East Africa

East Africa

Details: East Africa; 21 January 2023; 759

Firefighters put up a spirited effort to put off the fire.[Courtesy Amulele]

Hundreds of traders and revelers at Maringo shopping centre in Nairobi’s Makadara Constituency are counting losses after fire gutted several business premises.

The 1pm incident is said to have happened after strong wind blew fire from a burning bush to one of the Makuti buildings before it spread out to the entire shopping centre.

Henderson Amulele, Ward coordinator in area MP George Aladwa’s office said although firefighters tried their best to put off the fire, it had spread to a large area damaging property.

“We were just standing beside the road when a strong wind blew the fire which fell on the Makuti bar. Before we could realise what damage it could cause, the entire shopping centre was on fire,” Amulele said.

According to him, a contractor was burning some bushes that he had cut on a school fence just adjacent to the place.

“The contractor has been pruning the school fence in preparation of opening next week. So today he had collected the bushes he had pruned and decided to burn them just next to the fence which is so close to some mabati structures. There are some dry vines that had grown on top of trees that caught the fire before the wind blew it,” he said.

Amulele said the fire spread out to some residential buildings but residents moved swiftly and salvaged a good number of properties.

Jogoo Road police came in handy and prevented rowdy youth from looting what had been salvaged.

He said several residential houses, shops and entertainment premises had bee affected in the incident.

“Right now we are just assessing the damage before a comprehensive report is filed and handed to the authorities,” he said. By Patrick Vidija |, The Standard

Details: East Africa; 20 January 2023; 750

Uganda approves $3.5bn EACOP pipeline. (Credit: SELİM ARDA ERYILMAZ on Unsplash)

Museveni said that the project will be a major economic boost for the landlocked country, where many live in poverty.

Uganda’s cabinet has approved the East African Crude Oil Pipeline Company (EACOP), an affiliate of French energy and petroleum company TotalEnergies to build the pipeline that will run 1,445kms, from oilfields in Uganda to a Tanzanian port

The government of Uganda has granted a final approval for the construction of a $3.5bn pipeline that transports crude oil through Tanzania.

Uganda’s cabinet has approved the East African Crude Oil Pipeline Company (EACOP), an affiliate of French energy and petroleum company TotalEnergies to build the pipeline

TotalEnergies is the largest shareholder in EACOP with a 62% stake, while Uganda’s National Oil Company and Tanzania Petroleum Development Corp own 15% each

China’s China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) owns 8% stake in EACOP.

In Uganda, commercial petroleum production has been delayed for nearly two decades, due to lack of infrastructure and disagreements between the government and oil companies.

EACOP will build the pipeline that will run 1,445kms, from the oilfields in the landlocked Uganda to a port on Tanzania’s Indian Ocean coast.

The project aims to extract the huge crude reserves under Lake Albert, a 160kms natural border between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

It will transport the crude oil produced inside the country to the international markets, and will become the world’s longest heated pipeline.

The approval follows an agreement between Tanzania and Uganda, and a $10bn deal between TotalEnergies and CNOOC to develop oilfields and build the oil pipeline in Uganda.

The EACOP pipeline involves drilling in Uganda’s national park, Murchison Falls.

Environmental groups and activists said that the project harms the ecosystem in the region and the livelihoods of tens of thousands of people.

Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni promised to proceed with the project regardless of the EU resolution, and would consider other partners if TotalEnergies stands by EU resolution. By NS Energy Staff Writer

Details: East Africa; 19 January 2023; 687

The members of parliament have surmoned Minister of Trade to further explain about the quality of meat Rwandans consume. Courtesy

The Parliament has summoned the ministers of trade and local government to give explanations about issues related to substandard slaughterhouses in the country.

The members of parliament are concerned about the quality of meat Rwandans consume.

ALSO READ: Rwanda injects Rwf1.4bn in standardising pig slaughtering

The Auditor General’s report of 2021/22 said all 25 slaughterhouses that were inspected found that none fulfilled the requirements to operate.

The requirements include the quality of buildings, equipment, number of workers, among others.

ALSO READ: Why government is cracking down on abattoirs, butcheries

The parliamentary committee on land, agriculture, livestock and environment, says the current state of slaughterhouses, notably poor hygiene practices, undermine government targets regarding meat quality and consumption.

“After a thorough analysis of the Auditor General’s report, the committee found that there were multiple issues in slaughterhouses, including some that are located near residential houses, and the lack of pits to dispose of contaminated meat,” parliament said.

A summary of the parliamentary committee report was presented to the Chamber of Deputies on Wednesday, January 18 by committee chairperson Marie Alice Uwera Kayumba.

The conditions of the transportation of meat from abattoirs to meat shops was also concerning. MP Kayumba said that 15 out of 25 surveyed meat transporters did not have licences to do the job.

ALSO READ: Meat dealers urged to embrace technology to boost sector

The committee also found that some meat is sold without being properly tested for diseases and contaminations. 30 out 47 slaughterhouses could not prove that the meat had been tested.

After the committee presentation, the MPs decided to summon the ministers in charge to provide explanations. It is not yet known when the minister will appear in parliament.

A May 2022 survey by Rwanda Inspectorate, Competition and Consumer Protection Authority (RICA) found that only seven out of 48 slaughterhouses met safety and quality standards at 70 per cent.

