral rich area,” she said.

In order to secure the assent of the local population for the creation of the park, five traditional ceremonies known as “Tambiko” were held. Large communities gather to call upon the ancestors they share and to make collective decisions.

“There’s a lot of singing, a lot of dancing. Parts of it we do not see or certainly I as a woman am not allowed to see. There are symbols of the ancestors that are present. It’s very very interesting,” said Hart.

Part of African heritage

The park is completely free of human habitation and the partners have established projects to provide alternative livelihoods for the communities on the periphery of the reserve, such as fishponds and employment in the park.

Pastor Cosma Wilungula Balongelwa, the director-general of the ICCN, is positive about the park’s prospects.

In the past, conservation has been the affair of white people, he said, parks have been the business of white people. But today, Balongelwa claims, the Congolese man in the village has understood that the park is his heritage and he is involved in its conservation.

At one point, local politics intervened and the message of harmony was interrupted. A provincial parliamentarian from Tshopo, one of the two provinces in which the park is located, complained that Maniema, the other province involved, benefits disproportionately from the new park.

He said the delegation from Tshopo could not legitimize a state of affairs it finds unacceptable. He then led a walkout, accompanied by the governor of the province, who was sitting on the panel.

The governor of Maniema apologized for the disturbance and concluded stating that the Congolese nation is pleased to offer Lomami National Park to humanity.

{Dr Besigye said nobody loved President Museveni than he did but only parted ways with his former boss on principle.}

Former presidential candidate Dr Kizza Besigye has said he did not only work as President Museveni’s physician but also loved him when he was a poor man.

Dr Besigye while speaking at the funeral service of Emmanuel Bukenya at Mayira village in Lwengo District on Sunday where one of his drivers, Mr Anthony Gonzaga was installed as an heir said nobody loved President Museveni more than he did but only parted ways with his former boss on principle.

“I was not only his personal physician but I supported him when he was still a poor man,” Dr Besigye said.

Dr Besigye reiterated his statement made in January ahead of the highly contested February elections where he said he loved President Museveni more than many of the people who claim to love him now.

The four times presidential contender said he feels sorry for those who claim to love Mr Museveni a lot. He added that those who claim to love the president met him when he was already rich and had something to offer them.

“For us, we generously sacrificed our lives for Museveni’s sake while in the bush. However, he has gone off the trail and betrayed Ugandans. That is what we accuse him of, nothing else,” he said.

{Kenya is set to mark the 53rd Jamhuri Day today.}

President Kenyatta is expected to lead the nation in the celebrations from Nyayo national stadium, Nairobi.

Regional coordinators and county commissioners are expected to preside over the event in counties.

Mr Kenyatta has invited Togolese President Fare Essozimna Gnassingbe as the special guest at this year’s commemoration.

{{SECURITY TIGHT}}

Security has been beefed up around the city, with heavy police presence in the streets and around government installations.

The holiday is meant to officially mark the date the East African country got independence from Britain on December 12, 1963.

On this day, Kenyans celebrate the country’s cultural heritage and look back at their country’s journey to independence.

Besides the president’s speech, there is elaborate military display, song, dance and food.

{{42 GOVERNORS}}

The president also recognises the country’s heroes and heroines for their their leadership in national development.

This year, Mr Kenyatta is scheduled to fete over 40 governors with Head of State commendation for their dedicated and outstanding service to the nation.

“The President will use the occasion, as per established tradition, to confer honours on Kenyans, and other Africans, who have made outstanding contributions in various spheres of our development,” PSCU said in a statement.

While Kenyans in towns attend the celebrations in public forums, others follow the event on television from the comfort of their houses and entertainment joints.

Meanwhile, the President’s visit to Narok scheduled for Tuesday, December 13, has been postponed.

The postponement, PSCU said, is meant to all Mr Kenyatta visit with the families of the 11 GSU officers killed in the Saturday night smash-up on the Naivasha-Nakuru highway.

