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East Africa

KAMPALA, Uganda, October 4, 2023/APO Group/ -- 

The domestication of the East African Community (EAC) Mediation Agreement of 2000 is on track to facilitate payment of terminal benefits to former employees of the defunct East African Community. 

This was revealed by the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for East African Community Affairs, Rebecca Kadaga during the plenary sitting held on Tuesday, 03 October 2023. “There is an enabling framework to facilitate the payment. The outstanding task is verifying the genuine claimants with involvement of all stakeholders to ensure that only legitimate and bona fide claimants are paid,” said Kadaga.

The EAC collapsed in 1977 when the community comprised of Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania. Kadaga said that between 2019 and 2023, the Ministry of East African Community Affairs has verified and paid a total of 586 claimants

The Mediation Agreement was signed by the former partner states in May 1984 but according to Kadaga, attempts to domesticate it failed twice in 1990 and 2004, with none of the two Bills being presented to Parliament.

Kadaga said that between 2019 and 2023, the Ministry of East African Community Affairs has verified and paid a total of 586 claimants. “For 2023/2024, the ministry has so far verified 31 additional files worth US$93,533. Another batch of 1,297 files are being verified and upon conclusion of the audit exercise, a supplementary budget will be made to ask funds from the Finance Ministry to pay cleared claimants," she added.

Kadaga added that 474 former employees of the defunct East African Airways have been fully paid, whereas 150 remain pending due to failure by the ministry and their lawyers to physically trace them. “The ministry has, in the process, encountered a series of challenges including lack of readily available, authentic and verifiable records as well as multiple claims by claimants that are not genuine,” she said.

Hon. Cecilia Ogwal (FDC, Dokolo District Woman Representative) tasked the EAC Ministry to establish payment timelines that will give waiting claimants hope.

Hon. Francis Katabaazi (NUP, Kalungu East County) tasked the Ministry to scale up efforts to recover money from Crown Agents which abdicated its delegated responsibility by government to pay claimants under the Mediation Agreement. Kiboga District Woman Representative, Hon. Christine Kaaya said the legal firm representing former employees of defunct EA Airways, Ssozi & Partner Advocates should develop mechanisms of tracing its clients so that they benefit from the payments.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Parliament of the Republic of Uganda.

 

Pope Francis has urged participants of the forthcoming Cop28 talks in Dubai to agree to binding policies to phase out fossil fuels.

The Pontiff said the world's transition to clean, renewable energy was not progressing fast enough.

But he said the next round of UN climate talks opening on November 30 presented an opportunity for "a change of direction”, with real commitments to moving to clean energy sources such as wind and solar.

The Pope made the comments in an update to his influential 2015 encyclical – the highest form of papal writing – in which he spoke of the need to protect the environment, face the dangers and challenges of climate change and reduce the use of fossil fuels.

The new 7,000-word document, called Laudate Deum, was published on Wednesday, on the feast day of Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of the environment. 

In it, he warned some damage was “already irreversible”.

“The world in which we live is collapsing and may be nearing the breaking point,” he said.

“It is indubitable that the impact of climate change will increasingly prejudice the lives and families of many persons.”In the text, which runs to 12 pages, the Pope expressed hope “that Cop28 will allow for a decisive acceleration of energy transition, with effective commitments subject to ongoing monitoring”.

He called for “binding forms of energy transition that meet three conditions … efficient, obligatory and readily monitored”.

Failure in Dubai, he said, “will be a great disappointment and jeopardise whatever good has been achieved thus far”.

Only a real commitment to change “can enable international politics to recover its credibility”, wrote the Pope. 

He noted the UAE was a “great exporter of fossil fuels” but has also made “significant investments” in renewable energy sources.

In the text, the Pope warned against putting too much trust in technology to capture gas emissions, saying that while it was promising, it did not tackle the human causes at the root of global warming.

Addressed to “All people of good will on the climate crisis,” the text includes some highly technical sections.

“Despite all attempts to deny, conceal, gloss over or relativise the issue, the signs of climate change are here and increasingly evident,” he said.

“No one can ignore the fact that in recent years we have witnessed extreme weather phenomena, frequent periods of unusual heat, drought and other cries of protest on the part of the earth that are only a few palpable expressions of a silent disease that affects everyone,” he said.

He specifically faulted deniers and sceptics for refusing to acknowledge the speed of the current changes taking place over “one generation – not centuries or millennia”.

Saying "it is no longer possible to doubt the human - 'antropic' - origin of climate change," he took aim at those who "deride these facts," saying they use "allegedly scientific data" to show that the planet has always had periods of warming and cooling.

He added: “The rise in the sea level and the melting of glaciers can be easily perceived by an individual in his or her lifetime, and probably in a few years many populations will have to move their homes because of these facts." By Gillian Duncan, NCOP28

British High Commissioner Neil Wigan with Kericho governor Erick Mutai when the envoy paid the governor a courtesy call to the county chief at his office on Wednesday, October 4, 2023. [Nikko Tanui, Standard]

The United Kingdom has been urged to consider restitution of communities that were evicted from their ancestral land during the colonial era.

