National Assembly minority leader and Ugunja MP Opiyo Wandayi during the National Dialogue Committee submissions on October 3, 2023. [Denis Kibuchi, Standard]
A section of ODM lawmakers have dismissed President William Ruto's Nyanza visit saying that he can only win the support of the people through opposition leader Raila Odinga.
The leaders claimed that the President's four-day visit to the region was a campaign strategy disguised as a development tour.
Led by National Assembly Minority Leader Opiyo Wandayi, the leaders further alleged that the Head of State was launching county projects to be handled by governors and MCAs.
Wandayi said the president's visit is disguised as a development tour but in reality, is pegged on marketing the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) in Nyanza.
The Minority Leader alleged that Ruto was frustrating projects started by former President Uhuru Kenyatta.
"What has brought you here? The Kabonyo Kanyagwal fish project is a Hungary-funded project. There is no budget allocation in the budget from the national government. All this is pretense, and we cannot allow it to continue," he said.
Wandayi was speaking during the burial of John Ouko Tweya, the father of Kisumu County Assembly Speaker Elisha Oraro, in Nyahera, Kisumu, where several ODM leaders also dismissed the president's four-day trip to the region.
But even as ODM lawmakers dismissed Ruto's Nyanza tour, governors from the region attended the president's events.
Seme MP James Nyikal claimed that there is nothing new the president has brought to the region.
"The only new thing is the housing project. Those who moved to Kenya Kwanza should launch new projects and not existing ones. We know their plan to change the hearts of our people to embrace Kenya Kwanza, but it will not happen," said Dr Nyikal.
Suna West MP Peter Masara asked Nyanza residents to remain steadfast in ODM.
"Our party in this region must remain ODM. These ODM rebels are yet to even condole with Sondu families who lost their kin in clashes, yet they dare to run around in Nyanza, launching non-existent projects," said Masara.
"We are telling Ruto that the path he is following will not bear fruits because Nyanza region only recognizes Raila," he added.
Kisumu Woman Representative Ruth Odinga claimed that the President has been inspecting Handshake projects.
"Most of these projects were started after the Handshake between Uhuru and Raila. Most of the projects you are supposed to launch you have stopped instead," she said.
Kisumu West MP Rozah Buyu asked ODM to punish MCAs who are not loyal to the party.
"Some of these MCAs take money from ODM rebels who are visiting State House, yet in public, they swear allegiance to our leader Raila. We must be very categorical, on how we deal with those who are not walking with us," said Buyu. By Olivia Odhiambo, The Standard
The Supreme Court’s scrutiny of the Government’s plans to deport asylum seekers comes nearly 18 months after they were first announced.
Ongoing legal battles have meant that there has yet to be any migrants sent to the East African nation under the policy.
Meanwhile, the Channel migrant crisis continues amid much political debate.
Here is how events leading up to the hearing at the UK’s highest court have unfolded since the Rwanda plan was unveiled:
– 2022
April 14: Following a drastic increase in the number of people crossing the Channel, then-prime minister Boris Johnson announces a plan to deport migrants arriving in small boats to Rwanda for their claims to be processed. He says this would act as a “very considerable deterrent”.
June 15: The first deportation flight to Rwanda is cancelled just minutes before take-off following a ruling by a judge at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.
August 23: The Ministry of Defence says 1,295 migrants made the crossing in 27 boats, a record figure which remains the highest figure for a single day.
August 25: Former home secretary Dame Priti Patel announces an agreement with the Albanian government to curb the numbers of migrants from that country amid concerns they account for 60% of all those arriving in the UK.
November 14: New Home Secretary Suella Braverman signs an agreement with French interior minister Gerald Darmian allowing British officers to join French beach patrols.
November 23: Ms Braverman admits the Government has “failed to control our borders”, but tells MPs they are determined to “fix” the problem, following criticism of overcrowding at the Manston processing centre in Kent.
December 14: Four people die while 39 others are rescued after their dinghy capsizes in the Channel.
December 19: The High Court rules the Government’s Rwanda policy is lawful, but orders the cases of the first eight deportees to be reconsidered.
December 31: A total of 45,755 migrants made the Channel crossing over the course of the year, according to Government figures.
– 2023
January 4: Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announces legislation to tackle the migrant crisis is one of five key priorities for his premiership.
