KAMPALA (AGENCIES) — The criminal investigations directorate (CID) has launched a manhunt for socialite Charles Olim aka Sipapa for allegedly robbing $429,000 (about Shs 1.64 billion) from South Sudanese national identified as Jacob Arok.
The said money was stolen during a robbery at Arok’s home in Bunga, Makindye Division in the wee hours of August 28. The attackers who, according to CID detectives, used chloroform also vanished with four iPhones, two Apple laptops, a Dell laptop and gold jewellery.
In the aftermath, Arok filed a case of robbery at Kabalagala police division indicating that he did not know when exactly the robbers accessed his house, but his valuables had been taken by the time he woke up. A subsequent search by criminal and cyber teams digitally located the iPhone in Buwate village, in Kira Municipality.
Police spokesperson Fred Enanga says that the said home belongs to Sipapa who was not present at the time. When the house was searched, in the presence of Sipapa’s wife Shamirah Nakiyimba, the detectives uncovered some of the items that had been robbed from Arok’s home including money amounting to $70,000.
“During the subsequent investigations, our detectives tracked down an iCloud signal from one of the stolen phones that led them to the location in Kityo close Buwate in Kira division. When we interviewed the occupants, they told us that the house belongs to Olim Charles Sipapa,” said Enanga.
As police searched the home, Sipapa was in his home district Tororo where he was seen distributing money afterwards. Now, the police have arrested four suspects including the wife Nakiyimba.
“So far four suspects are in custody including the wife Nakiyimba Shamirah. Nakiyimba Shamirah had tried to hide the $70,000 in one of the shoes. Then the other items, the iPhones and the gold jewellery we found under her bed. So a serious manhunt for Sipapa who is urgently needed for questioning is ongoing. His last locations were in Nagongera, Soni and Nabuyonga sub-counties in Tororo where he was distributing a lot of money,” added Enanga.
Police have also recovered a Jeep and an Audi vehicle that was being resprayed from white to red colour. It is not the first time Sipapa is falling on the wrong side of the law.
He has previously faced allegations of domestic violence, traffic offences, murder, attacking opposition National Unity Platform (NUP) headquarters and shooting live ammunition through the gate, attempted murder, and robberies among others but somehow the cases against him tend to just fizzle out without any progress. Sudan Post
Policymakers say that the free movement of labour will be a key contributor to the successful functioning of the free trade area and realising the above benefits for workers
The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) was signed on 21st March 2018 in Kigali, Rwanda, by 44 out of the 55 African countries, and brokered by the African Union (AU). This agreement was born of the realisation that total trade exports from Africa to the rest of the world are estimated at USD 760 billion; however, this is mostly in the form of raw materials and thus prevents Africa from deriving the true value of such exports. Considering that African exports to the world make up only 3% of the total world trade value, there exists much scope for improvement.
No wonder then, in a 2020 report, the World Bank estimated that by 2035, real income gains from full implementation of the agreement could be 7%, or nearly USD 450 billion, while predicting that the agreement could contribute to lifting an additional 30m people from extreme poverty and 68m people from moderate poverty.
Against this backdrop, it is clear that the AfCFTA has the potential to make a significant impact on improving the livelihoods of the African people, by boosting intra-African trade and generating new employment opportunities on an integrated African labour market.
In a follow-up report (https://bit.ly/3wZhqmM) published in June 2022, the World Bank listed other potential benefits of the AfCFTA on labour including higher-paid, better-quality jobs, especially for women; as well as wage rises of 11.2% for women and 9.8% for men by 2035. Policymakers say that the free movement of labour will be a key contributor to the successful functioning of the free trade area and realising the above benefits for workers.
“Let us now dig deeper into why the labour mobility promised under the AfCFTA is important for Africa’s development and how it can be achieved towards bettering local livelihoods and ensuring sustainable wealth creation in Africa” says Margaret Soi, Head of Cross Border Banking at Bank One.
Why labour mobility stands to benefit Africa – across host and native countries
There is no denying that labour migration is good for trade and economic development, especially in developing countries, with free movement of people benefitting both the host country and the country of origin.
Financial institutions like Bank One can support the growth and needs of such skilled professionals by extending to them best-in-class cross-border banking solutions
The benefits of free movement of people within Africa can be grouped under the following five distinct categories:
Effects of intracontinental labour mobility on labour standards and wealth creation
“As a natural corollary to the AfCFTA’s beneficial effect on access to scarce skillsets in destination countries, the ease of movement of labour facilitated by the AfCFTA has also seen some host countries losing out on talent if their needs are not met. This is likely to result in a rise in labour standards across the region as countries compete with each other to retain the most skilled workers” explains Margaret Soi.
Significantly, the much-needed labour mobility in an African context has seen the growth of a new class of individuals who have an appetite to grow, maintain and preserve their wealth through sustainable investment solutions both locally and across borders. At a pan-African level, this has spurred an increased demand for cross-border banking through digital channels by these highly skilled professionals who now enjoy the added advantage of mobility to transform their livelihoods. Indeed, such professionals are well poised to join a rising class of mass affluent customers living and working in Africa – a segment that Bank One is ideally placed to serve through the combined footprint of our two shareholders, Mauritian conglomerate CIEL Ltd and Kenya-based I&M Group PLC.