President Museveni’s sister, Dr Violet Kajubiri Froehlich has been involved in an accident which claimed the life of former Kampala Capital City Authority Director George Agaba.

Dr Violet Kajubiri Froelich, a sister of President Museveni, has been involved in an accident which has also claimed the life of former Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) Director of Physical Planning George Agaba.

Police spokesperson Andrew Kaweesi confirmed the accident but could not divulge any more details, requesting to be called back after 10 minutes. He had not responded to our calls by the time of this report.

Ms Kajubiri, a member of the Education Service Commission is nursing a fractured leg at a yet to be disclosed hospital.

She was according to sources airlifted after the accident that occurred shortly after 4pm to an unknown destination.

The accident occurred at at Nyamitanga on the road to Isingiro from Mbarara when the driver, Joseph Kyaligonza was trying to avoid knocking a pedal cyclist and lost control of the vehicle before it overturned. Mr Agaba died on arrival at Mbarara Hospital.

“The president just landed in Mbale from Namutumba and we don’t have communication yet. Call Police,” senior presidential press secretary Don Wanyama said when contacted.

Mr Agaba hit the limelight when he was appointed to the physical planning job at KCCA. He led many operations, some violent, to evict vendors and other city dwellers.

In January 2012, he was accused along with his bodyguard, Santos Komakech Makmot, of shooting and killing one person and injuring five others during a KCCA eviction exercise in Luzira. The operation was to demolish “illegal structures”.

Mr Agaba and Mr Makmot were later cleared of the murder charges by Nakawa High Court presided over by Justice Faith Mwondha.

He was later fired by KCCA Executive Director Jennifer Musisi on allegations of corruption, among other things.

“My condolences to the family and friends of Mr. George Agaba, former KCCA Director for Physical Planning, who has died in a nasty motor accident,” Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago posted on his Facebook page after the news of Mr Agaba’s death.

{The number of people who died on Saturday evening when a truck carrying inflammable substances rammed into several vehicles before bursting into flames near Karai on the Nairobi-Naivasha Highway has increased to 40, deputy county commissioner Isaac Masinde has said.}

Witnesses at the scene said the driver of the tanker lost control and hit the other vehicle which created chain of knocks.

The accident on the busy highway, some 80 kilometres west of Nairobi created a horrible scene.

Four victims of the Saturday night accident were taken to the Naivasha Mt Longonot Medical Centre while two were treated and discharged. Two others, according to the Clinical Officer at the facility Dalmas Otumba, were taken to Nairobi hospital for specialised treatment.

According to a preliminary police report released on Sunday morning, the truck (registration number UAK 519C) hit a bump before its driver lost control and rammed into a vehicle in front and other vehicles before it burst into flames.

“The fire spread very fast burning 10 other vehicles. A General Service Unit (GSU) Land Cruiser registration number GK B 961G was also burnt, killing the officers on board. Most bodies were burnt beyond recognition,” said the police report.

“At the scene, two containers of premium bond substance said to be highly flammable were recovered and suspected were among the items carried in the truck,” added the report.

Nation reporters at the scene, on Sunday morning, counted 12 shells of burnt out vehicles.

Transport PS Irungu Nyakera, while addressing the media on Sunday morning at the scene, said that nine police guns were also recovered and put the death toll at 33.

Wreckages of vehicles at the scene of accident at Karai in Naivasha on December 10, 2016. Over ten vehicles were involved in the night accident and claimed over 40 lives.

NTSA boss Francis Meja confirmed that 12 vehicles were burnt, adding that one was a PSV and the rest private.

The matatu was carrying 14 passengers, who all perished.

The tanker, which was coming from Nairobi, was negotiating the hilly part of the road, before knocking a matatu and exploded into flames.

Rescuers in frantic efforts to save victims at the scene of accident on December 10, 2016 at Karai, Naivasha. Over 40 lives were lost.

{{MEDICS STRIKE}}

Earlier, a Kenya Red Cross official said rescuers had taken 30 bodies to Naivasha Sub-County Hospital Mortuary.

