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President Uhuru Kenyatta, Suna East MP Junet Mohamed and ODM Party leader Raila Odinga [David Gichuru, Standard]

Photo Courtesy/Standard

Azimio la Umoja have branded Deputy President William Ruto a “hypocrite” for opposing BBI, which proposed an expansion of the Executive, yet he’s now offering Musalia Mudavadi a senior post that doesn’t exist in the current Executive structure.

According to a coalition agreement document deposited with the Registrar of Political Parties, Musalia Mudavadi will take up the Prime Cabinet Secretary position should Ruto win the August 9 presidential election.

The position is akin to that of a prime minister in an expanded executive. 

His functions, as per the agreement, will include assisting the president and his deputy in coordinating and supervising ministries and State departments, coordinating national government functions, chairing and coordinating legislative agenda and performing functions as may be assigned by the president.

Should Ruto win the presidency, then he will through an Executive Order, create the position of Prime CS within 14 days after swearing-in Mudavadi’s Amani National Congress (ANC) will also propose several Cabinet secretaries, principal secretaries and ambassadors, taking up 30 per cent of government alongside Moses Wetangula’s Ford-Kenya.

Wetangula, as per the agreement, will be proposed as Speaker of the National Assembly.

UDA, which is Ruto’s sponsor party, will take up the president and deputy president positions, with a bulk of government centred around it. 

These revelations have triggered a response from Raila Odinga’s team, with Junet Mohamed, who is the Secretary-General of the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya coalition, criticising the DP for rejecting the BBI, yet he seems to be adopting a semblance of the thrown-out reforms report.

“Ruto has opposed the BBI vehemently for the last five years. Today, he is creating the same position that the BBI Taskforce was advocating for – the prime minister and deputy prime minister. Ruto is not [even] ashamed of himself,” Junet Mohamed said during a press conference in Kilifi on Thursday, May 12.

“That tells you the kind of character [that] we are dealing with, a hypocrite. He is the man who said we do not need BBI, we do not need to create positions [for a few politicians], but now, he is re-inventing BBI through the back door. You can fool some people for some time but you cannot fool all the people all the time," said Junet.

Ruto had called out President Uhuru Kenyatta, ODM boss Raila Odinga, Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka, among other leaders affiliated to the Azimio outfit for “ganging up to create plum positions for a few people”.

“The end of reggae is the end of political conmanship in Kenya. The [Supreme Court] ruling is a validation that BBI was an illegal and an unconstitutional exercise,” he said on March 31 after the apex court judges dealt the reforms push a final blow. By Stephanie Wangari, The Standard

 

Former presidential candidate, Kizza Besigye was intercepted by security operatives and returned to his home in Kasangati, Wakiso District as he attempted to get out in a new drive dubbed awakening the citizens of Uganda on May 12, 2022. PHOTOS/ ABUBAKER LUBOWA 

What you need to know:

  • More security operatives have been deployed around Dr Besigye’s house to prevent him from leaving

The leader of a political pressure group, People's Transition Group, Dr Kizza Besigye, has been put under house arrest after he was intercepted by security operatives following his attempt to mobilise Ugandans to raise up against the high cost of living which he said was affecting vulnerable common citizens whom he said belong to the "cassava" republic. 

Addressing journalists at his home in Kasangati in Wakiso District, Dr Besigye who was flanked by Kampala City Lord Mayor, Erias Lukwago and three aides standing behind his tinted land cruiser while holding placards with inscriptions "We can't breathe, reduce the cost of living” and another saying, “Transition now, not Succession”, stormed the streets.

He first attempted to access the main road from his home using the eastern gate but upon sighting heavily deployed security officers, he decided to use the alternative pathway to his home.
However, as he attempted to connect to the main road, he was intercepted by a dozen of security operatives donned in police uniform.

ALSO READ: Ugandans brace for hard times as commodity prices soar
They dragged him by his pair of trousers and pushed him back into his compound.  By the time of filing this story, more security operatives had been deployed and surrounded Dr Besigye’s house to prevent him from leaving.

