David Lammy MP, the UK Foreign Secretary, addressed the House of Commons this week, stating that “Hamas cannot remain in charge of Gaza. But equally, the Israel Defence Forces cannot remain situated in Gaza.”

During his remarks, Lammy spoke of concern for the safety of hostages held in Gaza, detailing ongoing conversations with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and meetings with UK hostage families.

“They remain paramount in the Government’s mind as we head, I hope, towards the ceasefire that we all want,” he said. 

The Foreign Secretary criticised the inadequate aid reaching Gaza, noting that “Seventy trucks a day, when we know there should be 500, is not enough.” He highlighted the UK’s allocation of an extra £5.5 million to support UK-Med in Gaza amidst the dire situation of bombed medical facilities and rising disease, including polio.

“The whole House recognises the word ‘flood,’ and we were told in April that Gaza would be flooded with aid. Seventy trucks is nowhere near enough. As a consequence, we hear stories of disease—now including polio—setting in, which is horrific and troubles us all deeply,” Lammy stated.

Lammy endorsed the Biden plan, which he discussed with G7 Foreign Ministers and Arab partners, expressing hope for its adoption by the end of the month. He stressed the need for a new security paradigm in Gaza, suggesting involvement from Arab partners to ensure Israel’s security while eliminating Hamas’s control.

“There is a sticking point with prisoner release as well as with hostage release: what happens on the day after? Israel’s security is paramount. Hamas cannot remain in charge of Gaza. But equally, the Israel Defence Forces cannot remain situated in Gaza. There has to be a new paradigm. It will involve, I suspect, Arab partners and others who can give security guarantees to Israel. It is a complicated picture. We have to work at pace on what comes afterwards,” he explained.

Addressing the West Bank situation, Lammy described his meeting with the new Prime Minister to discuss financial withdrawals and the illegal expansion violating international law.

“It was important for me to meet the new Prime Minister on the west bank to discuss the finances that have been withdrawn and the febrile situation we saw against a backdrop of an unbelievable expansion, which breaches international law that the House stands by. I press the Israeli Prime Minister on that issue greatly. We are of course looking closely at those issues,” he said.

Lammy also commented on Iran’s role in the region, “On the role that Iran plays in sponsoring Hamas, sponsoring Hezbollah and engaging in malign activity, we keep a close eye. I stand by what I said at the Dispatch Box when I was Opposition spokesman on these matters, and I will work over the coming months to review the context of terrorist activity and state threats with the Home Secretary.” By George Allison, UKDJ

 George Allison

Kenya is the seventh-largest economy in Africa, with an estimated GDP of US$113 billion. It is the fourth-largest economy in Sub-Saharan Africa, after South Africa, Nigeria, and Ethiopia. The country is working towards becoming an upper-middle-income economy under its Vision 2030 development program.

President William Ruto's administration is in charge of delivering the vision's fourth medium-term plan which covers the 2023-27 period and has been estimated at US$121 billion, including US$58.5 billion to be spent on infrastructure.

Kenya's infrastructure investment plans span all the core construction sectors, including transport, power, water, health, housing, and tourism.

Key Report Highlights

• Kenya's development expenditure budget for the 2024/25 financial year amounts to about US$5.5 billion.
• One of the key challenges facing the Ruto administration is addressing Kenya's chronic shortage of affordable housing, with demand estimated at more than 200,000 units a year. The private sector is being called upon to help deliver the country's housing programme, and there is an open call for rapid building construction technologies.
• Another priority for the government is attracting investment to grow the tourism, sports, meetings, conferences, and exhibitions (MICE), and medical travel sub-sectors. This is aimed at increasing the tourism industry's GDP contribution from 14% to 50% over the next decade.
• In the power sector, where demand is growing by 5% each year, Kenya Electricity Generating Company is moving ahead with plans to develop 82.5MW of solar and 100MW of wind capacity, while also expanding its geothermal and hydro resources, investing in battery energy storage, developing a green energy park and exploring hydrogen opportunities.
• It has been estimated that US$7.6 billion of investment is needed in the water and sanitation sector in order to achieve universal access by 2030.
• Kenya National Highways Authority aims to construct 2,349km of roads and develop a 50-year national trunk road master plan by 2027.
• The US$3.6 billion Nairobi-Mombasa Expressway project is one of dozens of PPP projects moving forward in Kenya.

Unique Value offered by the report

• Informed Decision-Making: Gain comprehensive insights into the policies, investments, and opportunities that will shape the future of Kenya's construction market.
• Stay Competitive: Equip yourself with the latest intelligence and strategic guidance to stay ahead of the competition.
• Maximize Your ROI: The insights and data in this report are designed to help you make highly profitable investment decisions.
• Investment Guidance: Identify lucrative investment opportunities and mitigate risks.
• Regulatory Clarity: Navigate the complex regulatory landscape with ease.

The Kenya Construction and Infrastructure Market Report 2024 is your go-to guide for navigating the evolving landscape of Kenya's construction sector. Unlock the potential of this vibrant market and stay ahead with the most reliable and comprehensive analysis available.

