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The European Union has granted Kenya over Sh11.4 billion to support priority areas of green transition on environmental sustainability and digital inclusion, good governance as well as peace and stability.

In a deal signed by Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Brussels, Belgium on Wednesday, the funds will go towards boosting programmes in the identified key sectors of the economy. 

The Deputy President, who is representing President William Ruto at the Global Gateway Summit hosted by the EU in Brussels, welcomed the collaboration between Kenya and the EU saying the grant will help develop the country and improve the lives of the people.

Pivotal stride

“Kenya welcomes this statement of signature which will be realised through the outlined priorities for the Multi-Annual Indicative Programme 2021-2027. This collaboration marks a pivotal stride towards a brighter future for the Kenyan people. As we implement the Global Gateway, we are confident that sustainable development, security and prosperity will rightfully take centre stage in our development cooperation narrative going forward,” he said of the deal signed on the sidelines of the Global Gateway Forum 2023.

Gachagua said Kenya looked forward to continued partnership with the EU. The Ruto administration was keen on strengthening existing ties with the EU, he added. 

“I reaffirm our collective dedication to this partnership. Together, we strive towards a future where the bonds between Kenya and the European Union continue to flourish, bringing about positive change and shared prosperity,” the DP added.

Lands and physical planning Executive Mr Hamilton Parseina, shows one of the tittle deeds allegedly being given to members of Kiku A and B group ranches in Kajiado. [Peterson Githaiga, Standard]

Kajiado residents will have to wait longer for title deeds after the court suspended the titling of more than 22,000 plots.

Justice Maxwell Gicheru ordered that the process be halted, pending submission of the plan to the Kajiado County Assembly for public participation.

The court also ruled that monies paid to consultants by plot owners be refunded in less than 60 days.

 

Justice Gicheru also ordered that after approval by the county assembly, the county should carry out competitive pricing for the parcels.

“The county department of land and county attorney should take responsibility for the survey and titling process,” ruled Justice Gicheru. 

For over 40 years, most Kajiado residents have had no land ownership documents. In some areas, land disputes have been the order of the day, following double allocation by the defunct Olkejuado County Council.

Councillors would give one person a plot but when they left office, the incoming councillor issued the same plot to another person. In April this year, the county government in conjunction with the National Land Commission (NLC) embarked on issuing title deeds to clear the mess.

The Department of Land hired three consultancy firms to carry out the exercise. However, a section of landowners petitioned the process and urged the county government to stop the process.

Kajiado residents will have to wait longer for title deeds after the court suspended the titling of more than 22,000 plots.

Justice Maxwell Gicheru ordered that the process be halted, pending submission of the plan to the Kajiado County Assembly for public participation.

The court also ruled that monies paid to consultants by plot owners be refunded in less than 60 days.

 

Justice Gicheru also ordered that after approval by the county assembly, the county should carry out competitive pricing for the parcels.

“The county department of land and county attorney should take responsibility for the survey and titling process,” ruled Justice Gicheru. 

For over 40 years, most Kajiado residents have had no land ownership documents. In some areas, land disputes have been the order of the day, following double allocation by the defunct Olkejuado County Council.

Councillors would give one person a plot but when they left office, the incoming councillor issued the same plot to another person. In April this year, the county government in conjunction with the National Land Commission (NLC) embarked on issuing title deeds to clear the mess.

The Department of Land hired three consultancy firms to carry out the exercise. However, a section of landowners petitioned the process and urged the county government to stop the process. By Peterson Githaiga, The Standard

President William Ruto during the 60th Mashujaa day celebration at Kericho Green Stadium in Kericho county on October 20, 2023. [Standard]

When President William Ruto and Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua triumphed, the Bottom-up Empowerment and Transformation Agenda officially became the development model.

But there was the gigantic agenda of 'rewarding' those who 'contributed' to their victory morally, economically and spiritually. To deal with this legitimate expectation, a special purpose vehicle, christened Kenya Kwanza Shareholders Plc was assembled. The truthful man, the DP, was in charge of it.

Right from the constitution of the Cabinet to the appointment of constitutional office holders, this consideration was the rule. Then came the reality check that happened between the first and the second year after regime change in Kenya.

