Residents have been left in shock after a troop of monkeys snatched a breastfeeding infant from his mother in Mwamgongo village in Kigoma, northeastern Tanzania.
The village borders Gombe National Park.The mother was breastfeeding her one-month-old baby outside her house on Saturday afternoon when the monkeys invaded her home, snatched the baby boy and attempted to run away with him.
“She screamed for help and villagers rushed to her house to assist her in getting her child…back from the troop of monkeys,” Kigoma Regional Police Commander James Manyama told The Citizen on Monday.
The villagers attempted to rescue the baby and eventually had to use force to get him back. “He got injured on the head and the neck,” Mr Manyama said.
The baby was then rushed to a nearby hospital but died while receiving treatment. By The Citizen
Mombasa gubernatorial aspirant Mike Sonko now claims he was unfairly locked out of the August contest by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).
The former Nairobi governor was dealt a blow on Monday, June 20, 2022, after IEBC's Disputes Tribunal upheld a decision by Mombasa County Returning Officer who had rejected his bid for the polls slated for August 9.
The tribunal ruled that Sonko did not present a certified degree certificate on time and therefore fell short of the mandatory requirement.
"Any person seeking clearance must certify all the statutory requirements. The electoral process must be followed to the letter and non-compliance leads to disqualification," the committee ruled.
But reacting to the ruling on Monday night, the Wiper party aspirant alleged that the Commission had been compromised to unfairly disqualify him from the contest.
"We know money must have changed hands. Our case was supposed to be ruled on Saturday, it was moved to Sunday and then to today," Sonko said.
"(Tunajua hata wale proxies ambao wametumika na magunia ya pesa yale yamebebwa (We know even the proxies who have been used and the sacks of money they delivered)."
The flamboyant politician argued that he presented his papers to IEBC in good time and the only thing that was a setback was the argument that his appeal took time.
“So the argument in the Court of Appeal took time and we served the returning officer with the direction from the Supreme Court in the presence of the media,” he added while urging his supporters to remain calm.
Sonko's legal team led by lawyer John Khaminwa said they will be heading to court today (Tuesday) in a bid to stay the ruling. By Wycliffe Nyamasege By Wycliffe Nyamasege, K24 Digital
Tugende, the East African fintech platform providing asset financing and digital services to small businesses, announced it has raised a pre-Series B investment round led by current shareholder Partech Africa. Existing investors including Mobility 54, Enza and Global Partnerships participated, and were joined by strong new partners including global financial inclusion fund Women’s World Banking Capital Partners II (WWBCP II).
CJ Juhasz, Chief Investment Officer, Women’s World Banking Asset Management: ''We’re excited to join Tugende’s journey. Tugende is a leader in reaching and de-risking underserved individuals and businesses for financial services to grow and create jobs. Women’s World Banking is dedicated to economic empowerment and we are particularly keen on investing at the intersection of mobility and finance, as the empowerment potential for individuals, especially women, is multiplied. Tugende’s leadership is visionary, cares deeply about its mission, and brings the experience to achieve its ambitious plans. We look forward to teaming up with Tugende as it drives financial inclusion pan-Africa and increases the number of women served in its business ecosystem.''
This additional equity capital will allow Tugende to sustain its growth momentum, continue the roll-out of digital-first products and to deepen its offering to new and repeat customers and their communities. The investment, structured in Q1 2022, further improves Tugende’s balance sheet and stakeholder base in advance of an upcoming Series B round. Previously, Tugende closed $9.9 million of Series A funding in late 2020 and early 2021, led by Mobility 54 and Partech Africa, with additional participation from Global Partnerships, Enza Capital and numerous angels.
Tugende has rebounded strongly from Covid-19 related lockdowns in Uganda and Kenya, launching new products and locations, and winning both the Inclusive Fintech 50 award in 2021 and the 2022 Financial Inclusion Award at the African Bankers Awards in recognition of its deep social impact and support for clients and staff during the worst of Covid’s economic shocks.
Michael Wilkerson, CEO, Tugende: ''Tugende is committed to innovation and partnerships that remove barriers for people and businesses to build better futures. With partners such as WWB on board, Tugende will benefit from the added expertise in delivering Tugende’s Gender Action Plan and activating more Women entrepreneurs in Tugende’s Ecosystem.''