Margaret adds “Financial institutions like Bank One can support the growth and needs of such skilled professionals by extending to them best-in-class cross-border banking solutions such as the recent award-winning, innovative cross-border banking value proposition under our Offshore Elite Banking Unit. At Bank One, we have a slew of best-in-class banking solutions enabling us to offer services targeted to such mass affluent customers across sub-Saharan Africa, such as:
Future forward: Committing to labour mobility for a brighter future for all
Soberingly enough despite the plethora of benefits that can be derived from intracontinental labour mobility, not all African countries are committed to the concept. Alongside the signing of the AfCFTA agreement and supporting the Kigali Declaration, while 32 African nations had signed the Protocol on Free Movement of Persons (which seeks to establish a visa-free zone within the AfCFTA countries) by January 2022, only four countries–Rwanda, Niger, Mali and São Tomé and Principe – have ratified it. Most crucially, Nigeria and South Africa, the two largest economies of Africa, have not signed or ratified the agreement.
Thus, more than one year on since the launch of the AfCFTA, it is becoming increasingly clear that its full potential will not be unlocked if we do not improve the continent’s labour mobility to ensure that the right skills are available at the right place and the right time. Indeed, it is only by ensuring free movement of people and labour across the continent that we can enhance economic growth, allow firms to find much needed skills faster, boost productivity, and enable wealth creation by allowing Africans to trade more with fellow Africans. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Bank One Limited.
The Senate has invited eligible individuals to apply for the position of Speaker after President Uhuru Kenyatta's public notice convening the first sitting of the House on Thursday.
In a notice in the Kenya Gazette published today, President Kenyatta declared that the first sitting of the third Senate of the 13th Parliament will be on Thursday, starting at 9am.
The sitting will be undertaken concurrently, in the 68-member Senate and the 350-member National Assembly.
Addressing a press conference in his office, Nairobi, today, Clerk of the Senate Jeremiah Nyegenye asked those interested in serving as Speaker to pick nomination papers at his office and return them tomorrow by 2:30pm.
“Any person who is eligible for election as a Speaker or as Deputy Speaker of the Senate and who is interested in contesting for these positions, is advised to collect nomination papers,” said Nyegenye.
The nominations papers were supposed to be picked starting yesterday between 1 to 8pm and the Clerk said his office will open beyond office hours to facilitate the process so that the greatest opportunity is availed for interested persons to collect the nomination papers.
"The office will open early today at 7am so that all those interested get an opportunity..."
“Completed nomination papers together with a curriculum vitae of each candidate and relevant supporting documents which we have advised should be returned to the Office of the Clerk the Senate not later than 2:30 pm On Wednesday,” he said.
The first business of the House when it convenes on Thursday will be for the Clerk to swear in all the elected senators. This will be followed by the election of the Speaker and the deputy speaker
However, the Deputy Speaker will be elected from among members of the respective Houses.
The candidate who picks the nomination papers will have to return them accompanied by the names and signatures of two Senators-elect who support their bid.
The senators-elect will have to make a declaration that the candidate is qualified to be elected as an MP in line with the provisions of the Constitution and is willing to serve as Speaker of the Senate.
The Senate will have a pre-swearing-in session within the precincts of Parliament buildings, Nyegenye said.
The Standard learnt that Isaac Aluochier and Oundo Jared Oluoch had already collected nomination papers for the Speaker position.
Before one is cleared to contest, he must submit the nomination papers with a list containing one third of all members of the House
However, the decision of who becomes the Speaker will be determined the politics of political parties.
So far, Kenya Kwanza enjoys an advantage and whoever it picks is likely to become the fourth Speaker of the Senate, after Timothy Chokwe (1963), Ekwee Ethuro (2013/17) and Kenneth Lusaka (2017/2022).
Kenya Kwanza is likely to front former Kilifi Governor Amason Kingi and although Raila Odinga had fronted Kenneth Marende for the seat, it is not clear how it will pan as the former Speaker has been linked with a similar position in the National Assembly.
Yesterday, Nyegenye asked the senators-elect to carry their original national identity card or passport, the IEBC certificate of election, four colored passport size photographs, their bio-data and curriculum vitae, and a copy of a carry pin certificate.
Some of the candidates who have shown interest so far in the position for Speaker and the Deputy Speaker positions are; Dr. Noah Winja, Jared Olouch, Isaac Alouch Polo, Farah Maalim, Moses Masika Wetangula, Kalonzo Musyoka and Robert Gichimu Githinji. - Ibrahim Oruko, The Standard
• Uhuru asked Kenyans to scrutinize the institutions involved in the election process by testing their truth as presented by the Constitution, as is their duty.
• The outgoing president also urged Kenyans to cross-question whether the institutions can rule one way in one election and another way in another election without scrutiny.