March 7: Ms Braverman tells MPs the Illegal Migration Bill will impose a legal duty to remove those arriving in the country illegally, barring them from claiming asylum in the UK.
March 10: Tensions mount as Mr Sunak defends the policy as “the right approach” against criticism from sports pundit Gary Lineker which led to a high-profile impartiality row at the BBC and numerous colleagues threatening to boycott Match Of The Day in solidarity with the presenter.
March 12: Chancellor Jeremy Hunt does not rule out the prospect of children being detained under the new plans, which would see those crossing the Channel eligible for asylum only in a “safe” third country such as Rwanda.
March 13: The plan draws criticism from former Tory prime minister Theresa May, who says it is “not enough” to send people to claim asylum in Rwanda and warns the UK is “shutting the door” on victims of modern slavery as it currently stands.
March 14: A High Court judge rules that asylum seekers facing removal to Rwanda can appeal against Home Office decisions over alleged errors in the consideration of whether relocation poses a risk to their human rights, dealing another blow to the plan.
March 17: Ms Braverman doubles down on the deportation policy on a visit to Rwanda despite the plan remaining embroiled in legal battles, claiming the £140 million deal will be a “powerful deterrent” to those attempting to cross the Channel.
March 18: Ms Braverman is given a tour of potential migrant housing after the land was purchased by the Rwandan government, ahead of meeting with President Paul Kagame and her counterpart Vincent Biruta to discuss the deal.
March 29: The Government unveils plans to house asylum seekers on disused military bases, ferries and barges in a bid to cut spending on hotels.
April 26: The Home Secretary says migrants crossing the Channel have values “at odds” with British norms and are linked to “heightened levels of criminality” – comments which are condemned by Labour.
May 25: Figures show the asylum backlog has hit a new record high with more than three quarters of claims made by people who crossed the Channel since 2018 still awaiting a decision.
June 5: Mr Sunak insists his plan to stop Channel crossings is “starting to work” but plays down suggestions that fewer arrivals were a result of poor weather conditions at the time of year rather than policy decisions.w Action Taken To Address Migrant Influx At Border
June 26: Estimates in a Home Office assessment reveal £169,000 could be spent on every asylum seeker forcibly removed to a third country such as Rwanda.
June 29: The Home Secretary lashes out at “phoney humanitarianism” hindering efforts to stop Channel crossings as the Government loses the latest legal battle over its plans to send migrants to Rwanda after a Court of Appeal ruling.
July 3: A new record is set for migrant crossings, with 3,824 arrivals in June – the highest total for that month since records began in 2018.
July 10: MPs learn the Home Office is paying for thousands of empty hotel beds reserved for migrants to avoid overcrowding at processing centres.
Meanwhile, immigration minister Robert Jenrick is lambasted from his own backbenches in Parliament after defending the painting over of cartoon murals at a unit for lone child asylum seekers.
July 12: The first asylum seekers arrive at former RAF airbase Wethersfield Airfield in Essex as it is brought into use as accommodation. Legal action is brought against the plans.
July 13: The Government is given the go-ahead to take the legal battle over its Rwanda deportation policy to the Supreme Court.
July 20: Despite condemnation from campaigners, sweeping asylum reforms under the Illegal Migration Bill become law after being given Royal Assent and being made an Act of Parliament. But it is unclear when the new rules will come into force.
The number of migrants crossing the Channel tops 14,000 for the year so far.
July 21: Officials insist the Bibby Stockholm barge, due to house migrants in Portland off the Dorset coast, is not a “floating prison” as they give reporters a tour of the facilities.
July 27: Ms Braverman buys marquees to sleep 2,000 asylum seekers on disused military sites in a bid to avoid using hotels ahead of an expected surge in Channel crossings.
July 28: It emerges plans to move 2,000 migrants into RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire – which is subject to a legal challenge – have been delayed until October.
August 1: Figures show the average number of migrants crossing the Channel per boat in July (52) was the highest on record for any month since records began in 2018.
August 2: The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) calls for an urgent meeting with the Home Secretary over safety concerns about the Bibby barge, later raising the possibility of legal action.
August 5: Mr Sunak announces a plan for social media firms including Facebook, TikTok and Twitter to team up with the National Crime Agency to crack down on people smugglers’ posts encouraging asylum seekers to cross the Channel.
August 7: The first group of asylum seekers finally boards the Bibby Stockholm after weeks of setbacks and delays.
