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Voters queue to cast their votes at Muchatha Primary School polling centre during the Kiambaa Parliamentary by-election on July 15,2021.

Evans Habil | Nation Media Group

What you need to know:

  • What is the responsibility of the ordinary man for the problems in our country?
  • How have we contributed? What is the trouble with the average Kenyan?

A man of knowledge — an avid reader who has sold me books for many years — called me yesterday with a somewhat unique request. He said that we have blamed leaders, the elite and other big people for the problems that our society confronts. 

Don’t the people also bear at least some, if not the bulk, of the responsibility? If the we as a people were not at fault, would those that we blame for the ills confronting us be able to sin and continue sinning?

My interlocutor challenged me to take a position on the matter and write about it, a challenge I could not resist. 

What is the responsibility of the ordinary man for the problems in our country? How have we contributed? What is the trouble with the average Kenyan?

Our biggest failure is our tolerance of corruption and veneration of ill-gotten wealth. There was a man, an alleged rapist and operator of pyramid schemes and other get-rich-quick schemes in which honest working people lost their savings, whose story once spread far and wide. 

Contempt for the rule of law

Other than a sweet tongue and an illusion of great wealth, which he had cast over himself like a cloak, the man appeared to have no saving grace. Yet he was elected the Member of Parliament for my constituency. My neighbours, friends and relatives spoke of him with an indulgent, affectionate disapproval. A he-is-a-rogue-but-such-a-darling type of attitude. A suspected rapist and rampant thief. Tolerated and loved because he was perceived to have money.

The people of this country have an excess of tribalism which, in many cases, robs them of the ability to take rational decisions. It’s now an accepted fact that elections are not really a matter of whether one can govern but whether he or she is from my tribe, or whether he or she is the candidate that my tribe is supporting.  

Here, I must say that there are moments when we are able to rise above tribalism and that, increasingly, I see evidence that the days of that foolishness are numbered. But it cannot be denied that we still manage, even in the midst of our apparent sophistication and learning, to create primitive enclaves of nativism and primordial kinship from which reason and good judgement are exiled.

We have contempt for the rule of law and only obey for fear of the authorities and punishment. Many people break the law without a second thought. Rarely will you find someone who complies because it is the right thing to do. 

At other times, we have an almost criminal ignorance of the law. It is up to you as a driver to know that you can’t drive on the wrong side of Thika Road, drunk on shots and high on marijuana — and distracted by crowds of half-naked people attempting to sit on your lap. You don’t wear a face mask only when you are in areas that have police presence.

Ignorance of the law

We constantly fail to recognise and stand for our common interests. Officials of a communal organisation have misused the property of members. But rather than joining hands to punish them, members sympathise and help the culprits, especially if they’re personally benefiting. A man steals billions of shillings from the people, he gives a small fraction of that money to its owners and they worship him. A man sells the village cattle dip and gives some villagers a couple of thousand shillings. They think he’s a great, generous man... until their cows start dying of disease. 

It shows that sometimes we suffer an excess of selfishness and can be destructively greedy; that a venal love for material gain runs in the blood. This is not to say that we are incapable of the most outstanding generosity and sacrifice. We are. But the default setting is to make money at whatever cost. We’re not the worst in the world but we are not the best either.

I find it strange and frustrating that, in our planning and thinking, we rarely take into consideration what is going to happen to our descendants 100 years in the future. We don’t build cathedrals for our grandchildren to worship in. We build grass-thatched huts to sleep in. We do not do the hard work of building a future for the generations to come; we take the easy route for our current enjoyment and pleasure. Really big feats cannot be achieved this way.

I think it’s a serious flaw that we worship politicians and fail to judge them by their performance. Because we make emotional decisions, we fail to see that they are sometimes lazy and some of them are crooks. And so we put our wards, constituencies and even counties in the hands of the most incapable and incompetent folk and sit back expecting miracles that will see the work done.

The avaricious leader swathed in expensive, tasteless, garish attires, maybe with gold chains, golden shoes and cars with their names on the number plate are a mirror. When you behold them, what you see is you. By Mutuma Mathiu, Editorial Director, NMG

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SPLM-IO member of National Liberation Council Dut Majokdit (right) gesture as he sits near SPLM-IO leader and First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar Teny (left) in Juba. Photo via Facebook

 

JUBA – A senior member of the main armed opposition Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO) led by First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar Teny has ruled out the renegotiation of the revitalized peace agreement.

This comes after senior opposition officials including Machar’s deputy announced in a statement that they were joining the SPLA-IO Kitgwang faction led by former SPLA-IO military General Simon Gatwech Dual.