 

A little of history. In 1983, then President Daniel Moi after the 1982 coup, filled key government offices with loyalists. In 2003 and 2005, President Mwai Kibaki sacked Moi's and Raila Odinga's allies from the civil service. In the process, he planted the seeds of the 2007/8 post-election violence.

Specifically, Jomo Kenyatta-era power man Charles Njonjo and his lieutenants were either sacked or rigged out of the snap 1983 election. Nicholas Biwott and the Kalenjin mafia emerged and reigned supreme up to the deep end of the Nyayo era in 2002. 

Kibaki's triumph in 2002 and his glory years tumbled when he fell out with Raila and Kalonzo Musyoka. The duo were sacked and immediately teamed up with Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto to defeat Kibaki in that year's constitutional referendum.

The shareholder business was a truthful way of dealing with the loyalty and reward system so that a fallout with supporters could be mitigated. It worked well because the public faces of the Ruto political juggernaut have received their pay cheque through appointments to key government positions.  

But the political Ruto has now been replaced by the Executive President, who has the apparatus to know what each of the 40 million-plus Kenyans ate for dinner, if at all.

This truth confronts him every morning. Essentially, he must have realised that unnecessary, populist duels with Kenyans have no value now or in 2027. And since he can't rewind the clock, he has to employ tactics that will make him look morally right. 

Hence his directive to disband the 'limited liability company'. But the President has a challenge here. Right from his Cabinet nomination, this principle was the default mode. Will he now revisit the constitution of his Cabinet? By appearing to chide his deputy over the shareholder position, the President is, unconsciously invoking the Uhuru syndrome of 2018 when out of the blues, Uhuru decided to face the lake and groom Raila's treacherous attempt to climb Mt Kenya

Let the shareholder firm remain. But augment it with reason because there are no people called Azimio or Kenya Kwanza. We only have tribal affiliations driven by selfish leaders and sometimes gullible and clueless supporters. 

Mr Charles Mulila is a media practitioner   The Standard

Photo Courtesy-Trade Arabia
 
Government is on track to ensure that the first drop of oil is produced by the end of 2025, Ruth Nankabirwa, the Minister of Energy and Mineral Development, has told Parliament.
 
“Government and its partners are working tirelessly and I am happy to report that we are on track to have first oil by the end of 2025,” Nankabirwa said, while presenting a statement on the status of oil and gas projects in the country, to Parliament on October 25.
 
According to Nankabirwa, government has already drilled a total of 11 oil wells; eight in the Tilenga and three in the Kingfisher area, with capacity to produce up to 190,000 barrels and 40,000 barrels of oil per day respectively. In total, the production will require a total of 457 wells and 35 well pads.
 
The development and production wells at the Kingfisher field in Kikuube district was launched in January 2023 by President Yoweri Museveni, while those at the Tilenga Project located in the Albertine Graben within the Buliisa and Nwoya districts commenced in June 2023.
 
“Construction of the Central Processing facilities both at Kingfisher and Tilenga is ongoing and on schedule to be ready by 2025. Tilenga's capacity Central Processing facility which is under construction is currently 33 percent complete while Kingfisher's capacity Central Processing facility is at 12 percent,” Nankabirwa said.
 
As far as oil exploration is concerned, Nankabirwa said that the Ministry is increasing its resource base by giving more licences to companies.
 
“We issued exploration licences to Armour Energy over the Kanyawataba area, Oranto Petroleum  over the Ngassa Shallow and deep in 2017, and more recently to UNOC over the Kasurubani block and DGR Global over the Turaco block,” she said.
 
She added that the Ministry also plans to conclude the formulation of a comprehensive National Petroleum Policy before the end of this Financial Year.
 
“The new policy will create a conducive environment for faster and efficient exploration, development, production, and commercialisation of discovered resources and utilisation of petroleum products in the country while acknowledging the energy transition initiatives,” she said, adding that government also has its hands on the deck on the development of 60,000 barrels per day oil refinery in Kabaale, Hoima district.
 
On the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP), Nankabirwa said civil works commenced in August 2023, and the Resettlement Action Plan (RAP) for affected persons within the 10 districts where the EACOP crosses is ongoing.
 
