East Africa

Details: Julius Mbaluto; East Africa; 13 September 2022; 437

KIGALI, Rwanda

The appeals chamber of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague on Monday rejected a decision to award a record $30 million in compensation to child soldiers and other victims of Congolese warlord Bosco Ntaganda, who was convicted of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Ntaganda was sentenced to 30 years in prison in 2019 for murder, rape and other atrocities committed in Ituri province in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo in 2002-2003, when he was the military leader of the Union of Congolese Patriots (UPC) militia.

A lower court in March last year ruled that Ntaganda should pay reparations of $30 million to his victims, the highest such amount ever ordered at the ICC.

But both the legal representative of the victims and Ntaganda appealed.

Reading the judgment Monday, presiding Judge Marc Perrin de Brichambaut said the appeals chamber “found several errors” in the lower court’s decision.

The lower court “did not make any appropriate determination in relation to the number of potentially eligible or actual victims and failed to provide an appropriate calculation, or set out sufficient reasoning, for the amount of the monetary award against Mr. Ntaganda,” he said.

The appeals judges sent the case back to a lower court to deliver a new ruling on the amount of reparations.

It is difficult to estimate the number of child soldiers in the volatile eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, according to child activists.

While some may be abducted by force, others reportedly join voluntarily.

Around 2,253 children were separated from armed groups in the country in 2018, 3,107 in 2019, 2,101 in 2020 and 957 in the first nine months of 2021, according to the child protection section of the UN. By James Tasamba Anadolu Agency

Details: Julius Mbaluto; East Africa; 13 September 2022; 432

Hundreds of Kenyans attending the inauguration of Ruto forced their way into the stadium.

In Summary

•Videos from the event showed hordes of people streaming into the stadium screaming hysterically.

•Some sustained injuries, with Red Cross personnel seen evacuating the casualties from the scene. Police later said they had closed the gates.

At least eight people were injured in a stampede outside the Moi International Sports Centre in Kasarani Tuesday morning.

This was after hundreds of Kenyans attending the inauguration of President-elect William Ruto forced their way into the stadium.

More police had to be brought in to control the situation after the scene turned chaotic.

A few minutes past 6 AM, police said they were unable to control the crowd, which broke the stadium’s fences and trooped in without being frisked.

“There was a breach but we have controlled the situation,” said a police officer at the scene.

Videos from the event showed hordes of people streaming into the stadium screaming hysterically.

Some sustained injuries, with Red Cross personnel seen evacuating the casualties from the scene. Police later said they had closed the gates.

"In anticipation of being part of history, Kenyans have thronged into the venue in large numbers. By 5.00 am this morning, the venue had already filled to capacity, as more people continued to troop to the venue," police spokesperson Bruno Shioso said in a statement.

"To avoid logistical challenges, this is to request the public to make alternative arrangements to view the proceedings, especially from the comfort of their homes."

Huge screens were mounted outside the stadium for those who were locked out by 7.30 am.

Up to 10,000 police officers had been mobilized for operations for the event. Some were deployed on the streets and more around the venue of the event.

At least 17 presidents, eight Prime Ministers and Deputy Presidents and seven foreign ministers will attend the inauguration of Ruto. Others include nine special envoys, seven international organisations and one former president.

All presidents from the East African Community (EAC) are expected to grace the swearing-in ceremony at Kasarani Stadium.

They are Uganda’s Yoweri Museveni, Samia Suluhu Hassan (Tanzania), Paul Kagame (Rwanda), Évariste Ndayishimiye (Burundi), Felix Tshisekedi (DRC Congo), Hassan Sheikh Mohamud (Somalia) and Salva Kiir Mayardit of South Sudan.

Others include Dennis Nguesso (Congo), Ismail Guelleh (Djibouti), Filipe Nyusi (Mozambique), Brahim Ghail (Sahrawi Republic), Emmerson Mnangagwa (Zimbabwe), Azali Assousmani (Comoros) and Lazarus Chakwera of Malawi.

Abiy Ahmed (Ethiopia), Umaro Embalo (Guinea Bissau) and Waveli Ramkalawan (Seychelles) will also attend.

Top representatives of the United Nations (UN), Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), Commonwealth, Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), African Union (AU) and European Union (EU) are also expected to attend.