Kericho governor Erick Mutai told the British High Commissioner to Kenya Neil Wigan that it was not enough for his government to acknowledge the injustices meted out on locals. 

 

"I challenge the UK government to consider restitution of the Kipsigis community and the Talai clan, who were evicted from their ancestral lands during the British colonial occupation to make way for tea plantations," Dr Mutai told Mr Wigan, who paid him a courtesy call at his office in Kericho town on Tuesday.

The envoy, who was in South Rift amid clamour for land rights by some residents of Bomet and Kericho counties, and the controversy over tea-plucking machines, had said he wants his assignment to go beyond Nairobi and explore counties such as Kericho and Bomet that have deep historical ties with the UK. 

"I want to understand how that history still affects the people and the county today. Furthermore, we want to be forward-looking. We have a unique partnership with the national government, and we aim to extend it to the county level," Wigan said.

He said there are partnerships the UK has with Kenya, which he said majorly revolve around job creation, environmental sustainability, and healthcare, among others.

However, his host Mutai said the UK government should go further and consider restitution of those who were evicted from their farms. 

"Residents of this county have huge expectations based on our engagements 

"We want the British to acknowledge the historical facts then, we can move forward. We live in a global world and we want to attract investors from all over the world. We want partnerships with the whole world," said Mutai. 

Workers harvesting tea using a tea picking machine at a farm in Kericho on July 20, 2022. [File, Standard]

In a reciprocal gesture, the governor indicated his administration's willingness to withdraw the case lodged by his predecessor, Paul Chepkwony, at the United Nations Human Rights Council regarding the historical land injustices. 

"Once the forms of apology and restitution are agreed upon, members of the local community whose land was taken away by the British colonial government will feel the British government has finally listened to their grievances, and there will be a solidification of our friendship," Mutai said.

This came as a response to the ambassador's inquiries regarding the residents' perception of the UK government.

Addressing Mutai's call for employment opportunities, Wigan disclosed that the British government had initiated a pilot scheme in healthcare, allowing qualified Kenyan nurses to work in the UK.

"On the issue of scholarships, eligible applicants can apply for fully funded master's programmes in the United Kingdom through the British Council," he said.

The envoy pledged to connect the county with British companies specializing in agro-processing.

Furthermore, he announced the UK's readiness to assist counties in mitigating the effects of climate change, this coming amid concerns about the economic and humanitarian impacts of El Niño.

"We are worried about El Niño effects in terms of the economy and humanitarian concerns. We are exploring ways to provide support,” he said.

Kericho Water Executive, Rosemary Rop, highlighted the department's efforts in conducting a participatory risk assessment and identifying areas of vulnerability. 

She spoke of the need for water security within the communities and the plans in place to serve up to 200,000 people, particularly in areas such as Bureti constituency which has a challenge of shortage of water. By Nikko Tanui, The Standard

The scene of the IED explosion in Garissa. PHOTOS/X/DCI_Kenya
 Two Al-Shabaab terrorists were blown up in pieces when a bomb they were setting up exploded on them in the Amuma area of Garissa county.

Police said border patrol officers from a nearby police camp visited the scene along Amuma-Ruqa Road and confirmed the early Tuesday morning October 3, 2023, incident.

Police added that multiple militants were involved in the botched operation and that several others escaped with life-threatening injuries when the Improvised Explosive Device (IED) they were planting exploded on them.

"A group of Al-Shabaab militants that was planting an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) along a road in Garissa County, was served a taste of their own medicine when the IED exploded killing two of them on the spot, as others scattered from the scene with life-threatening injuries," the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) said in a statement on Tuesday night.

"Karma came back on the militants who were targeting innocent civilians and police officers using the road, when the explosive went off delivering instant justice to the Shabaab," the statement continued.

Security teams that responded to the scene found the badly mutilated bodies of the Al-Shabaab terrorists sprawled all over there.

 
 
 2 Al-Shabaab terrorists blown up in pieces while planting bomb on road in Garissa

Police also said they recovered a battery and some wires believed to have been part of the IED.

The battery recovered from the scene. PHOTO/X (DCI_Kenya)

"Scattered limbs, parts of the human digestive system and tatters of the ragtag militia’s fatigues littered the scene, demonstrating the level of impact of the explosion. Also found at the scene was a battery and some wires believed to have been part of the explosive," police said. By Martin Oduor, K24 Digital

Police arresting the protesting students

Police in Mbale has arrested 13 students from three major secondary schools for staging a protest and obstructing traffic.

The arrested students are from Nkoma secondary school, Mbale secondary school, and Progressive high school. They took to the streets after being ejected from their schools Tuesday morning over unpaid fees. They blocked Pallisa road and pelted oncoming vehicles with stones. 

Rogers Taitika, the Elgon region police spokesperson, says that police swung into action to disperse the errant students. The arrested students are currently locked up at Mbale Central police station.

He explained that they are actively searching for more students who are on the run. Taitika said the students will face charges of inciting violence and causing deliberate damage to property."   By URN/The Observer

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