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International News

Farm tool firm, STIHL East Africa records triple growth in region

Farm tool firm, STIHL East Africa records triple growth in region

A German power tools manufacturer, STIHL East Africa has reported an increase in revenue in its first year of operation since upgrading its Kenyan unit to a fully-fledged sales subsidiary....

Weakening franc worries Rwanda economy chiefs

Weakening franc worries Rwanda economy chiefs

Rwanda’s economic managers are walking a tightrope as a weaker franc continues to make the fight to curb inflation harder, given the country’s dependence on imports. Figures by the National...

Vietnam treasures friendship and cooperation with Burundi: PM

Vietnam treasures friendship and cooperation with Burundi: PM

NEW YORK – Việt Nam always attaches importance to promoting friendship and cooperation with African countries, including Burundi, Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính said while meeting Burundian President Evariste Ndayishimiye...

South Sudan’s Kiir snubs junior U.S officials in New York

South Sudan’s Kiir snubs junior U.S officials in New York

September 21, 2023 (JUBA) – South Sudan President Salva Kiir declined a meeting with junior United States officials amid concerns over what his administration described as breach in diplomatic protocols....

Chinese-built expressway offers Kenya's minibuses savings amid high fuel cost

Chinese-built expressway offers Kenya's minibuses savings amid high fuel cost

NAIROBI, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Nairobi Expressway, which can best be described as Kenya's most beautiful road, has become a favorite for the most unlikely group in the East...

Al-Burhan visits to Uganda for talks with Museveni

Al-Burhan visits to Uganda for talks with Museveni

September 16, 2023 (KHARTOUM) – Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the Chairman of the Sudanese Sovereign Council, embarked on an official visit to Uganda on Saturday morning. Departing from Port Sudan International...

Editor's Choice

Farm tool firm, STIHL East Africa records triple growth in region

Farm tool firm, STIHL East Africa records triple growth in region

A German power tools manufacturer, STIHL East Africa has reported an increase in revenue in its first year of operation since upgrading its Kenyan unit to a fully-fledged sales subsidiary....

EACC ropes in UN bodies to help combat corruption

EACC ropes in UN bodies to help combat corruption

Prime Cabinet Secretary (C) with EACC Chairperson David Oginde and CEO Twalib Mbarak during the launch of EACC Strategic Plan for 2023-2028. PHOTO/@EACCKenya/X The Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission (EACC) has...

Senators question operations of Tullow Oil Company in the country

Senators question operations of Tullow Oil Company in the country

Senators have raised questions over the operations of Tullow Oil Company in the country with residents of Turkana County saying they are yet to benefit with the firm’s presence in...

Kiir signs controversial elections bill into law

Kiir signs controversial elections bill into law

JUBA, SEPTEMBER 26, 2023 (SUDANS POST) — South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir Mayardit on Tuesday evening signed the controversial elections bill into law, ignoring opposition calls for removal of a...

UK schools should teach all four nations’ histories, says David Olusoga

UK schools should teach all four nations’ histories, says David Olusoga

Schools in the UK need to teach the history of all four nations, the historian David Olusoga has said, warning that ambivalence and indifference risk pulling apart the union. The...

LSK wants presidential vote split from other seats during General Election

LSK wants presidential vote split from other seats during General Election

The Law Society of Kenya (LSK) President Eric Theuri. [File, Standard] The Law Society of Kenya (LSK) has proposed the separation of presidential voting day from the other five seats...

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Technology

24
Jan2021
Microsoft admits it "messed up" and cancels planned Xbox Live Gold price hike

Microsoft admits it...

This combination of file photos created on November 5, 2020 shows the PlayStation logo (top) on display on the final day of the E3 Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles, California on June 13, 2013; and the Xbox...

03
Feb2021
Tech CEOs including Google's Sundar, Salesforce's Marc Benioff, Microsoft's Satya Nadella congratulate outgoing Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and his successor, Andy Jassy

Tech CEOs including...

Jeff Bezos. MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images Jeff Bezos will step down as Amazon CEO in Q3 2021, the company announced on January 3. CEOs are taking to Twitter to send their congratulations to both Bezos and his success...

08
Feb2021
Kenyan Woman’s Startup Recycles Plastic Waste into Bricks That Are 5x Stronger Than Concrete

Kenyan Woman’s Start...

Photo UNEP/YouTube An absolutely brilliant young woman in Kenya has started a company manufacturing bricks from recycled plastic. Nzambi Matee says she was “tired of being on the sidelines” while civil servants struggled...

