East Africa - Informer East Africa News

Details: East Africa; 01 November 2021; 508

President Uhuru Kenyatta is expected to join other world leaders in Glasgow, Scotland today for the United Nations Climate talks hosted by the United Kingdom whose aim is to take collective action to tackle climate change.

The Head of State, who is accompanied by senior government officials including cabinet secretaries who will be attending various themed meetings at the conference, is expected to address world leaders as well as meet UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

British High Commissioner to Kenya Jane Marriott, who welcomed Uhuru to Glasgow said Kenya has been in the forefront to tackle climate change.

“The stakes over the next two weeks have never been higher. Kenya as a leader on tackling climate change is also one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to its effects.

The UK welcomes President Kenyatta to Glasgow as we work together to negotiate a fair inclusive deal to save the planet,” she said.

In today’s session which is the first day of the talks, Uhuru is expected to speak at the Leaders Summit where he will set out the ambitious actions Kenya is taking to tackle climate change and showcase Kenya as a leader on climate action in the region.

Kenya leading

Despite bearing almost none of the historic responsibility, Kenya is leading the way in tackling climate change in the region being the first African country to pass a Climate Change Act (in 2016) as well as running on 90 per cent renewable power, with a target of hitting 100 per cent by 2030.

Tomorrow, Uhuru and other leaders are expected to attend a high-level event on innovation that will be hosted by Johnson.

In the meeting, world marathon record holder Eliud Kipchoge, who has been at the forefront of conservation and restoration of forests, adopting 50 hectares of land in Kaptagat forest, which received part of Sh550 million worth of UK funding to support Kenya’s climate transition is expected to join Uhuru to press for action to halt and reverse forest loss.

Environment and Forestry Cabinet Secretary Keriako Tobiko, who is expected to give a keynote speech on Adaptation Day and Science and Innovation Day as well as together with Principal Secretary Chris Kiptoo and Kipchoge will attend an event by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) on Nature Based Solutions on Wednesday expressed confidence that the conference will come out with better ways of dealing with climate change.

“COP26 is a make or break for humanity and the planet. The time to take action is now. We hope that this conference will see pledges honoured to enable adaptation, especially on the African continent. COP26 must produce concrete results.

Last November, UK and Kenya launched a joint Year of Climate Action to drive forward the Kenya-UK Strategic Partnership agreed in 2020 by Uhuru and Johnson.

In the last three years, the UK government has spent Sh22 billion on climate change-related activities in Kenya including working with Kenya to adapt and manage the worst effects of climate change and create jobs in a green and sustainable way.

Apart from the address by the president, Cabinet Secretaries Ukur Yattani(National Treasury), Monica Juma (Energy), Tobiko and Elizabeth Wathuti a youth representative are expected to address the conference on various themes.

In particular Yattani is on Wednesday expected to give a keynote speech at Finance Day, where climate finance best practices will be highlighted especially now that Kenya has been an African pioneer in Green Bonds, with UK supporting both the establishment of a regulatory framework and the launch of Kenya’s first Green Bond, which was dual, listed in Nairobi and London exchanges in January 2020 at the UK Africa Investment Summit. By Mercy Mwai, People Daily

Details: East Africa; 01 November 2021; 547

Photo via Anadolu Agency

The snows of Tanzania’s Mt. Kilimanjaro are rapidly disappearing and this is having a drastic consequence for wildlife and the environment at Amboseli National Park.

Residents, including 72-year-old Stephen Koitalel, who has lived on the foothills of the snowcapped mountain have seen it in transition since he was a child.

“Every morning as a child when I took the cows out to graze, I could see the snow, the mountain was so clear back then. There was snow everywhere covering not only the top part of the mountain like it does today, but stretching close to the mid-section, said Koitalel. “It was a beautiful sight for everyone and people used to pray and hold initiation ceremonies such as circumcision and weddings while facing the mountain. Nowadays, the snow is thin, barely visible, it used to be a huge chunk of white snow. I don’t know what happened to the snow but it just disappeared.”

Lekumok Lakamai, a 53-year-old nomadic pastoralist from the Entonet area of Kajiado County, echoed those sentiments. “When growing up, my parents used to tell me that there was so much snow on the mountain, even our grandparents told us folk stories based on the mountains passed down from generation to generation. We can’t tell our kids such stories today because there is no snow to talk about,” he said.

What Koitalel and Lakamai, who have never heard the term, “climate change,” do not know is that the warming climate has resulted in the melting of the snow over the years.

The UN has warned that rising temperatures are leading to the disappearance of glaciers found on only three mountains in Africa -- Mt. Kilimanjaro, Mt. Kenya and the Rwenzori Mountains -- which are expected to melt entirely in the near future.