The accident happened on the fifth day of a national strike by doctors and nurses.

Karai is about five kilometres from Naivasha Sub-County Hospital, one of the facilities affected by the industrial action.

Doctors have claimed the government must fulfill the conditions in the Collective Bargaining Agreement signed in 2013; to increase their pay, improve working conditions and hire more doctors to reduce workload.

On Saturday evening, nurses announced they had agreed on a return to work formula.

But the final decision to call off the strike rests with the outcome of a planned meeting of the National Executive Council of the Kenya National Union of Nurses on Sunday.

Among the burnt vehicles was a pick-up truck carrying administration police officers that was heading to Nairobi.

Three of them are among the dead. Eight magazines of the guns they were carrying were recovered.

Mr Edwin Wafula, a survivor who suffered burns on his hand, told the Nation he was travelling to Nairobi in the company of four other people when their car caught fire.

“The fire caught cars on both sides of the road. The truck was coming from Nairobi, but those heading to the city were also burnt,” he said at the scene.

Rescue workers from the Kenya Red Cross arrived at the scene moments later but they are having a hard time because there is a snarl-up.

Mr Peter Njoroge said he had been trailing the truck in his car when it suddenly veered off its course to the lanes of oncoming vehicles. It exploded shortly afterwards.

“I was a distance away and that enabled me to slow down and reverse,” he told the Nation.

“It was a huge explosion and other motorists had little chance to react.”

The highway, the main artery that links the city to western Kenya, and on to neighbouring countries of Uganda, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan.

It is considered by the World Health Organization among the most dangerous roads to drive on. At least an accident happens every three days.

{As the Catholic Church in the Democratic Republic of Congo hosted last-minute negotiations on Thursday to avert crisis when President Joseph Kabila’s term ends on December 19, the presidential majority and the radical opposition are already showing signs of divergence.}

Valentin Mubake, head of the opposition’s delegation to the talks said: “We are here because we are not discouraged. Many of us have skeptical faces, and we’re going to tell them that the constitution must apply. We cant just change a country’s constitution, we apply it, that’s all “

“If the talks fail, it is because we wont have reached consensus. So we will just go ahead and enforce what’s in the constitution. There will be possible agitations here and there but we have seen this before, it’s nothing new and we will manage it as we always have,” said Lambert Mendé, the spokesman of the presidential majority’s delegation.

Despite the indifference, the Catholic church has taken a positive tone claiming that both Kabila and the opposition had given “strong and very encouraging signals”.

“This broad consensus will ease the tense climate in which we live in today, to enable us to organize the peaceful, credible and transparent elections in our country,” said Abbot Masinganda

These talks are supposed to prevent the country from sinking into chaos in the coming weeks. At the heart of the debate is the precise date when elections should be held, as well as president Joseph Kabila’s fate, as the opposition wants him to leave office once his term expires on December 19th.

Court yesterday declared that the continued police siege on Dr Kizza Besigye’s residence in Kasangati is illegal and ordered them to leave his home immediately.

Court yesterday declared that the continued police siege on Dr Kizza Besigye’s residence in Kasangati is illegal and ordered them to leave his home immediately.
The local Magistrate’s Court in Kasangati, Wakiso District also ordered that Dr Besigye be unconditionally freed from unlawful detention disguised as preventive arrest. The court also condemned his detention at his home, which is not gazetted as a prison under the law.

The court said that the issues stated by Dr Besigye in his petition were not disputed nor addressed by the affidavit of the State in reply to his complaints and hence they can be taken as truthful under the law.

“I find that the applicant (Dr Besigye) was unlawfully detained and in a place that is not authorised by law thus contravening the various articles of the Constitution,” Magistrate Prossy Katushabe declared yesterday.

Dr Besigye, a four-time presidential candidate, has since the February 18 general elections been violently arrested more than nine times by police every time he attempted to leave his house and has been confined there under what the State calls “preventive arrest.” In her ruling yesterday, the magistrate agreed with Dr Besigye’s submissions that his residence, where he was detained, is not an authorised detention centre.