22
Feb2021
Nigeria’s ‘Techpreneurs’ Are Using Technology To Provide Life-Changing Solutions To Everyday Problems

Nigeria’s ‘Techprene...

As recently as 10 years ago, Africa’s technology industry was sparse. But as a result of advancements in mobile phone technology as well as better internet connections, the continent has transformed — unearthing countles...

Travel

24
Jan2021
New findings of early man at tourist site Olduvai Gorge

New findings of early man...

An international team of archaeologists and paleoanthropologists has discovered a large collection of two million years old stone tools, fossilized bones, and plant materials at the Olduvai Gorge in northern Tanzania. N...

29
Jan2021
UK travel ban extended to United Arab Emirates, Burundi and Rwanda

UK travel ban extended to...

File photo: Tourists have still flocked to Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Picture PA The UK's travel ban has been extended to include United Arab Emirates, Burundi and Rwanda, with British nationals returning from those co...

04
Mar2021
South Sudan suspends airline after plane crash

South Sudan suspends airl...

Photo Anadolu Agency South Sudan's president on Wednesday suspended the operation of South Supreme Airlines, the company owning the plane that crashed in the Pieri Town on Tuesday evening, an official statement said. “As...

05
Mar2021
Kenya's SGR night train unites families as it gains popularity with travelers

Kenya's SGR night train u...

NAIROBI, March 4 (Xinhua) -- For the last two months, a government worker George Agutu, who works in Mombasa, Kenya's coastal city, has traveled to the capital Nairobi every weekend to be with his family. However, befor...

Health

13
Sep2023
All Ugandans to pay Shs 15,000/yr for National Health Insurance

All Ugandans to pay Shs 15,000...

All Ugandans irrespective of age or employment status will have to fork out Shs 15,000 per year should the cabinet approve the proposed National Health Insurance Scheme bill, Health minister, Dr...

08
Sep2023
Burundi declares cholera outbreak

Burundi declares cholera outbr...

Burundi’s Health Ministry declared an outbreak of cholera on Wednesday with 15 cases reported in the western part of the country, which is prone to water shortages. “The cholera patients were ad...

16
Jul2023
Rwanda among top countries in HIV/AIDS management

Rwanda among top countries in...

A recent report released by UNAIDS has recognized Rwanda as one of the top four countries that have effectively managed the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The country has achieved significant milestones in...

15
Jul2023
Kenya launches strategic plan to reinvigorate fight against cancer

Kenya launches strategic plan...

NAIROBI, July 14 (Xinhua) -- The Kenyan Ministry of Health on Friday launched a national cancer control strategic plan to guide the prevention and control of the non-communicable disease. Susan...

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Home Secretary Suella Braverman on a PR trip to Rwandan capital Kigali in March© PA

The Government's claim that Rwanda is a safe place to send asylum seekers has been savaged as figures showed the UK has granted sanctuary to dozens from the African nation.

Ministers are locked in a bitter court battle trying to salvage their controversial deportation scheme after top judges said it was unlawful. While they maintain Rwanda is a safe country, analysis of official data reveals that over 40 Rwandans have applied for asylum in the UK since 2020. 

And between 2011 and 2021, 37 people were granted asylum after officials accepted they were unsafe in their home country. Immigration expert Prof Thom Brooks, of the University of Durham, told The Mirror: "While we are told Rwanda is safe for all, the Home Office recognises that it is not safe for all Rwandans. It is unclear how Rwanda can be safe for all from any country if not safe for every Rwandan."

The Government hopes to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda as it desperately tries to tackle a massive backlog which stood at over 130,000 earlier this year. But in June the Court of Appeal ruled the scheme was illegal as judges, with judges saying it is not a safe third country.

Steve Smith, CEO of refugee charity Care4Calais said: “The Government’s claim that Rwanda is a ‘safe country’ to which we should send asylum seekers has always been pure conjecture on their part. The fact that Home Office decision makers have been granting asylum to Rwandans, whilst Ministers have been spinning their ‘cash for humans’ deal in the media, blows their argument apart."

 

He branded the Rwanda scheme, first unveiled in April last year by former Home Secretary Priti Patel and championed by her successor, Suella Braverman, an "expensive and ill thought out publicity stunt". The Home Office has repeatedly refused to reveal the total spent on the project, but it is known that £140million has been paid to the Rwandan government.

Home Office figures show 29 decisions made on Rwandan claimants since the start of 2020. Of these 14 people were granted protection, while 10 were refused. A further five applications were withdrawn.

