East Africa

Details: East Africa; 19 August 2021; 825

Former Vice President Joseph Murumbi

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Bank of America is splashing millions in honour of a Kenyan Hero in their latest project, targeting 13 countries across the world.

US's most prestigious bank is directing funds aimed at preserving art pieces collected by Kenya's former Vice-President Joseph Murumbi.

According to a statement released by the bank on Wednesday, August 18, Murumbi African Heritage Collection is one of 23 major cultural restoration projects that will be funded under America’s Art Conservation Project.

Nairobi National Museum

Murumbi African Heritage Collection will be part of the projects that will receive funds exceeding Ksh5.5 billion from the bank in 2021 aimed at preserving the pieces.

Artworks to be restored are a significant part of the Murumbi African Heritage Collection that were collected by Sheila and Joseph Murumbi that are now on display at the National Museum, Nairobi.

Murumbi who served as Minister of Foreign affairs from 1964 to 1966 before becoming the Vice President later in 1966 collected a number of pieces including art pieces, books, jewelry, weaponry, furniture documents among other items, but the bank resolved to invest in only three rare pieces.

The three works are an Ethiopian canvas painting of St. George slaying the dragon, a Sudanese painting on hide substrate by Salih Mashamoun, and a Yoruba beaded textile crocodile.

The three are pieces collected by the former Minister of Foreign affairs are in danger of deterioration being the only Pan-African collection in the Eastern African region and now they are preserved at the National Museum.

“With the 2021 selections, we have been able to fund the conservation of over 5,000 individual pieces of art through 195 projects in 36 countries since launching the programme in 2010,” said Rena DeSisto, global arts, and culture executive of Bank of America.

National Museums of Kenya (NMK), Purity Kiura speaking to the East African welcomed the move by the Bank of America to invest in the preservation of the art pieces.

“The Murumbi African Heritage Collection is unique in that it includes African textiles, jewelry, and ancient books that have gone out of print to artifacts collected from all over Africa. It is an extensive private collection of the late Joseph Murumbi, a retired politician who committed his life to the preservation of African Art,” said Kiura.

The conservation process of each of the three pieces will be a joint venture between the National Museum of Kenya and conservators from the British Museum.

Murumbi in 1965, brought a Bill before parliament that set in motion the setting up the National Archive, currently the Kenya National Archives and Documentation Service. It was established by an act of parliament, The Public Archives Act of 1965.

Murumbi resigned from his Vice President Post after serving for only 6 months, citing personal reasons.

He abandoned politics for art, where he served as the first chairman of the Kenya Archives Service. He died in June 1990, leaving a heroic legacy.

Murumbi Memorial in Nairobi Named After Joseph Murumbi

TWITTER Kenyans.co.ke

Details: East Africa; 18 August 2021; 870

Addis Ababa mayor urges residents to take precautions as more heavy rains are expected in coming days.

Firefighters inspect damages caused by heavy rain which flooded homes in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia [Amanuel Sileshi/AFP]

Flash flooding kills at least seven people in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa after torrential rains, officials say.

Images from the city on Wednesday showed firefighters wading through brown water to inspect flooded houses and in one instance walking through sludge with a stretcher to remove a body.

Houses and cars were submerged by the waters after the downpour which pelted several neighbourhoods of Addis Ababa on Tuesday, causing chaos.

The Addis Ababa Fire and Emergency Prevention and Rescue Commission said seven people had died and that others were receiving treatment in hospital, according to state-affiliated Fana Broadcasting Corporate.

Mayor Adanech Abiebie said on Twitter after visiting affected areas that there had been “heavy” damage caused by the flooding, without elaborating.

“I urge our residents to take the necessary precautions in the area as heavy rains are expected in the coming days, and we will intensify our efforts to increase protection,” Adanech added.

Adanech visited families who lost their loved ones and their properties destroyed in various parts of the city on Wednesday, the Ethiopian Monitor reported.

“We extend our heartfelt condolences to our loved ones, families and friends who lost their lives in the floods,” she was quoted as saying.

Thousands of lives have been saved by the efforts of disaster relief workers, the mayor said, the Ethiopian Monitor reported. She added that support will be provided to those affected by the floods. SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES

Details: East Africa; 18 August 2021; 801

Photo via Vatican News

The Pope expresed his deep sadness in receiving news of the “brutal attack" on a group of Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus that resulted in the deaths of Sister Mary Abud and Sister Regina Roba. In the telegram, sent through Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State, the Pope offered his “heartfelt condolences” to their families and religious community in the wave of this “senseless act of violence”.

He expressed his hope that “their sacrifice will advance the cause of peace, reconciliation and security in the region” and offered prayers for “their eternal rest and the comfort of those who grieve their loss”.

The two sisters were killed following an ambush on the road that connects the South Sudanese capital Juba to Nimule, on the border with Uganda. The nuns, along with some sisters and several faithful, were returning to Juba after participating in the celebration of the centenary of the establishment of the parish of Loa, in the diocese of Torit, where the church is dedicated to Our Lady of the Assumption. They were traveling on a bus that was attacked by armed men. Local sources reported that Sister Mary, Sister Regina and three other people were killed as a result of the assault. - Amedeo Lomonaco, Vatican News

Details: East Africa; 18 August 2021; 797

President Uhuru Kenyatta (left) with ODM leader Raila Odinga (right) at the Jomo Kenyatta International Stadium in Kisumu during the Madaraka Day celebrations on June 1, 2021

PSCU

Former Prime Minister and Orange Democratic Movement party leader, Raila Odinga, has said that his team will not head to the Supreme Court should the Appellate Court throw out the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI).

