JUBA, SEPTEMBER 16, 2023 (SUDANS POST) – South Sudan journalist and former news presenter at SSBC Garang John has accused Vice-President Hussein Abdelbagi of South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA) of owning a torture cell or chamber that he uses to torture SSOA opponents. 

Garang was arrested alongside six other SSBC journalists in January this year over a viral video in which President Salva Kiir could be seen wetting on himself in public during inauguration of a major road project last December. 

He fled South Sudan after he was released from detention in March, where he had been held without charges. It is not yet clear as to where he is currently hiding, but it is being speculated that he is seeking asylum in the United States. 

In a brief social media statement, Garang claimed that Vice-President Hussein Abdelbagi owns a torture cell at the NSS detention facility in Jebel which is used for torture of opponents within the South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA). 

“Vice President Hussein Abdelbagi Ayii has a private holding cell inside the National Security Detention facility allocated to him by the NSS authorities for use against his SSOA political enemies,” the former SSBC journalist wrote.

“When I arrived at the detention facility, my jailers disagreed over whether to hold me briefly in this cell so that my family and friends who might have wanted to come wouldn’t find me. It was also intended to hide me within the holding facility so that officers perceived sympathetic to me wouldn’t easily locate me,” he added. 

The South Sudan National Security Service and Vice-President Hussein’s office have both not yet commented on Garang allegations.

John’s story is just one example of the many ways in which the South Sudanese government is cracking down on its critics.

In recent years, there has been a surge in arbitrary arrests, detention, and torture of journalists, human rights activists, and opposition politicians.

The United States, one of South Sudan’s western friends who have funded peace efforts in the war-torn country, has condemned the government’s crackdown on dissent and has called for the release of all political prisoners to pave way for reconciliation. 

The US has also imposed sanctions on several senior South Sudanese government officials, including Vice President Taban Deng Gai, information minister Michael Makuei and cabinet minister Martin Elia Lomuro, for peace obstruction.

Garang said that his claims is not yet “comprehensive because sensitive parts have been withheld for my future publication.”  Sudans Post

Democrats in New York City have been heckled by protestors who are calling for an end to the migrant crisis, chanting “send them back!”

Alexandria Osasio-Cortez (AOC), Jerry Nadler and Adriano Espaillat alongside other democrats were heckled during a press conference on the city’s migrant crisis.

One protestor, Johnathan Rinaldi, who is a Queens City Council candidate, shouted “send them back!”

Another cried: “Close the border, close the border. Respect the constitution AOC. I am your constituent.”

 

An asylum seeker looks out a window of a school bus as he arrives with others at a tent shelter built to house newly arrived migrants© GB News

The Democrats spoke outside of the Roosevelt Hotel in Manhattan, which has become a relief centre for migrants. 

“What we seek to do is to make sure that all the resources are necessary and that we are joining with the city and state,” Ocasio-Cortez said to the unruly crowds.

She was quickly interrupted by a man wielding a megaphone, who shouted “Illegal immigration is not right! Respect the constitution, close the border”.

Espaillat said: “We see so many stories, heartbreaking stories manifest itself here. What I think, these are folks that will take New York City to a better place," he said as people kept shouting out in the background.

“Every crisis presents great opportunity. There's hope and opportunity in this building," Espaillat continued, noting that "this is a contentious issue," gesturing toward the protesters who broke out in another chant of "close the border!”

The city has received more than 110,000 migrants in the past year. The Recount (Video)Rep. Nadler (D-NY) at a protest outside a Manhattan shelter for asylum-seekers urges Congress to address the crisis.

“I think that there are three points of consensus here that are very important in getting a solution to that issue," Ocasio-Cortez then said, despite the heckling. "The first is that there is consensus here across geographies and state on increased federal resources to cities and municipalities dealing with this issue.”

“The second is to allow for work authorizations so that folks in here can get to work and start supporting themselves as soon as possible. They are prevented from getting jobs. They are prevented from employment and that is part of the strain on our public systems,” she added.

“The faster that folks can access the work that they're asking for, legally, the better we can solve this problem.”

David Re, 59, a protestor, insisted that migrants had “jumped” the immigration line.

“My wife’s children, Diego and Lina, have been waiting seven long years in Medellin, Colombia, to come to this country legally. They have paid all the immigration fees and have been fingerprinted by the FBI. They have done everything right — they have been waiting and they haven’t broken federal law by crossing the border illegally, so why not them?” he told the New York Post.

“From the bottom of my heart, I implore Biden to close the border. It’s two years overdue. If you keep rewarding people for breaking federal law by crossing the border and coming to New York illegally, it’s never going to stop,” he said.

New York City’sMayor Eric Adams has warned that the crisis has the power to “destroy” the city.

The mayor said at a town hall meeting last week: “I’m gonna tell you something, New Yorkers, never in my life have I had a problem that I didn’t see an ending to. I don’t see an ending to this.

He stressed: “This issue will destroy New York City. Destroy New York City.”

The Mayor also slammed the Governor of Texas Greg Abbot who has run a high-profile campaign to send migrants to New York, Los Angeles and other cities via bus.

A bus filled with migrants sent up from Texas first arrived in New York in August 2022.

Since then, 13,0000 more asylum seekers originally located in Texas, have arrived by bus to the city, according to data shared by Adams. GB News

Over the last 12 months, the health sector has been marred by damning scandals, even as it struggles to implement the much-hyped Universal Health Coverage (UHC).

The Kenya Kwanza government, under President William Ruto, has been struggling with scandals reported in various agencies within the Ministry of Health.

The agencies which have been rocked by scandals include the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) and the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (Kemsa). 