Melting snow cause wetlands attracting flamingoes

Anadolu Agency spoke to Dr. Patrick Omondi, the chief executive officer of Wildlife Research and Training Institute in Kenya, about the effects that melting glaciers have had on the ecosystem. He said the melting snow has turned a large area of the 151 square miles (392 square kilometers) Amboseli National Park into a wetland.

He said the melting of the Kilimanjaro glacier has had positive and negative effects. On the Kenyan side, the results have been positive.

“It is positive because Amboseli was not originally a wetland area. The melting glaciers now have filtered through and created swamps. Amboseli has now become a new bird paradise, we have birds like flamingos which we used not to have here before and we are actually thinking of naming Amboseli as one of the international wetlands of importance,” said the top Kenyan researcher.

The drastic climatic change has brought the pink-feathered birds that stand on impossibly thin legs to Amboseli where there is abundant food in swamps. According to scientists, the snow form on Kilimanjaro and immediately melts because of the warm temperature. The cycle forms an uninterrupted supply of underground water that flows down the mountain to the park.

“These swamps serve the local communities occasionally when they come to give water to their animals when the drought is high, and like now, when the drought is here, this is a permanent water source, so it has helped,” said Omondi.

Despite a severe drought in that part of Kenya, park life is thriving with water and swampy grasslands everywhere. Elephants can be seen wallowing in the mud and other animals like Zebras and wildebeests feeding on pasture.

The melting Kilimanjaro has positive effects on the Kenyan side but devastating effects in Tanzania.

In Loitoktok, on the Kenyan side, residents complain of low water levels.

“The melting of the mountain on the other side is not very good. There are high temperatures that come with droughts meaning animals disperse wide and far and it escalates human-wildlife conflict,” said Omondi.

Paleo-climatologists have warned that melting glaciers will lead to fewer water resources for communities living around the mountain especially on the Tanzanian side. Streams and rivers originating from the mountain have either dried up or have lower volumes of water.

Kenya Wildlife Service Director-General John Waweru told Anadolu Agency that two lakes have formed in Amboseli due to global warming.

“The water that is in the Amboseli system is water that actually comes from Mount Kilimanjaro through underground rivers. We have noticed that there are two lakes that are now forming which have not been named yet, but of course, there is a plan to name them in the near future,” he said. - Andrew Wasike, Anadolu Agency

Details: East Africa; 31 October 2021; 547

Claims that the users will receive their gifts delivered within 5-7 days.

In Summary

• After that, the users will have to go another step, which is sharing the fake message with others.

• The site contains harmful programs that are meant to interfere with the user’s device.

The messages being circulated on social media claiming to be from Naivas Supermarket are a scam.

According to the message, members of the public are being asked to answer some of the questionnaires which will see successful ones winning Sh9,000.

It claimed the offer was being given out as Naivas celebrates its 30th anniversary.

“Through the questionnaire, you will have a chance to get 9000 Shilling,” the fake message purporting to be from Naivas claimed.

“Do you know Naivas? How old are you? How do you think of Naivas? Are you male or female”?

After answering the four questions, users are being congratulated for winning yet the process is not yet over.

"Congratulation for having a chance to win gifts."

“You must select the correct box with your prize inside. You have 3 attempts. Good luck!”

After that, the users will have to go another step, which is sharing the message with others.

“You must tell 5 groups or 20 friends about our promotions. Enter your address and complete registration. The gifts will be delivered within 5-7 days".

However, the fact-checker has verified that the viral message did not originate from Naivas, and neither has it been shared with any media outlet.

Therefore, the message is false and is targeting Kenyans who are innocent.

Also, the site where the message originated is deceptive.

This means that it contains harmful programs that are meant to interfere with the user’s device.

Here, the user becomes a victim of the site the moment he/she clicks on it, and immediately, the user might end up installing certain programs that will cause interference. By Kevin Cheruiyot, The Star

Details: East Africa; 31 October 2021; 548

The project seeks to strengthen resilience of civil society to potentially harmful content spread online

Social media platforms are increasingly continuing to shape political and social interactions in societies, and people’s perceptions of reality. This increasing prominence of social media indicates the strides towards digital innovation, and advancement of freedom of the media and expression.

Today, almost four billion people – or more than half the global population – have access to the internet. In Kenya, internet penetration is currently at an all-time high of over 85 percent. Of this number, about 22 million are active internet users. Among the youth of course, internet usage is much higher, and is mainly used for social media.’

However, with this progress comes risks and adverse impacts associated with the spread of harmful content online that threatens social harmony. The rise in internet penetration and the resultant increased use of social media has accelerated the spread of fake news, misinformation and disinformation, and hate speech in society. Consequently, the fabric and foundation of our democracy and societal cohesion are under threat, now more than ever.

It is in this regard, that on 22 October 2021, UNESCO launched a European Union funded new multi-year projected entitled: Social Media 4 Peace in Kenya. The project seeks to strengthen resilience of civil society to potentially harmful content spread online, in particular hate speech inciting violence, while enhancing promotion of peace through digital technologies, notably social media.

