The Turkish Embassy in South Sudan, with funding from the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), donated nearly 200 packages of food to vulnerable Muslims in South Sudan on Friday during the holy month of Ramadan.
The food packages, which contained cooking oil, beans, rice, sugar, and maize flour, were handed over to Muslims in South Sudan with the coordination of the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) and Tawasul Humanitarian Islamic Organization.
The Turkish embassy distributed 400 food packages to vulnerable people in different locations across the capital city of Juba during Ramadan.
Erdem Mutaf, the Turkish ambassador to South Sudan, affirmed that, even after the recent catastrophic earthquake which resulted in the loss of over 50,000 lives, Türkiye is still committed to supporting and helping the people of South Sudan.
"We are here and we will be here in future," said Mutaf. "These food packages are the symbols of your Turkish sisters and brothers’ help and solidarity with you".
The Turkish Embassy, along with their developmental and aid agencies, is also working closely with women's organizations in South Sudan, according to the ambassador.
"We are implementing projects of women empowerment, vocational training child care, helping elderly and disabled people... From these projects, they will be able to generate money for themselves and feed themselves and their family in the future.
"Supporting women means supporting the societies," said the ambassador.
Medina Mohamed, the executive director of Tawasul Humanitarian Islamic Organization, expressed her gratitude to the Turkish Embassy, stating that the assistance they received is of great support, especially during a critical time when people are fasting and unable to go out and find food for themselves.
"Turkish Embassy has really tried to help us during this holy month of Ramadan, despite the crises they have in their country, they manage to bring us some food that will help us," said Mohamed.
Turkish people are really good friends of South Sudan, she added. - Benjamin Takpiny, Anadolu Agency
Female gentle mutilation (FGM) cases have dropped in Kajiado by 15 per cent in the last eight years, despite challenges in the war on the retrogressive practice. File | Nation Media Group
What you need to know:
Campaigns against FGM in the vast county have been a swim against riptides given the nomadic lifestyle of the native community—Maasai.
The cut is linked to marriageability and typically carried out on girls aged below 15 to make them eligible brides.
Female gentle mutilation (FGM) cases have dropped in Kajiado by 15 per cent in the last eight years, despite challenges in the war on the retrogressive practice.
Campaigns against FGM in the vast county have been a swim against riptides given the nomadic lifestyle of the native community—Maasai. The cut is linked to marriageability and typically carried out on girls aged below 15 to make them eligible brides.
At 78 per cent, the FGM prevalence in the county was amongst the highest in Kenya, according to the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey 2014.
In 2019, Kajiado launched a policy to end FGM at the community level, bringing together different players. The Kajiado County FGM Policy proposed the alternative rite of passage as a key intervention. The county has attributed the decline to this effort.
County gender officer Mary Taiko, said concerted efforts have borne fruit, though girls are not out of the woods yet.
“We have managed to reduce the FGM prevalence from 78 per cent to 63 per cent for the past eight years,” she told The Voice, citing a growing recognition that FGM is a harmful practice and a violation of women’s and girls’ rights.
Cross-border FGM cases and those carried out in hospitals have been termed a major challenge orchestrated by those keen on evading the law.
Hurdles
A sensitisation forum in Kajiado town, on Tuesday, noted that court cases involving FGM and early marriage drag.
“Whenever a culprit is arraigned for FGM-related offences, the case drags for years, denying the victim justice. Some victims are intimidated, prompting them to withdraw. This has been a setback to the fight against FGM," said Jedidah Lemaron, Malkia Intiative director.
Local administrators are also on the spot for abetting the practice, instead of protecting girls. Last year, a chief and his assistant from Kajiado Central were charged with abetting FGM and early marriage. The case is ongoing.
“Most local administrators remain the biggest barrier to the FGM fight in Kajiado. They collude with culprits and look the other way when they are supposed to act. We will be calling out such officers," said Dorcas Parit, an activist.
Participants also called for political goodwill and urged the county government to set aside funds for heightened campaigns. It is estimated that 100,000 girls undergo FGM in Kenya every year. By Stanley Ngotho, NMG
Coin is one of the largest bonds that warehouses used motor vehicle in Uganda. Photo / File
What you need to know:
In a notice issued yesterday, URA indicated the commissioner customs had taken a decision to close Coin Bond resulting from a land wrangle
Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) has directed importers and owners to clear out all motor vehicle units warehoused in Coin Bond in Nakawa Kampala. In a notice issued yesterday, URA indicated that the commissioner customs had taken a decision to close Coin Bond, noting that no importer or owner would be expected to deposit a motor vehicle in the said facility.
