Protest organizers say police have arrested the leader of Tanzania's opposition Chadema party ahead of a planned rally. Hundreds of youth supporters were also taken into custody.
Tanzania's opposition Chadema party on Monday said its leader Freeman Mbowe had been arrested, the latest of several politicians to have been detained.
Police are also said to have rounded up several hundred youth supporters, saying they expect a scheduled demonstration marking International Youth Day to turn violent. The detentions come amid fears of a backslide in President Samia Suluhu Hassan's moves away from authoritarian rule.
What has happened to the arrested leaders?
Mbowe was said to have been arrested as he visited the southwestern city of Mbeya to meet police and army leaders.
Chadema said he was arrested at the city's Songwe airport alongside John Pambalu, the chairman of the party's youth wing Bavicha.
Mbowe had planned to use the visit to inquire about the health and whereabouts of already-detained opposition figures, including former presidential candidate Tundu Lissu.
Mbowe had on Sunday demanded "the immediate and unconditional release of all our leaders, members, and supporters who were arrested in various parts of the country."
"The party is closely monitoring the situation and will continue to inform the public of every development step by step," he said.
Hassan took over as president in 2021 after the sudden death of her predecessor John Magufuli. Since then, she has departed from the late president's authoritarian policies, relaxing some media and opposition restrictions.
However, opposition parties and rights groups have also criticized her for arrests last DWyear of people planning protests against a port management deal.
Mbowe was previously detained for about seven months after he and other Chadema leaders were arrested before a public forum to demand constitutional reforms. He was released in March 2022.
Lissu, Chadema's deputy chairman and a fierce critic of Hassan's ruling center-left Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM), returned to Tanzania soon after Hassan lifted a ban on opposition rallies that was imposed in 2016. Lissu had previously spent five years mainly living in exile after an assassination attempt in 2017.
The country is due to hold presidential and parliamentary polls late next year, with Lissu expected to run for the presidency once again. DW
The body of community patroller Melusi Dladla was discovered in a bushy area by a passer-by, after he was killed by criminals. File Picture: Phando Jikelo
Police in North West said the body of a community patroller, 54-year-old Melusi Dladla, was discovered by a passer-by, in a bushy area.
The body was found at Zinniaville, close to the R510 road in Tlhabane, according to North West provincial police spokesperson, Colonel Adéle Myburgh.
After the discovery of the motionless body, Myburgh said emergency medical and rescue services personnel were called to the scene and they declared Dladla dead on the scene.
“Initial investigation indicated that Dladla was a community patroller and it is alleged that he was confronting two suspects, when he was shot in the neck,” said Myburgh.
Police in North West have launched a manhunt for assailants who killed community patroller Melusi Dladla. File Picture: Vector Images/Pixabay
Meanwhile, provincial police commissioner in North West, Lieutenant General Sello Kwena has expressed “deep sadness” over the the brutal murder of the brave community member who was volunteering his time to protect the community.Kwena vowed that police across the province will continue to work tirelessly to ensure that the perpetrators are brought to book.
Additionally, Kwena requested community members who would like to participate in endeavours to safeguard their communities, to contact their local Community Police Forums, which work closely with the police. Moreover, the provincial commissioner advised community patrollers not to work alone.
“Anyone with information that can assist the police in this murder investigation is requested to contact the investigating officer, Sergeant Whalter Seome at the Tlhabane detectives on 082 773 0696. Anonymous tip-offs can also be communicated via Crime Stop on 08600 10111, or via the My SAPS App,” the police appealed. IOL
Nigerian investigative journalist David Hundeyin has raised serious allegations against an international NGO, known as Dialogue Earth, accusing them of attempting to commission a smear campaign targeting the Dangote Refinery under the pretext of environmental concerns.
In a series of posts on X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday, Hundeyin disclosed that the foreign NGO, previously known as China Dialogue Trust, offered him 800,000 Naira (about $500) to craft an article focused on environmental issues surrounding Nigeria’s first major oil refinery.
Hundeyin asserts that the implied, though unstated, objective was to create a pretext for the Nigerian government to potentially shut down or restrict the refinery’s operations, citing “energy transition commitments” and “environmental policy.”
This revelation is coming on the heel of the recent accusations by the management of the 650,000 barrel per day petrochemical plant that international oil companies (IOCs) are working against the success of the refinery.
Meanwhile, Hundeyin revealed that he initially agreed to the offer to collect evidence of the NGO’s true intentions.
“Last week, I received an N800,000 offer from an international NGO called Dialogue Earth (formerly known as China Dialogue Trust) to write an article essentially saying that Dangote Refinery is terrible for the environment because something something “Environmental Concerns,” something something “Climate Change,” something something “Energy Transition Policy,” something something “COP 28.”
“The (unstated but clearly implied) thrust of the brief was for a prominent local voice to put their name on an article that is an argument or a premise for the Nigerian government to kill the refinery based on its “energy transition commitments” and “environmental policy.”