Meanwhile, official figures confirm more than 50,000 migrants are living in hotels.
At the same time, the Government announces fines will rise for employers and landlords who give unauthorised migrants jobs or tenancies.
August 8: Justice Secretary Alex Chalk defends the Government’s announcement of a “task force” targeting corrupt immigration lawyers as critics brand it a “red herring” to distract from the asylum backlog.
August 9: The Home Office announces that the UK and Turkey have struck a new deal to “disrupt and dismantle” people smuggling gangs in a bid to tackle the surge in illegal migration.
August 10: Fresh arrivals of people on lifeboats take the number of Channel crossings since 2018 past the 100,000 mark.
Reports the same day suggest senior ministers were split over whether the UK should ditch its commitment to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), which underpins the country’s duty to help migrants.
August 11: Asylum seekers who arrived on the Bibby Stockholm barge are removed after Legionella bacteria was found in the water.
August 12: Six people are confirmed to have died after a boat carrying migrants sank in the Channel.
August 19: More than 25,000 asylum seekers are said to have arrived in Britain via small boats since Mr Sunak became Prime Minister, according to figures analysed by the Labour Party.
August 24: The UK’s asylum backlog hits a a new record high, with 80% of people waiting longer than six months for an initial decision.
Mr Sunak warns the system is under “unsustainable pressure” after the bill for the taxpayer almost doubles in a year to nearly £4 billion.
August 27: The Home Office is considering fitting asylum seekers arriving in the UK via unauthorised means with electronic tags, The Times reports.
September 3: The highest number of small boat migrant crossings in a single day of 2023 is recorded, with some 872 people crossing on 15 small vessels.
September 14: Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer insists closer co-operation with the European Union on the small boats crisis means “taking control of a situation the Government has totally lost control of”.
Sir Keir indicates he could be prepared to do a deal with Brussels which would involve the UK taking a quota of asylum seekers who arrive in the bloc in exchange for the ability to return people who cross the Channel.
September 19: The Home Office is paying “around £8 million” per day for asylum seekers to be put up in hotels, according to the department’s annual accounts.
September 26: Ms Braverman uses a speech in the United States to advocate for the United Nations’ Refugee Convention to be overhauled as part of wider efforts to stop small boats crossing the Channel – comments that are rebuked by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
In other comments criticised by equalities campaigners, she says offering asylum to a person because they are discriminated against in their home country for being gay or a woman is not sustainable.
September 27: Asylum seekers pretend to be gay to “game the system” and to get “special treatment”, the Home Secretary says.
October 3: Small boat arrivals in 2023 pass 25,000, figures confirm.
At the Conservative Party conference, Ms Braverman warns that a “hurricane” of mass migration is coming as Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch stresses the need to be “careful” in the language used on the issue.
October 5: Tens of thousands of people in the asylum system could be at risk of homelessness as the Government works to clear the so-called legacy backlog before the end of the year, the British Red Cross warns.
Mr Sunak says the UK is making progress in its bid to secure a deal with the EU’s border agency to get access to the bloc’s intelligence on migration.
October 6: The Prime Minister says he agrees multiculturalism has not failed but claims there is an “enormous sense of frustration” in the UK over “illegal” migration.
October 9: The start of a three-day hearing at the Supreme Court of the Government’s challenge to the Court of Appeal’s ruling that the plans to send asylum seekers to Rwanda are unlawful. Story by Tom Pilgrim, Evening Standard
Rwanda closed all its diesel power plants in June this year, stopping the generation of such electricity as the country’s hydroelectricity and methane gas sources expanded to make a significant contribution to the grid.
Speaking in a media interview on Sunday, October 8, infrastructure minister Jimmy Gasore said two new power plants, Rusumo Hydro Project and Shema Power Lake Kivu Ltd were opened recently, a development that facilitated the decommission of diesel power plants.
The Rusumo Hydro Project is a joint scheme shared by Rwanda, Burundi, and Tanzania. Upon full operation, it is expected to generate 80MW, with each country getting 26.6MW. Shema Power Lake Kivu Ltd is a methane gas power generation plant that aims at generating 56MW.
Before the closure of the diesel power plants, Rwanda had five such power plants, generating 26.76 per cent of the total electricity in the country.
In addition to this, the country has up to four thermal power plants that use alternative fuels such as methane and peat. Altogether, such power plants were generating 51 per cent of the total electricity in the country before the decommissioning of diesel power plants.