Napak District Woman Representative, Hon. Faith Nakut sought assurance from the minister that the first oil will be realised by the end of 2025 considering the slow progress of oil well constructions.
 
“We are required to have 457 wells versus the accomplished 11 wells…The minister should give us assurance because, in my view, that speed is slow,” Nakut said.
 
Christine Apolot (NRM, Kumi District) also called for consistency in the oil production timelines.
 
“Originally, about 2 years back, the year Ugandans were given for the first production of oil was 2023. So I want to plead with the minister to be consistent with these messages because the population is not going to believe us,” Apolot said.
 
Nankabirwa said that the construction of oil wells started this year and by 2025, the number of wells will have been realised.
 
The minister also blamed the deadline shifts to Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) and Civil Society Organisations that have been de-campaigning the EACOP project.--OGN/ TradeArabia News Service   Source: Trade Arabia

 

October 25, 2023 (JUBA) – Malik Agar, Deputy Chairman of the Sovereign Council and Head of the SPLM-N faction called on the armed groups signatories of the Juba Peace Agreement (JPA) to support the Sudanese army in the current war to avoid the collapse of Sudan.

The JPA signatories participated in a two-day meeting held in Juba on Tuesday to assess the armed conflict between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and to find ways to ensure stopping the war and implementing the peace agreement.

In his speech at the opening session, Agar referred to the suffering resulting from the war that the Sudanese are exposed to today, including displacement inside and outside Sudan, and the instability they are experiencing, in addition to poverty. He stressed that getting out of this situation requires the unity of all “on crucial issues that do not accept grey positions.”

“You have to rally around one position, which is to support the national army, because with its collapse, Sudan will collapse, and you will not have a foothold in Sudan. Its occupation will continue, your homes, neighbourhoods and cities will continue to be violated, While with your unity is certain,” he said.

The movements that signed the peace pact say they are committed to neutrality. However, six months after the armed conflict they seem divided over the war. Agar lined up behind the army, some adhered to their participation in the government, while others distanced themselves from the military-led Sovereign Council.

The Deputy Chairman of the Sovereignty Council added that the RSF defeated their slogans, such as combatting political Islam and restoring democratic rule, through the crimes committed by its members, including killing civilians, occupying their homes, and raping women.

Agar also criticized the Forces of Freedom and Change (FFC) saying they had sought help from the international community to produce the framework agreement, which he described as “poor quality”. He added that “within it are a set of contradictions, fears, ambitions, and goals of these groups and countries, and each one aims to achieve his own goals without the goals of the Sudanese people.”

Also, “the contradictions of this agreement deepened the internal contradictions that already existed between the civilian blocs, but the worst was the contradictions between the Rapid Support Militia and the Armed Forces,” which led to the outbreak of war on April 15.

In his remarks, Agar said that the JPA signatories do not seem to be neutral in the ongoing conflict and that some support the Sudanese army without declaring it, while others stand with the Rapid Support Forces.

Tut Gatluak, head of the South Sudanese mediation team who led the talks for the 2020 peace agreement, stressed that the purpose of the meeting is to explore ways to end the war and not to encourage further divisions.

Gatluak, who is also South Sudan’s presidential advisor on national security affairs, explained that the consultative meeting was convened with the objective of seeking a way to resolve the ongoing war.

“His Excellency President Salva Kiir wants peace and stability in Sudan. This is why he and the transitional national unity government initiated this peace meeting. And we don’t want to see any group split. All we want all of you to do is to support the restoration of stability in Sudan,” he stressed.

Several other officials and leaders of the political and armed groups spoke at a gathering including Hadi Idris member of the Sovereign Council and head of the Sudan Liberation Movement – Transitional Council (SLM-TC).

Idris urged the parties to the peace process to unite and focus on stopping the war, stressing that its continuation would lead to the aggravation of the humanitarian, economic, social and security situation. He called to stop the war and reach a negotiated solution.

He further praised the meetings of the political and civil force currently held in Addis Ababa to forge a broad anti-war civil front and urged South Sudan to contribute to expanding the base of the civil front by convincing other active parties to join the front. - Sudan Tribune

(ST)

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