While digitization of societies has enhanced free flow of information, digital communication tools have become instrumental platforms for spreading harmful content with significant impact on conflict dynamics and peace.

In his opening remarks, Prof. Hubert Gijzen, UNESCO Regional Director for Eastern Africa and Representative to Kenya reiterated UNESCO commitment to implementing the United Nation Plan of Action on Hate Speech by fostering information as a public good and strengthening transparency of the internet ecosystem.

"We need to craft new solutions for addressing and countering such emerging threats as hate speech, dis and misinformation, by maximizing the potential of digital technologies’ as tools for peacebuilding rather than instruments for violence," Prof. Hubert Gijzen, UNESCO Regional Director for Eastern Africa and Representative to Kenya.

We need to craft new solutions for addressing and countering such emerging threats as hate speech, dis and misinformation, by maximizing the potential of digital technologies’

He further emphasized that the project’s success will be determined by partnerships built around its implementation with government, national authorities, UN family, CSOs, INGOs and academia.

Mr. Marc Fiedrich, Head of Unit, Foreign Policy Instruments, Stability and Peace Crisis Response, Conflict Prevention and Peace Building at the European Commission stated that: “It is crucial that all stakeholders engage with us and collaborate to help social media platforms to better understand the risks and challenges to peace that are at stake, and work out collectively solutions to improve moderation of harmful content to tackle orchestrated campaigns of disinformation, hate speech that exacerbates tension, division and leads to violence.”

At the launch Mr. Stephen Jackson, the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Kenya stated that at the height of COVID 19 Pandemic, the UN launched ‘Verified’. An initiative to combat the growing misinformation by increasing the volume and reach of trusted, accurate information.

"Hate speech, for its part, is a menace to democratic values, social stability and peace. It attacks tolerance, inclusion and diversity. Its impact is felts across all UN areas of operations, including: human rights protection; prevention of atrocity crime; preventing and countering terrorism and the underlying spread of violent extremism; preventing and addressing gender based violence; and enhancing protection of civilians," Mr. Stephen Jackson, United Nations Resident Coordinator in Kenya.

Dr. James Njogu, Deputy Secretary-General of the Kenya National Commission for UNESCO; also acknowledged that while hate speech and disinformation predate social media, these digital platforms now amplify their prominence.

Rev. Dr. Samuel Kobia CBS, Chairman of the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC), expressed optimism that through initiatives such as UNESCO Social Media for Peace project, hate speech, election violence, and disharmony among people shall be prevented, tolerance within communities boosted and media and information literacy (MIL) skills and competencies enhanced among social media users in Kenya.

While officially launching the project, the Chief Guest, Mr. Joe Mucheru, the Kenya Cabinet Secretary for ICT, Innovation and Youth Affairs, represented by Col. (Rtd) Cyrus Oguna, Kenya Government Spokesperson noted that the project was timely, especially with the upcoming elections in the country where hate speech and disinformation often peaks. He assured UNESCO of the government’s partnership commitment and support during the implementation of the project: “Every generation faces its peculiar challenges: ours is the challenge of balancing development - especially in the digital space – with ensuring that such development does not come at a huge cost to society in terms of disinformation and disintegration of our moral fabric. My ministry remains fully committed to working with UNESCO and other like-minded partners to champion the Social Media for Peace campaign.”

The launch of the Social Media 4 Peace in Kenya brought together stakeholders from government, UN agencies, European Union, technology companies, Embassies, CSOs, INGOs, the media and private sector to engage in an interactive discussion in two sessions on: a) harnessing the power of digital technologies for peacebuilding, looking into current state at play about the role of tech companies in peacebuilding in Kenya as well as identifying good practices, opportunities and partnerships for technology companies to contribute to peacebuilding; and b) addressing online hate speech and disinformation in Kenya; focusing in particular on existing mechanisms for tackling hate speech and disinformation, while exploring further challenges to efficiently curbing harmful content on social media, before articulating further on existing opportunities and best practices in remedying the proliferation of harmful digital content online.

About the Social Media for Peace Project

The Social Media for Peace project is premised on the realization that while digitalization of societies presents opportunities for information flow, digital communication tools have also become instrumental platforms for spreading harmful content with a significant impact on conflict dynamics and peace. Through the project, UNESCO seeks to enhance understanding of the root causes, scale and impact of potentially harmful content and of the effectiveness of the tools to address it in the 3 pilot countries – Kenya, Bosnia & Herzegovina, and Indonesia. The project is funded by the European Union and will contribute to the achievement of SDG 16, to promote just, peaceful and inclusive societies and to the UN Plan of Action on Hate Speech launched by UN Secretary General Antonio Gutierrez to combat the online disturbing groundswell of xenophobia, racism and intolerance. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Details: East Africa; 31 October 2021; 513

Tens of thousands turned out across the country for Saturday's demonstrations, which came almost a week after the military dissolved the government, declared a state of emergency and detained Sudan's civilian leadership.

