The accused include Francis Odongo, an operative working with the External Security Organisation (ESO), James Opolot, a crime intelligence officer and Felix Ezangu, the border internal security officer all attached to Vurra customs border point.
They were exposed and arrested after failing to agree on how to share a Shs36 million bribe solicited from a Congolese gold dealer
Three suspected corrupt security officers working at the Uganda-DR Congo border in Arua have been exposed after failing to agree on how to share a Shs36 million bribe solicited from a Congolese gold dealer. The accused include Francis Odongo, an operative working with the External Security Organisation (ESO), James Opolot, a crime intelligence officer and Felix Ezangu, the border internal security officer all attached to Vurra customs border point.
Preliminary reports indicate that the accused, aided the entry of a yet-to-be-identified Congolese gold dealer to evade the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) protocol at the border post on March 24. The accused reportedly intercepted the businessman before crossing the border, solicited a bribe of $10,000 and even provided escort security to Arua city for the smuggler to sell his pieces of gold. A security official who preferred anonymity told this reporter that the accused persons shared the bribe they got from the gold dealer on March 25 from Devine Touch hotel, a few meters from the Vurra customs border post.
Arua resident district commissioner Godfrey Okiswa says that the matter came to light when the accused officials disagreed on how to share their loot.
"We only came to learn about this at the time when there was a scuffle and the sharing of the money that they could have been compromised with," said Okiswa.
Meanwhile, Vurra sub-county chairperson Joel Pariyo explains that cases of extortion by security operatives are rampant at the border and appealed to the district security committee to intervene. The accused persons declined to speak to the media. By U R N, New Agency
A photo of President William Ruto during a past address at State House Nairobi.
Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua on Sunday, April 9, confirmed that the government was facing a cash crunch amid unprecedented salary delays for civil servants working at both national and county levels.
His remarks, during a church service in Mathira Constituency, signified the magnitude of the crisis as the government is caught in a fix in trying to settle its debt obligations while at the same time paying salaries.
The conversation elicited debate with critics and pundits weighing in on measures the government can take to get out of the proverbial rabbit hole.
An unpopular idea that floated around was the conversation on the government's option of printing money to solve the cash crisis.
Is printing money an option?
Speaking to Kenyans.co.ke, Prof. XN Iraki, an associate professor at the University of Nairobi faculty of business and management sciences, warned that such a move would lead to hyperinflation which would consequently erode the real value of the local currency.
He pointed out the situation that occurred in Zimbabwe whereby the inflation rate of the country peaked rapidly leading to hyperinflation for over a decade.
In addition, Prof Iraki noted that the government should opt for diplomatic means to convey such sensitive information to avoid causing panic among investors and the public in general.
"(In my view) The government will be forced to borrow money just like the previous administration. If they can not raise enough money, the alternative is to borrow. Another means of raising funds is to reduce government expenditure which had not sufficed in the current state," he noted.
His words were echoed by economist Vincent Kimosop who explained that printing more money had to be backed up by real value.
"A country's currency symbolises a unit of measurement and medium of exchange and hence this has to be backed up by value or otherwise it will lead to a lot of money circulation chasing few goods," he noted.
The economist affirmed that the country's crisis was a result of the maturing debt and the slow economy owing to the drought situation and post-pandemic period.
"We need to get the economy up and running so that we have people who are positively making a contribution and the government will be able to tax their goods and services."
"Once we ease out of this, we will be on the right trajectory, possibly after six months then we can assess where we are," Kimosop pointed out. By Brian Kimani, Kenyans.co.ke
A surprise truce between Kenya’s President William Ruto and opposition leader Raila Odinga last week has helped defuse the political tension that had built up in the country after two weeks of mass protests called by the opposition to push for a lower cost of living and electoral justice.
Ruto and Odinga, whose rivalry in last year’s disputed presidential election narrowly won by the latter spilled over to the streets in the past two weeks, separately announced last Sunday they had agreed to bipartisan negotiations through Parliament to address the opposition’s grievances.
As a consequence of the political ceasefire, the opposition called off further protests planned for this week while the chief prosecutor has withdrawn court charges against six opposition leaders arrested during the recent demonstrations.