Prof Brooks said the stakes are high for Mr Sunak as the Supreme Court weighs up whether the scheme is legal and whether Rwanda is safe. He said: "If the policy is found unlawful by the UK's top judges, the Tories are left without any plan to stop the boats except use of empty barges at extortionate cost to taxpayers - and mark a new low for 13 years of ineptitude on immigration."

Liberal Democrat Home Affairs spokesman Alistair Carmichael said: “How can the Home Secretary seriously say Rwanda is safe when the UK is granting asylum to people from the very same country? The Home Office looks more and more ludicrous by the day under Braverman.

"Pursuing these disastrous policies is doing nothing but bringing more problems upon the asylum system. Introducing safe and legal routes and getting down the backlog is the only answer. The Home Secretary must finally accept reality and scrap the unworkable and expensive Rwanda scheme. Her focus must be tackling the asylum backlog created by years of Conservative mismanagement."

In the final six years when Labour was in power, there were 59 enforced removals to Rwanda, compared to three in the past seven years under the Tories.

A Home Office spokesperson said: “Rwanda has been recognised globally for its record in welcoming and integrating migrants and asylum seekers. The number of people risking their lives by making illegal and dangerous journeys is unacceptable. That is why we have passed new legislation which will ensure those arriving in the UK illegally are detained and promptly removed to their country of origin or a safe third country.”  By Dave Burke, Daily Mirror

Through the partnership between BAL and the Rwanda Development Board, “Visit Rwanda” has been a Founding and Host Partner of the league since 2021. 

Fans will be able to fly with the airline to watch the Playoffs and Finals, which will tip off this season on Saturday, May 20 at BK Arena in Kigali, and conclude on Saturday, May 27 when a new champion will be crowned. 

Yvonne Makolo, RwandAir CEO, said: “We are proud to partner once again with the Basketball Africa League and welcome the league’s fans to Rwanda to witness the exhilaration of this season’s finals. 

“RwandAir recognises the profound ability of sports to unite people, and we are thrilled to assume the role of the Official Partner of BAL Season 3.” 

Fans can follow the event online via the official BAL social media accounts: @TheBal.  TA

President Salva Kiir with Uganda's Vice President Jessica Alupo
 

South Sudan and neighbouring Uganda have agreed to strengthen the bilateral relations between the two countries.

This was reached during a meeting on Saturday between President Salva Kiir and Uganda’s Vice President Jessica Alupo in the capital, Juba.

South Sudan’s Minister of Presidential Affairs, Barnaba Marial Benjamin said the two leaders discussed how the existing bilateral ties can be expanded.

For her part, Alupo applauded President Kiir for hosting the ecumenical peace pilgrimage and inviting his Ugandan counterpart Yoweri Museveni.

The Vice President, who represented Museveni, said Uganda will continue supporting the implementation of the peace agreement in South Sudan.

On Friday last week, Pope Francis called on South Sudanese political leaders to end the bloodshed in the country and embrace peace.

The Pope made the call following a closed-door meeting with Kiir in the capital, Juba.

“No more bloodshed, no more conflict, no more violence and mutual recriminations about who is responsible for it, no more leaving your people athirst for peace,” he remarked on Friday.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby called on political and church leaders to be generous and preach God’s words to the people they lead.

“We need leaders who care about the values by which our country lives and who care about the conditions in which people live and to act unto their faith in work among the most vulnerable and marginalized,” he said.

South Sudan broke away from neighbouring Sudan in 2011, but plunged into civil war in 2013 with ethnic groups turning on each other. Despite a 2018 peace deal between the two main antagonists, spells of inter-ethnic fighting have continued to kill and displace large numbers of civilians. Tower Post 

Ruto: I will call Raila 'my brother' if it stops maandamano

President William Ruto has defended his affectionate reference to opposition leader Mr Raila Odinga, who he recently called “my brother”. 

The term “my brother” is associated with the former Head of State Uhuru Kenyatta, who usually referred to Mr Odinga as his elder brother.

While addressing a section of Muslim leaders at State House on Monday evening during the Iftar, President Ruto said that if referring to the Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Coalition leader as his brother will make him end the protests, then he will keep doing it.

“If calling Raila as my brother will make him call off demonstrations, I’ll call him my brother ten times, and I will even refer him as my dear brother,” President Ruto said.

During the last regime, both Mr Kenyatta and Mr Odinga would call each other “my brother” as a description of their close working relationship, which started in 2018 after a Handshake.

