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L-R: Kenya's ICT Cabinet Secretary Joe Mucheru, Telkom chairperson Eng Eddy Njoroge, Data Commissioner Immaculate Kassait, Telkom CEO Mugo Kibati, ICT Chief Administrative Secretary Nadia Abdallah, PEACE high representative Oliver Zheng, Blockchain and AI taskforce chair Prof Bitange Ndemo and Mombasa County ICT CEC Ahmed Anwar during the launch of the sixth submarine internet cable at Nyali Mombasa on March 29, 2022. PHOTO | FAUSTINE NGILA | NMG/Photo Courtesy

Thirteen years since Kenya welcomed its first ever fibre optic cable, the country has now unveiled a sixth submarine internet cable that promises to offer higher speeds, lower latency and broader bandwidth.

The launch of the Pakistan and East Africa Connecting Europe (Peace) cable on Tuesday comes at a time when the country’s internet economy is rapidly growing, thanks to digital transformation acceleration occasioned by the Covid-19 pandemic.

As demand rises for cloud storage, heavy internet content streaming, e-commerce platforms, e-learning apps, telehealth systems, fintech innovation and online businesses, the new cable is expected to offer additional broadband to the national fibre backbone network.

The $399.9 million cable connects Africa to France and Pakistan through the Europe-Asia route, providing a direct connectivity to Asia which is expected to reduce communication delays between Africa and Asia.

Affordable mobile data

The launch is a partnership between Peace and Kenya’s most affordable mobile internet data provider Telkom, which creates optimism that mobile data could soon be more affordable. Kenya has the most expensive mobile data in East Africa according to the global Mobile Data Index.

But the 15,000 kilometre cable is expected to create more flexible digital connection options, including high-speeds of 200 Gbps per single wavelength with a total capacity of 192 Terabits per second, as well as stable and secure data access possibilities.

Speaking during the launch at Nyali, Mombasa, ICT and Youth Affairs Cabinet Secretary Joe Mucheru said Kenya was right inside the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) where demand for fast internet is at an all-time high.

 “Right now, you can enjoy 5G data speeds at Uhuru Gardens. This will revolutionise how Kenyans consume the internet. 5G smartphone penetration in Kenya is growing. More online business opportunities will be unlocked by this cable,” he said.

Further, the continued growth in consumer demand for connectivity and data could unlock new markets for co-location data centers, content development networks and Over-the-Top service providers in the country, Peace Cable’s Chief Operating Officer, SUN Xiaohua said.

Stable data access

“Peace will bring more diversified digital connection options and provide high-speed, large-capacity and stable data access opportunities to Kenya,” he said. 

Fiber optics or optical fibers, are long, thin strands of carefully drawn glass about the diameter of a human hair. The strands are arranged in bundles called optical cables.

Peace and Telkom are relying on them to transmit light signals over long distances. But at the transmitting source, the light signals are encoded with data.

So, the optical fiber transmits this data by light to a receiving end, where the light signal is decoded as internet. Therefore, fiber optics is a pipe to carry signals over long distances at very high speeds.

Telkom said the investment in submarine cables is of strategic importance to its business, where it views access to the Internet as a fundamental human right.

Chief executive of the telco Mugo Kibati said contributing to Kenya's strategic evolution to become a digital economy is critical, especially through using the internet to improve peoples’ lives.

 “This ultra-high capacity cable will assist Kenya and the region in meeting its current and future broadband capacity requirements as well as assist carriers in providing affordable services to Kenyans,” he said.

Mr Mugo added that the operator will create a future smart landing hub for the majority of the submarine cables in East Africa as it continues to provide cross-connections to all data, entering and exiting Kenya.

Six submarine cables

Telkom currently operates and maintains five of the six submarine cables that have landed in Kenya.

 “We’re upgrading and expanding our 4G capacity in the Coast region, before moving into other areas across the country. This Sh14 billion nationwide rollout is part of our long- term network expansion strategy,” said Mr Kibati.

Former ICT Principal Secretary and chair of the Blockchain and Artificial Intelligence taskforce Prof Bitange Ndemo – who has witnessed all six cables land in Mombasa – said Kenya is now ready to take on global tech heavyweights in the digital economy.

