Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has issued two Circulars to all Governors and County Assembly Speakers directing reform action to address major graft loopholes.

Addressing the media, EACC Corporate Affairs and Public Communicationist Eric Ngumbi says the Commission has found major graft loopholes in almost all counties in respect to the legal requirements on the county internal audit units and management of public assets owned by the counties.

The Commission will amplify the two Circulars issued to the Governors, including the illegalities and irregularities identified.

Some of the weakness and malpractices the Commission has identified include; failure to develop policies and guidelines on asset management as provided for under Regulation 132 (3) of the Public Finance Management (County Government) Regulations, 2015.

Similarly, the commission noted that Fixed Assets Registers are not being maintained and/or updated adding that Counties maintain a list of assee which are not comprehensive as they do not capture pertinent information such as serial number, value and location of the assets.

Further EACC says, Assets are not uniquely tagged and coded for ease of identification and accountability.

Ownership documents for some assets, such as land, machinery, equipment and motor vehicles are registered in the names of the defunct Local Authorities which the Commission says has in some instances led to grabbing, encroachment and theft of the assets.

EACC notes that most Counties do not have inventory management systems. In some instances, stores control records are not updated making it difficult to monitor movement/ utilization of the assets.

The Commission says Asset Disposal Committees have not been constituted in some Counties to guide on the ‘disposal of surplus, obsolete and unserviceable assets. Further, most Counties have not prepared disposal plans resulting to deterioration in value, theft and misuse of assets.

Insurance fraud through insuring stalled and unserviceable vehicles and in other instances not insuring County asset was also cited as well as failure to undertake mechanical defects inspections to establish the extent and the nature of the repair or maintenance.

In this regard, every County Government entity is required to submit within a period of sixty (60) working days from the date of this advisory, an implementation plan for addressing the above challenges.

The work plan should also address how the counties will adhere to the various provisions relating to the establishment and operationalization of the internal audit function in the Public Finance Management Act, 2012 and related Regulations, and update the Commission on a quarterly basis on the progress made to implement the plan. By Christine Muchira, KBC

In the days leading up to Notting Hill Carnival, comments by the Tory London Mayor candidate Susan Hall re-emerged.  

She had called it ‘dangerous’ and said previously that there is a ‘problem with crime’ in the Black community. 

For a celebration that is now said to be the second-largest annual event of its kind in the world, it is many things – fun, exciting, bonding, tiring, anything but dangerous is nowhere near top of the list.  

Susan Hall has previously said that there is a ‘problem’ with crime in the Black community (Picture: Getty Images)© Provided by Metro

The number of arrests at this year’s event was considered ‘broadly consistent’ with police expectations, given that nearly 2million people were estimated to flock to the event.   

I must be clear that no level of crime is acceptable – and much will go unreported – but to have some arrests from a minority of people is expected for an event of this size.  

Even Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mark Rowley said this year’s crimes were due to a ‘small number of very dangerous people’ and that most people had a ‘fantastic’ time.  

So, if it is statistically a safe event, I can’t help but wonder why is it that Notting Hill Carnival is given such a bad reputation by some and often unfairly criticised by people in positions of power, like Susan Hall? 

Carnival was born out of struggle, protest and a way for the West Indian community to bond together. 

I’m proud of this amazing and positive celebration, with people of all ages and backgrounds coming together with incredible food, music and great vibes. 

Why is it that big events like Glastonbury, Reading and Leeds Festivals, Creamfields, and large sporting events that often result in arrests and worse – sexual assault, violence and death – and their attendees aren’t painted as inherently criminal?  I am horrified that the Tory Party would continue to back a candidate who can make such disparaging comments and not apologise

It is important that we ask our elected representatives (and Twitter trolls) why there is such a difference in reporting and attitude.

I would hazard a guess this could be because the audience is less diverse. The association with crime and blackness needs to stop! 

Our vibrant, inclusive, decades-old celebration, whose traditions are rooted in the struggle for civil rights, does not deserve to be tarnished by ridiculous and unfair claims. 

And Susan’s Hall’s insistence that Carnival should be moved to a park so it’s easier to police detracts from what the event is all about.  

That is why I led a group of Labour MPs in writing to the Conservative Party Chair, Greg Hands, last week to ask that Hall apologises and withdraws her comments. 

 

The celebration is now the second biggest of it’s kind in the world (Picture: Getty Images)© Provided by Metro

But, while I shouldn’t be surprised, she has since doubled down and described our complaints as ‘desperate smears’, accusing us of ‘gutter politics’.  

If she cannot see why her comments are wrong, it proves once again she is not fit to be mayor of our great city.  

And frankly, I am horrified that the Tory Party would continue to back a candidate who can make such disparaging comments and not apologise.   

Especially when our current mayor, Sadiq Khan, does celebrate all of the capital’s residents. The latest being Black on the Square, an event this coming weekend showcasing Black culture and creativity is being facilitated by Khan.  

I have no doubt it will be a fantastic day, but unfortunately I’m already seeing reactions online echoing Hall’s opinions about Carnival. That it will be ‘dangerous’.  