“This conclusion wasn’t immediately apparent when they reached out to me, but I suspected where it was heading, and I quickly accepted the offer so that I could see the brief and obtain hard evidence,” Hundeyin said.
Meanwhile, Nairametrics cannot independently verify these claims.
The post which had over a million impression on X was also retweeted by notable Nigerians such as Femi Otedola, among others.
As of this press time, Dialogue Earth has not publicly responded to these allegations.
NGO mobilizing Campaign against Refinery
In addition, Hundeyin, who revealed the names and those allegedly behind the foreign organization, said the move is part of the global campaign to smear what they described as “African first working refinery,”.
He noted that the refinery, which could decrease West Africa’s dependence on imported fuel and improve fuel quality control, is being targeted while earlier environmental concerns were largely overlooked.
“Basically, this London-based NGO is headed by Sam Geall, an Oxford professor and is funded by several American intelligence fronts such as Ford Foundation and ClimateWorks (which is blacklisted in India for funding organisations working against India’s national interest).
“For whatever reason, it is now quietly mobilising a resistance campaign against what it describes as “Nigeria’s first refinery.”
“Apparently, the status quo of Africa’s largest oil producer having no functioning oil refinery to beneficiate its own oil was not a problem for Dialogue Earth and the American CIA fronts who fund it,” Hundeyin alleged.
What you should know
The Dangote Refinery has recently found itself at the center of multiple conflicts, particularly with international oil companies and national oil regulators.
In an interview with CNN, CEO Aliko Dangote expressed his surprise at discovering that the “mafia in the oil industry” is even more powerful than those in the drug cartel, highlighting the level of sabotage the project has faced.
At one point, Dangote even offered to sell the refinery to the national oil company, stating that if they wanted to run it, they should take it over.
Dangote emphasized that the refinery will not only address Nigeria’s oil challenges but also serve as a strategic reserve for the country’s petrol industry. Nairametrics
When Raila Odinga visited Toy Market that was razed down on August 05, 2024. [Emmanuel Wanson, Standard]
ODM leader Raila Odinga has received a lot of backlash from young Kenyans and fellow opposition leaders after he struck a deal with President William Ruto to form the so-called broad-based government, which his Azimio coalition partners refused to join.
On Saturday, the veteran opposition leader released a statement calling for the immediate release of all protesters arrested during Nane Nane and previous demos organized by Gen Z. But can he recover the goodwill he once enjoyed among many Kenyans?
Just how much damage has his dalliance with Ruto done to his long-standing reputation as a second liberation hero, despite assuring the youth that he still stands with them against any oppression by the government?
“Together, we will continue with this struggle, and together, we will achieve the Kenya we all deserve,” he said in the statement which read like an appeal for their continued support.
Prof Gitile Naituli of Multimedia University thinks it will take a lot of effort for Raila to recover the goodwill unless he ensures the broad-based government delivers the issues Gen Z have been fighting for.
They include good governance, integrity in the management of public affairs, transparency and accountability, reduced taxation and the creation of jobs.
Prof Peter Kagwanja, the Executive Director of Africa Policy Institute, opposes the approach that President Ruto and Raila are using to deal with the demands raised by Gen Z.
He says the issues are clear and it is not about them (youth) working with the government or talks between the government and the opposition.
Kagwanja urged leaders to stop the politics of ethnic balancing and instead focus on the balancing of values, talent and merit because young people want change that can provide jobs, dignity and respect to all Kenyans.
Naituli adds that Raila still has a chance of redeeming himself by pushing the government to achieve good governance and to stop the abuse of human rights by the police.
“If he can do that, it will become the defining character of this government, for which Raila will take all the credit but being a seasoned politician, I think he also knows that politics is about perception. If people see you as a person who is always seeking personal interest as opposed to public good, they discount all the good things you have done in the past,” says Naituli.
While the opposition leader is known for his fight for the broadening of the democratic space, he is also famous for entering into loose coalitions with successive governments.
Last week, after Ruto announced the second batch of Cabinet Secretaries, which included ODM top leaders, some party MPs like Babu Owino and Richard Onyonka, declared that they will take charge of the opposition.
“The new face of Cabinet does not meet the demands of Gen Z. It does not obey the two-thirds gender rule as envisaged in the constitution. It also does not have disability representation,” says Owino.
Political analysts say that although the move to government may have excited some people, especially in Raila’s Nyanza backyard, the damage on his legacy may be massive.
Ahmed Hashi, who worked with Raila in ODM in the past, says the opposition leader has lost the moral authority to speak on behalf of Kenyans.
“His credentials are no longer there. You can see the appointments that he has taken to Ruto, the man who said he can never have anything to do with Mtu wa Kitendawili,” says Hashi.
He argues that Ruto and Raila have created another nusu mkate government, similar to the one the ODM leader made with President Mwai Kibaki after the disputed 2007 election.
The political analyst sees nothing good coming out of the new government, saying things can only get worse because the administration now lacks checks.
He, however, sees the new development as a boon for the country, because it offers the Gen Z and other Kenyans the opportunity to see how warped and decayed the political class is.