Tugende received financial advisory support from Verdant Capital and legal support from Bowmans. By Pie Kamau, Africa Tech
The President urged school principals to respect the religious beliefs, norms and traditions of all students
President Uhuru Kenyatta has asked school administrators to stop discriminating students on the basis of their religious beliefs, saying the Constitution of Kenya 2010 guarantees freedom of worship.
Speaking on Sunday at the Moi International Sports Complex, Kasarani, during celebrations to mark 100 years of the Akurinu Church, the President urged school principals to respect the religious beliefs, norms and traditions of all students.
“If you look at all religions, they observe certain beliefs, norms and traditions. For instance, our Muslim brothers and sisters have particular attire, which reflects their beliefs. The same applies to the Sikhs.
“I want to insist to the school principals that have been discriminating our Akurinu brothers and sisters because of wearing their turbans at school that they should stop that habit. It is not justified. There is no law that says that a person doesn't have the right of identifying themselves in school, at the hospital and in the office according to their religion.
President Kenyatta said students should be allowed to express their religious beliefs so as to build their confidence in God.
“Everyone has their rights guaranteed in our constitution and they should be safeguarded. Everybody has a right and we want to protect that right so that our children can grow as confident people who understand that their faith is their right,” the President said.
He commended the Akurinu church for being at the forefront in spreading the gospel, noting that since its inception in 1922, the church has grown its membership to 1.5 million.
“We are here to thank God for guiding and bringing us to a place where we are celebrating 100 years of his work. Akurinu Church was started by one of us, a Kenyan who managed to spread the gospel and now we have a membership of 1.5 million. It has not been an easy journey. It has been tough but by God’s grace we have been enabled to be where we are now,” he said.
Everybody has a right and we want to protect that right so that our children can grow as confident people who understand that their faith is their right
The President further applauded the church’s leadership for promoting education and spearheading various development activities that have been part and parcel of the country’s socio-economic growth.
“You have a generation which not only preaches the gospel but also practises different professions in various fields of human development. Some are doctors, engineers, civil servants, police officers and lawyers among others.
“As we celebrate 100 years, we say thank you to God. Thank you to all who began this journey and we pray that just as the Bible has been handed over from an elder who recently celebrated 100 years of birth to a young person, we trust that this gospel will continue for another 100 years,” President Kenyatta said.
During the ceremony, President Kenyatta announced the appointment of various leaders of the Akurinu Church to public institutions among them David Kiarie Mburu as chairperson of the Kenya Tea Development Authority.
Others were the Secretary General of the Akurinu church Ibrahim Jeremiah Macharia who was appointed as a Board Member of the Postal Corporation of Kenya, Samuel Thiong’o as the Chairman of the National Water Harvesting and Storage Authority and Eunice Njeri Njau as Council member of the Kenya Institute of Mass Communication (KIMC).
Azimio la Umoja-One Kenya Alliance Presidential candidate Raila Odinga commended the Akurinu Church for championing Kenya’s liberation from the yoke of colonial masters, noting that their foresight in integrating Christianity to the African culture has enabled the country to witness progress even as it conserves its heritage.
“The Akurinu began as a group of freedom fighters for our independence. They started by saying Christianity must be entrenched in the African culture and must be preached in an African way. There are people who were killed because of their faith and some went to the forest to fight for our freedom but they were Akurinu.
“Later after independence they didn’t involve themselves with grabbing other people’s property such as land and now they have their children and grandchildren who have gone to school and are fully in charge of God’s work,” he said.
The Azimio la Umoja-One Kenya running mate Martha Karua urged the Akurinu Church to pray for the country during this electioneering season, saying the Alliance is ready to work with the church for the country’s development.
The Akurinu Church national chairman, archbishop Apollo Gachau, thanked President Kenyatta for his support to the church and assured him of the organization’s commitment to the unity of all Kenyans.
The ceremony was also attended by several leaders and senior Government officials.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Presidency of the Republic of Kenya.
Rwanda’s full reopening of its border with Uganda has not yet yielded the positive expected results of more flow of goods, even as there persist unresolved contentious issues between the two sides.
And now both countries may face uncertainties as to the alternative market they planned to conquer in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo goes up in the smoke of violence blamed on external players.
It had been hoped that bilateral trade between Uganda and Rwanda would improve in 2022 after the re-opening of their common land border, and easing of Covid-19 restrictions.
