NAIROBI, July 18 (Xinhua) -- The Kenyan government on Tuesday approved a draft bill on fighting against money laundering and the financing of terrorism by introducing tougher action against individuals guilty of economic crimes.
The bill allows the Financial Reporting Centre (FRC), a government institution, to impose sanctions for violations of the proceeds of crime. "If enacted by parliament, FRC, the anti-money laundering agency, will have the power to show the instances under which it might request for the revocation of a reporting institution's license," the presidency said in a statement issued in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, after a cabinet meeting.
The bill is expected to impose stiff penalties on those found culpable in addition to identification, tracing, freezing, seizure and confiscation of the proceeds of crime.
Besides raising the cash transaction reporting threshold from 10,000 U.S. dollars to 15,000 dollars, the bill provides for the requirement for companies to keep a register of beneficial owners. - Xinhua
National Assembly Minority Leader Opiyo Wandayi during a press conference onJuly 17, 2023. [Edward Kiplimo, Standard]
Azimio leaders have alleged a plot by Kenya Kwanza to infiltrate demonstrations and attack protesters.
In a show of defiance, Azimio Parliamentary Group meeting yesterday, affirmed their commitment to proceed with the anti-government demonstrations planned for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
This comes despite President William Ruto issuing a stern warning against protests.
Addressing a press conference after a parliamentary group meeting at the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Foundation in Nairobi, yesterday, Azimio leaders accused the Kenya Kwanza government of sanctioning militia to counter peaceful protesters.
National Assembly Minority Leader Opiyo Wandayi said they are aware of government’s plan to allegedly have armed militia attack opposition supporters following a resolution of the Kenya Kwanza parliamentary group meeting on Saturday.
During the said meeting at State House Nairobi, the president asked the MPs to embark on a grassroots drive to “protect their constituents’ lives and property.”
Wandayi accused the Head of State of allegedly organising some youth to infiltrate the Azimio protests to cause chaos with the help of the Kenya Kwanza leaders who are “expected to tame their constituencies.”
“For the first time in the history of Kenya, State House has sanctioned militia, we are very concerned that the leadership that is currently in place can take such a direction to attack peaceful demonstrators,” he said.
“This is the first time we are seeing leaders coming out openly to declare war against the people because this is exactly what happened at Statehouse,” he added.
Wandayi also dismissed claims by Kenya Kwanza leaders that he is seeking handshake with President William Ruto saying they are losing touch with the people.
The Ugunja MP said that they will not cower from exercising article 37 of the Constitution and will only end protests one the cost of living has been lowered
“We have never seen a government loose base that quick and its simply because they are not listening to the cries of its people. What people want is food let them remember that a hungry nation is an angry nation,” he said.
“The know they have failed and that’s why their heads are stuck up on nusu mkate and handshake let them know that all we want is food. Our people want food,” Wandayi added.
Senate Minority leader Stewart Madzayo said: “People don’t care. All that they want is food and decent standards of living... The people realise they don’t eat the government. People eat food and they want food.”
Azimio leaders said they will not be intimidated to call off protests and urged their supporters to turn out in large numbers on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
“The peaceful protests planned for this week are on as earlier declared by our leaders. These protests will go on in line with Article 37 of our Constitution which provides for freedom of peaceful assembly and picketing and no authority has got the power to suspend the operations of Article 37, no person, authority, agency, not William Ruto, Kithure Kindiki, not Rigathi Gachagua,” Wandayi said.
The MP who took a swipe at Ruto’s administration said “it was time for them to vacate office as it was clear they have no policies for our nation.”
“if their solutions are not working for the people let them disband and quit. Let them admit their failures, why are they asking for solutions from the opposition, aren’t they the Government?? We are asking them to quit and give power to people with solutions,” he said
At the same time, the Azimio leaders said the signature collection drive to delegitimise President Ruto’s regime is still on course and it will happen simultaneously with the protests.
“We can also confirm that the signature collection is going on and it will proceed side by side with the protests. This exercise is also protected under Article 1 of our Constitution,” the MP said.
Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna revealed that they have faced more than 1,000 attacks on the website but are still on course to collect 15 million signatures after which they will announce the next course of action.
This came even as the Political Parties Liaison Committee called for dialogue between President Ruto and Azimio leader Raila on key issues including electoral reforms.
“We cannot fight and maim each other out of the current crisis. There will be no Kenya left, however we can dialogue and engage with other out of it,” he said
Addressing the Press at a Nairobi hotel yesterday, the committee led by the chair Evans Misati said all parties need to sit down and table their views for a national healing dialogue.
“Our elections must deliver finality. Kenyans are aware that election results have always been a minefield of all manner of allegations and its time we sort that out,” he said.
Misati said the committee found that the winner takes it all system has failed the nation and its time to examine the electoral structure
“We recommend that all protagonists come to the table for dialogue on electoral reforms in a bid to find a lasting solution,” he said.
Further the committee called for peaceful protests and respect for the Constitution to save lives.
“It’s essential that law enforcement agencies exercise restraint and adhere to proper protocols to ensure the safety of the public during protests. On the other hand, its paramount that protesters adhere to the law,” he said.
The committee has called for an all-inclusive Kenya national dialogue and healing conference. By Grace Ng’ang’a and Judah Ben-Hur , The Standard
The UK’s export credit agency (ECA) is backing €422mn in loans for infrastructure upgrades in Zanzibar, in a move it says will open up millions of pounds worth of export opportunities for the UK’s construction sector.
The financing, signed with Tanzania’s finance and planning ministry, is made up of two facilities.