“The Commissioner Customs notifies the general public about the closure of Coin Bond, as such, no motor vehicle units shall be deposited in the said facility with effect from March 22,” the notice reads in part, adding: “The Commissioner Customs calls upon all owners of motor vehicles that are still warehoused in this bond to clear them out within ten [10] days … for either home consumption, exportation or removal to another licenced bond.”Coronavirus and its effect on the car sales business
Coin is one of the largest bonds that warehouses used motor vehicle in Uganda. It covers a long stretch on Jinja Road. Mr Ibrahim Bbosa, the URA assistant commissioner for public and corporate affairs, yesterday told Monitor, the bond had been closed over a land wrangle, which had existed over a long period of time.
“In our conditions for licensing bonds, it is not sustainable to have a bond whose existence is not guaranteed. So, there have been some back and forth between them and us where we have advised them to take the vehicles to other bonds.
Their latest communication to Commissioner Customs was requesting for more time, so that the car owners in the bond are able to pay their demurrage. Otherwise, if they just go away they will lose the demurrage,” he said, noting that they had provided the option of relocating vehicles to other bonds because their licence as a bonded warehouse for vehicles is not tenable now given their challenges.
However, Mr Bbosa did not give details of the nature of the land wrangle between Coin Bond and their landlord. Sources close to the matter, who asked for anonymity to speak freely about the matter, told Monitor the bond was being closed because of a land wrangle that has existed for more than 28 years.
The wrangle, sources said, is between Coin Bond and the landlord, whose details we could not readily establish.
However, sources noted, the landlord had recently won a court case, which in essence requires Coin Bond to vacate the land.
we could not readily get a comment from proprietors of Coin Bond.
An old case
It was not readily clear whether the wrangle is related to the one in 2000, in which Hwang Sung was forced to withdrew from Coin, after court stopped it from occupying the disputed bonded warehouse, which had been allocated to Hwang Sung by the KCC, now KCCA on claims that the owners had failed to utilise it ever since it was leased out. By Dorothy Nakaweesi, Daily Monitor
Narrative change organization Africa No Filter today announced a new fund aimed at boosting the careers of emerging African comedians.
The Africa No Filter Comedy Lab will fund comedians who use humour to tell exciting and fresh stories of Africa — away from storytelling that perpetuates stereotypes of poverty, corruption, poor leadership, conflict, and disease.
Successful applicants will get a grant of up to $3,000 to produce new content, as well as additional support in the form of mentorship by established professional comics, a masterclass aimed at boosting their business of their humour and marketing support to amplify their work and public profiles. The skits produced through the Africa No Filter Comedy Lab will also be showcased at a digital event.
Moky Makura, Executive Director at Africa No Filter, said: “We all know about the multiple benefits of humour and that laughter really is the best medicine. So, we’re bringing comedy into the narrative change space to shift some of those harmful narratives about Africa that still persist. Comedy is one of the fastest growing genres especially for content creators on the continent, and this is an opportunity for everyone and anyone who thinks they’re funny to put their talent to good use. I am really excited to launch the comedy lab and I am looking forward to shining a light on the comedians who keep us going, laughing and coping!”
The grant is open to African comedians - new, emerging and established - who are aged over 18, and based anywhere on the continent. They need to have a combined audience of 3,000 followers on Tik Tok, Instagram and Facebook. Most importantly, their comedy must offer a fresh take on Africa and Africans; one that uses comedy to show a dynamic, evolving and progressive continent. Recipients will be selected by a panel of professional comedians, and public votes on social media.
All forms of comedy are welcome as long as they are delivered in a digital format and meet the selection criteria. Africa No Filter’s Art Program Officer, François Bouda, said: “We’re excited by the prospect of partnering with the next generation of top comedic talent in Africa.
We don’t just want to celebrate, amplify and empower comics with the resources to take their art to the next level, we also want to ensure this opportunity is accessible by accepting submissions in English and French. We also encourage applications by women and comedians from every corner of the continent.”
Bouda added: “We want comedians to see the Africa No Filter Comedy Lab as a unique opportunity to enhance their skills and to advance their professional careers; the reason this opportunity is not open for comedians who are already signed with an agent or management company. More importantly, we populate the creative space with original and impactful content.”
Applications close on 5 June 2023 at 6pm GMT. Only submissions sent through ANF channels will be considered. For more information on the Africa No Filter Comedy Lab, application process and tools to make submission stand out, visit: http://africanofilter.org/ANF-Comedy-Lab
Government agencies at the Port of Mombasa have urged the Burundi National Monitoring Committee (NMC) on Non-Tariff Barriers (NTBs) to make Mombasa their Port of choice to maximise on the benefits of Kenya’s Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) freight service.
Senior government officers from the Ministry of East African Community (EAC), Kenya Ports Authority (KPA), Kenya Railways Corporation (KR), Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) and Northern Corridor Transit Transport Coordination Authority (NCTTCA) during a meeting with officials of the Burundi NMC on NTBs portrayed the port as a the perfect hub for transit.
Officials of the Burundi NMC on NTBs led by chairperson Daniel Kabura, were on a fact-finding mission at the port to exploit opportunities for trade facilitation between the two countries.
