Reacting to reports that Sultan Al Jaber, the president-designate of COP28, who is also the chief executive of ADNOC, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) state oil and gas company, was briefed to advance the interests of the businesses he leads before dozens of bilateral meetings about the climate summit, Amnesty International's Climate Advisor Ann Harrison said:

"Sultan Al Jaber claims his inside knowledge of the fossil fuel industry qualifies him to lead a crucial climate summit but it looks ever more like a fox is guarding the hen house. The appointment of the chief executive of one of the world's largest fossil fuel companies to lead COP28 was always a brazen conflict of interests which undermines the meeting's ability to reach the outcome we desperately need.

"Amnesty International has repeatedly warned it was not possible for Sultan Al Jaber to be an honest broker at a summit where the rapid and equitable phasing-out of fossil fuels to avert further trashing the climate and a just transition to renewable energy must be the priority. The stakes are huge, with our world heating at an unprecedented rate, many are already suffering, and the rights of billions of people are at stake.

"We are already experiencing a climate and human rights catastrophe caused by fossil fuels, yet since Sultan Al Jaber was made the COP28 president-designate in January, ADNOC has unveiled ambitious expansion plans, entirely incompatible with protecting the climate and safeguarding people's rights to a safe andclean, healthy and sustainable environment.

"Our calls on Sultan Al Jaber to step down from his role at ADNOC if he wishes to lead a successful summit remain valid. Documents suggesting he was briefed to advance business interests in COP meetings only fuel our concerns that COP28 has been comprehensively captured by the fossil fuel lobby to serve its vested interests that put the whole of humanity at risk."

Background

ADNOC is among the ten largest producers of oil and gas in the world. According to documents obtained by the Centre for Climate Reporting, Sultan Al Jaber was briefed to advance the interest of ADNOC and Masdar, another state-owned energy company focused on renewables and hydrogen. It was previously reported that ADNOC staff were seconded to the COP28 organizing team in the UAE, and COP28 communications were reportedly routed through ADNOC computer servers.

COP28 runs from 30 November to 12 December and brings together more than 190 states and other parties to address the climate crisis. Amnesty International has published a formal advocacy briefing for COP28. Amnesty International's Secretary-General Agnès Callamard will attend COP28 from 1 to 6 December as part of a Amnesty International delegation which will be present throughout the event.

The Judicial Service Commission (JSC) has faulted Mumias East Member of Parliament Peter Salasya for attacking Kakamega Small Claims Court Magistrate Gladys Kiama.

The Magistrate recorded a statement at the Kakamega Police Station where she reported that the MP confronted her outside the courtroom, threatening to kill her before taking off.

“He confronted her outside the courtroom and threatened to kill her and then took off,” reads part of the report. 

This is after the Kiama ordered Salasya to pay businessman Robert Lutta the Sh500,000 that he owed.

Lutta went to the Small Claims Court seeking to have Salasya compelled to pay back the money with interest. 

In his defense, the Mumias East MP instead argued that he was the one who loaned Lutta Sh1 million through his political advisor Bernard Kemba.

The MP is also said to have threatened her over calls and text messages as well as a social media post.

“The Commission condemns such acts in the strongest terms possible,” JSC said. 

It added: “Any attempt to interfere with the independence of the Judiciary, including decisional independence of any Judge or Judicial Officer is an affront to the Constitution of Kenya, which all state officers such as Members of Parliament took oath to protect and defend.”

The Judicial Service Commission says that Salasya sent the treats during the hearing and after the delivery of the judgment. 

“The commission has deployed its team to the ground to conduct further investigations and engage the agencies handling the matter with a view of taking appropriate action in line with its mandate,” says JSC.

It called for the respect and protection of the decisional independence of judicial officers, saying that when a court’s decision aggrieves litigants, they should seek redress through the appellate process.

“The Commission wishes to reassure all Judges, Judicial officers, and staff of its continued commitment to protect and safeguard the independence of the Judiciary." By Fred Kagonye, The Standard

The government has terminated a directive that allowed owners of seven-seater vehicles to use them to ferry passengers without a transport operator licence after introducing new changes in Kigali's public transport.

The move, which was announced in early October, allowed the owners of unlicenced seven-seater cars to carry passengers at a negotiated fare and without paying taxes.

It was a temporary measure introduced to deal with shortage of buses and long queues at bus stations but the government has now taken further long-term measures to fix the issues in public transport in the City of Kigali, according to Minister of Infrastructure Jimmy Gasore.

He said the government's latest intervention, especially the move to buy 200 buses and provided them at a subsidised price for potential investors, would help fix the woes in public transport in the long-run. 

The owners of the unlicenced seven-seater vehicles did not pay taxes and "we did not consider them as businesspeople," Gasore said.

"It was a temporary move meant to fix the gap in public transport and we communicated that," he said, adding that those who want to continue as public transport operators should now get the licence for taxis.

According to the new guidelines, which will take effect on December 15, individuals interested in investing public transport can now apply for a licence.

A cooperative, company or individual who owns a bus that meets the requirements for public transportation in the City of Kigali will be allowed to operate after getting a licence from Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Authority. By Moise M. Bahati, The New Times