East Africa

East Africa

Details: East Africa; 30 January 2023; 649

Former Kenyan Prime Minister, Raila Amolo Odinga, has just arrived the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja on Monday, January 30, 2023, ahead of the 14th edition of annual LEADERSHIP Conference and Awards slated for Tuesday, January 31.

Odinga will be the keynote speaker at the epock-making event to be chaired by Nigeria’s Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo. The veteran Kenyan politician and his entourage arrived at about 12:10pm Nigerian time and were received by top management staff of LEADERSHIP Newspapers Group alongside officials of the Federal Government of Nigeria.

LEADERSHIP Award Is In Recognition Of Our Reforms – FIRS Chairman

Odinga was accompanied by Hon. Godffrey Osotsi, Prof Makau Mutua and Mr. Maurice Ogeta.

LEADERSHIP reports that an advance team of the Kenyan opposition leader had earlier arrived Nigeria on Sunday. By Innocent Odoh, Leadership

Details: East Africa; 30 January 2023; 578

The fight over the English Premier League broadcast rights is raging. PHOTO/INTERNET

What you need to know:

Following the publication of the above notice, Uganda Media Owners Association (Umoa) intervened and engaged further with Nab and its members (radio stations), plus DSL hoping for some breakthrough.

The stalemate between Discovery Sports Limited (DSL) and National Association of Broadcasters (Nab) over English Premier League (EPL) audio broadcast rights looks headed for a court showdown.

DSL, a Ugandan registered company, insist they own exclusive rights for audio broadcast of EPL matches and other related properties while local radio stations, under Nab, opine otherwise.

The two bodies have been in a tag of war since last August when DSL first issued a notice of rights enforcement but now seem resigned to the matter being settled in court.

"As of yesterday (Wednesday, January 25), it was very likely that the matter is going to end up in court for proper interpretation," admitted Obadiah Otim, the Nab legal counsel.

His opposite number at DSL, Timothy Kajja, also seems resigned to fate.

"Most likely," he admitted on the court's likelihood, "personally, I would always choose otherwise.

"But that’s not how entities are run. As a company, we are more than ready (for court).

"If it were not for the Umoa (Uganda Media Owners Association) intervention, we would be currently in court."

Background

DSL first published a notice last August asking telecommunication companies, betting houses and radio stations among others to comply by getting licensed to broadcast EPL matches or risk punitive action against them.

Nab engaged them and asked DSL to first provide proof that they actually owned exclusive rights to audio broadcast of EPL matches.

Then on October 6 last year, UK broadcasters talkSPORT - the Licensee of worldwide audio rights of the Premier League - confirmed to Nab they had sub-licensed DSL in Uganda.

"We have been asked to confirm that Discovery Sports Limited is authorised to exploit live audio rights in respect of the Premier League competition during the 2022/23 season in respect of the territory of Uganda, " reads the letter.

"Accordingly (we) hereby confirm (that) talkSPORT has exclusively sub-licensed the Live Audio Rights in the Territory to Discovery Sports Limited, this includes the ability to use the Premier League logos and club logos to promote the content."

The letter, which this newspaper has in copy, was signed off by William Morley, head of audio partnerships at talkSPORT.

Nab's Otim also confirmed receipt: "DSL did share the Agreements alluding to the rights in respect to the subject matter," he told the Daily Monitor.

Disagreement over interpretation

"However, there is a disagreement as to the interpretation of the same."

Armed with the letter from talkSPORT, DSL published another notice last December.

"Having given all concerned stakeholders ample notice and a transition period of over 90 days," read the DSL notice.

"On the 26th of December, 2022 Discovery Sport Limited (DSL) will start enforcing its exclusively held rights in the territory of Uganda over the following Premier League Intellectual Property and Broadcast Rights (IPRs);

"Radio/Audio broadcasts of the Premier League" and 'use of the Premier League logo, club names, and logos.

"All entities exploiting or using the above IPRs in Uganda with the exception of BBC Radio, and Betting Houses directly sponsoring a Premier League club or having an active contract with Genius Sports Limited are encouraged to use this World Cup period to acquire sublicenses from DSL before the Premier League resumes."

Umoa intervention

Following the publication of the above notice, Uganda Media Owners Association (Umoa) intervened and engaged further with Nab and its members (radio stations), plus DSL hoping for some breakthrough.

But after consulting their members, both Nab and DSL seem to see this only ending in court for better interpretation.

DSL's Kajja says they had started the enforcement process on 27th of last December but "then got divergent reactions from the broadcasters.

"Some were willing, others not but we were enforcing blanketly.

"After a series of calls, we were requested to first halt the enforcement and talk to Umoa, which we did."

Kajja added: They asked for 45 days, (from 9th Jan).

"I took the feedback to the decision makers at DSL.

"But in Feb, enforcement will be imminent," assured Kajja, "We have all documents as requested (addendum, letters, meetings to break it down) - all in good faith.

"Once we conclude dealing with those willing to handle it diplomatically, (probably at the end of Jan), we will be back on the enforcement route."

If enforcement takes effect, radio stations that broadcast these EPL matches will be required to pay a given fee for a licence, with punitive measures such as fines for those that won't.

Radio stations unrelenting

Speaking to Daily Monitor earlier, Abbey Mukiibi, the programs manager at Central Broadcasting Services (CBS) - one of the popular stations that has been broadcasting EPL matches for years, was adamant they had no business with DSL.

"As far as I’m concerned," he said, "we are continuing with our broadcasts.

“We don’t use a live feed from them or the stadium. We don’t rebroadcast. We just do it our way. I’m going on with the broadcast. Nothing is stopping.” By Andrew Mwanguhya, Daily Monitor

Details: East Africa; 29 January 2023; 559

The airline, which is owned by Air France-KLM, apologised to the Kenyan government [File: Farouk Batiche/Anadolu]

29 Jan 2023

The governments of Kenya and Tanzania have hit out at KLM for spreading “unfounded” claims after the airline published an advisory warning of travel disruptions due to purported civil unrest in the two countries.

