A South Sudanese refugee and her grandchild at one of eight health facilities in Kenya’s Kalobeyei settlement. © UNHCR/Pauline Omagwa
This is a summary of what was said by Shabia Mantoo – to whom quoted text may be attributed – at today’s press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.
To protect and assist 2.2 million South Sudanese refugees in the region this year, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, together with 108 humanitarian and development partners, is today appealing for US$1.3 billion. The funds will go towards supporting South Sudanese refugees and their local host communities in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan and Uganda.
The appeal comes amid a worsening economic outlook across the region as the long-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the ripple effects of the war in Ukraine have pushed up fuel and food prices and increased unemployment. Host countries that have generously welcomed South Sudanese refugees are bearing the strain of the crisis amid staggering levels of underfunding, prolonged drought, and severe food shortages, including food ration cuts for refugees.
Launching the South Sudan Refugee Response Plan today, UNHCR is urging the international community to scale up support for the millions of refugees who are unable to return home as their country continues to face a fragile peace and security environment marked by cycles of sporadic violence, and the impacts of an unfolding climate crisis. Four years of unrelenting floods have inundated two-thirds of the country, damaging tens of thousands of people’s houses, farmland and livestock.
This support will be crucial in meeting refugees’ most immediate needs in host countries, including for shelter, education, health and food assistance. With women and children comprising 80 per cent of all South Sudanese refugees in the region, funding for programmes to prevent and respond to gender-based violence need to be prioritized.
The appeal also aims to provide digital cash assistance, and other resilience-enhancing initiatives such as access to finance and training, to help refugees and local communities generate income, supplement their needs and live in dignity.
Host governments will also be supported to strengthen the asylum space and further protect the rights of refugees and asylum-seekers, as well as boost the prospects for long-term solutions. This includes improved registration and documentation and advancing ongoing efforts to include refugees in national social protection systems and enhance their access to basic services, all of which helps to better prepare refugees for eventual return.
Interventions to increase the use of clean and sustainable energy in refugee hosting communities will also be strengthened, to mitigate environmental impacts.
With only a third of funding requirements met for last year’s South Sudanese refugee appeal, the five major countries of asylum in the region – the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Sudan and Uganda – were among UNHCR’s most under-funded operations.
We call for compassion and commitment to be extended to South Sudanese refugees and other people forced to flee around the world. Timely funding is crucial to ensure adequate support and protection for the most vulnerable.
Trade Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria (centre) with EU Ambassador to Kenya Henriette Geiger (right) at the European Investment Bank Vice-President Thomas Ostros at the EU-Kenya Business Forum in Nairobi on February 21, 2023. PHOTO | DIANA NGILA | NMG
Both the EU and the Kenyan government announced they would resume talks on the deal known as the interim EU-Economic Partnership Agreement (iEU-EPA) this week before its conclusion in March.
“We are resuming negotiations this week, and we hope these negotiations will be completed when the President (William Ruto) travels to the EU next month,” EU Ambassador to Kenya Henriette Geiger said.
“By the 31st of March, we must conclude our economic partnership agreement,” added Trade and Investments Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria.
The interim agreement is expected to be a placeholder for the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between the EU and the East African Community (EAC) countries, of which Kenya is a member.
The interim pact will mirror the actual EPA initiated in 2014. Kenya and Rwanda signed the deal in September 2016, but only Nairobi has ratified it, with other EAC partner states as holdouts.
This left the EU-EAC-EPA in limbo as it has been a prerequisite that the agreement is endorsed by all EAC member states for it to become effective.
The signing of the EPA deal was initially delayed because some states wanted a provision for special export taxes to protect certain sectors they consider sensitive and to discourage the exportation of raw materials to Europe.
Kenya’s neighbours, which are classified as least developed countries (LDCs), enjoy preferential access to the EU market. This has forced Kenya, a lower middle-income economy, to seek a temporary arrangement with the EU as its goods stood to attract higher taxes.
“Our neighbours must aspire to rise from the least developed category. We cannot incentivise poverty,” said Trade CS.
President Ruto has urged the Kenyan and EU officials to close the deal during the negotiations set to happen at the sidelines of the inaugural EU-Kenya Business Forum, which runs on Monday and Tuesday this week.
“Doing business in Kenya is strategic and highly beneficial. It is in the EU’s best interest to complete the deal,” President Ruto said.
The temporary EU-Kenya deal is expected to liberalise trade in goods on a mutual basis, giving Kenya duty-free access to the EU market for all exports and partial and gradual opening of the Kenyan market, including agriculture and fishery products.
