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Plenary session during the reopening of the 13th Parliament on February 13, 2024.[Elvis Ogina, Standard]

Parliament has now created an avenue for President William Ruto to appoint an unlimited number of Chief Administrative Secretaries (CASs).

According to new amendments to the National Government Laws (Amendment) Bill 2023, the initial cap on the number of CASs to 22 has been removed and replaced with "as many as required".

The Bill seeks to amend the National Government Coordination Act of 2013 to entrench the CASs' positions

The Justice and Legal Affairs Committee (JLAC) chaired by Tharaka Nithi MP George Murugara had, in its initial report tabled in February, proposed that the number of CASs to be 22 similar to the number of Cabinet Secretaries. 

But in an addendum to the report, the committee took a U-turn and gave Ruto his much-sought opportunity to accommodate loyalists and losers of the 2022 General Election.

"In light of the varied roles that may be assigned to a CAS, JLAC noted that capping the number of CASs may affect the ability of the Executive to recruit and deploy the number of CASs required to deliver its programmes,” read the addendum.

Rarieda MP Otiende Amollo was, however, opposed to the idea, criticising the creation of the CASs positions which he said would only add to the already bloated wage bill. 

Amollo was concerned that giving Ruto a free hand to appoint unlimited CASs violated Article 152 (1) (d) of the Constitution which states that Cabinet Secretaries shall not be fewer than 14 and not more than 22.

“The proposal to introduce an uncapped number of CASs is indeed an affront to the Constitution and would occasion additional expense on public finances and pose an unnecessary burden on Kenyan taxpayers,” he said. 

The Bill that is in the reading stage and is to be considered as soon as the House resumes from recess has also spelt out the roles of the CASs.

It sought to have the appointments made by the President on recommendation by PSC in an exercise that takes into consideration regional and gender balance.

In its report on the National Government Administration Laws (Amendments) Bill, 2024, JLAC explained that the functions and designation of the office of the CAS will be streamlined to avoid conflicting roles with the Principal Secretary in the state departments. 

The committee also proposed amendments to the Bill which will hinder the CASs from handling any parliamentary matters unlike in an earlier proposal where they would act as liaisons with Parliament and county governments on matters of concurrent mandate.

Meanwhile, National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang'ula has allowed for the continuation of debate on the CAS Bill.

National Assembly minority leader Opiyo Wandayi had opposed the passing of the Bill in its current form stating that the prior Bill had led to the High Court declaring the positions illegal.

He reiterated that CAS offices and Chief of Staff as contained in the Bill are "outrightly unconstitutional and therefore, Parliament cannot proceed, and should not proceed to process it in its current form".

Wetang'ula, in his communication to the House, however said that the courts had pronounced themselves in the question as to whether a position can be created through legislation.

He said that the courts had stated that such appointments required approval by Parliament and therefore ruled that the Justice and Legal Affairs Committee was within the law in dispensing the Bill.

"This Bill is therefore properly and legally before Parliament and can now proceed to its final stages,” the Speaker ruled. By Josphat Thiong’o, The Standard

Kenya's President William Ruto. PHOTO | NMG

An American diplomat has made controversial claims about Kenyan President William Ruto's move to head the UN-backed mission to restore peace in Haiti.

In an interview with CNN, Daniel Lewis Foote, who was the US special envoy to Haiti from July to September, said that the Kenyan president was after the money the UN is expected to inject into the mission.

Foote claimed that the Haiti mission was no walk in the park and that the well-organised gangs that overthrew the government would fight the Kenyan police to the death.

Read: Kenya on 'standby' as US raises funds for Haiti mission

“You see the reticence on the part of the Kenyan public to send these guys and that makes me nervous. I believe that this is more of a cash grab by President Ruto, whose country is going to receive a lot of money in doing this,” Mr Foote said.

foote

In an interview with CNN, Daniel Lewis Foote, who was the US special envoy to Haiti from July to September, said that the Kenyan president was after the money the UN is expected to inject into the mission. PHOTO | POOL 

President Joe Biden’s administration had promised to inject Ksh13 billion ($100 million) to support the multinational force.

