East Africa

East Africa

Details: East Africa; 22 February 2023; 614

Raila Odinga addresses residents of Kisumu Town on February 18, 2023. TWITTER RAILA ODINGA

Azimio la Umoja party leader Raila Odinga on Wednesday, February 22, issued six demands to President William Ruto, failure to which the opposition would lead the country to mass action in 14 days.

Speaking at Jeevanjee Gardens, Nairobi County, Raila noted that food subsidies must be restored to cushion Kenyans from the high cost of living.

He pointed out that taxes subjected to Kenyans must come down within 14 days.

The ODM party leader noted that owing to the rising cases of learners dropping out of school, the government ought to subsidise fees to realise a 100 percent transition.

Raila detailed that electoral deceit must end. He called for servers to be opened and audited under the auspices of a reputable firm or organisation failure to which the opposition would lead the people to restore their authority and voice.

He also called for the ongoing process of reconstituting the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to stop.

In its place, Raila advocated for a bipartisan task force to be put in place to oversee the restructuring the electoral body. He claimed that the move would end its monolithic operations.

"If demands are not heeded within 14 days, we shall lead Kenyans to mass action across the country to restore sanity," Raila stated.

While addressing his supporters, Raila referenced Amos 5:11 and reiterated Prophet Amos' warning:

"You trample the poor, stealing their grain through taxes and unfair rent. Therefore, though you build beautiful stone houses, you will never live in them. Though you plant lush vineyards, you will never drink wine from them," Raila quoted the Bible.

Raila also alleged a political witch-hunt against politicians allied with former president Uhuru Kenyatta, pointing out former Interior CS Fred Matiang'i and his lawyer, Danstan Omari.

"You see how they keep punishing Uhuru's former Cabinet. Recently, we saw what happened to Matiang'i. Now they want to inflict harm on Danstan Omari as the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) wrote to him to investigate him. We want to tell them to leave Matiang'i and Omari alone," he noted.

The ODM party leader lauded comedian Eric Omondi and added that it was his constitutional right to hold peaceful demonstrations.

"Now Eric Omondi went to Parliament to defend Kenyans' rights and have peaceful demonstrations. We want to show Ruto that peaceful demonstration is a right," Raila warned.

A photo collage of Eric Omondi in the company of other activists during a protest along Parliament Road on Tuesday, February 21, 2023. DAILY NATION -TWITTER/STANDARD DIGITAL, By Brian Kimani, Kenyans.co.ke

Details: East Africa; 22 February 2023; 631

A photo collage of President William Ruto (Left) and British High Commissioner to Kenya Jane Marriott (Right). DAILY NATION

The UK government on Wednesday, February 22, added its voice to the case of sexual harassment at a tea farm in Kenya.

Through the British High Commissioner to Kenya Jane Marriott, the United Kingdom warned that the country considers sexual exploitation a serious offence.

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) on Monday, February 20, 2023, released a documentary that detailed a sexual exploitation clique of male bosses who targeted female workers at UK tea firms operating in the country.

"Sexual abuse and exploitation has no place in society," she warned while asking the Directorate of Criminal Investigations to get to the bottom of the matter.

British High Commissioner to Kenya, Jane Marriott giving a speech during the Kenya national elections conference held on Monday, July 11, 2022. MARRIOTT'S TWITTER

Marriott urged the companies concerned to protect their workers and cooperate with the police in ensuring that the suspects are brought to book.

"I am concerned by the allegations of appalling behaviour made in this documentary - sexual abuse and exploitation has no place in society.

"I welcome the commitment by the companies to investigate, cooperate with the Kenyan authorities, and take action to protect staff in Kenya," Jane Marriott noted.

The UK-based farm, James Finlay, which operates in Kenya on Tuesday, February 21, 2023, announced that it had sacked two contractors who were featured in the BBC exposé.

"We have terminated our agreement with John Chebochok’s company Sislo Holdings. All 300 contractors who were working with us through Sislo have been offered direct employment to ensure their livelihoods are not affected – 98 per cent have accepted," noted the firm in a statement.

James Finlay explained the fired employees were not allowed to return to the company without legal provisions of the land.

"We have also suspended John Asava. Both individuals have been barred from entering James Finlay Kenya," James Finlay noted.

According to Section 6 of the Employment Act, an employee is deemed to have been sexually harassed if the employer, its representative or a co-worker requests for any form of sexual favour in order to get preferential treatment at the workplace.

In Kenya’s Sexual Offences Act, a convicted person could be jailed for at least three years, or fined Ksh100,000, or both for engaging in sexual harassment.

Tea farmers in the field  FILE By Mark Obar, Kenyans.co.ke

Details: East Africa; 22 February 2023; 673

President Salva Kiir Mayardit and his First Deputy President, Dr. Riek Machar have agreed to scrap the powers of the National Security Service to arrest without a warrant of arrest.

