Siaya Senator James Orengo and Kenya National Focal Point on Small Arms and Light Weapons Deputy Director Charles Owino. Photo Standard

Siaya gubernatorial aspirant Charles Owino has termed Siaya Senator James Orengo’s gubernatorial candidature a betrayal to ODM leader Raila Odinga’s 2022 State House bid.

Speaking during the burial in Siaya on Saturday, July 17, Owino said it was laughable that Orengo, a national politician, who is supposed to play a key role in Odinga’s campaigns ahead of 2022 polls was also interested in Siaya Governor seat.

“If Orengo believes Odinga is going to win the presidency, he must stick with him until he wins so that he can be the Attorney General or a Cabinet Secretary in that government,” said Owino.

The Kenya National Focal Point on Small Arms and Light Weapons deputy director said Orengo’s candidature will be a vote of no confidence against Odinga’s 2022 stab at the presidency and maybe fodder for his opponents.

“Odinga’s opponents will use some of these moves to attack his candidature and show other people he is not in the race to win,” he added.

He challenged Orengo to tell Siaya locals why he is running for governor seat when he is one of the senior politicians from the region helping Raila in national politics.

“If he is coming to run for governor seat, he is sending a dangerous message about Raila’s 2022 bid, it is a message of betrayal.”

The former National Police spokesperson cautioned politicians who have expressed their interest in the Siaya governor seat to stop insulting each other and instead sell their agenda to the electorate.

“We should stop politics of name-calling and tell locals what we plan to them should we ascend to the seat.”

Owino in February announced he will be contesting for the Siaya Gubernatorial seat in 2022.

He said he is the best candidate for the job, adding that anyone who goes up against him will become irrelevant politically.

Owino hinted he could contest under the ODM ticket, a move that could complicate things for those jostling to succeed Governor Cornel Rasanga whose term is ending in August 2022.

Other politicians rumoured to be eying the seat include Ugunja MP Opiyo Wandayi, former Rarieda MP Nicholas Gumbo, Orengo among others. - Mireri Junior, The Standard

President of the United Republic of Tanzania. Photo Presidency of Tanzania - Anadolu Agency

The president of Tanzania arrived in Burundi on Friday for a two-day official visit to rekindle bilateral ties with its northwestern neighbor. 

"I have come to Burundi to sustain a long-standing relations between our countries," said Samia Suluhu Hassan after holding private talks with her Burundian counterpart Evariste Ndayishimiye in the city of Bujumbura.

Hassan noted that she had come to Burundi for four reasons, and particularly to scale up bilateral cooperation, assuring her Burundian counterpart of her country's commitment to promoting and strengthening the existing bilateral cooperation.

This was Hassan's first visit to Burundi since she came to office after the death of her predecessor John Magufuli.

Arriving at the statehouse in the city of Gitega, Hassan received a 21-gun salute as a military band played the countries' national anthems before heading inside for private talks with Ndayishimiye behind closed doors.

Burundi is a strategic partner of Tanzania in trade and other areas. The small country, which has suffered decades of civil strife, depends on Tanzania for transportation of more than 80% of its goods through the Dar es Salaam port on the Indian Ocean coast.

Available statistics show that the trade volume between Tanzania and Burundi has increased from over $36 million in 2015 to more than $86 million in 2019, with at least 95% of Burundian cargo imported and exported through Dar es Salaam.

Earlier this year, the two countries resolved to strengthen cooperation in strategic areas, including economic infrastructure, to ease the transportation of people and goods.

According to Hassan, the Tanzania Investment Centre (TIC) -- which oversees local and foreign direct investment, has registered 18 Burundian projects worth $209.4 million and employing 3,544 Tanzanians.

The president is scheduled on Saturday to address a Burundian business forum with firms from both countries to explore business opportunities. - Kizito Makoye, Anadolu Agency

Former Western Equatoria governor Joseph Bangansi Bakosoro. Photo Larco Lomayat

July 15, 2021 (JUBA) - South Sudan National Movement for Change (SSNMC) leader, Joseph Bangasi Bakasoro on Thursday announced his decision to re-join the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM).

Speaking to reporters in the capital, Juba, Bakasoro said it was time to be part of the country’s ruling party for the sake of peace.

Bakasoro, who currently serves as the national minister for Public Service, called for restoration of the political glory of the SPLM party.