 “Broadband access is a human right. With these steps, we will even witness the launch of a seventh and eighth internet cable,” he said.

Peace, a Hong Kong-based cable network founded in 2018, said its second phase will see the cable extend to Singapore and Southern Africa, boosting bandwidth and connectivity from its current African landing point in Mombasa, all the way to South Africa, consequently opening new markets in the Southern African Development Community (SADC).

The East African Marine System (TEAMS) internet cable launched in June 2009, set the stage for the digital transformation that ‘Silicon Savannah’ now enjoys but the laying of more cables now places the country at the apex of internet penetration in Africa.

Since then, other internet cables landing in Mombasa have been the Eastern Africa Submarine Cable System (EASSy), the Lower Indian Ocean Network (LION), Seacom and the Djibouti Africa Regional Express 1 (DARE1).

Internet cables

Their respective speeds are 5.2 Tbps, 12.3 Tbps, 18.6 Tbps, 12 Tbps and 36 Tbps, and all serve to deliver an unprecedented amount of internet bandwidth in East Africa.

Kenya Power also uses internet cables to manage the national electricity grid and leases the excess capacity to Safaricom, Airtel, Liquid Telecom and Jamii Telecommunications.

Since launch in 2010, Kenya Power has cumulatively earned Sh3.02 billion from the fibre leasing business, in its 4,000-kilometre long cables.

The International Finance Corporation (IFC) estimates a total of 1.1 million kilometers of fibre cables have been laid in Africa with 50 per cent of them being deployed by private Mobile Network Operators (MNOs).

MNOs are granted licenses to offer mobile communications services and have the right to deploy fiber to connect their towers and base stations for their backbone and backhaul needs.

About 40 per cent of all fiber optic cable in Africa, a staggering 450,000 kilometers, is publicly-owned according to IFC. This includes government networks, state-owned enterprises and utilities.  By Faustin Ngila, The East African

Supreme Court Judge Njoki Ndung'u at the BBI appeals hearing at the Supreme Court on January 18, 2022.  Image: FILE

 

"The high court and Court of Appeal issued contradicting judgments."

In Summary

• I have perused properly and I cannot find logical reason to rule out the president's involved in the initiation of a popular initiative. 

• I have perused properly and I cannot find logical reason to rule out the president's involved in the initiation of a popular initiative.

Supreme Court Justice Njoki Ndung'u has ruled that no law limits the President of the Republic of Kenya from initiating a popular initiative.

On the issue of the second schedule on boundaries, she ruled that the lower courts lacked jurisdiction to determine the proposed additional constituencies. She wondered whether the Supreme Court itself has jurisdiction to address the question. 

She held that the Second Schedule proposing additional 70 constituencies was unconstitutional. On public participation, she held that there was public participation but said there should be a law on public participation.

On whether the president can be sued, she said civil proceedings do not lie against the president and that an aggrieved person should pursue Impeachment.

Below are highlights of Justice Ndung'u's judgment on the BBI:

I have perused properly and I cannot find a logical reason to rule out the president's involvement in the initiation of a popular initiative.

The constitution does not state who the promoters must be. The constitution is silent on this issue.

A president enjoys all constitutional rights and freedoms like any other Kenyan. A president does not lose his or her constitutional rights under  Article 38.

There is no law that limits the president from enjoying his political rights, especially that of campaigning for a political cause, which in my view, includes constitutional amendments. 

I fault the courts for making declarations of unconstitutionality without specifically itemizing the article of the constitution that was either denied or violated, infringed or threatened.  I find that the president was not the promoter of the popular initiative.

Does the basic doctrine structure apply to Kenya?

The basic structure is not applicable in Kenya. The Basic Structure Doctrine has only been accepted in a few countries.

 

Was the second schedule unconstitutional?

The second schedule to the Constitution Amendment Bill conflicts with the substantive provisions of Article 89 of the Constitution and is therefore unconstitutional.

Can the president be sued in his personal capacity?

It is my finding that the president in appointing the BBI task force was discharging his mandate in promoting and enhancing the unity of Kenya.