A €180mn deal arranged through Citi will support the expansion and modernisation of Pemba Airport – the smaller of two airports on the Zanzibar archipelago – to substantially increase passenger capacity and enable it to receive international flights. Works include a runway extension, new terminal buildings and other new infrastructure including a control tower.
Currently, only Abeid Amani Karume airport, located on the main island of Unguja, can accommodate large aircraft. In a statement, UK Export Finance (UKEF) says that the new project will “unlock the economic potential” of Pemba by allowing overseas passengers to reach it directly.
The €180mn is made up of a mixture of lending from Citi which is enabled by a UKEF buyer credit loan guarantee, and direct lending from UKEF issued through Citi, and includes the premium charged by UKEF.
The second facility is a €242mn deal arranged through Deutsche Bank to improve a total of 103km of road infrastructure in Zanzibar, both to reduce congestion as well as support greater connectivity across Pemba and Unguja. Like the Citi deal, it is also structured as a combination of lending from Deutsche Bank backed by a UKEF buyer credit loan guarantee, and direct lending from UKEF.
Both projects are being carried out through a joint venture between international infrastructure and construction firm Propav and Mwananchi Engineering Contracting Company, a local company.
As well as boosting Zanzibar’s island economy, which draws around a quarter of its annual GDP from tourism, UKEF says the terms of its support mean the two projects will lead to over £100mn in supply contracts for UK companies. Overall, the ECA has a total risk appetite of up to £2bn with which it can support buyers in Tanzania interested in UK exports. Last year, UK exports to Tanzania reached just £275mn.
“Good local infrastructure is key to encouraging businesses to invest and work with local suppliers,” says Nigel Huddleston, the UK’s minister for international trade. “This deal will support crucial development across Zanzibar, unlock new opportunities for UK companies in Africa, and grow sectors that will create jobs and boost the economy across our nations.” BY ELEANOR WRAGG, Global Trade Review
With administrative autonomy but limited fiscal transfers from the national government, the Kayunga District Local Government pioneered an initiative to tap potential local revenue sources to finance rising community needs
NEW YORK, United States of America, July 18, 2023/APO Group/
With the help of United Nations Capital Development Fund and the International Centre for Local Democracy, the Kayunga District in Central Uganda has seen a transformative effort to bolster local revenue collection, specifically from Local Service Tax (LST) levied on private schools.
With administrative autonomy but limited fiscal transfers from the national government, the Kayunga District Local Government pioneered an initiative to tap potential local revenue sources to finance rising community needs.
Uganda's 1995 Constitution and the Local Government Act mandate local authorities to mobilize revenues through taxes, fees and levies to supplement central transfers. Uganda's 1995 Constitution and the Local Government Act mandate local authorities to mobilize revenues through taxes, fees and levies to supplement central transfers. This is intended to ensure sustainable financing for local administration and development priorities. However, Kayunga District had faced chronic inefficiencies in collecting local taxes. Among local revenue sources, LST emerged as having high revenue potential but low collection rates.
To address this issue, the district local government initiated a project with two key goals: Increase LST revenue collection to boost availability of funds for local infrastructure maintenance and community needs; and improve management of fiscal data and figures to enable better tracking of collections and arrears.
The project focused on collaborating with local political leaders, private school owners and staff. Strategies included sensitization workshops with stakeholders to highlight the importance of LST collection; follow-up actions by local revenue officers for regular LST payment by schools; and incentives for schools remitting dues diligently.
These consistent engagement and follow-up strategies paid dividends, with LST collections increasing substantially from 5 million Ugandan Shillings in September 2022 to over 30 million by April 2023. The revenue mobilization mindset among stakeholders also improved. Additionally, the project enabled the district to harness fiscal data more effectively. Travel and learning visits also enhanced staff capabilities in revenue management and administration. This built confidence in the local government's ability to raise own-source revenue.
The success helped demonstrate to local leaders that latent local tax potential can be tapped to finance rising community needs. The model can inspire other local authorities to devise context-specific resource mobilization and revenue administration strategies aligned with national guidelines. For Kayunga District, the project may provide a foundation to expand revenue collection, strengthen local self-reliance and deliver effective services to citizens.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF).
Controversial plans to address the small boats crisis are set to become UK law after the Government defeated a final challenge posed by the House of Lords.
In a drama-fuelled night, the Tory frontbench successfully thwarted five further challenges from peers in Westminster, including modern slavery protections and child detention limits.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev Justin Welby – who has heavily criticised the bill – dropped his demand for a statement on tackling the refugee problem and human trafficking to the UK after MPs rejected a similar proposal.
This unexpected conclusion to the parliamentary struggle over the reforms – which had threatened to continue until the summer recess – now clears the path for the bill to receive Royal Assent.
They aim to prevent people from claiming asylum in the UK if they arrive via unauthorised means.
Additionally, the Government hopes these changes will expedite the removal of detained individuals either to their home country or to Rwanda, which is currently undergoing a legal challenge.
Similarly, the Government was accused of seeking to inflict a “punishment beating” on peers for challenging the proposals.
Ministers urged the Lords to allow the bill through the Commons, with Home Office minister, Lord Murray of Blidworths, saying small boats had “overwhelmed” the UK’s asylum system, costing taxpayers £6m per day for accommodation provisions.
“If people know there is no way for them to stay in the UK, they won’t risk their lives and pay criminals thousands of pounds to arrive here illegally.
“It is therefore only right that we stop the boats and break the business model of the criminal gangs exploiting vulnerable people, ultimately enabling the Government to have greater capacity to provide a safe haven for those at risk of war and persecution.”
“The problem with the bill is that it has not started at the right place,” he said.
“Where it needed to start with is to have a level of national consensus and agreement on what the aim of our migration policy and immigration policy is in the long-term.” Story by Connie Dimsdale, The I
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