However, latest export data from Uganda’s Ministry of Finance shows a sharp drop in the value of exports from Kampala in the three months ending March 2022.
The data shows Uganda’s exports to Rwanda averaged Ush826.2 million ($220,000) monthly, a sharp drop from the Ush62.6 billion ($16.6 million) monthly average in 2019.
According to the Finance ministry, Uganda posted trade surpluses with South Sudan and Burundi while deficits were recorded with Tanzania, Kenya and Rwanda.
The data further shows South Sudan recorded the highest trade surplus of $63.19 million given its largest uptake of Uganda’s exports, mainly food products.
Talks exclusion
Ugandan exporters blame the situation on their exclusion from the government-to-government trade talks.
Muzamil Mabirah, a policy analyst at the Uganda Manufacturers Association (UMA), says whenever they seek answers, government officials tell them to wait a little longer as they iron out the remaining differences with Rwanda.
“The members have not exported to Rwanda since the border was opened in January,” said Mr Mabirah.
“It is only people that are moving across but not goods.”
In a desperate move, he says Ugandan manufacturers have sought interventions from the East African Business Council as well as the World Trade Organisation, but their efforts have not yielded results.
“We have made clear the effects of this trade standoff, but nothing has yielded,” said Mr Mabirah.
The Rwandan government agreed on the reopening of the border based on a recommitment to addressing previously raised political matters.
MoU terms
One of the commitments from both governments was to refrain from supporting rebel opposition in either country as covered in the memorandum of understanding signed between the two states in 2020.
Mr Mabirah noted that the factors that severed the Rwanda-Uganda relationship were never trade-related, but political.
“These matters are beyond any of our comprehension. We don’t participate in any of the negotiations to resolve the issues surrounding the closure of the border,” he said.
Private Sector Foundation Uganda (PSFU), an apex business lobby, also raised uncertainties about doing business with Rwanda. Chief Executive Stephen Asimwe said members are worried the standoff is taking long.
In Rwanda, Prime Minister Edouard Ngirente told a press briefing in Kigali that his government was reviewing the list of goods to be traded, and that they will soon be allowed in the market subject to quality checks.
The review, according to Dr Ngirente, was necessary because Rwanda wants to enforce quality as well as protect local manufacturers who had started producing some of the goods that were previously imported from Uganda.
“Ugandan products,” the PM said, “must comply with the set standards of the Rwandan market.”
“What I can possibly say is that trade between the two countries will resume very soon,” Dr Ngirente said.
While the trade standoff takes longer to be resolved, both countries as well as Tanzania and Kenya had explored the 95 million-people-strong market in DR Congo. It is unknown, for now, however, how the latest violence in the eastern DR Congo will affect the trade overtures.
Kinshasa last week accused Kigali of supporting rebel groups in DR Congo, a charge Rwanda rejected. Nevertheless, the DR Congo parliament suspended a ratification debate of trade deals initially reached with Rwanda.
Uganda is the second largest exporter to DR Congo after Rwanda. In January, trade between Uganda and DR Congo hit an all-time high, as new markets opened up.
According to January 2022 data from the Bank of Uganda, Kampala’s exports to DR Congo were $74.3 million that month, up from $29.9 million in December 2021, representing a 44 per cent growth.
A business summit held recently by Uganda’s Private Sector Foundation was meant to enhance Uganda’s status, and the foundation CEO Stephen Asiimwe had said that over 500 deals were concluded in their visit to Kinshasa and Goma. It came after Kenya held a similar mission to Goma back in April, heavily sponsored by some corporate bodies seeking to expand into DRC.
Earlier this year, Kampala had launched the construction of Mpondwe/Kasindi-Beni road, Bunagana-Rutshuru-Goma road and the Beni-Butembo road.
And before the current tiff, Kigali had also constructed cross-border markets on Lake Kivu and was also constructing four ports on Lake Kivu’s western shores to facilitate its export trade and the transportation of goods delivered from Mombasa and Dar es Salaam ports. The Rwf22 billion ($21 million) project, planned in the four districts of Rubavu, Rusizi, Karongi, and Rutsiro of Western Province, was slated for completion by 2022.
By Thursday it was unclear whether Kigali would still pursue these projects but contractors were already on the proposed port sites according to Kigali. - KABONA ESIARA, The East African
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