There was no basis for concluding that the president's actions contravened the constitution to deprive him of the immunity he enjoys.

Was there sufficient public participation?

The collection of signatures is not a constitutional process and the promoters are not under any obligation to conduct public participation prior to the collection of signatures.

I cannot concur with Nambuye's finding that there was a need to give the public reports in Kiswahili, braille sign language before the referendum. There is no evidence that public participation did not take place.

Did IEBC have a quorum to conduct its mandate?

The high court and Court of Appeal issued contradicting judgments.

It is my considered view that the trial courts need to follow the decision of other judges unless there are compelling reasons to depart from the same.

This is to ensure consistency, accuracy, predictability and sound judicial administration. The Star

Makueni Governor Kivutha Kibwana greets Prof. Philip Kaloki   Image: KIVUTHA KIBWANA/TWITTER

The former Kibwezi MP has not yet revealed which political position he will pursue at the Capital.

In Summary

• His decision comes a week after he said he was the best bet to take over Kivutha Kibwana's seat. 

• The professor had indicated that he wanted to vie for the seat on Kibwana's Muungano party.

 

Makueni County politician Philip Kaloki on Thursday announced his decision to drop his gubernatorial bid.

News his decision to drop the bid was announced on Thursday by Governor Kivutha Kibwana who said Kaloki had instead relocated his interests to Nairobi County.

The professor had indicated that he wanted to vie for the seat on Kibwana's Muungano party. 

"Prof. Philip Kaloki who had expressed interest to vie the  Makueni County gubernatorial position on a Muungano party ticket has decided to relocate his ambitions to Nairobi county," Kivutha said on Facebook.

The Makueni governor said he wholly submitted to Kaloki's decision and wished him the best. 

"We wholeheartedly defer to his wishes. Democracy means open politics. We wish him bon voyage." 

The former Kibwezi MP has not yet revealed which political position he will pursue at the Capital. 

His decision comes a week after he said he was the best bet to take over Kivutha Kibwana's seat. 

Kaloki had stated that if he ascended to the seat, he would continue with Governor Kivutha's track and uplift the lives of Makueni people.

In 2013, he lost the senator race to Mutula Kilonzo Jnr, after he garnered 9,762. 

His drop has  left the race to Senator Mutula Kilonzo Jnr, two-term Kibwezi MP Patrick Musimba, County Minister for Devolution Joshua Wambua, Minister for Gender Bob Kisyula and businessman David Masika. By Sharon Mwende, The Star

 

South Sudan's president has downplayed reports of security tensions in Juba as his group and army generals aligned with First Vice President Riek Machar disagree on how to implement security arrangements as stipulated in the 2018 peace deal.

Tensions were high in South Sudan's capital on Sunday after President Salva Kiir sent troops to surround the home of first vice president Riek Machar.

“Without prior information, the SSPDF [South Sudan People’s Defense Forces] deployed armed forces with armoured personnel carriers on the routes to my residence. Persons who attempted to go to the residence were turned off by these troops. The deployment was removed only at 6.15 am this morning [Monday] with no explanation provided,” Machar said in a statement seen by Radio Tamazuj.

He pointed out that the South Sudan People Defense Forces (SSPDF) deployment undermines peace in the country.

Last week, SPLM/A-IO, led by Dr. Machar, pulled out of peace monitoring mechanisms in Juba to protest continued “unprovoked” attacks on its positions by SSPDF in Upper Nile and Unity states. 

Both sides accused each other of starting the attacks.

Speaking to reporters at a press conference in Juba on Monday, President Salva Kiir downplayed the deployment of troops to surround Machar’s house, saying it was a normal security routine.

“In Juba here, there are criminals that have mixed up with residents. And these people may go and open fire near Riek Machar’s house...if we hear the sound of a gun; it might look like it is Riek attacking us. So, the presence of forces on the road doesn’t mean that there is insecurity in Juba,” said Kiir.

According to the South Sudanese leader, his forces did not declare war against Machar’s SPLA-IO forces, saying the recent statement by SSPDF spokesperson Lul Ruai Koang that the military has declared war on SPLA-IO forces was a personal statement.