Sudanese people stage a demonstration demanding the end of the military intervention in Khartoum, Sudan on 30 October, 2021. Source: Anadolu/Getty Images

Sudanese security forces on Saturday killed three protesters during mass anti-coup rallies, medics said, despite warnings from global powers who had urged the military to exercise restraint.

"Two demonstrators were killed in the city of Omdurman by the putschist military council," the independent Central Committee of Sudan's Doctors said in a tweet, adding that one was shot in the head and the other in the stomach.

It later said security forces had shot dead a third protester, also in Omdurman, Khartoum's sister city, bringing the overall death toll since the outbreak of anti-coup protests Monday to 12.

The medics said "live rounds" were fired at protesters in Omdurman and parts of Khartoum.

More than 100 people were also wounded on Saturday, some suffering breathing difficulties due to tear gas, the committee added.

Sudanese people stage a demonstration demanding the end of the military intervention in Khartoum, Sudan on 30 October, 2021. Source: Anadolu/Getty Images

Sudan's interior ministry denied that live rounds were fired at protesters on Saturday, saying the reported killings were "inaccurate".

"Groups of protesters ... attacked the police, as well as vital sites, which prompted the police to fire tear gas," a statement said.

An AFP correspondent said tear gas was fired at other protests on the eastern banks of the Nile in Khartoum.

Security forces had deployed in large numbers and blocked bridges to Khartoum.

Tens of thousands turned out across the country for Saturday's demonstrations, which came almost a week after Monday's power grab, when the military dissolved the government, declared a state of emergency and detained Sudan's civilian leadership.

The move sparked a chorus of international condemnation, with world powers demanding a swift return to civilian rule.

"No, no to military rule," protesters carrying Sudanese flags chanted in Khartoum.

Organisers had aimed to stage mass protests similar to those that led to the toppling of autocrat Omar al-Bashir in 2019.

'Don't back down'

As night fell, many protests in Khartoum and Omdurman thinned out, AFP correspondents said.

Demonstrations took place across the country during the day, from Khartoum to the eastern regions of Gedaref and Kassala and the Red Sea city of Port Sudan, as well as central North Kordofan state and southern White Nile state, witnesses and AFP correspondents said.

"We want civilian rule... It has to be civilian 100 per cent," said Hashim al-Tayib, a protester in southern Khartoum.

From autocracy to military coup: A timeline of power in Sudan since 2019

Sudan had been led since August 2019 by a civilian-military council which was supposed to last three years and lead to full civilian rule.

The arrangement came under increasing strain prior to the coup, which analysts said aimed to maintain the army's traditional control over the north-east African country.

Protesters held posters of Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, ousted by the military and effectively held under house arrest, with slogans saying, "Don't back down".

"Though I have reservations on the performance of Hamdok's government, there is no substitute for it," said protester Hagar Youssef.

Protesters in east Khartoum burned tyres and held posters reading, "It's impossible to go back", while in the city's southern district, banners expressed concern that the country might return to Washington's state sponsors of terrorism list.

That designation, accompanied by years of crippling sanctions, was lifted only last December, opening the way to debt relief and renewed largesse from the International Monetary Fund and World Bank.

After Monday's coup, the World Bank suspended aid to Sudan in a heavy blow to a country already mired in a dire economic crisis that began under Mr Bashir.

The World Bank has suspended operations in Sudan following the military coup

Other protesters called for "freedom to the members of cabinet" who have been detained since the putsch.

Several pro-democracy activists have also been arrested following the takeover led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, Sudan's de facto leader since the ouster of Mr Bashir which came at the cost of more than 250 lives.

Warnings on violence

Officials from the United Nations, the US and Britain have urged security forces to refrain from violence and show "restraint".

"The security services and their leaders will bear responsibility for any violence towards any protesters," said Robert Fairweather, Britain's special envoy for Sudan and South Sudan.

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said on Saturday that Sudan's security was "of paramount importance" to the Gulf kingdom and called for "a Sudanese dialogue that brings together all parties".

Before the protests began, Sudan's information ministry, which backs a civilian government, warned that coup authorities were planning to engineer "instances of destruction to justify its excessive violence".

Shops have largely been shuttered, and government employees have refused to work as part of a campaign of civil disobedience.

Mr Burhan, a senior general under Mr Bashir's three decades of iron-fisted rule, has insisted the military takeover "was not a coup" but only meant to "rectify the course of the Sudanese transition".

Sudan has enjoyed only rare democratic interludes since independence in 1956 and spent decades riven by civil war. SBS

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