He was accompanied by Burundi’s Director of Customs, Trade and Investment in the Ministry of EAC Affairs Ndizeye Bobby Jean Marrie and NMC on NTBs vice chairperson Rosime Tuyishime.
The Burundi team was enticed with Kenya’s improved road and rail infrastructure network which can provide access to the alternative North Central Corridor route through the Holili One Stop Border Post (OSBP) in Taveta which shortens the distance between Bujumbura and Mombasa by about 400 kilometres.
Mombasa Port faces competition from the port of Dar es Salaam, port of Djibouti and port Durban in South Africa.
Mombasa Port also serves, Uganda, South Sudan, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo where it has to compete for cargo with other regional ports.
Kenya is currently wooing Ethiopia to use the new port of Lamu.
The Burundi delegation heard that using SGR freight service from the Port of Mombasa to Nairobi and Naivasha ICDs and then to the old Meter Gauge Railway (MGR) all the way to Malaba was a sure way of saving time and costs.
Due to the linkage with the SGR freight service, the port has become a cheaper alternative for shipment of goods to the hinterland.
“Kenya Railways has constructed an MGR line linking the SGR line at the Naivasha ICD. This means that cargo destined for Western parts of Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Eastern DRC and South Sudan can be moved by SGR to Naivasha for onward movement to Malaba/Kampala by rail then picked by road to the final destinations,” said David Muga, Principal Marketing Officer, Kenya Railways Corporation.
He said the cargo volumes transported from Naivasha ICD via MGR have continued growing and announced KR’s plans to soon acquire 16 new Meter Gauge Railway (MGR) locomotives.
Muga presented operational details in terms of distance and transit time saying cargo transportation by rail from the Port of Mombasa-Nairobi-Naivasha–Malaba, a distance of 1,062 km would take five days, while from the Port of Mombasa-Nairobi- Naivasha- Malaba- Kampala, a distance of 1315 km would take seven days.
The officer also noted that rehabilitation of Port of Kisumu was an option for transporting cargo by SGR to Naivasha then to Kisumu by MGR then via the lake route to two different routes Jinja and Port Bell in Uganda.
His sentiments were corroborated by the KR Coast Operations Manager Thomas Ojijo who added that “Our intention is to start getting cargo to be ferried from the Port of Kisumu, delivered to Mwanza upon the inauguration of MV Uhuru II which has a higher capacity of 1800 tons.”
KPA’s Manager Conventional Cargo Operations Ali Mwambire said the port has capacity and the requisite expertise to handle all cargo including Burundi’s.
“We really want Burundi cargo. Distance is not an issue as long as we have efficient technology and the road-rail connectivity,” he said.
Mwambire described Burundi as a key customer saying that explains why the Authority set up a liaison office in Bujumbura in 2014.
He said the distance between Mombasa and Bujumbura through the North Central Corridor is 1640 km as compared to the 1957 km via the Northern Corridor.
“In terms of port tariffs, we are looking at how we can offer incentives to customers who are willing to route their cargo through the Port of Mombasa,” he added.
NCTTCA’s Director of Customs and Trade Facilitation Emille Sinzimusi observed that transport by rail in the region was becoming a gamechanger specifically with the advent of the SGR.
He said Burundi as a hinterland needs to exploit the potential provided by the SGR and the facilities at Nairobi and Naivasha ICDs to enjoy the economies of scale in cargo movement.
Sinzimusi noted that though the cargo volumes from the Port of Mombasa to Burundi are deemed marginal, currently a lot of cargo leaves Nairobi’s Industrial area to Burundi through Namanga.
“When you ferry cargo from the Port of Mombasa to Naivasha ICD and move it to Bujumbura through Isebania, you will realise a lot of economies of scale,” he added.
Burundi bound cargo volumes through the Port of Mombasa dropped from 22,000 metric tons in 2018 to 13,805 metric tons in 2022.
Kenya Ships Agents Association (KSA) CEO Juma Tellah encouraged the Burundians to use the Port of Mombasa saying it remains one of the best in terms of performance.
“When our member’s vessel docks at the Port of Mombasa it takes two to three days, and they are done. Productivity is high, ships-stay is short,” said Tellah.
“We are satisfied and convinced it will be good for Burundi to partner with Kenya,” said Kabura Daniel. - Patrick Beja, The Standard
Informer East Africa is a UK based diaspora Newspaper. It is a unique platform connecting East Africans at home and abroad through news dissemination. It is a forum to learn together, grow together and get entertained at the same time.
To advertise events or products, get in touch by info [at] informereastafrica [dot] com or call +447957636854. If you have an issue or a story, get in touch with the editor through editor[at] informereastafrica [dot] com or call +447886544135.
We also accept donations from our supporters. Please click on "donate". Your donations will go along way in supporting the newspaper.
