The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) and the Max Planck Foundation for International Peace and the Rule of Law have commenced a four-day training program for members of the National Constitutional Review Commission (NCRC) on federalism and power sharing.
This initiative, financially supported by UNMISS and the European Union, aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of federalism and pluralism within the constitution-making framework established by the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARSS).
During the opening ceremony, Guang Cong, the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, emphasized UNMISS’s commitment to supporting the government and people of South Sudan in implementing the Revitalized Peace Agreement, including the crucial task of the constitution-making process.
“We are dedicated to assisting all parties to the agreement in ensuring meaningful participation and diversity in the peace process and ongoing peace-building initiatives,” he stated.
For his part, Ruben Madol Arol, the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, highlighted the importance of federalism as a constitutional requirement that will guide the country towards peaceful and credible elections.
“The training of the members of the National Constitutional Review Commission is essential for facilitating popular participation of the people of South Sudan in the constitutional-making process,” Madol said.
Throughout the workshop, participants will engage in discussions covering concepts of federalism and decentralization, the roles and responsibilities of the three branches of government within a federal system, and various power-sharing options. Radio Tamazuj
Kisii Senator Richard Onyonka has claimed there are attempts by the government to silence the whistleblower of the controversial planned takeover of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) by an Indian company Adani.
Onyonka said the decision by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations requesting several documents from the CEO of Afrinet Carbon Limited Nelson Amenya, to allegedly investigate computer fraud was aimed at intimidating him over his role in exposing the suspicious deal.
The Kisii senator, who was speaking to The Standard at Parliament buildings, said the information requested by the DCI are documents that the State can access from the Business Registration Service (BRS), an entity mandated to oversee all the operations of registration of such businesses.
“I have reliable information that Afrinet Carbon Limited is associated with one Kenyan who is the main whistleblower of the controversial planned takeover of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport by Adani Group. I consider this letter and request from the DCI as a witch-hunt aimed at serving a vindictive, vitriolic and vengeful politically motivated abhorrence,” said Onyonka.
The senator said political persecution is a cowardly act that contravenes the fundamental rights enshrined in Chapter Four of our 2010 Constitution on the Bill of Rights and other provisions of the Whistleblower Protection Act.
Onyonka said the country's progressive Constitution protects citizens against sinister attempts by the State to maliciously intimidate a citizenry for political reasons, explicitly to restrict or prevent their ability to participate in political activities which include protesting, petitioning and other voluntary activities undertaken by the masses to influence public policy.
“In my conscious volition as a democratically elected senator, I have been in constant communication with the whistleblower, which informed a statement that I sought on the floor of the Senate directed at the Committee on Roads and Transportation on July 17, 2024. This followed summons to the committee on August 1, 2024 to give more information on the statement about the Adani-JKIA takeover, ” said Onyonka.
Amenya was quoted last Friday saying his company received a letter from the head of Serious Crimes Unit at the DCI headquarters requesting for certified copy of certificate of incorporation, certified copy of Article and Memorandum of Association and names of contacts of registered directors and founders of the company.
Meanwhile Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) workers in Mombasa joined in the push against the deal. The employees staged a protest at the Moi International Airport on Sunday to oppose the government plan to lease JKIA to Adani Airport Holding Limited saying it was a rip off.
The aviation workers, led by Kenya Aviation Workers Union branch chairman Walter Ongeri and branch secretary Robert Lichoro, said they will not allow such a strategic facility to be placed in the hands of a foreigner.
The workers claimed Adani has caused trouble and was rejected in several foreign countries such as Australia and asked the government to stop the deal.
“The government should stop the deal with Adani. It should not give away the strategic airport to Adani for 30 years. The government should not sneak in this investor,” said Lichoro.
He said JKIA is not a loss making facility and hence should be spared from a concession with a firm whose operations have been questionable.
He said JKIA makes about Sh6 billion profit annually and its revenue runs the other airports and airstrips in the country and hence should not be handed to a foreigner.
Ongeri claimed Adani was set to bring trouble instead of improving the operations of the country's biggest airport, adding that the planned investment can be carried out by Kenya Airport Authority.
