KIGALI, March 25 (Xinhua) -- Rwanda and Uganda on Friday signed four memoranda of understanding to facilitate cooperation in different fields.
The cooperation deals were signed by Rwanda's Minister of Foreign Affairs Vincent Biruta and his Ugandan counterpart Jeje Odongo in Rwanda's capital city Kigali, during a meeting of the 11th Joint Permanent Commission between Rwanda and Uganda which concluded Friday.
The agreements are in the fields of justice and constitutionalism, mutual legal assistance, diplomatic and political consultations, and migration matters, according to the Rwandan Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
"These agreements are a testament to our commitment to strengthening our ties and enhancing cooperation between our two countries," Biruta said during the event.
"We have a unique opportunity to set a new course for our two countries, one that is based on mutual respect, cooperation, and a shared vision for the future," he said.
Odongo said the agreements laid the foundation for cooperation in addressing common challenges facing the two countries, including security issues posed by Uganda's Allied Democratic Front (ADF) rebels, and Rwanda's FDLR rebels based in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Rwanda reopened its border with Uganda in 2022 which had been closed in February 2019 after political differences spiraled between the two East African neighbors. The commission was revived in September 2022, during a meeting between Ugandan and Rwandan senior government officials. - Xinhua
Kenya is facing a severe shortage of good quality seed potatoes. This is threatening the country's food security as farmers are unable to source supplies from Agricultural Development Corporation in Molo.
The Molo project in Nakuru County is the main centre of potato seed production, storage and distribution in the country.
Kenya Agricultural Livestock and Research Organization (Kalro) potato research in Tigoni in Kiambu County supplements the Molo project.
Nakuru is the second largest producer of the crop in Kenya, accounting for 18.9 per cent of national production.
In Nakuru, there are about 20,000 farmers growing potatoes on more than 38,000 acres of land with a total production of 160,000 tonnes.
The crop is cultivated by 600,000 to 800,000 farmers with a total production of 1 to 1.4 million tonnes worth between Sh30 to Sh40 billion per year. Small-scale farmers account for 83 per cent of the total production.
According to the National Potato Council of Kenya, the Sh50 billion worth sub-sector supports 3.8 million people directly and indirectly.
The tissue culture laboratory was established to aid in the rapid multiplication of seed potatoes but has run out of supplies.
However, over the past two years, the seed supply has been erratic, affecting the production of the crop which is a scheduled crop under the Crops Act, of 2013.
This means that the Agriculture and Food Authority should provide regulations for the crop as the seed quality plays a critical role in the potato available to consumers.
The shortage is coming at a time when farmers are enjoying the onset of heavy rains in most potato-growing regions like Nakuru, Nyandarua, Bomet, Nyeri and Nandi.
Other top-producing potato counties are Elgeyo Marakwet, Makueni, Embu, Tharaka Nithi, Samburu, Kajiado and Kwale.
The Molo-based ADC which sits on a two-acre piece of land has the capacity to produce 200,000 bags of 50 kilos from about 2,000 acres of land it owns but only utilises 500 acres which produce 50,000 bags of seeds.
However, most smallholder farmers are unable to purchase the 50kg bag which goes between Sh3,000 and Sh3,500.
Due to the rising cost of farming, most smallholder farmers prefer to use uncertified seeds whose quality is poor and spreads diseases on their farms.
According to agricultural experts in seed production, only about five and 10 per cent of middle-level farmers with lands measuring between 10 acres and above rely on supplied seeds from Molo ADC.
Others opt to get clean tubers from private seed producers like Kisima, Syngenta, Suera, Agreco, GTIL, Gen-Biotech, Singus Enterprises and Kimingi Farm in Narok County.
“I went to purchase potato seeds following the rains but I was told there were no seeds,” said Mr John Kamau, a potato farmer in Rongai.
Some of the outlets in Nakuru City that sell potato seeds said they had run out of stock.
“We normally get our certified seeds from ADC Molo but we have run out of stock and we don’t know when we are going to get the next supply,” said a trader in Nakuru City.
A farmer said he is staring at a big loss as he had signed a trade deal with a local hotel to supply potatoes in the next four months.