Kenya had promised to send 1,000 troops to the Caribbean nation in a deal struck between the Kenyan president and former Haitian prime minister Ariel Henry, who recently resigned to pave the way for the Transitional Council.

However, Mr Ariel resigned barely a week after signing an agreement in Nairobi, which stopped the deployment for a while.

After signing the deal, Mr Ariel was forced to land in Puerto Rico's capital San Juan as fighting intensified.

While the Haiti mission has received support from Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Benin, Chad, and Kenya, Mr Foote believes that there is a need to increase the number of troops that should be deployed if the mission has to be successful.

"A thousand isn't going to cut it and while they have commitments for double or triple that, that's still not going to cut it. Every time there has been a military intervention in Haiti in the past 20 years, it's had a minimum of 20,000 troops or police going in there," Foote stated.

Read: Five states pledge personnel for Haiti security mission

While Mr Foote suggests that Kenya’s motivation was based on billions that the UN Security Council will pump into the mission, the President has maintained that the country is going to Haiti because Haitians need help from Kenya.

“From Kenya, we are ready for this deployment, and I request all the other partners across the globe to step up so that we can respond in good time,” Ruto said when he signed the deal with Mr Ariel.

The latest development from the Caribbean state is that one of the gang leaders known as Ernst Julme, known as Ti Greg, was killed by the police in Thursday’s operation in the capital, Port-au-Prince.

The death of Julme a member of gang leader Jimmy, better known as Barbeque, comes after the death of another gang leader, bringing hope to the people who have been cut off from essential services such as electricity, water, and access to health.

The situation in Haiti deteriorated in July 2021 following the assassination of President Jovenel Moise. The East African

INS Kolkata intercepted Ruen early on March 15 after which the presence of pirates in the ship was confirmed. "In a reckless hostile act, the pirates shot down the drone and fired at the Indian Naval warship," the press note read.

The 35 pirates nabbed by the Indian Navy late last week during their anti-piracy operations will be brought to Mumbai on Saturday morning and handed over to Mumbai’s Yellow Gate police. Officials from Mumbai police confirmed that they will be taking them in their custody and will register a case under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code, Maritime Anti Piracy Act and the Arms Act. 

Defence officials had earlier said that as part of the operation, INS Kolkata was deployed in the Arabian Sea. and after sustained high-tempo operations lasting for over 40 hours she intercepted a pirate ship MV Ruen on March 16, which was hijacked in December 2023, and was under the control of Somalian pirates.

Owing to sustained pressure and calibrated actions by the Indian Navy for over 40 hours, 35 Somalian pirates surrendered and the 17 crew members of MV Ruen were safely evacuated from the pirate vessel without any injury.

“The Indian Navy as part of Maritime Security Operations has been carrying out extensive surveillance in the region including monitoring of traffic in Areas of Interest. Based on analysis of surveillance information, the Indian Navy was able to track the movement of the pirate ship Ruen and directed INS Kolkata to intercept the ship about 260 nautical miles (NM) east of Somalia,” stated a Ministry of Defence press note.

 

INS Kolkata intercepted Ruen early on March 15 after which the presence of pirates in the ship was confirmed. “In a reckless hostile act, the pirates shot down the drone and fired at the Indian Naval warship,” the press note read. 

The defence spokesperson further said that INS Kolkata, after a successful anti-piracy operation in the Arabian Sea, “is expected to arrive in the early hours of March 23 at the naval dockyard in Mumbai with 35 captured pirates onboard. The captured pirates will be handed over to the law enforcement authority upon arrival for further action.”

The Mumbai police has deployed bandobast to ensure that the law and order is under control. The Indian Express

 

Independent UN human rights experts on Friday expressed alarmOpens in new window over increased reports of sexual slavery and trafficking in Sudan, especially of women and girls.

This is being compounded by an increase in child and forced marriage, and the recruitment of boys by combatants in the continuing war between rival generals that erupted nearly a year ago.

 

All this is happening against the backdrop of the deteriorating humanitarian crisisOpens in new window in the country that has caused an unprecedented mass displacement of over nine million people.

Access to support for victims and survivors has reportedly deteriorated since December, eight months after the outbreak of conflict between Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), the Human Rights CouncilOpens in new window-appointed experts said.