He called on MPs to intervene and also reject the concession deal with Adan saying he would bring in expatriates that take way the local jobs.
Some of the tents used by the survivors of the raging floods.[Rosa Agutu, Standard]
I slept a rich man, then woke up poor waiting for relief food,” Says 50-year-old Bashir Siyadh who lost all his investments during the floods. A parent’s dream is to at least provide the basic needs for their children; Food, shelter and clothing. What happens when such needs are not fulfilled? What does it do to a parent’s mind when you lose everything when just a few months ago you had a homestead, children going to school, healthy livestock, and healthy vegetables on the farm?
From sleeping in a warm bed to sleeping on mats in tents. From eating food from your farmto waiting for relief food. This shift can not only interfere with physical but mental wellness.
“I had wealth that I had accumulated for decades. I knew my future was secure but in a blink of an eye, I went from being financially comfortable to poor. Back to zero,” Says Bashir Siyadh.
We meet Bashir at Marafa village in Tana River County. He is seated with fellow men under a tree. He is among the residents who live in temporary shelters provided by the IOM International Organisation for Migration. Bashir had 150 goats and sheep and 51 cows left with 16 cows.
“I lost my livestock while crossing to the dry land during the floods. I lost others because I could not find a place to feed them, others died of diseases. My cows have a hard time conceiving or lose the pregnancies because of lack of food, and diseases,” he says
Bashir wishes he had sold his livestock.
“You know when everything happened, I was still in shock. Also trying to make sure everyone is safe but now when the shock is gone, I wish I had sold some of them and kept the money in the bank,” he says
Due to congestion, there was an outbreak of cholera.
“Since there’s no hospital nearby. Red Cross had to come with mobile hospitals to salvage the situation,” he says
“We just want our lives to go back to normal. Permanent houses and medicine for our livestock” says Bashir
Joe Mbalu, the Acting Secretary General in charge of Programmes at the Kenya Red Cross. [Rosa Agutu, Standard]
Education was also halted for 3 months. Right now the children go to school however, they still struggle because of a lack of food. Apart from livestock, the floods also affected farmers.
The long rains changed their lives. As the land dried, albeit still risky some of them have decided to go back to their farms and plant, saying, “We cannot wait for relief food. We have families to feed and life has to move on.”
We meet Athman Mohammed Jilo in Gala Mani, Tana River County. Athman also lives in temporary shelters provided by IOM International Organisation for Migration.
We find him near his tent. The Gala Mani temporary shelters are beside the road. Across the road and a few meters down at shore of river Tana is where most residents had their homes and farms.
Athman takes us to his farm, and along the way we see other residents also farming. They have started with maize. Before we reach Athman’s farm a bigger part of the area is covered with mango trees that provide unmatched shade and a slight economic boost when they sell the mangoes.
We finally reach Athman’s farm. He has planted maize and green grams.
“Before the floods, we used to use water pumps. Right now armyworms are our biggest challenge. I have lost two harvests because of the armyworms,” he says
Athamn says when the rains started they were grateful not knowing it would change their lives. Most of them were ready to harvest, but the floods washed away their hard work. They are requesting for farm tools and seeds.
Another resident is 72-year-old Grace Luwa. Luwa is seated with fellow women on a mat outside the temporary shelters.
“I had my vegetables on the farm, but everything was ruined by the floods. I have never struggled looking for food because I had everything I needed on my farm but things changed,” she says.
Bashir Siyadh, who lost all his investments. [Rosa Agutu, Standard]
Armyworms and wildlife are ruining their crops.
“The worms have ruined everything. Some hippos step on the maize and take us back to square one,” she says
Just like Bashir and Athman, Luwa says they do not want to rely on relief food, they want to be equipped so that they can fend for themselves.
“IOM has helped us with non-food items, and we are grateful. But we want to be assisted with pesticides, seeds and farming tools, the rest we can do for ourselves,” Says Luwa
Authorities
The Minister for Health in Tana River County, Joshua Kofa says the cholera outbreak was highly influenced by the congestion.