“I had taken a bank loan to buy potato seeds after securing an order to supply a hotel in Nakuru City but it seems now I will have to cancel the order if I don’t get the seeds in good time,” said the farmer.
A senior ADC board member confirmed that the state agency has run out of seeds.
“There are no seeds anywhere in our stores. We had a crop failure last year in our seed farm in Sirikwa in Mau Narok which has affected our seed production,” said the official.
He added: “There is a crisis because the Ministry of Agriculture did not think of importing the seeds following the crop failure.”
“We have a big crisis that could affect food security across the country,” said Ms Jane Kiama, a farmer in Mau Narok.
Another farmer in Nyandarua said he had prepared his five acres of land ready to plant potatoes on the onset of rains.
“I have searched for certified potato seeds in Narok and Nyandarua but I can’t find even a 20kg tin. I have spoken to the local administration to use chiefs to find out if there are some farmers who still have the seeds but it’s all in vain. I’m now contemplating planting beans. This is scandalous.” By Francis Mureithi, NMG
According to a recent report, refugees who complained about the poor living conditions in the UK’s asylum facilities were “threatened” with deportation to Rwanda. The report entitled Hostile Accommodation: How the Asylum System Is Cruel By Design, relies on 100 in-depth interviews with hotel occupants in London, Greater Manchester, the West Midlands and Bradford.
Asylum seekers in the UK are required by law to be given housing in order to keep them from becoming homeless. However, the Home Office has contracted with private companies that follow a profit-based business model to supply homes in place of local authorities or housing associations.
According to the report, asylum seekers were also warned not to complain about their poor living circumstances lest they be sent to Rwanda and that the police would be contacted if they did. They were also told they were barred from taking pictures of meals to offer evidence of their quality.
Tere are up to 50,000 individuals held in hotels, where they stay for months or even years while their applications for asylum are processed. At these hotels, the people are held indefinitely, and their freedom of movement and fundamental rights are constrained – ‘a nationwide system of racialised segregation and de facto detention,’ the report stated.
They are forced to survive on £9.50 per week. Many people claim that they have been unable to buy necessities for months as they are prohibited from working.
Other concerns highlighted in the report include:
‘We do not recognise the claims in the report suggesting hospitalisations, threats of deportation or restriction of movements, but where concerns are raised about any aspect of the service delivered by the hotel we work with the provider to ensure they are addressed in a timely manner,’ a Home Office spokesperson said. By Dyana Parmar, The Justice Gap
Troops from the Burundi National Defense Forces deployed under the East African Community Regional Force took over three villages Thursday that had been occupied by M23 rebels.
Eastern DR Congo army spokesman Lt. Colonel Mak Hazukay told Anadolu that the villages include Karuba, Mushaki and Kirolirwe.
He said other areas that are being vacated by the M23 include Sabinyo, Bigega, Bugusa, Nyabikona, Mbuzi, Rutsiro and Nkokwe.
The withdrawal of the rebels is in compliance with a communique of the East Africa Community Heads of State mini-summit held on Feb. 17 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia marking a significant milestone in the ongoing phased withdrawal.
A joint bureau comprising the Ad Hoc Verification Mechanism (AVM), East African Community Regional Force (EACRF), Expanded Joint Verification Mechanism (EJVM) and East Africa Community Monitoring and Verification Mechanism (EACMVM) verified the M23’s withdrawal and observance of the cease-fire since Wednesday, marking a very significant milestone towards restoring peace and stability in eastern DRC.
The M23 rebel group, which was formed in 2012 by disgruntled Congolese militants who wanted to be enlisted in the national army, has often attacked areas in eastern DR Congo but had always been repulsed. In June last year, they attacked areas in eastern DR Congo and occupied them until recently, when peace talks compelled them to leave. - Godfrey Olukya, Anadolu Agency
•According to the report, the 11 cases at Pangani station is a significant drop from 32 cases reported at the station in 2021.
•Kayole Police Station is second with 5 cases followed by Kahawa West and Nakuru West SubCounty police following with 4 cases each
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