In a statement, Dut Majokdit, a member of the SPLM-IO National Liberation Council and close Machar ally said the agreement won’t be renegotiated stressing that the people of South Sudan have suffered under the continued defections that have characterized the country’s politics.

“For those who think that the Peace Agreement that we are implementing here in Juba will be renegotiated due to the defections from SPLM/A-IO, please convinced yourself. People of South Sudan want Genuine and Sustainable Peace for themselves and their families”, Majongdit said in a statement,” Majokdit said.

He dismissed calls that General Simon Gatwech Dual is the new powerful leader of the main armed opposition group, saying the SPLM-IO has ever only known Machar as its leader.

“We have one Chairman and one Commander in Chief His Excellency Dr Riek Machar, First Vice President in the country. If there are others who entitled themselves to be Chairman, Good luck for them. But what I know the SPLM-IO is determined to Change Political Path,” he added. - Sudans Post

Some employees, especially those with a long commute, could have their wages reduced (PA)

Google employees in America who choose to work from home permanently may have their pay cut. The technology giant has developed the Work Location Tool which allows staff to calculate the impact on their pay if they choose not to return to the office.

Some employees, especially those with a long commute, could have their wages reduced. Google has no plans to bring this into force in the UK. People in the US working in the same office could take home significantly different wage packets and those living further away would take home the least, according to a company pay calculator seen by Reuters.

Screenshots apparently showed how a commuter to Google’s New York office living in Stamford, Connecticut, would be paid 15 per cent less if they worked from home.

A colleague who worked remotely within New York City, in comparison, would not lose any money, according to the calculator.

Differences were also found in American cities Seattle, Boston and San Francisco. A Google spokesperson said: "Our compensation packages have always been determined by location, and we always pay at the top of the local market based on where an employee works from.

"Our new Work Location Tool was developed to help employees make informed decisions about which city or state they work from and any impact on compensation if they choose to relocate or work remotely."

It comes as a number of Silicon Valley firms continue to experiment with employee pay structures in a bid to work out how working remotely post-pandemic could work longer term.

Microsoft, Facebook, and Twitter have all offered less pay for employees based in locations where it is less money to live.

In contrast, Reddit and Zillow have said they will pay employees the same regardless of where they are based. Yahoo News

 

Dr Daniel Ngamije, Rwanda’s health Minister described the partnership as a capacity building move to the vaccine manufacturing plan. Photo Sam Ngendahimana

 

The government of Rwanda and Belgian Development Agency, Enabel have announced a partnership to build a robust ecosystem in the biotech industry in a bid to speed up the country’s readiness to manufacture vaccines and other pharmaceutical products, reads a joint statement.

In line with the agreement signed by the European Union and the Rwanda Development Board, the mutual cooperation also seeks to enhance the attractiveness of Rwanda for investments in vaccine manufacturing.

“This aims to strengthen the capacity of Rwanda Food and Drugs Authority through the provision of key laboratory software (Laboratory Information Management System) and curb Africa’s dependency on the global supply of vaccines,” reads the statement in part.

Commenting on the partnership, Dr Daniel Ngamije, Rwanda’s health Minister described the partnership as a capacity building move to the vaccine manufacturing plan.

“We are grateful for the partnership with the Belgian Cooperation and look forward to availing vaccines and other pharmaceutical products to a bigger number of beneficiaries by bringing vaccine manufacturing capabilities in the country,” he expressed.

Dirk Deprez, the Resident Representative of Enabel in Rwanda also reiterated that the partnership contributes to the global vision of health equity.

“Enable is delighted to be contributing to this noble cause of ensuring that the much-needed vaccines and drugs are accessible in Africa thus contributing to the global vision of health equity.”

In the recent cabinet meeting that convened on Wednesday, August 11, the cabinet was briefed on the cooperation agreement between Rwanda Development Board (RDB) and the International Finance Center (IFC) on the Vaccine Manufacturing plant in Rwanda. 

Rwanda is one of the three African countries selected mid this year to become regional vaccination hubs.

Also, the development comes at a time when more than 729,000 Rwandans have been vaccinated, as part of the effort to vaccinate 60 percent of the total population by the end of next year.

The priority groups include the elderly and those with high-exposure jobs. - Bertrand Byishimo, The New Times

By NANGAYI GUYSON

Rwanda-Uganda - Relations have deteriorated further following charges of espionage by the Kigali administration against Ugandan security forces.

