Hakuzimana Abdoul Rashid and his lawyer Felix Rudakemwa. Photo via The Chronicles

Hakuzimana Abdoul Rashid, the political figure arrested three weeks ago accused of negating 1994 genocide against Tutsi in YouTube videos, appeared this Wednesday for his second bail hearing.

In the last hearing, Hakizinana said he had no lawyer. The session was move to today.

At Wednesday’s hearing, with attorney Felix Rudakemwa, who is Dr Leon Mugesera’s lawyer, Hakizimana informed the Nyarugenge primary court that it should rule on his illegal detention before bail hearings begin.

Prosecution is charging him with denying the genocide, negating the genocide, spreading ethnic divisions and spreading rumours. Prosecution says all these cases were committed in YouTube videos where he appeared being interviewed.

However, given space to speak, Hakizinana and his lawyer said the investigating prosecutor who interviewed him, tortured him psychologically. The investigator is said to have wondered whether Hakizinana didn’t learn from his previous 8-year jail term.

The investigator reportedly let it be known to Hakizinana that he would ensure he went to jail for a longtime by bundling together as many cases as possible.

Hakizinana told court that the investigating prosecutor instead of doing his job by conducting interview and writing down what was said, he was threatening the suspect.

It is the reason the prosecution dossier before court has no responses from the suspect Hakizinana. The suspect’s forms are empty.

However, when asked to speak, the prosecution said Hakizinana’s responses are not in the file because he refused to speak as he was before investigators.

Prosecution claims that Hakizinana, in the cited YouTube videos, repeatedly said: ‘those who are not commemorated should also be accorded commemoration’.

By this, according to prosecution, Hakizinana is suggesting there was a double genocide in Rwanda.

This charge has become common in many cases involving politicians and journalists.

The judge said he will make a ruling on November 22. - Kerry Jabo, The Chronicles

 By FLEVIAN MUTIE

Creativity and innovation are the key cornerstones of growth and sustainability in any business. Business owners keep inventing new techniques and technology to try and do things differently, so as to evade competition and remain outstanding.

Kenyans, especially in Kiambu have been left with mixed feelings, others with mouths wide open, wondering whether to embrace an entrepreneur’s technology or run for their dear lives. This was recently after a young innovative barber Julius Mwangi reinvented his barbershop business and took it to a higher level.

Julius decided instead of using the normal clippers or shavers to cut hair, he would use an axe instead. Mwangi says this was March last year, after the deadly COVID-19 pandemic left not just his business, but more others, with only a few clients or with none at all, risking closure and failure.

Julius, speaking to IEA Media, says when he saw that his business would sink, he began a door-to-door campaign for haircut- services but the fear displayed by most of his clients’ was a greater risk, with most suite premises not befitting of his operations.

“I was not even welcome in some homesteads, as some of these clients would always mistake me for a trespasser.”  “I launched the door- to- door campaign because of some demand, where some of my clients, decrying COVID-19 pandemic would ask me to go to visit their houses and offer my services from there, so I just resolved to give more comfort to them, in order to retain them.” he says.

I have quite an ardent experience as I have been a barber since 2014. I began using an axe to shave hair at Kings barbershop. Like other hairstylists, I strived out of curiosity to set my business apart from the competition in town and invented an axe which came after seeing a man shave with an axe.

Curiosity is the trick which pulls most clients to me, while fear drives the rest away, but with time, my customers always overcome their fears.” He says, adding that it is out of his unique thought he provides for his family and meets other basic needs.  

 “Offering door to door services fetched better for me but I still pushed to retain my shop. That’s how the demand for flexibility came, and I resolved to have a mobile barber shop, where I invented the van and joined hands with my colleague to run a mobile hair salon. Sometimes I could land on more potential clients who never complained of the cost even when I hiked it a little bit, to foot the cost of transport among other inconveniences.

“I landed on referrals from Nairobi’s rich suburbs like Karen and Lavington who also introduced me to others, and that is how I ended up implementing my idea of a van for business- a mobile barber shop, and inside is also a provision for a salon, it’s not a luxury as some would think.” Mwangi narrates. 

He adds that every business has its challenges where for him people would think ill of a youngster wielding- axes in a van since he had not marketed and established himself therefore spreading fear within communities which was a risk.

“The mistake that most entrepreneurs make is that they focus on the problems and the challenges they face. Some are driven by fear, fear of collapse, competition amongst many other factors they encounter. This should not make them shun and desist from pursuing their dreams or making innovations.  They should not procrastinate because time waits for no one.

IEA randomly speaks to Mwangi’s clients, and one David Masika says he fears for his dear life.  “I have had the ever bone chilling shave of my life, and my thought is never again can I risk, as the barber may be having a bad day, and that’s how death happens.” says Masika.  

James Maina says he would never entrust anyone with an axe over his head with the current rate of depression rate in Kenya.   “As for me, I can only take selfies with the axe but not dare the shave.” He adds.  John Muthama, a Kiambu resident told IEA Media that from experience, a shave from an axe is way more- smoother than using the shaving machine itself.

“ I found it cool, but the thought that an axe is being used on my head sends shivers down my spine.” He says

Life in Uganda’s bustling capital city of Kampala was upended Tuesday morning when two suicide bombings exploded downtown.

“In total, six people have died, including the three suicide attackers,” Uganda police spokesperson Fred Enganga told reporters.

According to CCTV footage shared by police, a man carrying a bag approached the exterior of the central police station at 10:03 a.m. Soon after, a blast went off. 

“By the time people called us, of course, the scene was very terrible. People were really scampering and scattering,” Irene Nakasiita, spokeswoman for the Uganda Red Cross, told The World from Kampala.  

Three minutes later, according to CCTV, two motorcyclists approached Parliament Avenue, where another explosion went off not far from Uganda’s parliament building.

Police said more than 33 bystanders were injured in the explosions. Five were critically injured, including police officers.  

“There are those that had big wounds, there are those that were not breathing so well, required resuscitation, required oxygen,” Nakasiita added. “But also, they will require additional psychosocial support because the trauma was a lot.”

The suicide bombings are the latest in a string of explosions that have plagued Uganda in recent weeks. 

Last month, at least two people were killed in separate explosions at a restaurant and on a bus. 

“Our intelligence also indicates that these are domestic terror groups that are linked to ADF,” Enganga said. 

The Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) originated in northern Uganda in the 1990s as an Islamist, anti-government movement. But it’s since based out of the Democratic Republic of Congo, where it has waged brutal attacks on civilians. 

Earlier this year, the United States designated the ADF as a terrorist group and called it an ISIS affiliate.

While the exact nature of that relationship remains unclear, it’s evident the ADF continues to pose a threat to Uganda.

"The bomb threats are still active. Especially from suicide attackers. We believe there are still more members of these domestic terror cells,” police spokesperson Enganga said. 

Meanwhile, in neighboring Kenya, authorities have said they have heightened security at the borders following the attacks. - Halima Gikandi, The World