The truth is, far beyond these particular comments, there is an inherent focus in society on Black-led events and the supposed criminality associated with ‘blackness’. The constant search for criminality is dangerous and discriminatory.

As we have seen in so many contexts, this can be extremely problematic. We see it in policing, where people are unfairly discriminated against because of the colour of their skin. 

Society takes what it wants from Black culture, whether it be music, food or style – but often society doesn’t want Black people along with it. 

We have to stop prejudices spreading. We have to stop the spread of this misinformation in its tracks. That is why I penned a letter to her party. That is why I ask her to apologise.  

These attitudes are depressing, damaging, and Black people deserve better. From everyone, not least a mayoral candidate.  

For those who will inevitably accuse me of race-baiting for daring to speak up about racism and discrimination, as they always do, it’s time to wake up and smell the coffee.  

Racism is bad for everyone. By Dawn Butler, Metro

Uganda and Rwanda this week retired long serving military generals in what security analysts have said is a purge done with one eye on the future, to remove the larger-than-life powerful officers from active service and allow internal harmony within the forces, unencumbered by the awkward presence of historical army chiefs.

In the retirements, two names stood out: both in the rank of four-star general. Gen Kale Kayihura and Gen James Kabarebe of Uganda Peoples Defence Forces and Rwanda Defence Forces respectively have served the regimes in their countries, but also courted controversy that caused their fallout with the leadership.

Kayihura was sacked as Inspector General of Police in 2018 and the government slapped him with charges related to capital offences. He was later sanctioned by the US government for rights violations during his time as police chief.

Kabarebe was removed from his powerful defence ministry docket in 2018, too, for what sources at the time said was part of the normalisation of relations between Uganda and Rwanda. He had had repeated outbursts with Kampala.

The two Generals defended the regimes in Kampala and Kigali. At one time, President Yoweri Museveni described Gen Kayihura as a good cadre of the ruling party, in praise of the former IGP who was quick to deploy security to break up opposition protests in the capital.

With 10 UPDF colleagues, Gen Kayihura took his bow before Museveni at State House Entebbe on August 31, just two days after the military court in Kampala freed him. Prosecutors dropped all charges he had been facing since 2018.

Others who retired in Uganda include Lt Gen James Nakibus Lakara, Maj Gen Samuel Wasswa Mutesasira, Maj Gen Joseph Arocha and Maj Gen David Wakaalo, Brig Gen Austine Kasatwooki Kamanyire, Brig Gen Stephen Oluka, Brig Gen Frank Katende Kyambadde, Brig Gen Emmanuel Kwihangana, Brig Gen Wilson Muhabuzi and Brig Gen Ham Atwooki Kaija.

“Don’t regard this retirement as becoming redundant now, no, not at all! This is like a mutation, from one form of service to another one and that is why we had to hold on retirement until we had solved the problem of package, and I can assure you that what you are going with is considerable,” Museveni told the retiring army chief.

“That is why last year I permitted the retirement of generals and that is why for a long time we do not permit the retirement of casualties at Mubende. We said they should stay until we give them a good retirement package to make sure that their lives in the villages is good. Now this package that you have got is really good,” he said.

Across the border in Rwanda, Gen Kabarebe’s name led on the list of 12 officers who retired from RDF, the Rwanda Defence Forces.

They included Gen Fred Ibingira, Lt Gen Charles Kayonga, Lt Gen Frank Mushuyo Kamanzi, Maj Gen Martin Nzaramba, Maj Gen Eric Murokore, Maj Gen Augustin Turagara, Maj Gen Charles Karamba, Maj Gen Albert Murasira, Brig Gen Chris Murari, Brig Gen Didace Ndahiro and Brig Gen Emmanuel Ndahiro.

For Rwanda, the retirement of generals who include historical figures comes days after President Paul Kagame reshuffled top military chiefs to herald what is being linked to a transition in 2024. 

Kayihura and Kabarebe executed sensitive security missions and dominated their military scene for decades, leading state agencies for decades but also crossed paths when they headed troops that were deployed in the sick man of the Great Lakes Region, the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Kayihura was the Operational Commander of the UPDF forces in Ituri Province of the DRC in the late 1990s to early 2000s, while Kabarebe was active in both the first and the Second Congo wars as a commanding officer. - JULIUS BARIGABA, The EastAfrican

Energy Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir is on Friday, September 1, expected to appear before the National Assembly Committee on Energy to shed more light on the nationwide power outage last week. 

Chirchir will be accompanied by Principal Secretary of State Department for Energy, Alex Mwachira, the Kenya Power Chief Executive Officer Joseph Siror, and his KETRACO and KENGEN counterparts.

The bosses are expected to give a detailed explanation of what could have caused the outage that left thousands of passengers stranded at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), whilst affecting businesses and operations across the country.

Last week,  the committee chaired by Mwala MP Vincent Musyoka expressed its disappointment over the incident promising to address the issue, including tabling a report on the high cost of electricity in Kenya.

After the outage, Kenya Power attributed the failure to a system disturbance. 

Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen later announced the dismissal of Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) Managing Director Alex Gitari and General Manager Project and Engineering Services, Fred Odawo, following the blackout that affected operations at the ever-busy JKIA.  By Mate Tongola, The Standard