Speaking during a press conference held in Juba Tuesday, Cabinet Minister Dr. Martin Elia Lomuro disclosed that the two leaders have resolved the dispute over the powers given to the National Security.

“The national security law where there was disagreement on sections 54 and 55 about the arrest with or without a warrant has now been agreed by the president and first vice president and those will be scrapped,” said Lomuro.

The National Security Service Act, 2014 which was amended in September 2019, allows security agents virtually unfettered authority to arrest and detain suspects, monitor communications, and search and seize property.

An arrest warrant is a document issued by a judge or magistrate that authorizes the police to take into custody someone accused of committing a crime.

The National Constitutional Amendment Committee (NCAC) first handed over the National Security Act to the justice minister in April 2019 and it was meant to ensure national security officers are held accountable for their actions and ensure that people arrested are not kept in custody incommunicado.

The Act was also meant to set up a complaints board made of an independent body.

It was not indicated that national security would arrest anybody without an arrest warrant but later, the draft was sent back to the committee for amendment.

The National Security Service, and particularly the Internal Security Bureau (ISB), has severally been faulted by citizens, rights bodies, and the clergy, among others, of kidnap, arbitrary arrests, abductions, torture, forced disappearances, sodomy as a method of torture, summary executions, etc at its headquarters infamously known as the Blue House in Juba and other non-gazetted detention facilities across the country. By Koch Madut, Tower Post

Details: East Africa; 22 February 2023; 748

Police controlling traffic snarl up on major roads leading to State House over Azimio prayer rally on February 22. Image: CYRUS OMBATI

In Summary

This is after Azimio leader Raila Odinga led a prayer rally at the Jevanjee Gardens during which he also engaged his supporters.
The rally, fashioned as a "call for prayers", sought to pray for the country and efforts aimed at defeating ‘electoral theft’, and the high cost of living.

Police on Wednesday blocked major roads leading to State House Nairobi over the Azimio prayer rally held at Jevanjee Gardens.

There was heavy traffic on adjacent roads as motorists had to use the only available routes.

Police said they blocked the roads for security reasons.

This is after Azimio leader Raila Odinga led a prayer rally at the Jevanjee Gardens during which he also engaged his supporters.

The rally, fashioned as a "call for prayers", sought to pray for the country and efforts aimed at defeating ‘electoral theft’, and the high cost of living.

During the prayer meeting, Raila demanded that the Kenya Kwanza government lowers the cost of basic commodities or face mass action within 14 days.

"We’ve talked about the rising cost of basic commodities like unga, electricity, fuel, sugar and milk among others for far too long. We have complained about rising taxes and talked about children dropping out of school for lack of fees," Raila said.

He also demanded that IEBC servers be opened, "failure to which, we shall lead the people to restore their authority and voice".

This is the first time the former Prime Minister is leading other opposition luminaries and a legion of supporters for a prayer rally in the city CBD.

He was accompanied by Narc leader Martha Karua, Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka, former defence CS Eugene Wamalwa, former Kakamega governor Wycliffe Oparanya, Roots party leader George Wajackoya among other leaders.

Details: East Africa; 22 February 2023; 769

Quantum Commodity Intelligence – Tanzania has approved the construction of a controversial pipeline that will allow Ugandan crude oil to be delivered for export markets, dismissing environmental concerns about the project as “propaganda”, reported Radio France Internationale.

The government approved the construction of the billion 897-mile (1,443-kilometer) East African Crude Oil pipeline (Eacop) through its territory, a key piece of infrastructure to transport crude from oil fields currently being developed in Lake Albert, northwestern Uganda, to the Tanzanian coastline for export.

The $10 billion oilfields and pipeline project is being developed in partnership with France's TotalEnergies, China National Offshore Oil Corporation, along with the state oil companies of Uganda and Tanzania.

Uganda approved the development and pipeline project last month

The underground heated pipeline is set to become the longest of its type when completed, expected in 2025, and has been promoted as an economic opportunity for both countries.

However, environmental groups have flagged concerns that the project threatens the Lake Albert region’s fragile ecosystem and the livelihoods of tens of thousands of people.

Tanzanian Energy Minister January Makamba rejected the environmental and rights concerns as "propaganda".

"There are a lot of noises in opposition to the project,” Makamba said, adding that the country has “complied with all the environmental, safety and human rights standards."

"We are proud of the pipeline because it will increase Tanzania's influence in the world."

Last month, oil drilling started on a CNOOC-operated field in Uganda and the East African country is expected to start production by 2025.

The EU parliament has previously warned that the pipeline project placed 100,000 people "at imminent risk of displacement ... without proper guarantees of adequate compensation."

Ugandan authorities see the pipeline as key to economic development and assert that oil wealth can lift millions out of poverty. Quantum Commodity Intelliegence