While addressing journalists before his arrest, Dr Besigye asked government to downsize parliament whose over 500 members have proved to be costly for Ugandans to maintain. He also said President Museveni should do away with Resident District Commissioners (RDCs) whose roles can be played by the Chief Administrative officers.
Additionally, Dr Besigye suggested that government should reclaim the monies swindled by corrupt officials so that it can be used to enhance salaries of civil servants and give relief to schools, among others. 

A riot police officer deployed at Dr Kizza Besigye's home on May 12, 2022. PHOTO/ ABUBAKER LUBOWA

"We now have a cassava republic and a bread republic. We should get this money back so that the cassava republic can get something to eat. The RDCs should go back home and grow cassava so that there can be enough cassava in the market that can be bought by members of cassava republic, "he said.


He also demanded that government relaxes taxes on essential commodities to make them more affordable to the vulnerable common people.


According to Dr Besigye, a four-time presidential contender, some Ugandans, including security officers have resorted to stealing due to the economic crisis Uganda is in.

"Here in Kasangati, some police officers connive with thieves to steal license plates from cars.The people who steal even leave behind their telephone numbers and when you contact them, they ask for Shs100,000.This  is how bad the situation is," he said.
He said he is ready to sacrifice his life for the sake of securing the lives of Ugandans. By JANE NAFULA , Daily Monitor

  • A prisoner being moved from Guantanamo Bay detention center in Cuba FILE
  • A Kenyan man convicted of attempted robbery has staged a legal battle in the US to avoid being deported.

    In a petition filed before the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, the Kenyan is pushing to have some of the immigration rules adjusted to allow him to continue living in the US.

    In the petition US Attorney General, Merrick Brian Garland, has been listed as a respondent, the Kenyan asserted he is eligible for relief under the Convention Against Torture. 

    However, his bid suffered a major setback after 7th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled out his argument stating that he did not present enough evidence.

    File photo of a ceremonial Court room in the US
    File photo of a ceremonial Court room in the US
    FILE

    The appellate panel established that his petition did not reach the merit of application because he failed to raise his arguments to the board.  

    As the 7th Circuit noted, the immigration judge found that, among other things, the Kenyan-born middle-aged man failed to effectively defend his right to stay in the US, and was also not able to prove that he had or would suffer torture once deported.

    In particular, the Judge held that the Kenya could have presented written statements or telephonic testimony from his parents and sister who still live in Kenya to show that he had been tortured in his country of birth. He also could have provided evidence such as the death certificate of his friend he alleges was murdered by a police officer in Kenya and medical records from his hospitalization.

    The court stated that he only provided the written statement and testimony of his wife, who was not personally familiar with the events from his childhood.

    "Before the Board, the Kenya [name redacted] failed to contest the decision that he did not produce reasonably available corroborating evidence to support his application. Although he argued that the immigration judge overlooked a report and article describing country conditions in Kenya, he never challenged the immigration judge’s findings as to corroboration," Judge Michael Brennan wrote for the 7th Circuit.

    According to the documents filed in court, the Kenyan was forced to move to the US after suffering various forms of trauma while in Kenya, including witnessing the 2007/08 post-election violence.

    "He alleges he and his family endured several hardships during his childhood there. For example, he states that his father was regularly harassed and intimidated for political and religious reasons. 

    "He also claims he watched a police officer murder one of his friends during the political unrest following the 2007 Kenyan national election. Out of concern for his safety, he moved to his grandmother’s house and assumed a new name.

  • His grandmother then arranged for him to work for a company of acrobats so that he would be able to travel outside the country. Four years later, at age 19, he was admitted into the United States on a P1 nonimmigrant performer visa. He has not left the United States in the last 11 years, and he has overstayed his period of authorization since May 2017," the court documents read in part.

    Before he was served with deportation orders, the Kenyan had served one year in prison after being accused of committing a number of crimes in the US. Kenyans.co.ke

     
Beatrice Waruguru, 21, died in unclear circumstances in Saudi Arabia. [Pkemoi Ng’enoh, Standard]

The family of 21-year-old woman who died in Saudi Arabia under unclear circumstances have refused to sign a form that allows them to collect her body.