When asked about the challenges facing the implementation of the 2018 peace agreement, President Kiir said: “Well, there is no obstacle that cannot be resolved. Any obstacle on the way, you must resolve it before you proceed. If there is dialogue, all the obstacles can be resolved."

The president underscored that the implementation of the peace agreement is on track, saying the peace partners consider the agreement as the path to stability in South Sudan.

The 2018 peace agreement brought Kiir and Machar together in a government of national unity.

But challenges remain, including the unity government’s failure to unify the army.

A group of United Nations experts warned in a report last year that “the stability of South Sudan has remained at risk” as a result of missed deadlines and disagreements on key issues. - Radio Tamazuj

 

After three years of successful operation in Kenya, Microsoft's premier engineering hub, the African Development Centre (ADC), is relocating to its own offices in Nairobi, demonstrating the company's commitment to the continent.

The ADC will now be based at Dunhill Towers along Waiyaki Way in its new ultra-modern state-of-the-art facility, the first of its kind serving the East African region.

The facility will house the engineering, design, research, and innovation teams, as well as the Microsoft Garage, an incubation hub launched as part of the ongoing efforts to scale tech innovation in the continent. 

The facility was officially launched by president Uhuru Kenyatta, who was accompanied by Joe Mucheru, the Cabinet Secretary for ICT, Innovation and Youth Affair among other key guests.

Since its inception in Nairobi in 2019, the ADC has grown to over 450 full-time employees working in areas such as software engineering, machine learning, data science, market research, infrastructure, and much more.

Speaking at the offices' opening, the ICT Cabinet Secretary praised the development, noting that it strengthens the country's position as a leading regional digital innovation hub, putting Kenya on the path to achieving large-scale industrial technology status, as other countries such as China, India, and Israel.

"Our Vision 2030 recognizes the role of science, technology, and innovation in a modern economy, in which new knowledge plays a central role in wealth creation, social welfare and international competitiveness through effective exploitation of knowledge, innovation system and flourishing entrepreneurship, among others. As a Ministry, our strategy is to build capacity in tech innovation and utilization of knowledge to transform the economy of this country and therefore we welcome the work that the ADC and Microsoft are doing towards contributing to this agenda," Mucheru said. 

On his part, the ADC Managing Director, Jack Ngare said: "One of our proud achievements in developing this facility was during the construction phase when we hired over 100 builders, artisans, architects, artists, craftsmen, women groups, and other skilled and unskilled workers, all during the height of the COVID pandemic. In addition, most of the construction materials were locally sourced thus ploughing back into the economy. We anticipate more employment will be created in the future, both in the day-today running of the facility and to staff the various community engagements that will take place." 

The facility was built in a similar style to Microsoft's global offices to optimize space utilization, air conditioning, and lighting adjustments as part of Microsoft's global ambition to be net carbon negative by 2030. There will also be self-heating windows, a mini solar plant to power the facility, and a water treatment facility to recycle and purify the water, which are not yet available in other Microsoft offices but are available at the new ADC facility.

"The facility will continue our efforts towards training, equipping and hiring engineering talent in Kenya and Africa as whole to contribute to the development of Microsoft products that are in use by over 1 billion devices and empowering millions of users and organizations across the world to do more," Ngare added. The Nairobi-based centre was launched days after the ADC Nigeria which serves the West African region.

Speaking about The Garage, Lydia Karanja, its lead for Kenya said: "The Garage in Kenya will help Microsoft employees, customers and developers tap into their creative prowess to come up with cutting edge technologies that will solve the problems we have in the world today. I can't wait to see the next big thing coming out of Africa."

 

"The Garage is meant to spread the values of openness and collaboration throughout the Microsoft ADC, where people come to The Garage to work with interdisciplinary teams on passion projects that sometimes make their way into Microsoft products - this should ultimately allow Microsoft ADC to become a more prominent shaper of Africa's tech culture," Karanja explained.

Projects born out of Garages around the world include an app that uses artificial intelligence to narrate what a smartphone camera is seeing to visually impaired users. Another project used AI to build a platform hospitals and doctors can use to communicate with patients, including automated symptom checkers and health plan information. The Garage has locations in Boston, Vancouver, Israel, India, and China.Capital News

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