Last month, we helped lead an International Election Observation Mission for Kenya’s presidential elections, sponsored by the International Republican Institute (IRI) and the National Democratic Institute (NDI), on whose boards we serve. At the time of our writing, William Ruto had narrowly edged out Raila Odinga, but court challenges to the results are still being worked out.
While Kenya’s elections are once again disputed, they are being done so through legal channels and the democratic achievements of the Kenyan people are clear. The Kenyan Supreme Court is scheduled to rule on petitions challenging the presidential results tomorrow.
Kenya has been a relative bastion of stability in a very difficult neighborhood. Surrounded by unrest and one-man rule in Sudan and South Sudan, rampant terrorism in Somalia, civil war in Ethiopia and dictatorship in Uganda, Kenya’s dedication to elections and multi-party politics is an inspiration to its people, the region and the continent. It’s also an inspiration to aspiring democracies all over the world.
Kenya’s next president faces daunting problems: a large youth population with limited job opportunities, a crushing debt burden (encouraged by Chinese lending to fund large infrastructure projects) and pervasive corruption. Kenya’s democracy is far from perfect; voter registration and turnout declined in 2022, and post-election violence in 2007 left over 1,000 dead and hundreds of thousands displaced. The last presidential election in 2017 was annulled by the Supreme Court and had to be redone. Yet, despite these very real challenges, Kenyans voted and relished the opportunity to have a voice in their future.
International observation serves to reinforce global support for credible elections around the world. Reflecting that elections are a process, prior to our deployment, NDI and IRI conducted missions to Kenya in May and July to assess the electoral context and preparations for elections. On the eve of the elections, we met with a wide array of stakeholders, including leading presidential candidates, members of the Independent Election Commission and the Supreme Court, civic society representatives, church groups, women’s organizations and independent citizen observers who were conducting a parallel vote tabulation.
On Election Day this Aug. 9, we observed an impressive logistical undertaking with over 46,000 polling places across a country slightly larger than California and Florida combined. We witnessed staffers working through the night before the election to ensure polling places would open on time. We saw long lines in Kibera, the section of the capital of Nairobi that is Africa’s largest slum, and all across the region. Still, voters patiently waited to have their identification verified before receiving their ballots and voting.
Kenya’s election had both 21st-century cutting-edge biometric real-time voter identification, and old-style manual counting where ballots were dumped on makeshift tables for tabulation (manual hand counting) well into the night.
We witnessed firsthand women voting, as well as women candidates competing for high offices like the vice president and governors of their respective regions or constituencies. While women candidates faced harassment and threats of physical violence, Kenya elected a historic number of female governors in addition to voting women into 26 Parliamentary seats and three Senate seats. Still, while close to half of voters are women, Kenya’s government has never held many women. The country is far from achieving the “two-thirds gender principle” enacted in order to increase women’s representation in government.
Ruto campaigned on a classic “rags to riches story” — roadside chicken seller risen to wealthy businessman and current deputy president. His slogan, “Every Hustle Matters,” was designed to appeal to young Kenyans who rely on the vast underground economy. Odinga was a known commodity for Kenyan voters, having served as prime minister and previously run for president four times. Repeatedly jailed without trial under the Moi dictatorship in the 1980s, Odinga was endorsed by current President Kenyatta over Kenyatta’s previous running mate and serving Deputy President Ruto — a House of Cards-like twist of the type that dominates Kenyan politics.
Why does far away Kenya matter for the U.S. with so many of our own challenges? It is the economic powerhouse of East Africa, anchoring the western Indian Ocean where China increasingly flexes its muscle and expands its military footprint. It was in Kenya (and neighboring Tanzania) where Osama bin Laden attacked the U.S., bombing our embassies in 1998, and killing 213 people in Nairobi (and 11 in Dar es Salaam). Kenya has been a loyal partner in countering Islamic extremism, serving as a diplomatic mediator in regional conflicts, and providing safe haven for refugees fleeing turmoil, including the horrific 1994 genocide in Rwanda and the tragic ongoing conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Kenya was also one of the most vocal critics of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. As one of the most important countries in the dynamic African continent, Kenya’s political direction and democratic stability are matters of great concern all over the globe.
As we repeatedly told our Kenyan interlocutors, elections are about more than just winning — they are also about accepting defeat. We know this all too well from personal experience. Losing elections with grace a dignity after the votes are counted and legitimate court challenges exhausted is every bit as important as a level campaign playing field, secret voting and transparent vote counting.
Whatever the final outcome, the real winners in Kenya’s election are the voters who had a voice in choosing their leader. And the long-term winners are the citizens of every democracy on earth struggling to implement and maintain this most precious and most delicate of governing systems. That includes the United States.
Donna Brazile is a member of the board of the National Democratic Institute (NDI) and the former interim chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee. Randy Scheunemann is vice chair of the board at the International Republican Institute (IRI) and strategic counselor at the Halifax International Security Forum. The views expressed are their own. The Hill
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