Girls sold at ‘slave markets’

Young women and girls, including internally displaced persons, are reportedly being trafficked, they said.

“We are appalled by reports of women and girls being sold at slave markets in areas controlled by RSF forces and other armed groups, including in North Darfur,” the experts said.

Some of the cases of child and forced marriage are occurring due to family separation and gender-based violence, including rape and unwanted pregnancies. 

“Despite previous warningsOpens in new window to both Sudanese authorities and RSF representatives, we continue to receive reports of recruitment of children to actively participate in hostilities, including from a neighbouring country,” the experts said. 

“The recruitment of children by armed groups for any form of exploitation – including in combat roles – is a gross violation of human rights, a serious crime and a violation of international humanitarian law,” they said. 

Special Rapporteurs and other independent experts are not UN staff and are independent of any government or organization. They serve in their individual capacity and receive no salary for their work.

Mass grave found in Libya highlights migrant horrors 

A mass grave has been foundOpens in new window in southwest Libya containing at least 65 migrants who are believed to have died while being smuggled through the desert.

According to the UN migration agency (IOMOpens in new window), which sounded the alarm on Friday, increasing numbers of people are dying on dangerous routes to northern Africa and beyond.

Without legal pathways for migrants, “such tragedies will continue to be a feature along this route,” the agency warned.

Questions remain

The circumstances are not clear surrounding the deaths of those found in the mass grave and their nationalities are also unknown. 

Libyan authorities had launched an inquiry, IOM said, urging the “dignified recovery, identification and transfer of the remains of the deceased migrants” and for their families to be notified.

According to the UN agency’s Missing Migrants Project, at least 3,129 people died or disappeared in 2023 along the so-called “Mediterranean route”. 

Even before the discovery of the mass grave, it was already the deadliest migratory route in the world.

Massive rise in displacement in DR Congo poses dire threat to children

A major upsurge in violence in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo that has displaced at least 400,000 people in North Kivu since the beginning of the year is exposing children to unacceptable levels of violence, said the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEFOpens in new window) on Friday.

People displaced by conflict are living in a temporary camp near Goma in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
© WFP/Benjamin Anguandia
People displaced by conflict are living in a temporary camp near Goma in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.

At-risk children must receive further protection to avoid more deaths, the agency added.

In the latest incident on Wednesday highlighting the spillover of the conflict into South Kivu province, an explosion in the town of Minova seriously injured four children who required hospital treatment.

Schoolchildren bombed

“It is tragic that at a busy time of day when many children were returning home from school, this explosion from a bomb maimed four innocent children,” said Katya Marino, UNICEF Deputy Representative to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. “The town is already under incredible strain with massive numbers of new arrivals of internally displaced people.”

More than 95,000 newly displaced people, half of whom are children, arrived in Minova in February as the conflict in North Kivu expanded.

Over the past week, UNICEF and local partners distributed essential household supplies in Minova to more than 8,300 newly displaced families. The area is now increasingly difficult to access with assistance, either by road or boat.

UNICEF has been assisting children affected by the conflict there with a package of basic but essential services since 2023 while supporting community-based networks to refer and protect children caught up in the fighting between numerous rebel groups and government forces.

The Nigerian Women in Public Relations has unveiled its Keynote Speaker and a stellar lineup of partners and sponsors for its much-anticipated annual Experiencing PR Conference, set to take place on Wednesday, March 20th, 2024, at the Civic Centre in Lagos. 

The Nigerian Women In Public Relations wrapped up the 2024 edition of its annual Experiencing PR Conference with key stakeholders advocating for stronger relationships, a more intentional push by PR professionals to uphold ethical standards, and a positive perception of the industry and the country.

Held at the Civic Center, the event also marked the launch of the second edition of the Experiencing PR Magazine and a memoir titled “Experiencing Public Relations: Nine Women. Nine Perspectives," which collects experiences from Nigerian female practitioners around the world. The conference welcomed top PR practitioners, including Yomi Badejo-Okusanya, Group Managing Director at CMC Connect (Perception Managers); Nkechi Ali-Balogun, Principal Consultant/CEO of foremost public relations training firm NECCI Consulting; Segun McMedal, President & CEO, Upticomm Marketing Company; Bolaji Abimbola, Managing Director/CEO, Integrated Indigo Limited; and keynote speaker Ndidi Nwunelli, President and CEO of ONE Campaign, alongside young and aspiring PR professionals and communications students.