“We had isolation units. Cholera is a sign of bad sanitation, we partnered with the Ministry of Water, to transport clean water to those areas. We treated the wells and gave them tablets that treat drinking water,” he says
Kofa adds that they did rapid tests before announcing the outbreak. They also sensitized the masses on good sanitation.
A non-governmental organization built toilets made of iron sheets in the camps following the sanitation challenge.
Milka Karai, the Director of Service Delivery Unit in Tana River County says that their main agenda is to ensure the residents are safe.
“We have come up with measures to ensure the residents are aware of early warning signs of disasters. So that we save lives and property,” she says
Head of Programmes at IOM Kenya Sharif Faisal, says the plan is to look for longer-term solutions.
“We have a whole spectrum of stakeholders involved. We are working very closely with the county government. The governor has reached out to partner with IOM. The Tana River government has this cluster approach, where they plan to relocate vulnerable communities to higher ground and create permanent solutions for them; shelter, health facilities, and education. We are discussing with development partners to see what is possible.” He says
On finding permanent solutions, The County Government of Tana River has set aside land for relocating flood victims to higher grounds.
“This undertaking is very expensive because it means moving infrastructural investments like schools, health facilities, and water structures to the new areas. The people have now embraced the programme and slowly it is gaining traction. The County government and some partners have supported through the distribution of building materials and temporary shelter facilities for schools and health facilities and collapsible water tanks,” says County Secretary Mwajuma Hiribae
However, some residents are reluctant to move claiming they cannot farm in the highlands. Joe Mbalu, The Acting Secretary General in charge of Programmes at The Kenya Red Cross, says it’s very difficult to move communities, the decision has to come from them. However, they can farm in the riparian areas but live in the highlands where the cluster villages are.
“There are discussions because this will happen again. There are areas where they can go for farming but keep their families from those areas so that when floods come everyone is safe. We have activated warning protocols, where we monitor and give them real-time information,” he says
Mbalu says they monitor the levels of the monitor so that they can warn the communities in time. By Rosa Agutu, The Standard
The Ethiopian Ministry of Defense announced Tuesday the pardon of 178 military personnel who were sentenced up to death for their involvement in crimes committed during the Tigray conflict. The pardon was granted as part of an amnesty marking the Ethiopian New Year.
According to the ministry's statement, the individuals were convicted by military courts for abandoning their constitutional duties and committing serious offenses against both the military and the public. Following their convictions, they had been serving prison sentences.
The pardon was approved after formal requests for clemency were submitted and reviewed by the Amnesty Board, the statement added.
The Tigray conflict began in November 2020 when Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) forces attacked federal army bases, sparking a war that claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and displaced millions.
The conflict subsided after peace agreements were signed in Pretoria and Nairobi in November of last year. By Sadik Kedir Abdu, Anadolu Agency
A court case against the Belgian state for its racial policy in Congo has kicked off this week, with the legal complaint at its origins reported to be a historic first for Europe.
Five victims of racial segregation in Congo filed against the Belgian state in 2021 regarding its policies at the time of its colonial rule between 1908 and 1960.
The five women were born in Congo between 1946 and 1950 and assert that Belgium was guilty of crimes against humanity, seeking compensation for the suffering they endured as a result of their abduction and segregation and also asking for documentation on their origins and background.
The women were each born from a relationship between a Belgian man and a Congolese woman during the period when Congo was a Belgian colony.
They were taken from their families and taken to orphanages, like most children of mixed race relationships. These children were placed in Catholic missions in the Belgian Congo, but also in places such as Rwanda, far from their homes.
According to documents found in colonial archives, the abductions of such children were organised by Belgian officers, with the knowledge of the Church.
The five victims behind the 2021 complaint lost their case at first instance, with the court ruling that “however unacceptable it may be today, the policy of placing mixed-race children in religious institutions for racial reasons was not, between 1948 and 1961, considered by the Community of States to be a crime against humanity”.
As for the accusation that the Belgian state had “violated fundamental rights”, the court considered that the claimants' action, brought 60 years after the events, was outside a reasonable statute of limitations. The victims have since filed an appeal. The trial continues. By Helen Lyons, The Bulletin
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