The Court of Appeal will make a determination on the constitutionality of the BBI Bill on Friday, August 20 following an appeal made by its (BBI) proponents after the High Court declared it null and void.

According to Nation, the former premier explained that he would not pursue the matter further and would rather concentrate on winning the 2022 General Election.

A seven-Judge bench chaired by Justice Daniel Musinga is expected to make the ruling on the highly contested bill.

President Uhuru Kenyatta and Raila Odinga at KICC in Nairobi for the National launch of BBI signatures collection exercise. November 25, 2020.

PSCU

If approved, the decision will see Kenya head to a referendum to amend the 2010 Constitution.

Other judges on the bench are Justices Hannah Okwengu, Patrick Kiage, Fatuma Sichale, Gatembu Kairu, Roselyne Nambuye, and Francis Tuyyoit.

The High Court, in a ruling in May, declared the Constitutional Amendment Bill 2020 unconstitutional due to a number of illegalities.

The ruling came after a five-Judge bench of the High Court sitting in Nairobi reviewed the submissions made by the parties involved. The judges made a determination on 17 questions raised by petitioners opposed to the whole BBI process.

The ruling was made by Justices Teresia Matheka, Joel Ngugi, George Odunga, Jairus Ngaah, and Chacha Mwita.

BBI’s Secretariat was declared illegal as it was an initiative of the President while all actions taken by IEBC, in respect to the Constitution Amendment Bill 2020, were ruled as null and void.

Political storm erupted shortly after the ruling with BBI proponents claiming that the exercise was unfair. Justices Ngugi and Odunga paid the ultimate price after they were left out of appointments to the Court of Appeal by President Uhuru Kenyatta.

The highly anticipated Friday ruling arises from an appeal filed by Attorney General (AG), Paul Kihara Kariuki.

The former President of the Court of Appeal - through the Solicitor General - argued that he was displeased with the shock ruling made against BBI, especially after the judges declared that the Bill illegal as it flouted several clauses of the Constitution.

Attorney General Paul Kihara Kariuki. Kenyans.co.ke

Details: East Africa; 17 August 2021; 813

Photo Lucy Beck/CARE

August 16, 2021 — South Sudan, alongside Afghanistan, tops the list as one of the deadliest places to be an aid worker according to an analysis done by CARE International on data from the Humanitarian Outcomes Aid Worker Security Database (AWSD). A devastating 78 aid workers have lost their lives since the beginning of this year, including 17 in South Sudan and Afghanistan respectively. The two countries account for 44% of all humanitarian deaths so far this year (although the majority of Afghanistan’s fatalities occurred in a single incident).

According to Rosalind Crowther, CARE South Sudan Country Director, “Ten years on from independence, South Sudan is facing its worst humanitarian crisis ever. At the same time, the safety and security of aid workers has seen a concerning deterioration. There was an alarming increase in aid workers attacked and killed, and aid supplies stolen in 2020, which has continued into 2021. A failure to ensure that humanitarians are protected will lead to unavoidable suspension or disruption of lifesaving operations in critically affected areas.”

After a two-year decline in fatal attacks against aid workers in South Sudan, killings increased sharply in 2020 and continue at a level not seen since 2016-2017. In 2021, this worrying trend is continuing. According to Humanitarian Outcomes, “most attacks occurred in Jonglei and Unity states, but have also been rising in areas outside of these original conflict hotspots, reflecting an expansion of lawlessness and growing desperation in parts of the population traumatised by years of civil war.”

On top of having the highest number of aid worker fatalities, South Sudan also recorded the most attacks against aid workers so far in 2021 and for the 2nd year in a row. Incidents in South Sudan account for 35% (40) out of the 115 recorded so far this year.

Amin David Asu, CARE South Sudan Area Manager in Koch says, “Working in South Sudan is so frightening. Since 2018 the situation has been very volatile, and we have seen a lot of cattle raids and revenge killings and this really traumatised all staff, making us fear for our safety and security. This year, project supplies from the nutrition and women and girls’ friendly centres were also looted, which disrupted the smooth service delivery of humanitarian aid to those already in desperate need.”

This year’s World Humanitarian Day theme #TheHumanRace focuses on the impact of climate change on humanitarian crises. Both South Sudan and Afghanistan are countries facing complex emergencies that are being exacerbated by climate crises including flooding and droughts.

Sheri Lim, CARE International Lead Advisor on Resilience and Gender says; “We know that climate change is a threat multiplier and can lead to increased tension and conflict within communities and populations, as people are forced to compete over already scarce resources. It also leads to increased displacement and more pressure on the communities hosting the displaced. Countries already in situations of armed conflict are disproportionately affected by climate variability and extremes. Climate change adds extra burdens, tensions and stress onto already severely stressed populations, and further reduces their ability to cope.”

For More Information:
Rachel Kent
Senior Press Officer
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- CARE