East Africa

East Africa

Details: East Africa; 11 September 2021; 848

Mick Brigden, a tour manager known for his work with the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan, died on Sunday following an accident at his home in Santa Rosa, California, according to his family. He was 73.

Brigden's wife, Julia Dreyer Brigden, told local newspaper The Press Democrat that the accident happened while her husband was digging a grave for their pet dog. The manager was reportedly transported to a nearby hospital, where he died.

Born in Southend On Sea, England, Brigden was a protégé of famed concert promoter Bill Graham and worked with the likes of Van Morrison, Humble Pie, Peter Frampton and Carlos Santana during his decades-long career.

He was first a graphic artist in Canada but pivoted his career to management after meeting Mountain frontman Felix Pappalardi in New York, according to Brigden's obituary on his website.

Brigden spent seven years working under Graham before taking over the management division of the promoter's Bill Graham Presents organization. From there, he helped launch Wolfgang Records, which distributed six of Eddie Money's studio albums — including his 1977 self-titled debut.

Following Graham's death in 1991, Brigden and his management partner, Arnold "Arnie" Pustilnik, joined 13 other BGP employees in purchasing 90 percent of the company. He and Pustilnik sold the business in the early 2000s, when Brigden opened MJJ Management with guitarist Joe Satriani as his sole client.

"It's been a crazy and wonderful 33 years of rock 'n' roll," Satriani said in a statement following Brigden's death. "I've never worked so hard, played so hard, laughed and cried so hard, made so much music and had so many worldwide adventures, and all with Mick by my side."

RELATED VIDEO: Rolling Stones' Charlie Watts Dies at 80: 'One of the Greatest Drummers of His Generation'

"He was the ultimate music business mentor. Honest, tough, nurturing, hardworking, respectful, tenacious, insightful, he was all of things and more. I learned so much about how to be a good person from Mick," he added. "Throughout his illustrious career he worked the biggest and the best, but always knew it was important to be kind, be respectful, be cool and do things the right way."

Outside of music management, Brigden had a passion for winemaking, supplying grapes grown in his Northern California vineyard to make an exclusive Owl Ridge cabernet.

Brigden is survived by his wife Julia, son Jack, stepdaughter Jessica and grandson David Merz.

His family has asked that any donations in Brigden's honor be made to The Humane Society of Sonoma County. By Gabrielle Chung, People/Yahoo News

Details: East Africa; 11 September 2021; 810

DESTRUCTION: Residents of Kisii Ndogo village in Ol Moran, Laikipia West, look at what's left after 50 houses were set ablaze on Saturday night and Sunday morning.
Image: ELIUD WWAITHAKA

In Summary

• It is a grim indictment of the abject lack of seriousness of the national security system.

• How does anyone explain how a bunch of ragtag bandits with shoes fashioned out of old car tyres cause such mayhem as to be the subject of national security forum?

The total breakdown of law and order in Laikipia is not only sad but also source of enormous shame.

It is a grim indictment of the abject lack of seriousness of the national security system.

How does anyone explain how a bunch of ragtag bandits with shoes fashioned out of old car tyres cause such mayhem as to be the subject of national security forum?

And to make matters even worse, it is not the first time the outlaws have caused such havoc. Schools have been shut, homes set ablaze and people maimed and killed.

All the while, the top security brains have been left scratching their heads wondering what to do.

The problem does not seem to be a dearth of ability. The dithering. The slow motion has emboldened the bloodthirsty marauders into acts of daring.

When they roam Laikipia and plan their evil schemes, where the police and their capacity for intelligence?

Instead of moving in with the type of force that sends a strong and unequivocal message that Inspector General Hillary Mutyambai takes national security seriously, we get, instead, some token arrests meant to fool the public into slumber imagining all is well.

The police have left room for social media inciters and their local political godfathers to make the type of conclusions that have nothing to do with the chaos.

The conservancies are innocent. The investors have not stopped pasture thriving nor rivers to flow. In any case, have put in large cash into the businesses and hired thousands directly and indirectly in the tourism business.

The distressed pastoralists need a clear-headed solution not incitement by the very political class salivating at the prospect of grabbing the very parcels they pretend is the source of the problem.

Mutyambai and his team must redeem their reputation. The police have been turned into laughing stock by a band of nobodies.

With an election looming what is to stop reckless politicians and their brigands from stirring conflict in every imaginable corner.?

Mutyambai, you have the men and women. The firepower to restore order and to make arrests. Act now! The Star

Details: East Africa; 10 September 2021; 806

Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan. PHOTO | FILE | NMG

Tanzania on Thursday ratified the agreement establishing the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), effectively joining a pact connecting countries with a total gross domestic product of $3.4 trillion.

Minister of Industry and Trade, Kitila Mkumbo, made the announcement via Twitter, noting the country has joined a market of 1.2 billion customers.

AfCTA was first opened for signing in April 2018 but came into application in 2019 after the requisite minimum of 21 of the 55 member states ratified it.

Tanzania had not formally joined although former President John Magufuli signed on the agreement in 2019.

After signing, parliamentary approval is required for ratification of the agreement.

The ratification is an indicator of President Suluhu's intention to return the country to regional integration.

The ratification comes barely two months after the AfCFTA secretary General Wamkele Mene held discussions with President Samia Suluhu Hasan.

Mr Mene sought the assurance of Tanzania’s commitment to the agreement to which President Samia promised to join “very soon”.

Trade deal

In East Africa, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi already ratified the agreement.