The truce has also reduced the anxiety over possible violence and economic shutdowns in Nairobi and western Kenya towns where the opposition enjoys a huge following.
The decision by Ruto and Odinga to pursue a negotiated settlement of their political differences has won them praise from the international community and the local clergy who had earlier expressed concerns that the demonstrations and a heavy-handed response by the police could plunge the country into widespread violence.
On Thursday, the opposition Azimio One Kenya Alliance coalition named its seven negotiators from the Senate and the National Assembly during a parliamentary group meeting while the government side is expected to unveil its team next Tuesday, setting the stage for the talks to begin.
Rhetoric by hardliners
But clashing views over the terms of engagement, toxic rhetoric by hardliners and a distrust of Parliament by the opposition might yet rock or torpedo the negotiations boat.
Both Ruto and Odinga have set the tone for possibly ill-tempered talks in their recent public statements giving different versions of the scope of the negotiations agreed during behind-the-scenes discussions involving their two sets of emissaries.
While the President appeared to suggest that only the procedure of reconstituting the electoral commission will be on the negotiations table, the opposition leader maintains the list is longer.
The opposition coalition’s parliamentary group meeting on Thursday came up with up to 10 demands, including measures to bring down the cost of living, a forensic audit of the electoral commission’s electronic results transmission and storage systems, reinstatement of four former commissioners forced to resign or fired after they questioned the validity of last year’s presidential election results, comprehensive electoral reforms and tighter rules to enforce political party discipline.
Shifting loyalties
For their part, the President’s hawkish allies, including the House Majority leaders in the Senate and the National Assembly, have resumed their anti-Odinga rhetoric in recent days and vowed to reject most of the opposition’s proposals.
They are particularly opposed to discussions around a forensic audit of the electoral commission’s servers, which they see as a trap set by Mr Odinga to help amplify his claims that last year’s election was rigged in favour of Mr Ruto.
The Supreme Court last September upheld Ruto’s victory after hearing a petition by his main rival.
But the 78-year-old opposition leader, who lost his fifth presidential bid by a narrow margin, has in recent months reopened public debate about the outcome of the election, citing a contested whistle blower dossier showing he won.
Although he has publicly backed the bipartisan process, he retains reservations about the ability of Parliament – which is largely controlled by the Executive after a number of opposition MPs shifted loyalties – to shepherd the reforms they want.
His warning of resumption of protests if they don’t deem the negotiations meaningful suggests that Kenyans may be no much longer at ease. - OTIENO OTIENO, The EastAfrican
In line with the World Health Organisation (WHO) code of Practice for the international recruitment of Health Personnel, the United Kingdom (UK) has added Nigeria to its red list of countries that should not be actively targeted for recruitment by health and social care employers.
According to the UK Government, such employment will now be dictated by government-to-government agreement.
In a ‘Code of Practice For the International Recruitment of Health and Social Care Personnel in England’, the UK government said country identification follows the methodology contained in the 10-year review of relevance and effectiveness of the WHO global code of practice on the International Recruitment of Health Personnel.
“Consistent with the WHO Global Code of Practice principles and articles, and as explicitly called for by the WHO Global Code of Practice 10-year review, the listed countries should be prioritised for health personnel development and health system-related support, provided with safeguards that discourage active international recruitment of health personnel.
“Countries on the list should not be actively targeted for recruitment by health and social care employers, recruitment organisations, agencies, collaborations, or contracting bodies unless there is a government-to-government agreement in place to allow managed recruitment undertaken strictly in compliance with the terms of that agreement.
“Countries on the WHO Health Workforce Support and Safeguards list are graded red in the code. If a government-to-government agreement is put in place between a partner country, which restricts recruiting organisations to the terms of the agreement, the country is added to the amber list.
“Green-graded countries without a government-to-government agreement with the UK are not published in the code of practice for England.
“The government-to-government agreement may set parameters, implemented by the country of origin, for how UK employers, contracting bodies, recruitment organisations, agencies, and collaborations recruit. These organisations are encouraged to recruit on the terms of the government-to-government agreement.
“The green country list will be updated as new government-to-government agreements are signed with the UK. It is recommended employers, contracting bodies, recruitment organisations, agencies, and collaborations regularly check the list for updates prior to embarking on any recruitment campaign.