"I appeal to all SPLM veterans who might have gone out of SPLM because of various reasons to return back for the sake of history. I am appealing to the hold-out groups to silence the guns and come back home to contribute to the struggle to fix the country’s challenges,” he said.

The former governor, who quit the ruling party in 2010, urged citizens to support the ongoing implementation of the revitalized peace accord.

In the 2010 general elections, he contested as an independent candidate for Western Equatoria State governorship and defeated Jemma Nunu Kumba.

“Several people might not imagine that I can take such a decision to return to the SPLM because of the humiliation and intimidations I had gone through, but I had to for the sake of history, the party and the country,” said Bakosoro.

The NMC led by Bakosoro is a member of South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA).

In 2017, Bakosoro formed a new opposition movement, terminating his membership of SPLM, which split into three separate factions after the country descended into a violence conflict in 2013. - Sudan Tribune

(ST)

UN Secretary-General Special Envoy for Libya Jan Kubis warned that institutional, political, and individual interests stand in the way of of finalizing the necessary legal framework for holding Libya's December elections.

“I am deeply concerned about the wider ramifications of the stalemate in the political, electoral track.”

Kubis was speaking at a UN Security Council Briefing on Libya in New York, chaired by French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, and attended by Libyan Prime Minister Abdel Hamid Dbeibeh.

The Security Council issued a statement welcoming the conclusions of the second Berlin Conference on Libya and the collective efforts of Member States and regional and international organizations to assist the Libyan people in their quest for unity, peace, stability, and prosperity.

“I have advised the Speaker of the House of Representatives to consult with the High Council of State in line with the Libyan Political Agreement and to ensure that the legal and constitutional bases are in place for holding the elections on December 24, as per UNSCR 2570, Berlin-II conference conclusions and the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF) Roadmap,” said Kubis.

He stressed the need to “safeguard and advance the course to national inclusive, free, and fair parliamentary and presidential elections this December.”

The envoy called for increasing engagement with the Civil Society, including women and youth of the country. The Security Council strongly urged the relevant authorities and institutions to take immediate action to clarify the constitutional basis for the elections and enact legislation to allow sufficient time and resources to prepare for the national presidential and parliamentary elections.

Kubis asserted that the presence of foreign forces and mercenaries and foreign fighters also threaten the ceasefire, noting that Libyan and international actors must agree on a plan to commence and complete the withdrawal of mercenaries and foreign forces.

“I also urge members of the LPDF to put their differences aside and come to an agreement on a proposal for the constitutional basis for immediate consideration and adoption by the House of Representatives, so that elections may be held on December 24,” stressed Kubis.

Meanwhile, the US Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Linda Thomas Greenfield, stressed that a political solution in Libya is possible, describing it as “necessary” and “urgent.”

However, she indicated that it requires elections on December 24, as planned, and parties must come together to ensure that happens by putting the needed legal and constitutional frameworks in place.

According to Greenfield, the Security Council must also continue to support efforts to resolve the issues surrounding military de-escalation and call for the immediate departure of foreign forces and mercenaries.

For his part, Dbeibeh said that holding the general elections on their scheduled date is a “national and historic choice.”

The Libyan people are entitled to elections on December 24, and fulfilling that pledge requires solidarity and close cooperation among all sides, according to Dbeibeh, who said that his administration is doing its part with the allocation of funds to the electoral commission.

He called on the House of Representatives and the High Council of State to assume their responsibilities and reach a consensus for elections to be held on time.

Meanwhile, the French Foreign Minister warned during his speech that any party in Libya obstructing the political process could face international sanctions.

Le Drian said the international community must act to address real threats to Libya’s political transition.

The electoral calendar must be respected, while foreign forces and mercenaries, whose presence violates Council resolutions as well as Libya’s sovereignty, must withdraw, he added.

For his part, the Secretary-General of the Arab League, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, indicated that the positive momentum that began with the first conference, including implementation of a ceasefire, formation of a Government of National Unity, and agreement on election dates, must continue to serve the interests of the Libyan people who have placed their hope in this process.

Aboul Gheit affirmed the League’s interest in holding the elections, noting that it will be a milestone to save Libya and preserve its sovereignty and territorial integrity; re-opening the discussion of the December 24 date will only generate further conflict. ASHARAQ-AL-AWSAT