“I think they are going to be swept out of power in 2027. The question is should they be removed from power now or in 2027. The Gen Z have their own idea about that and many of us also have a different opinion about it,” added Hashi. Makueni Senator Dan Maanzo (Wiper) cautioned that a lot of things will change in Parliament because of ODM’s decision to join the government’s side.
“Kenya Kwanza already had a supermajority in the House. It was already running government and so I didn’t see the point of sacking the whole Cabinet and then returning the same old faces,” says Maanzo.
He added that if any of those dismissed CSs had failed in their duties, there was a way of dealing with that and not necessarily embarrassing them because none was told about any wrong they had done or given an opportunity to defend themselves.
Maanzo finds it deceitful that the President chose to announce that he was going to form a broad-based government when he had not addressed the issues raised by Kenyans.
“The broad-based government is an illegality because political parties making such an agreement have to deposit the document with the Registrar of Political Parties, something which has not happened,” says Maanzo.
The MP says the broad-based government will change the voting pattern in the House and also create a lot of confusion because some MPs who sit on the Minority side will not know whether to support or oppose some motions.
Accounting officers
He also thinks nothing much will change in the government despite the opposition joining, because the bigger problem is not CSs but Principal Secretaries who are the accounting officers in ministries.
Another challenge lies in many departments of government that have been seriously weakened like the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions which appears not to be working independently as was witnessed in the controversy with the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Authority during the vetting of CSs.
For ODM to make any meaningful impact, Maanzo says, it should ensure that police officers who killed and injured many people during the youth protests are prosecuted.
“Many bodies are lying in the city mortuary. There are so many injured with gun wounds at Kenyatta National Hospital. We saw a mother asking President Ruto to tell her why her son who was not armed was gunned down. Will all these issues be resolved by the broad-based government?” he asks.By By Biketi Kikechi, The Standard
The United Kingdom (UK)-government sponsored scholarship program Chevening has opened applications for Kenyans and other eligible youth around the world.
The UK Embassy in Kenya announced that the applications of the program which are set to run up to November 5, 2024, are now open.
“Applications for #CheveningScholarships are now open! Study at a top university, embark on a tailored scholarship experience, and join a global leadership network for life!” the Embassy announced.
Launched in 1983, the Chevening is a renowned global program funded by the UK government and known for its commitment towards nurturing minds around the world.
It targets scholars with a desire to inspire and offers learning opportunities in a range of fields before releasing them to return to their home countries after one year.
Successful applicants earn a chance of enrolling in the various universities and courses offered in the United Kingdom.
To be eligible for the scholarships, one should be a citizen of a Chevening-eligible country like Kenya. Additionally, the applicant should be willing to return to his or her country of citizenship for a minimum of two years once the scholarship period ends.
Eligibility for scholarship
The program specifies that applicants should have an undergraduate degree that qualifies them for a UK master’s program.
However, the level of the degree could vary according to the institution or course applied for.
Applicants must also prove proficiency in the English language and have at least two years of work experience (2,800 hours).
Scholars will also have the privilege of experiencing the vast culture of the UK including sports activities.
Applicants are also expected to apply to three different and eligible UK university courses.
“You must have received an unconditional offer from at least one of these course choices by the references and education documents deadline listed on the application timeline,” notes Chevening.
Benefits of Chevening scholarship
Besides education, Chevening offers successful applicants a chance to network and interact with learners from diverse backgrounds around the world.
According to official information by the program, cohorts enjoy several benefits including fully paid university tuition fees, a monthly stipend, and an arrival allowance.
In addition, the program cover travel costs to and from the UK, cost of one visa application, a travel grant to attend Chevening events in the UK and a homeward departure allowance.
How to apply for Chevening scholarship
According to the program, the process of selecting scholars takes a minimum of eight months starting from the deadline of application.
Chevening underscores the need to prepare adequately as a way of boosting selection chances.
To apply, interested candidates will submit their credentials through the online application system (OPS), which according to Chevening will be used throughout the process.
In its guidance tips, Chevening advises applicants to use Chrome browser and preferably use a desktop for a better experience.
The applicant, upon signing in, will fill information on the provided spaces including contact information in English.
While filling in the details, the program notes that one should be saving regularly as the system does not automatically save.
Candidates are reminded that all uploaded files should not exceed 5mb in size.
Upon filling in all the details, click submit. Notably, the system only allows one application from a person. As such, the instructions state that applicants should be careful not to submit incomplete applications.
All Chevening applicants must submit their education documents, references, and one unconditional UK university offer. The deadlines for these required documents are in the Chevening application timeline.
Assessment
Consequently, the applications are subjected to scrutiny in an exercise conducted by independent reading committees in the UK.
According to Chevening, shortlisted candidates are invited for an interview in their home country after successful applications.
In Kenya’s case, the interviews will take place at the British High Commission. The invitation, according to Chevening, will be sent via email.
Results from the interviews are expected to be out in the region of June when candidates get notifications. If successful, candidates get an opportunity to choose one unconditional university by September/October 2025.
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