“Green-graded countries with a government-to-government agreement for managing international health and care workforce recruitment are India, Malaysia, Philippines, and Sri Lanka”, it said in a statement on its website. By Aija Ononugwa, The Will
The Judge President of the East African Court of Justice (EACJ), Justice Nestor Kayobera, has said that as the judicial arm of the Community, the EACJ is mindful of the need for the EAC partner states to draw lessons from the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda in order that these events never happen again.
This was as the EAC in collaboration with the Arusha and Moshi Rwandan Community and the UN Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals (UN-MICT) on Friday, April 7, commemorated the 29th anniversary of the Genocide Against the Tutsi at the EAC Headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania.
“As we commemorate, my hope is that we shall all get a better understanding of our shared humanity and renew our collective commitment to protect and uphold fundamental human rights,” said Justice Kayobera.
Rwanda has made tremendous strides
Speaking during the commemoration, EAC Secretary General, Peter Mathuki, said that as the world commemorates for the 29th time, it was important to reaffirm the fundamental truth that all humans were created equal, each with rights that include the right to life.
No one has the right to take it away as was done 29 years ago from the innocent men and women of Rwanda, he said.
Mathuki said that 29 years later, Rwanda has made tremendous strides that have exceeded expectations and should be rightly commended for doing so.
“In just 29 years, unity and reconciliation is being realized in Rwanda,” said the Secretary General.
“‘Never Again’ should not only be a slogan but should also be translated into concrete actions as we strive to be one people for one destiny,” said Mathuki.
The Arumeru District Commissioner, Emmanuella K. Mtatifikolo, said that the genocide perpetrated against the Tutsi in Rwanda was a tragedy not only to Rwanda as a country but to humanity as a whole.
“With the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsis in Rwanda, the entire humanity was put to test and the sanity of human nature was for once put into serious doubts,” she added.
Mtatifokolo said that as these barbaric acts were being carried out in Rwanda, the whole world was well aware of such terrible occurrences yet the international community did nothing to stop those killings in which innocent men, women and children were brutally murdered for no reason other than their ethnicity.
She, therefore, called upon all citizens to spare no efforts in fighting against genocide ideology and revisionism in all their manifestations.
“I therefore call upon the international community in general and the EAC countries in particular to work together at different levels to fight against all forms of genocide ideology or any slightest signal of its kind,” she said.
The stakes were high and tough decisions were needed
The Rwandan High Commissioner to Tanzania, Amb. Maj Gen Charles Karamba, expressed his appreciation to the EAC, the UN Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals and all friends of Rwanda for standing in solidarity with the Government and people of Rwanda to remember loved ones who perished in 1994.
Karamba said that it was during this period that Rwandans take time to reflect on where the country was in 1994, on the aftermath of the 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi, and where Rwanda is today.
“The country was totally destroyed with no hope of recovery,” he said, adding that the post 1994 Government of Rwanda was faced with enormous challenges of rebuilding a deeply divided country with a destroyed political, economic, social, and legal infrastructure.
“The stakes were high and tough decisions were needed,” added Karamba.
The High Commissioner informed the invited guests that for the last 29 years, Rwandans chose a completely different path of resilience and courage necessary to get solutions for their problems, rejecting the rotten politics of hatred and divisionism, thus, rebuilding Rwanda from the ashes.
Rwandan Diaspora plays an integral role
The Chairman of the Rwandan Diaspora (Arusha and Moshi), Eng. Murenzi Daniel, informed the gathering that after 1994, the Rwandan community abroad embarked on a journey of national rebuilding and promotion of peace and reconciliation with the support from the government of Rwanda.
“Today, the Rwandan Diaspora plays an integral role in uniting the Rwandans aboard with a focus on building the nation,” said Eng. Murenzi.
The event brought together a broad spectrum of stakeholders including representatives from various religious groups, Germany Cooperation in Arusha (GIZ), the African Court of Human and Peoples’ Rights (AfCHPR), the African Union Advisory Board Against Corruption (AUABC) UN-MICT, and students from various universities and secondary schools in Arusha, and EAC staff. - The New Times
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