In an earlier interview, the Managing Director of the Energy Development Corporation Limited (EDCL), Felix Gakuba, told The New Times that diesel-run power plants were expensive to run due to fuel consumption, and noted that once the Rusumo Hydro Project starts to work, such plants would be stopped.
With such developments in place, the government hopes to lower electricity prices “soon”. Gasore encouraged people to use electric vehicles, because “there is enough electricity” in the country because we are “not importing it from Saudi Arabia or Russia,” as we do with petroleum products.
Meanwhile, the country is also planning to harness solar energy. According to Rwanda Energy Group (REG), with a potential of 4.5 kWh per m2 per day and approximately five peak sun hours, solar energy has a huge potential in Rwanda.
Statistics from REG show that Rwanda’s total on-grid installed solar energy is 12.230 MW originating from five solar power plants namely the Jali power plant generating 0.25MW, Rwamagana Gigawatt generating 8.5 MW, Ndera Solar power plant generating 0.15MW and the Nasho solar plant generating 3.3 MW.
The Government of Rwanda intends to increase the number of solar power plants to reduce the cost of production and take advantage of available renewable sources in Rwanda. - Hudson Kuteesa, The New Times
The UK's abolition of slavery 290 years ago helped turn the tide on one of humanity's worst crimes - and Black British men and women played a vital role in getting it done.
The Transatlantic slave trade was the largest forced migration in human history, and inflicted a devastating legacy on Africa, the Caribbean and the Americas that is still felt today.
Britain was the second largest slave trading nation in Europe, and many wealthy people at home profited from the transport and plantation of slaves to the New World. By the late 17th century opposition to slavery was starting to build within the UK, and the Slavery Abolition Act was passed in 1833, finally banning the practice throughout the British Empire.
While political figures such as William Wilberforce have since gone down in history for having the law passed against fierce opposition, the important contributions of Black people have too often been forgotten in the story.
As part of our series this Black History Month, here are some of the Black British people who helped bring an end to slavery:
Olaudah Equiano
Olaudah Equiano (also known as Gustavus Vassa) was born in Igboland, now Nigeria, in 1745, and would go on to be one of the most prominent figures in the Black abolitionist movement. Captured from his village and tragically sold into slavery at the age of just 11, he was transported to the West Indies before he was later taken to Virginia. Olaudah was forced to work under multiple slave owners in North America, and eventually purchased his own emancipation at age 21 in 1766, when he went to live in Britain.
In London he became an leading anti-slavery campaigner, campaigning passionately against the cruel practices of British slavers in Jamaica. He became leader of the Sons of Africa group, which was made up of freed Africans living in London. His autobiography detailing his life's experiences, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, proved to be hugely popular upon release in 1789, and inspired generations of freed slaves to pen their own stories.
Olaudah worked closely with leading anti-slavery allies in Parliament before his death in 1797, giving the movement great momentum that led to the passing of the Slave Trade Act 1807 a decade later. This act prohibited the trading of slaves in the British Empire.
Born on a slave ship in 1729, Ignatius Sancho was sold into slavery the Spanish colony of New Granada, and was brought to live with a family in Greenwich, London as a young child. He later fled the home to find work as a butler, and eventually set up his own shop in Mayfair. Ignatius rose to become well-known figure in the capital, writing various essays and books. As a landowner, he became the first known British African to vote in a UK election in 1774.
He was also a vocal supporter of the anti-slavery movement, and helped persuade MP Charles James Fox to push forward with the abolitionist cause in the House of Commons. After his death in 1780 his collected letters were published in a book, which quickly became a best seller.
Ottobah Cugoano was born in Ajumako, a cosatal town in Ghana. He was playing with his friends in a field in 1770 when he was captured by a group of native people and sold on to Europeans for slavery, later recalling how his price was 'a gun, a piece of cloth, and some lead'.
After being put in a slave-gang on plantations in the Caribbean for two years, Ottobah was taken to England by slave owner Alexander Campbell to work as his servant, and was sent for schooling. Ottobah would go on to use his education to write letters to newspapers and prominent political figures and demand the freedom of enslaved people. A prominent figure in London's African community, one of his achievements included working at speed to stop a ship carrying Harry Demane from leaving port, a man who was destined to be sold into slavery in the West Indies.