Dr Besigye sued the Inspector General of Police, Gen Kale Kayihura, and the Police commander for Kampala North Region, seeking court to order his unconditional release from unlawful “preventive arrest and detention.”

In his application, Dr Besigye had also asked court to order Gen Kayihura and his subordinates to immediately stop violating his right to movement.

His sister Margaret Kifefe, in an affidavit in support of the petition, told court, during the hearing, that her brother’s freedom of movement was being denied due to the police siege. Ms Kifefe’s affidavit stated that whenever her brother tried to leave home, he would be arrested and taken to Nagalama Police Station in Mukono District and returned late in the night.

“The applicant (Dr Besigye) has never been charged in respect of all the said nine arrests and not been produced before any court…” Ms Kifefe stated in the affidavit.
She was referring to the nine times Besigye had been arrested by police between February 18 and April when he filed the petition. Dr Besigye’s lawyers argued that although Section 24 of the Police Act allows police to arrest a person upon a reasonable belief that such action is necessary to prevent crime, Article 23 of the Constitution which provides for personal liberty supersedes that law. The police have always justified the routine arrests of Dr Besigye on claims that they have intelligence information that once he goes to town, he would incite the population.

Responding to the ruling on his petition yesterday, Dr Besigye twitted: “the illegal acts of the police continue unfazed by the court ruling.”

In a separate communication yesterday with Daily Monitor, Dr Besigye said the siege was still continuing at his home by last evening in total disregard of the court ruling. Ms Winnie Byanyima, his wife, also twitted: “Police still blocking us from free movement. IGP determined to show Ugandans how not to obey the law.”

Dr Besigye filed the petition early this year after police confined him at his home in the aftermath of the February general elections which he claimed he won by 52 per cent but was robbed of victory.

During the hearing of the petition, the Director of Public Prosecutions applied to the High Court challenging the inclusion of Gen Kayihura on the case. The DPP said Gen Kayihura cannot be sued individually and the legal proceedings should instead be directed against the Attorney General. However, the High Court dismissed the DPP’s application and referred the case file back to Kasangati Magistrate’s Court.

Subsequently, the deputy Chief Justice, Steven Kavuma, issued an injunction stopping the hearing of all cases filed by Dr Besigye including this petition against Gen Kayihura, pending the conclusion of the Attorney General’s counter-petition challenging Besigye’s FDC party’s defiance campaign at the time.

However, the magistrate’s court in Kasangati proceeded to hear Dr Besigye’s petition which was disposed of yesterday.

{{Argument}}

Dr Besigye’s lawyers argued that although Section 24 of the Police Act allows a police officer to arrest a person upon a reasonable belief that such action is necessary to prevent crime, Article 23 of the Constitution which provides for personal liberty supersedes that law.

{The Kenya national union of nurses (KNUN) executive committee has dismissed as a hoax reports that nurses’ strike was called off on Friday.}

In a press conference in Nairobi on Saturday, KNUN General-Secretary Seth Panyako said talks with the government are ongoing.

“Strike is still on and KNUN officials will continue holding talks with government today. KNUN’s national governing council will meet on Monday to give directions on ending strike,” said Mr Panyako.

He asked the government to release actual figures of people dying in hospital as a result if the strike.

According to Mr Panyako the figures are more than what has been reported.

Mr Panyako added that nurses at the Kenyatta National Hospital will boycott duty from Tuesday if the hospital doesn’t sign recognition agreement and remit monies for nurses in union.

The nurses also expressed support for their counterparts in Tana River County who have resumed duty to attend to victims of the cholera outbreak.

“The two nurses in Tana River who decided to attend to victims of cholera outbreak are not traitors. We may send more nurses there because the disease may spread all over the country,” My Panyako said.

He condemned the nurses in Nakuru who took over duties of striking staff and vowed that KNUN will throw them out through the window when the strike over.