Rwanda targets to reach safe and quality meat production of 215,000 tonnes per year in 2024. By Moise M Bahati, New Times

Details: East Africa; 20 January 2023; 715

There are more than 500 UN volunteers deployed in the DRC, including 300 in the UN Peacekeeping Mission

BONN, Germany

Volunteers from around the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) commemorated the International Volunteer Day (IVD) 2022 through a range of activities mirroring the theme of IVD, 'Solidarity through volunteering - Together, Act Now.'

To mark IVD 2022, UN Volunteers lend support to APROJED under the Actions and Projects for Sustainable Development, an organization in Turunga, a Nyiragongo municipality on the outskirts of Goma.

This organization houses a training facility formed in 2006. Here, former child soldiers and vulnerable children are taught practical life skills, such as carpentry. So far, this training facility has trained and imparted vocational training to more than 600 children. UNV in the DRC provided advanced construction tools including hammer drills and generators, thus switching from traditional to modern tools.

In previous decades, the Eastern Province of the DRC witnessed fighting, which has recently intensified. Volunteers in the region are aware that they are the ones who can bring about some positive contributions, and that is the reason that volunteer efforts continue despite the ongoing challenges to peace.

Seventeen year-old, Angel, is a student at the APROJED center.

I want to thank all the volunteers from across the world who had these young people from armed groups on their mind this IVD

"I am training in carpentry. Coming from armed groups, it was difficult for me to arrive here. I aim to make the most of this opportunity I've been given. To give back to my community and never go back to my past life. I thank UNV for contributing to our learning," he says.

The support from UNV makes sure that APROJED has a positive influence on the training of these young people.

"I want to thank all the volunteers from across the world who had these young people from armed groups on their mind this IVD. These children, who had previously been traumatized by armed groups and using weapons, now have smiles on their faces thanks to United Nations Volunteers. We appreciate your donation of machines and construction equipment. You support these former child soldiers to integrate into society and improve the economy. Your donation will increase the quality of training and inspire the workers. Previously, we only utilized traditional tools." -- Guillain Punzu, APROJED Director.

Also on IVD 2022, UN Volunteers from Bunia provided over 500 boxes of medicines to Saint Kizito orphanage in Ituri province. In addition, a town hall meeting was held with Khasim Diagne, Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Protection and Operations in United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission (MONUSCO) in the DRC.

"Volunteers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are the large workforce that make a vital contribution to the operations of the Funds, Agencies, and Programmes, as well as the mission's mandate." -- Khasim Diagne, Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Protection and Operations in MONUSCO, DRC.

The underpinning message of volunteers making a difference through SDG 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions was given by Bintou Keita, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of MONUSCO in the DRC.

"The celebration of International Volunteer Day reminds us of the positive impact everyone can have in the pursuit of peace and development. We pay tribute to the many volunteers of the UN system in the DRC and elsewhere in the world." -- Bintou Keita, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of MONUSCO in the DRC.

Today, there are more than 500 UN volunteers deployed in the DRC, including 300 in the UN Peacekeeping Mission.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of UN Volunteer.

Details: East Africa; 19 January 2023; 817

IEBC Chairman Wafula Chebukati is whisked away by security officers and the clergy after chaos erupted between Azimio and UDA leaders at the auditorium, Bomas of Kenya Aug 15, 2022. [Jonah Onyango, Standard]

By any measure, the August 2022 General Election was one of the most peaceful in Kenya's multiparty democracy era. But like all our elections, it was not without a blemish.

At the tail end of a largely peaceful exercise, just when Kenyans were awaiting the declaration of the presidential results, ugly scenes played out at the Bomas of Kenya that shocked the entire country and beyond.

Hundreds of visitors, including foreign dignitaries, who had come to witness the historic moment, witnessed kicks, blows and seats fly when tempers flared at Bomas, the presidential vote tallying centre. The resultant fracas compelled security officers to whisk Mr Wafula Chebukati, Chairman of Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), to safety.

But perhaps because of the pain inflicted on them by the violent aftermath of the disputed 2007 general elections, ordinary citizens did not let the fight at Bomas spill over into the streets. Kenyans must be lauded for their political maturity.

They could have emulated the attack on Capitol Hill by supporters of Donald Trump who claimed he was rigged out in the US elections in 2021, or the January 8, 2023 attack on the Brazilian Congress by supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro while protesting a supposedly stolen election.

Months after the election, it is now emerging that there was more to what we saw at Bomas than meets the eye. All long, the opposition has maintained that the election was rigged in favour of Dr Ruto and has repeatedly called for an audit of the elections. This is notwithstanding the Supreme Court's ruling in a petition filed by the opposition that Dr Ruto won fairly.

On the other hand, no less a person than President Ruto has claimed there were attempts to rig the election in favour of Raila Odinga. The president has alleged that the plot by senior government officials under the Jubilee administration was not just to steal the election, but to abduct and kill Chebukati.

These are serious allegations that cannot be swept under the carpet. Yet prudence also dictates that such allegations cannot be taken as the gospel truth. Allegations by both sides of the political divide fly in the face of calls for healing and unifying the nation. They are akin to twisting a knife in a wound that had started to heal.

Our leaders, and indeed all Kenyans, cannot continue nursing grudges while praying for healing. It is for this reason that a commission of inquiry should be set up to get to the bottom of the maze that was the 2022 General Election. If we do nothing, those bent on undermining our democracy might get emboldened. Importantly, action should be taken against the people who caused chaos at Bomas last year.

In our national desire to unearth the truth, it would serve us well to settle on a non-partisan team comprising of members from friendly nations, to investigate this matter. Given the partisan nature of our politics and the urge to push vested interests, a commission made up entirely of local players might not win public trust. Editorial The Standard