Key Topics Covered:

1 Executive summary

2 Country Overview

3 Economic Overview
3.1 Vision 2030
3.2 MTPIV

4 Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs)
4.1 PPP Directorate
4.2 PPP projects
4.3 Privatisation programme

5 Key Government Clients

6 Transport - Ports
6.1 Third-party port management
6.2 Shimoni fishing port
6.3 Kisumu Port
6.4 Other ports
6.5 Dongo Kundu SEZ

7 Transport - Rail
7.1 SGR railway
7.2 MGR railway
7.3 Nairobi Commuter Railway
7.4 Mombasa Commuter Railway
7.5 LAPSSET Corridor
7.6 Regulatory reform
7.7 Railway cities
7.7.1 Nairobi Railway City
7.7.2 Eldoret Railway City
7.7.3 Kisumu Lakefront City

8 Transport - Airports
8.1 Jomo Kenyatta International Airport
8.2 Kisumu International airport
8.3 Eldoret International Airport
8.4 Domestic airports

9 Transport - Roads
9.1 Kenya National Highways Authority
9.2 Kenya Urban Roads Authority
9.3 Kenya Rural Roads Authority

10 Power
10.1 Kenya Electricity Generating Company
10.2 IPPs
10.3 Geothermal Development Company
10.4 Kenya Power And Lighting Company
10.5 Kenya Electricity Transmission Company
10.6 Interconnections
10.7 Rural Electrification And Renewable Energy Corporation
10.8 Nuclear energy
10.9 Hydrogen
10.10 Energy transition
10.11 Other projects

11 Water
11.1 Athi Water Works Development Agency
11.2 Tana Water Works Development Agency
11.3 Lake Victoria South Water Works Development Agency
11.4 Central Rift Valley Water Works Development Agency
11.5 Other WWDAs
11.6 Water PPPs

12 Social Infrastructure - Healthcare

13 Social Infrastructure - Education

14 Social Infrastructure - Affordable Housing

15 Tourism and Real Estate
15.1 Tourism
15.2 Stadiums
15.3 Real estate
15.3.1 Commercial real estate
15.3.1.1 Tatu City SEZ
15.3.1.2 Konza Technopolis
15.3.2 Residential real estate

16 Doing Business In Kenya
16.1 Business registration
16.1.1 Registration as a contractor
16.2 Permits and Licences
16.3 Public procurement
16.4 Construction costs
16.5 Recruitment and training
16.6 Dispute resolution
16.7 Health and safety

17 Industry Associations

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/3l0je1

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Kameme TV Reporter Catherine Wanjeri has broken the silence over the Tuesday police shooting incident that left her nursing gunshot wounds.

Wanjeri, who was on duty during the anti-government protests in Nakuru City, said Friday that she was targeted. 

Speaking after being discharged from Nakuru Provincial General Hospital Annex where she was receiving treatment, an emotional Wanjeri said there was bad blood between the police and the media in the run-up to the anti-government protests that Tuesday. 

“Something did not seem right when we tried to be friendly with the police. Some of them had requested toothpaste which I always applied on my cheeks to curb the effects of the teargas,” said Wanjeri. 

Recalling the events leading to her shooting, the reporter said one of the officers confronted her, asking why journalists were following police and yet the police were not protestors.

“The officer commanded us to leave but my colleagues and I ignored the order. We took his orders lightly because we had covered the previous protests the same way without any issues,” she narrated to a group of journalists that turned up to comfort her.

It is common practice by journalists to be on the side of the police during demonstrations, riots and protests to avoid being on the line of fire and teargas. 

She said it never occurred to her there was bad blood between journalists and the police, but quickly added that she was not convinced that she was not the target in the shooting incident. 

“We never thought there was enmity, but no one can convince me that I was not a target because it was not the first time they attacked me,” she said. By Daniel Chege, The Standard

Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for East and Southern Africa Khanyo Farise urged Zimbabwean authorities on Wednesday to immediately release over 70 detained members of the opposition party Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) and withdraw all their charges unconditionally.

According to Farise, Zimbabwean authorities breached Zimbabwe’s Constitution and international human rights obligations by arbitrarily detaining the members. Farise said Zimbabwean authorities “must end the crackdown on civic space and ensure everyone can freely speak and gather peacefully without fear of arrest or torture and other ill-treatment.”

CCC interim leader Jameson Timba and 70 other CCC members were previously arrested by Zimbabwean police on June 16 for disorderly conduct during a private meeting held over the weekend at Timba’s residence. Their lawyer agency Gumbo claimed that the authorities beat and injured Timba and the members. They were then charged with gathering to promote public violence and disorderly conduct. Zimbabwean authorities allegedly violated the country’s law by detaining them for over 48 hours without bringing them before a court. While a 17-year-old detainee was afterwards released by a court, other members were denied bail by the authorities. The members’ appeal for bail would be decided on July 18.

CCC is the main opposition party which runs against the Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF). In the 2023 elections, ZANU-PF won the Presidency, the National Assembly and the Senate. In January 2024, the former leader of the CCC, Nelson Chamisa, resigned from the party. Timba’s appointment is an interim replacement after Chamisa’s resignation. Amnesty International previously observed that the repression of dissent, deteriorating the rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly, was present in Zimbabwe during the election period and warned that the CCC was the main target of repression.

Relatedly, former member of CCC Job Sikhala was released on January 30 following an almost 600-day detention in Zimbabwe’s Chikrubi Maximum Security Prison, where he remained without a chance for bail. Sikhala’s legal team told the press that pre-trial incarcerations like that imposed on Sikhala are a human rights concern, a matter that keeps deteriorating in Zimbabwe. A 2023 Human Rights Watch report stated, “Authorities in Zimbabwe continued weaponizing the law against critics of the government, denying those arrested the presumption of innocence, the right to bail […] and access to a fair trial.”

In addition, a Zimbabwean court denied bail to Hopewell Chin’ono, a journalist who was arrested on charges of inciting public violence over anti-government protests, for the third time on August 24, 2020. Chin’ono and Jacob Ngarivhume, president of the Transform Zimbabwe party, were arrested in July 2020 when they called for the removal of the ruling ZANU-PF. Amnesty International’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa Deprose Muchena said “[the arrests are] designed to intimidate and send a chilling message to journalists, whistle-blowers and activists who draw attention to matters of public interest in Zimbabwe.” Jurist News