President Ruto went on to sack Health Principal Secretary(PS) Josephine Mburu, and suspended Kemsa Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Terry Ramadhani after the two were implicated in a Sh3.7 billion mosquito nets scandal. Ruto, who appeared agitated in an interview in a local media station after the scandal came to light, assured Kenyans that he planned to restore order at Kemsa.

“Watch this space, what you have said is correct. I am doing something about it, and I do not want to speak it now, you will see results,” said Ruto.

For emphasis, he added: “I want to give you my commitment that I will clean Kemsa, whatever it takes, whatever it costs, I will clean up Kemsa.”

Ms Mburu became the first high-ranking government official to be sacked, just a few months after taking office.

Irregularities witnessed in procurement of mosquito nets at Kemsa saw the donor withdraw the tender, which was handed over to Wambo.Org.

In the scam, Kemsa’s technical evaluation committee had identified Partecea East Africa as the winning bidder. However, in its review, the Global Fund found that none of the bids were responsive.

In the tender, Kemsa was to earn Sh74 million, Sh111 million and Sh185 million for procurement, warehouse services and distribution services respectively.

Officers suspended alongside Ramadhani were Martin Wamwea, Lenson Kariuki, Dr Pauline Duya, Livingstone Njuguna, Dr Charles Kariuki, Justus Kinoti, Cosmas Rotich and Anthony Chege.

Investigation into the matter is ongoing by parliamentary and senate health committees, and the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC).

Ruto appointed Dr Andrew Mulwa as the acting Kemsa CEO, and Irungu Nyakera as the chairperson. The two were appointed alongside Hezbon Omollo, Bernard Bett, Dr Jane Masiga and Ms Jane Mbatia, who are all board members.

Health Cabinet Secretary (CS) Susan Nakhumicha has maintained that she is determined to fight corruption at Kemsa.

“I will not stop at anything, even if it means sending home an entire department, I am ready to do it. This institution must be clean. We are going to uproot all the roots, all the evil spirits that have been planted in this institution - nitazing’oa (I will uproot them),” said Nakhumicha during inauguration of the new CEO and board at the authority.

But to stop corruption at the authority, Prof XN Iraki, an economist and a professor at the University of Nairobi, said monopoly should be done away with.

Lack of competition, he said, has continued to affect smooth flow of work at Kemsa, resulting into substandard work.

“Kemsa should not be a monopoly. Anyone willing to buy medical commodities should buy from an open market so that Kemsa is just a supplier, just like any other,” said Iraki. “Anytime there is competition, people will improve on quality, efficiency, delivery. But without competition, it is natural we shall have substandard work."

According to Iraki, once the monopoly status is done away with, there will be transparency and efficiency in service flow at the authority.

James Kamau, a health economist, and the CEO of Kenya Treatment Access Movement said Kemsa should be an independent authority. Mr Kamau said Kemsa operating under the Ministry of Health affects its independence.

“Kemsa is influenced by individuals at the ministry, a move that has led it into trouble as it has to play to tunes of individuals with interests,” he said.

Also, to avoid misappropriation of funds and irregularities in distribution, Kamau observed that Global Fund and other donors should procure commodities directly and hand them to the Kenyan government, instead of providing the country with tenders for supplies.

“We get allocated Global Fund money to buy medical commodities, but we ‘steal’ it. Why can’t we then receive commodities instead?” posed Kamau.

Wrangling at NHIF has also seen its managers in Nairobi and Meru Counties suspended over alleged minting of millions of shillings through hospitals in their areas.

Hospitals under probe in the scandal include Jekim Medical Centre in Meru, St Peter’s Orthopaedic and Surgical Hospital in Kiambu, and Afya Bora Hospital in Mwea, Meru.

Others are Joy Nursing and Maternity Hospital in Kamukunji Nairobi, Jekim Hospital in Imenti South, and Beirut Pharmacy and Medical Centre.

It is alleged that the hospitals were paid at least Sh1.54 billion for  3,011 claims made between July 2022 and June 2023.

Nakhumicha admitted that corruption at NHIF was deep-rooted.

“We have a big problem. How is it over 60 per cent of payment goes to private facilities,” she said while appearing before the National Assembly Health committee led by Robert Pukose. The CS asked the committee to support her in the fight to align the Health system.  By Mercy Kahenda, The Standard

The Federation of drivers and conductors in Kenya (FEDCO) has asked its members to increase transport fees by 30 percent, following the new drastic fuel prices.

The price hike includes a Sh16.61 increase for unleaded fuel, a Sh20.98 increase for diesel and a staggering Sh33.35 increase for Kerosene.

The Federation said the new fuel prices as announced by the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority, "have sent shockwaves through the transport sector and wider economy."

In a statement, the Federation President Calvin Nyaure said their members should increase transport fees, to mitigate the owners from the adverse impact of the fuel price hike on their daily income.

Nyaure called on quick government's intervention, by among other things reviewing the taxes imposed on fuel products.

The calls from the federation came hours after Matatu Owners Association announced that they would increase fares immediately.

MOA chairman Albert Karakacha said just like EPRA blamed the fuel increase on inflation, they also had no option but to increase the fares.

‘We as businessmen, as inflation goes up, we also have to increase so that we do not operate at loss,’’ said Karakacha.

He said when the fuel goes up, everything including fuel, tyres goes up and they can justify the 20 percent increase.

Karakacha said they have been spending around Sh14,000 to fill a 33-seater tank and with the increase, it will go to around Sh16,000.

‘‘The cost of operating a matatu, which is a 14-seater right now with an increase of around Sh17 for diesel,” the Chairman explained.

But the drivers and conductors’ federation said it is committed to engage in talks with government and other stakeholders, to find an amicable solution to the current situation. - Patrick Vidija, The Standard