Cuban deputy Prime Minister Ines Maria Chapman Waugh, Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue (Vice President of Equatorial Guinea), Mahamadu Bawumia (Vice President Ghana), David Mabuza (Vice President South Africa), Sorena Sattari (Vice President Iran), Yemi Osinbajo (Vice President Nigeria), Malik Agar (Sudan’s transitional council) and Maja Gojkovic (Deputy Prime Minister of Serbia) will attend.

The speaker of Algeria Ibrahim Boughali, Togo’s Yawa Tsegan, former German president Christian Wulff and UK’s minister for Commonwealth Vicky Ford as well as India’s minister for external affairs Vellamvelli Muraleedharan will also be present

President Joe Biden Saturday announced the designation of a Presidential Delegation to attend the event.

The team will be led by the US trade representative Katherine Tai and will include the ambassador to Nairobi Meg Whitman, Colin Allred, United States Representative (D), Texas and Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of African Affairs, U.S. Department of State Mary Catherine Phee.

Assistant Administrator for the Bureau for Africa, U.S. Agency for International Development Dr Monde Muyangwa will also attend the event.

Japan will be represented by a special envoy of Prime Minister Makihara Hideki while South Korea will have Choung Byoung Gug who is the chairman of the central committee of the People Power Party and China will have Liu Yuxi, a special representative of the Chinese Government on African Affairs.

The Assumption of Office of the President Committee said some 2,500 VIPs are also expected to grace the occasion.

The function’s guard of honor is expected to be mounted by the 21st battalion of the Kenya Rifles. By Cyrus Ombati, The Star

Details: Julius Mbaluto; East Africa; 12 September 2022; 467

Supreme Court Bench during the Wednesday, August 31, hearing of the Presidential petition. FILE

The Judiciary on Monday, September 12, sent a warning to Kenyans directing them to desist from attacking the Supreme Court following the Presidential petition ruling.

In the statement signed by the Directorate of Public Affairs and Communication, the Judiciary noted that it had learnt that some of the attacks through social media were being funded by political operatives and other interested parties.

It further maintained that the seven-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Martha Koome carried out its mandate as per the Constitution.

"The Judiciary's attention has been drawn to a recent wave of sponsored sustained attack targeting the Supreme Court of Kenya.

A file image of the judiciary TWITTER

"The Supreme Court, was established under Article 163(1) of the Constitution 2010 and given original exclusive jurisdiction to hear and determine disputes relating to the elections to the office of the President. The Court has therefore only done its work pursuant to the provisions of the Constitution," the statement read in part.

"The persons sponsoring and executing the attacks on social media to disparage the Court are advised to desist forthwith," the Judiciary continued.

According to the statement, some individuals had singled out individual judges accusing them of taking sides in the petition that was filed by former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.

To justify the ruling by the Supreme Court, the Judiciary maintained that a detailed ruling would be released in due course.

"It is further noted that the court is yet to render its reasoned judgment which will outline the basis on which the election of the President-elect was upheld. There is a legal provision of 21 days following the reading of the short version of the judgment to do so. Kenyans are therefore requested to exercise patience as they await the full judgment which will shed light and provide clarity on the grounds and rationale of the Court.

"Meanwhile, no Judge of the Supreme Court has written a resignation letter, as claimed in a section of media, because there is no reason to do so. The Court is working in harmony as a cohesive unit," added the statement.

The Judiciary maintained that the judgement given by the seven-judge bench was made unanimously.

"Further, there has been an unfortunate trend of isolating individual judges and attributing the judgment to them. The Court has seven judges who are independent and highly respectful of beach other as equals. A ‘UNANIMOUS' judgment is a collective decision made by the Court and not by an individual," the statement continued.

This comes just a day after Siaya Governor James Orengo hit out at the Chief Justice and terming the Supreme Court verdict that upheld President-elect William Ruto victory as a shame to the country.

He made his utterances arguing that the bench made a political judgment at a time when the country needed an objective verdict.

He further accused the apex court of a hidden vendetta in the ruling which unanimously disregarded all nine issues raised by the Azimio la Umoja's legal team

"Chief Justice Koome you have brought shame to the Judiciary by rendering a judgment that in the eyes of the ordinary people who fought for you to make sure a Chief Justice can have independence. You have brought shame to the people of the Republic of Kenya!” he claimed.

The Supreme Court validated the results announced by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Chairperson Wafula Chebukati.

Senior Counsel James Orengo arrives the Supreme Court on Wednesday, August 31, 2022. THE JUDICIARY By Derrick Okubasu, kenyans.co.ke