In his recent address, which was about the bi-partisan negotiation with the opposition, President Ruto said that they agreed to end their differences and allow representatives from both the political divide to table their grievances.

Before then, the President, who is known for being sarcastic, would refer to Mr Odinga with abusive phrases such as ule mtu wa kitendawili, yule jamaa wa fujo, mtu wa handshake and mtu wa kung’oa reli, among other names.

The Monday event at State House was attended by Prime Cabinet Secretary Muslaia Mudavadi and Defence CS Aden Duale, among others.

Criticising the prayers

The President also asked his critics to stop criticising the prayers and services at the State House.

He noted that a section of Kenyans have been complaining about the frequent services that started after the Kenya Kwanza administration took over the office last year.

“I had prayers here sometime back because of the election, and some people started saying that this man has turned the place to be the house of prayers. I know that even tomorrow, they will say that I’ve turned the State House into a place of prayers. I want to ask them to stop worrying, this is the place of prayers, and it will continue to be the place of prayers” President Ruto said.

The President reiterated that Kenya was a God-fearing nation.

“As a person who believes in God, as a religious person, I take a lot of pride in associating with people who believe in God. Because I know the benefits of fearing God,” he said.

President Ruto also said that he had no apology for frequent visits to the places of worship.

He said that due to his belief in God, he will continue to forge ahead uniting Kenyans, and preaching peace. By Kevin Cheruiyot, NMG

  • Veteran Journalist Catherine Kasavuli (Left) and Citizen TV News Anchor Swaleh Mdoe (Right).  CITIZEN DIGITAL 
  • The life of celebrated Kenyan Journalist Catherine Kasavuli was on Saturday, January 14, extensively propounded during her burial ceremony at Zululu village in Vihiga County. 

    Among those who eulogised Kasavuli were colleagues with whom she served in various media houses including Royal Media Services (RMS), Standard Group PLC (SGL) and Kenya Broadcast Corporation (KBC). 

    In particular, Citizen TV Swahili News presenter and editor Swaleh Mdoe revealed the boardroom negotiations that took place as RMS tried to entice Kasavuli to join the company. At the time, she was attached to Standard Media Group 

    "Royal Media Services Group Managing Director Wachira Waruru wanted Catherine Kasavuli to exit KTN together with me. Catherine was supposed to present English news," Swaleh explained. 

    Catherine Kasavuli
    Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) News Anchor Catherine Kasavuli.  TWITTER/CATHERINE KASAVULI

    According to Swaleh, RMS was intent on getting Kasavuli that the management decided to use unpopular means to negotiate with her.  

    "I can vividly remember that it was an uphill task to get Catherine from KTN. Royal Media Services Group Managing Director Wachira Waruru and I had to visit Catherine at home," he explained.

    In the minds of Royal Media Services managers, Kasavauli would give them better attention if they had a one-on-one conversation about the new opportunities. 

    "We then tried to entice her to join Royal Media Service after taking supper at her house.  I saw Catherine crying literally because when KTN heard that she wanted to leave the station, they promised to buy her a brand-new car. 

    "She became undecided on whether to take the new car or move to Royal Media Services. We told her that if they wanted to buy you a car, they would have bought it way before we came for you. We finally succeeded in bringing Catherine to Citizen TV," he explained.

    Kasavuli finally joined RMS in 2007 as a news anchor and corporate affairs manager after a successful stint at KTN.

    At Royal Media Services, Kasavuli achieved so much in her professional career, including recognition by the state.  

    Former President Mwai Kibaki, in 2008, feted Kasavuli with the Order of the Grand Warrior(OGW) Presidential Award in recognition of her effort in the media industry. 

    Kasavuli left Royal Media Services in 2015 and established her own company known as Kasavuli Media Group.

    She later joined Kenya Broadcasting Corporation as a News anchor in 2021 after a 7-year-old long hiatus.

    Kasavuli was known for her brilliance in news presentation and wordplay during live television broadcasts. 

    The veteran TV journalist Catherine Kasavuli passed on aged 60 years on Friday, December 30, after a long battle with cancer.  

    Royal Media Services Managing Director Wachira Waruru, after his election as the chairperson of Media Owners Association on April 27, 2018.
    Royal Media Services Managing Director Wachira Waruru, after his election as the chairperson of Media Owners Association on April 27, 2018. DAILY NATION, Kenyans.co.ke

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Latest News

Farm tool firm, STIHL East Africa records triple growth in region

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