The publications aim to contribute significantly to the industry's body of knowledge, particularly in developing markets, and to shed light on the practical realities faced by Nigerian women worldwide. The publications are available for complimentary download here: https://ngwomeninpr.org/pr-magazine-2/https://ngwomeninpr.org/9-women-collection-2024/

During her keynote speech on the theme "Quiet Wars: Leveraging PR for Conflict Management," Ndidi Nwuneli emphasized the importance of nurturing healthy connections and relationships to navigate today’s challenges. 

“We cannot fight any wars without relationships,” Nwuneli said, noting that these relationships are built on trust, and trust is built on integrity.

“Who wants to be associated with a chameleon? Relationships are built on trust. When you say something, I believe it. When you say you're going to be on time, you're on time. How strong are your relationships? How deep are your relationships? You cannot fight any wars for yourself, for your business, or even for your clients if you can't pick up the phone and say, 'Oh, I'm going to call the governor of Lagos State,' and he’ll take your call. Or 'Oh, I need to reach the head of customs,' and you get his contact and you can reach him, and he would take your call? Never underestimate the power of relationships. Because when the times are good or when the going gets tough, you can pick up your phone and call them, and they will answer your call without hesitation. So, get to networking, build healthy relationships, and start building them now.”

James Hewes, Chief Executive of PRCA, who joined virtually, praised the vibrant community of PR professionals in Nigeria and across West Africa. He outlined PRCA's priorities for the coming years, including campaigns on artificial intelligence and accessibility.

He said, “I'm new to PRCA. I only started here a few weeks ago, but already I've been impressed with the quality of the service that we provide to our members and the fact that we have this global reach with members all across the world. Our priorities for the next few years are going to be enhancing that service and extending it internationally so that we can continue to offer a great service to all of our members. That's going to be focused around a number of campaigns.”

“I'm sure you'll be hearing more about all of these today, but I just wanted to give you an overview of what we're thinking about. The first one is about artificial intelligence and the power of generative AI. Understanding how that's going to affect our industry. Understanding the principles that are necessary for us to adopt before we start working with this important new technology. And then finding examples of best practice. The second one is about accessibility. Accessibility and how we can ensure that everybody has a pathway to access work in our industry. We need to draw on the widest possible talent pool, and that means making PR communications the career of choice for young people in schools and universities across the world.”

Convener of the annual conference, Tolulope Olorundero, expressed her gratitude to all delegates, stakeholders, partners, and sponsors for the event's success and massive turnout.

“Reflecting on the success of the Experiencing PR 2024 Conference, we express our deepest appreciation to our esteemed speakers, delegates, valued partners, sponsors, and volunteers for their invaluable contributions. These collective efforts played a pivotal role in making this event a resounding success. Looking ahead to the future with optimism, we eagerly anticipate the innovative contributions that the new conference committee will bring to the table for the 2025 Experiencing PR Conference.”

With a focus on conflict management, this year’s conference explored various strategies for navigating conflicts, influencing decision-making, and supporting decision making in 2024 and beyond.

The diverse lineup of speakers, including local and regional experts such as Odiri Erewa-Meggison, External Affairs (Corporate Relations) Director at British American Tobacco Cluster of West and Central Africa Markets; Lucy Pearson, Country Director of the British Council, Nigeria; Debbie Larry-Izamoje, Chief Operating Officer of Brila Media; Hemant Gaule, Dean of the School of Communications & Reputation; Osayi Alile, CEO of ACT Foundation; Eloine Barry, Founder and CEO of African Media Agency, shared their strategies for navigating conflicts, influencing decision-making, and implementing new tactics that will support decision-making in 2024 and beyond.

Through panel discussions, workshops, and networking sessions, delegates had the opportunity to collaborate, exchange ideas, and gain practical skills applicable to their professional endeavors. The conference also served as a platform for Nigerian women in Public Relations to showcase their expertise and contribute to the industry's advancement.

Distributed by African Media Agency (AMA) on behalf of Nigerian Women in Public Relations.

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