The carrier had said that “civil unrest” between Friday and Monday could potentially force flights to be cancelled, before amending its alert to refer to an unspecified “local threat in Tanzania”.

Kenya’s transport minister Kipchumba Murkomen said on Saturday that he had protested to the airline over “this unfounded, false, insensitive and misleading information that paints Kenya in bad light”.

“We will escalate this discussion through diplomatic channels,” he warned in a statement.

Tanzania’s government also criticised the advisory, with the Minister for Works and Transport Makame Mbarawa saying there was no truth to the claims.

“This statement is baseless, alarmist, unfounded, inconsiderate and insensitive and has caused unnecessary fear and panic,” he said in a statement, urging travellers to ignore the advisory.

The airline, which is owned by Air France-KLM, apologised to the Kenyan government on Saturday, saying the advisory was “only meant for our customers in Tanzania”.

But the alert was “erroneously also shared with our customers in Kenya”, it said.

Air France-KLM has a 7.8 percent stake in Kenya’s national carrier, Kenya Airways, with the government owning 48.9 percent.

Meanwhile, Kenyans on social media have been calling for Nairobi to take action against the airline. SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES

Details: East Africa; 29 January 2023; 576

Nadhim Zahawi, chairman of the Conservative Party, departs Conservative Party Headquarters in London, Britain, on Wednesday. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has sacked Zahawi after he was found to have breached the ministerial code by failing to declare the HMRC investigation into his tax affairs. File Photo by Neil Hall/EPA-EFE/Photo Courtesy

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Sunday fired Nadhim Zahawi, the chairman of the country's Conservative Party, after an investigation found he failed to declare his personal tax issues.

Sunak said in a letter to Zahawi that the investigation by ethics adviser Laurie Magnus found he had been in "serious breach" of the ministerial code for failing to declare he was subject to an investigation by His Majesty's Revenue and Customs, the nation's tax collection agency, when he was appointed chancellor of the Exchequer by former Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

The HMRC investigation ultimately led to a settlement and penalty with the tax collection agency estimated at about $6.2 million.

The investigation led by Magnus also found that Zahawi, 55, had failed to officially declare that he had paid that settlement when his was appointed to a cabinet position by former Prime Minister Liz Truss in September and again when Sunak made him the chair of the Conservative Party in October.

"As you leave, you should be extremely proud of your wide-ranging achievements in government over the last five years," Sunak said in his letter to Zahawi.

"In particular, your successful oversight of the COVID-19 vaccine procurement and deployment program which ensure the United Kingdom was at the forefront of the global response to the coronavirus pandemic."

Sunak added that the British government has benefited from the services of Zahawi, a Kurdish-born Iraqi refugee who has served at the "highest levels" of the British government.

Zahawi responded to the firing in an open letter to Sunak, thanking the prime minister for his "kind words" while blaming the situation on the media.

"I am concerned, however, about the conduct from some of the fourth estate in recent weeks," Zahawi said, addressing the news of his tax avoidance problems reported in the media.

"In a week when a member of Parliament was physically assaulted, I fail to see how one headline on this issue 'The Noose Tightens' reflects legitimate scrutiny of public officials. I am sorry to my family for the toll this has taken on them."

Zahawi received criticism for the wording in his response letter from members of the British public, including human rights lawyer Shoab Khan who called him "arrogant and unrepentant till the end."

"No apology, humility or guilt," Khan wrote on Twitter. "Shamelessly blaming the 'fourth estate,' i.e. the press/media."

In his findings, Magnus wrote that Zahawi "has shown insufficient regard for the General Principles of the Ministerial Code and the requirements in particular, under the seven Principles of Public Life, to be honest, open and an exemplary leader through his own behavior."

"I want to commend Mr. Zahawi for his willingness to assist with my inquiry. I also fully appreciate the pressures faced by Ministers as they address the complex issues of government and the difficulties they encounter in balancing the demands of their personal lives and their ministerial responsibilities," Magnus wrote.

"These factors, however, cannot mitigate my overall judgment that Mr. Zahawi's conduct as a Minister has fallen below the high standards that, as Prime Minister, you rightly expect from those who serve in your government." By Adam Schrader, UPI

Details: East Africa; 29 January 2023; 557

JUBA, JANUARY 28^th 2023 (SUDANS POST) – President Salva Kiir Mayardit and his first deputy Dr. Riek Machar Teny on Saturday evening inaugurated a new street in the nation’s capital Juba and named it after visiting Pope Francis.

The street – which is now H.H Pope Francis Road – begins at the Kololo Junction right to the Vatican embassy in Juba.

It also passes along the embassy of the European Union and that of the United States.

Kiir and Machar who had signed a peace agreement in September 2018 made an inspection visit within the capital to purposely open the new wrote ahead of the visit next week by Pope Francis to the country.

“President Salva Kiir Mayardit, joined by first vice president Riek Machar Teny and vice president for services cluster Hussain Abdel Bagi Akol, and other senior government officials, oversaw the preparation for the Ecumenical Peace pilgrimage by Holy Father Pope Francis,” the presidency statement said.

Speaking minutes ahead of the inauguration of the street, the president said the road has been named His Holiness H.H Pope Francis Road and noted that “the road was named after the Holy Father as a gift by South Sudanese to Pope Francis.”

Kiir’s security advisor Tut Gatluak who is the head of the implementation committee of the slow peace process called on the people of South Sudan to “open their hearts and receive the blessings of peace and reconciliation that comes with the papal visit.” - Sudans Post