The deal, signed by 54 of the African Union’s (AU) 55 member states, commits countries to 90 percent tariff cuts within a five-year period.

Eritrea is the only country yet to join the AfCFTA.

Of the 54 countries that signed the deal, only 38 countries including Tanzania have ratified the treaty.

AfCFTA provides a unified market of 1.2 billion people with a combined GDP of $3 trillion, and is potentially a strong foundation for industrialisation.

Currently intra-African exports stand at about 17 percent of total continental exports. Increasing this share is expected to increase value addition, help create jobs and boost incomes. By LUKE ANAMI, The East African

Details: East Africa; 10 September 2021; 860

Members Of The Royal Family Attend St Mary Magdalene Church In Sandringham - Chris Jackson Collection

The Duke of York has officially been served with the civil lawsuit alleging sexual assault, according to a document lodged with a New York court on Friday.

He was served on August 27 at his home in Windsor and has until September 17 to respond, the affidavit states.

“Service was accepted by Metropolitan Police Office/Head of Security at Royal Lodge,” according to his accuser, Virginia Roberts Giuffre’s legal team

The suit was formally served by “corporate investigator” Cesar Augusto Sepulveda, who works for a London-based process server.

Mr Sepulveda arrived at Royal Lodge at 9.30am on August 26, left a business card and was asked to wait before speaking to two Metropolitan Police officers, the document reveals.

They were unable to raise the Duke’s private secretary but told him they had been told not to accept any court papers and gave him a number for his lawyer, Gary Bloxsome, for whom he left a message.

Staff had “already been primed not to allow anyone access onto the property to serve court process and instructed anyone not to accept the service,” according to the document.

Mr Sepulveda returned to Royal Lodge at 9.15am the following day and spoke to the head of security, who told him to leave the paperwork at the main gates and that it would be forwarded to the Duke’s legal team.

The complaint and summons, enclosed in a plastic sleeve and A4 envelope, addressed to the Duke, was therefore deemed officially served, according to the affidavit.

Prince Andrew with Virginia Roberts Giuffre - Shutterstock

However, despite the detailed claims made in the court document, Mr Bloxsome has rejected the method of service, which he described as “regrettable” and procedurally improper.

He accused Ms Giuffre’s legal team of failing to follow correct procedures, claiming the lawsuit should be served via a British court official, who would act as an intermediary.

If the judge overseeing the case makes such a request, he said it was “likely” the Duke would “agree to a convenient method of alternative service,” according to a letter obtained by ABC News/Yahoo News

Details: East Africa; 10 September 2021; 862

Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid and Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta at State House, Nairobi, on September 9, 2021.

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta and his Estonian counterpart Kersti Kaljulaid say the world must come together and make efforts to overcome the effects of Covid-19 and climate change.

The two leaders issued their call after a meeting at State House, Nairobi, which also marked the first time the Estonian leader was visiting Africa.

The two heads of state noted that increased investment, digital transformation and trade will be crucial in boosting ties between Kenya and Estonia.

However, they emphasised that more efforts should be focused on Covid-19 and climate change, the two key issues that have affected lives of people of all walks of life and social classes across the globe.

"The devastating effects caused by Covid-19 on a global scale require immediate and effective action by the international community as a whole to address it. The two presidents agreed on the need for universal access to vaccines against Covid-19 and urged the international community to increase the sharing of the vaccines to ensure vaccination for all," they said in a joint communique.

Ms Kaljulaid arrived on Wednesday night in a low-profile trip which has been termed to be of great significance. A vocal campaigner for women's rights, President Kaljulaid's term in office is expected to end this year.

She is also the UN Global Advocate for Every Woman and Every Child, whose role is to promote rights of women and children.

Both Kenya and Estonia are serving in the UN Security Council as non-permanent members until the end of 2022. The two leaders say the Council is an important platform to push for solutions to challenges affecting everyone.

"The two Heads of State emphasised the urgent need to address climate change and its impact on the environment and the need to increase global efforts in this regard. The two Heads of State embraced multilateralism as the most appropriate path for economic and social recovery in times of the pandemic," the joint communique noted.The UN members are expected to meet later in November in Glasgow for a conference of parties, COP26, to a climate framework agreement.

Estonia, a member of the European Union, has often played its roles in Africa through the EU. It only has one resident embassy on African soil in Cairo, Egypt. On Thursday, President Kaljulaid said she supports the recent Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between the European Union and the East African Community.

The EPA was supposed to provide for certain privileges to goods from East African Community into the EU market, in exchange for a progressive access for EU goods into the region. But only Kenya has gone ahead with the implementation of the deal after other EAC members cited lack of protection for their local industries.

President Kaljulaid, whose country is considered one of the most digitalised in the world, was expected to meet with Safaricom chiefs, officials of tax-hailing app Bolt and senior officials at the Ministry of Education at separate times, as well as attend a business-to-business event at the Strathmore Business School in Nairobi.

The European Union member state was among the pioneers of e-voting, trialing online voting for municipal elections in 2015. It has continued to implement the electronic voting system, which was also used during election that saw Ms Kaljulaid cling to the presidency.

The country runs e-ID system, one of the most advanced in the world, which allows owners to sign on travel documents or even insurance certification remotely. It means that people can apply for travel documents without setting foot in the bureau. They also have something they call an e-residency permit, which allows people including those outside the country to access certain services electronically. The country had been known for e-schooling, long before Covid-19 forced schools to implement one. By Aggrey Mutambo, East African