The interim pact will remain open for other EAC partner states to join.
EU is a key trading partner to Kenya and is the largest market for domestic exports.
Kenyan exports to the EU mainly cover coffee, cut flowers, tea and vegetables.
Imports from the EU broadly cover machinery and mechanical appliances, equipment and parts, vehicles and pharmaceutical products.
Kenya is also leading negotiations that will establish a tripartite deal between the EAC, the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa), and the Southern African Development Community (SADC). By KEPHA MUIRURI, Business Daily
•DP Gachagua's remarks on Saturday, that the government was operating as a company of shareholders drew mixed reactions from Kenyans.
•According to the Senator, the second in command remarks might tarnish the principles held by the Kenya kwanza government .
Investigating cases of sodomy is still complicated for detectives because the majority of the victims are still shy to report, despite the escalation of the cases in the country, the Uganda Police Force-UPF has revealed.
According to Police Spokesperson Fred Enanga, many people have been coerced into sodomy but only a few individuals have filed complaints with the police. “The most important part is to encourage victims of sodomy to come out because there is always evidence that can help the police to progress with the investigations. It is easy to identify the perpetrators and whether they are linked to organizations or individuals,” Enanga said.
The call by the police follows two separate cases that were registered over the weekend. One of the cases in Mbarara city resulted in the arrest of Michael Saturday, a businessman in Nyamityobora for sexually harassing six of his male employees in the night.
“He was repeatedly sodomizing these boys who are below seventeen years and some above 18 years. But we want to thank one of the victims who came out and reported the matter, because he got the courage, that most victims haven’t taken to report these acts,” Enanga noted. He explained that the victims were subjected to medical examinations, which indeed showed that they were sodomized.
“The charges of aggravated defilement, rape, and engaging in unnatural sexual practices have been slapped on the suspect,” he said. Police also registered another case in Kasangati where suspect Jimmy Peter Matovu, 30, a resident of Lubatu zone attempted to forcefully sodomize his friend who visited him in the night.
“This is a man who picked a knife and put it on his friend’s neck at around 10pm and ordered him to undress so that he can sodomize him. But luckily this victim was strong enough and managed to fight his way out of the room, and made an alarm,” Enanga said.
He asked all victims of sodomy and other kinds of sexual abuse to always come out and report for assistance.
Recently, the NGO Bureau revealed that it was investigating the operations of 22 NGOs across the country suspected to be involved in the promotion of LGBTIQ activities. Police say they are still waiting for a call from the Internal Affairs Ministry to join the investigations.
According to Section 145 of the Penal Code Act, of 1950, it is criminal to have unnatural sexual intercourse and it attracts life imprisonment on conviction. It provides that “Any person who has carnal knowledge of any person against the order of nature commits an offense and is liable to imprisonment for life.” By URN, Tower Post
Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development Matia Kasaija. PHOTO | FILE
Uganda is currently experiencing an epic rise in the heat wave, with the scorching sun withering crops across the country.
“It has not been normal to budget [on climate change]. This phenomenon is new. We have been using mainly grants or donated money for climate change. We have not been collecting money [tax] to use for climate change,” he said.
The minister made the remarks during a meeting that brought together directors of climate finance in the national treasuries and ministries of finance and climate change from the East Africa region at Kigo, Kampala, last Friday.
The two-day session kick-started a regional dialogue on climate finance access and mobilisation for enhanced regional climate action.
Mr Kasaija said climate change is real and deadly. “Our people are doing things ignorantly and they damage the environment. The first money, if donated, will be to educate the population. People must conserve the environment,” he added.
Ms Dagmar Zwebe, the Country Representative of the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), said climate change does not know borders.
She said GGGI is, for example, supporting projects of solar irrigation. “If you have the traditional form of irrigation with diesel, it’s very polluting, so by removing the diesel and using the sun, Uganda will have fewer emissions moving forward,” Ms Zwebe said.
Mr Ladislaus K. Leonidas, the principal environment and natural resources officer of the East Africa Community, said the region receives $2.5 billion from international public finance sources, far below the required $21.18 billion required to implement partner states’ updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).
UK donor aid representative Benjamin Smith said climate finance needs to be based on climate adaptation priorities. The Uganda Climate Change Act, 2021, empowers the Finance minister in consultation with his Water and Environment counterpart to provide for climate change financing. By Tonny Musani, Daily Monitor
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