Rwanda has come under fire after a slew of evidence implicated the government in espionage involving high-ranking political individuals and diplomats in neighboring countries such as Uganda, as well as attorneys and journalists.

According to a report by The Washington Post, The Guardian, Le Monde, and other outlets based on a leaked list of 50,000 phone numbers, President Paul Kagame's administration used an Israeli-made malware called Pegasus to spy on opponents, journalists, lawyers, and politicians in a number of countries.

Several Ugandan officials appeared on the leaked records, including former Chief of Defence Forces Gen David Muhoozi, former Foreign Affairs Minister Sam Kutesa, and former Prime Minister Dr Ruhakana Rugunda, “indicating that they were potential targets of the software,” according to the investigation.

External security boss Joseph Ochwet was also targeted.

“The picks (of numbers to spy on) corresponded with a visit by Kagame to Uganda,” according to a group of investigative journalists who undertook the investigation.

When Pegasus is installed on a smartphone, it practically provides an attacker full control over the phone. It can read and record messages and passwords, access social media, utilize GPS to find the target, and listen to and record the target's conversations.

Once the phone is compromised, end-to-end encryption, which is available through popular apps like Signal, does not protect against Pegasus.

 

Pegasus is unafraid of even the most sophisticated security systems on iPhones.

The hacker can even use your GPS to track your location, making assassination missions easier.

Furthermore, if you are at home, the hacker can turn on your phone cameras remotely, allowing the hacker to observe your children playing in the living room.

Pegasus is dangerously obtrusive in this way. The development comes in the wake of President Museveni's espionage warning to Rwanda. President Museveni warned a "nation in the region" against interfering in Uganda's domestic affairs shortly after winning the 2021 general elections.

“A country in the region has been sending operatives to come tamper in our politics,” Museveni remarked, adding, “But we have been counteracting them.”

Museveni didn't say which country he was referring to, but it's assumed he meant Rwanda.

Rwanda denies any wrongdoing. In a statement to the Pegasus Project team, Rwanda's government said, "These baseless claims are part of an ongoing drive to raise tensions between Rwanda and other nations, as well as to disseminate disinformation about Rwanda internally and globally."

Rwanda's Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Dr. Vincent Biruta, has stated that Rwanda does not use or have access to Pegasus. He called the probable targeting of activists, journalists, attorneys, politicians, and others, as well as the hacking of opponents' phones, "false charges.

The Rwandan government also denied conducting spy operations in Uganda, but Ugandan authorities believe it is these acts that continue to sour Uganda-Rwanda relations.

Global accusations that Rwanda eavesdropped on the phone calls of top Ugandan security and political leaders have been dismissed by the government as "absurd and unfortunate."

Uganda's State Minister for International Relations, Henry Okello-Oryem, stated that such "wrong" behavior from a "usually fraternal" country was unexpected.

“We've seen the reports all around, and it's easy to dismiss them as mere assertions.

We haven't received an official record of the accusations yet, so there's no reason to make a formal statement,” Mr Oryem added.

“However, if this is true, it is completely intolerable; a neighboring country spying on its neighbors in the region and in Africa,” he added.

The quantity and content of the hacked Ugandan officials' chats are unknown.

Defence spokesperson Brig Flavia Byekwaso said Security will issue an official remark after reading the findings.

Following a meeting between President Museveni and his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame in 2019, tensions between the two neighboring countries were defused. According to reputable sources, diplomatic relations between the two nations deteriorated after the conference since the two governments broke their earlier agreements, and Ugandan arrests and deportations of Rwandans have intensified since then.

Since March, Ugandan police have detained and deported many Rwandan nationals, primarily in the border districts of Kabale, Kisoro, and Kagadi. Rwanda also claims Ugandan immigration agents of snatching Rwandese visitors' identity cards.

Kigali accuses Kampala of supporting Rwandan dissidents aiming to destabilize the country, while Uganda has stepped up its crackdown on Rwandans suspected of being on espionage missions in the country.

The Pegasus Project, a collaboration of international media and non-governmental organizations, has shown how government clients used Israeli business NSO Group's Pegasus spyware to spy on journalists, activists, and politicians. Current and previous presidents, as well as prime ministers, are among the targets.

They were found on a list of about 50,000 phone numbers that NSO clients had allegedly designated as belonging to persons of interest. At least seven African countries were identified as clients in the leak, including Togo, Morocco, and Rwanda.

Rwanda is said to be one of the more avid users of the Pegasus malware, which can surreptitiously record phone calls, read texts and emails, access pictures and passwords, and discreetly activate microphones and cameras to record audio and video.

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