Beatrice Waruguru’s family said they were being forced to sign the form without first ascertaining whether the body is that of their kin.

JKIA officials, however, maintained that they couldn’t allow the family to view the body at the facility, saying it was against airport policy. 

Waruguru left Kenya for Saudi Arabia in February 2021, but died under unclear circumstances in December that year, with her family claiming she was tortured.

On Saturday, May 7, the family was informed that their daughter’s body had been processed for transportation from Saudi Arabia.When Waruguru’s family arrived at the JKIA on Wednesday, May 11, they were told to first sign body-receipt forms before her remains could be handed over to them.

Waruguru’s employment representative was supposed to witness the signing of body-receipt documents.

“We were told that we could only view the body after signing the receipt documents,” said Mercy Wanjiru, the deceased’s mother. 

“The body, which I’m not sure is that of my daughter, had been wrapped like a luggage. The airport officers told us to accept it and go view it at the mortuary,” she added.

Wanjiru said they won’t accept a body which isn’t their kinsperson’s.

The deceased’s friend, Mercy Wambui, said Waruguru left Kenya for Saudi Arabia shortly after completing her secondary education.

“She never told me how she secured the deal to travel to Saudi Arabia,” said Wambui.

She, however, suspects that Waruguru was directed to an employment agent by a broker. 

The Association of Skilled Migrant Agencies of Kenya (ASMAK) representative, Josephine Muriuki, said they will alert authorities that Waruguru’s body arrived at the JKIA, but her family refused to collect it.

JKIA officials, who spoke to The Standard in confidence, said the airport does not have body storage facilities.

UPDATE: At around 6pm Wednesday, Waruguru’s family agreed to collect the body after signing the receipt forms, five hours after the stand-off ensued. They were not allowed to view the body on site. The Standard understands that her remains will be kept at the Kenyatta University Funeral Home.  By Pkemoi Ng'enoh , The Standard

  • The Bank of Uganda first issued the directive in March 2020 and then reaffirmed its validity last month.
  • The initial reason for the directive was to enable commercial banks build enough financial buffers to withstand the economic fallouts caused by the pandemic.
  • In the meantime, the East African country is grappling with high inflation and other economic challenges caused by the war in Ukraine.

For the second consecutive year, shareholders of listed Ugandan banks will not be getting any dividend payments due to a directive by the Bank of Uganda. The directive requires the banks to suspend dividend payouts and build their liquidity buffers instead.

Business Insider Africa gathered that the directive was first given during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The country's apex bank explained that the rationale was to enable commercial banks to build enough financial buffers that will enable them to withstand the economic shocks resulting from the pandemic.

More than two years later since the directive was given in March 2020, it remains in effect. Last month, many bank shareholders were disappointed when the apex bank issued a circular informing the banks not to pay dividends for the financial year ended December 31st, 2021.

The Bank of Uganda cited the country's current volatile economic environment as the reason for the continued suspension of banks' dividend payouts.

As you may well know, the East African country is currently grappling with high fuel prices, supply chain disruptions and high inflation, all of which are linked to Russia's ongoing war on Ukraine and other factors.

A Partner at KPMG Uganda, Edgar Isingoma, earlier today told CNBC Africa that the directive by the Bank of Uganda is not out of place. He said:

"The move by the central bank definitely is aimed at preservation of capital in times of uncertainty, vulnerability and when there is a lot of ambiguity. As you know, the ambiguity has come first of all from the pandemic. Uncertainty then followed, in terms of how these banks are going to perform, especially with regards to loans and portfolio performance. As we talk now, there is uncertainty coming as a result of the Russia-Ukraine war. So, as part of its role in ensuring financial stability, the central bank comes in with this directive which tries to protect the financial stability of the banks. Therefore, the suspension of dividend payment is to allow the banks to keep enough capital while monitoring the uncertainties"

In the meantime, the banks are reportedly withholding as much as $4.5 billion worth of dividend payouts, for the 2-year period.  

By Emmanuel Abara Benson, Business Insider Africa

 

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