In his then-radical 1787 book Thoughts and Sentiments, Ottobah became the first African to publicly demand the total abolition of the slave trade and the freeing of slaves. One memorable line reads: "It does not alter the nature or quality of a man, whether he wears a black or white coat – whether he puts it on or strips it off, he is still the same man."
Mary Prince was born into slavery in Bermuda in 1788, and was sold with her mother to Captain Darrel Williams shortly after. Mary suffered harsh treatment and abuse from the Williams family and multiple owners for most of her life, causing her to develop rheumatism and severe skin complaints. She accompanied her last owner, John Wood, on his move to England in 1828, where she found refuge with the Anti-Slavery Society in London.
Her book The History of Mary Prince: A West Indian Slave Related by Herself, was published in 1831 - three years before the Abolition of Slavery Act forbade the practice of slavery. Telling her story in unflinching detail, it provided a hugely important first-person account of slavery's brutality, and was so popular that the publisher had to print an entire new setof copies within only six months of its release. It also alerted the British public to the mistreatment of female slaves, which had previously been little discussed.
Born a free man in the Carribean, Louis Celeste Lecesne was deported from Jamaica with accomplice John Escoffery by the Duke of Manchester in 1824. The pair had been actively involved in the 'free coloureds' movement in what was then a British colony.
Upon reaching England, Louis' case was taken up by high-profile abolitionist Stephen Lushington, who spoke of his treatment in the House of Commons. A key ally, Mr Lushington also helped him win in a libel case, after a book described Louis and Mr Escoffery as being guilty of a guilty of a criminal conspiracy back in Jamaica. He would go on to become a well-known abolitionist figure in 19th century Britain, serving on the board of the Anti-Slavery Agency, and made history in 1840 when he attended the first World Anti-Slavery Convention in London. Story by Benedict Tetzlaff-Deas, Mirror
JUBA, OCTOBER 8, 2023 (SUDANS POST) – A South Sudan civil society activist has blamed President Salva Kiir Mayardit for what he calls an ‘unhealthy spirit’ towards the implementation process of the revitalized peace agreement over the defection of senior SPLA-IO commanders.
Yesterday, former SPLA-IO sector two commander General Simon Maguek Gai, former SPLA-IO Division 4B commander General Samuel Dok Wanjang, General Paul Gatnor Ngundeng, General Bol Duoth Bakam, General William Dak Gatkuoth Geer and General Kawai defected to Kiir.
Maguek accused First Vice President Riek Machar who is also the leader of the main armed opposition Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A-IO) of nepotism and said that many people within the group will yet follow his step though he said he defected along with 300 people.
Speaking to Sudans Post this morning, the Executive Director of Centre for Peace and Advocacy (CPA) Ter Manyang Gatwech said the “their defection from SPLA-IO to SSPDF or SPLA is not inline of the R-ARCSS” said his organization is concerned by what he calls an unhealthy spirit of Kiir on peace implementation.
“Executive Director of the Center for Peace and Advocacy (CPA) and Chairperson of Civil Society Coalition on Defense of Civic Space (CSCDCS) is deeply concerned about the unhealthy spirit being taken by President’s Kiir always,” he said.
While warning for another war if leaders do not take action, the activist said that graduated SPLA-IO components of the necessary unified forces are not being paid salaries like their colleagues in the SSPDF, something he said is and approach to derail the peace process.
“Their defection is the result of frustrations and lack of motivation from Dr. Machar’s side. South Sudan is heading to another deadly war if the leaders are not careful with their words and actions,” Manyang said.
“SPLA-IO [soldiers] does not receive their salaries while their colleagues who graduated with them received their salaries. This is an intentional approach not to implement the peace,” the activist further added.
He concluded by saying that “there are some individuals within both sides who do not want South Sudan to have durable peace because they benefit in this current confusion styles of leadership under President Kiir and First Vice president, Dr. Riek Machar.”
“Those individuals should learn their lessons from the 2016 war in the country,” he added.
Executive Director of the Center for Peace and Advocacy (CPA) Ter Manyang Gatwech. [Photo courtesy]
Speaking to Sudans Post this morning, the Executive Director of Centre for Peace and Advocacy (CPA) Ter Manyang Gatwech said the “their defection from SPLA-IO to SSPDF or SPLA is not inline of the R-ARCSS” said his organization is concerned by what he calls an unhealthy spirit of Kiir on peace implementation. Sudans Post
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