Image Courtesy Maps of Zimbabwe

OPPOSITION parties have called for the total lifting of sanctions on Zimbabwe as the country has made tremendous progress in implementing economic and political reforms.

In a statement, opposition parties that are part of the Political Actors Dialogue (Polad) said the European Union (EU), which this week removed the last remaining Zimbabwean citizens from its sanctions, should pursue multilateralism and desist from prescriptive diplomacy which borders on interference.

Polad's International Relations and Re-engagement Committee (IRRC) said while it is encouraged by the latest decision taken by the EU, which removed Vice President Constantino Chiwenga, Zimbabwe Defence Forces Commander Philip Valerio Sibanda and former First Lady Grace Mugabe from the sanctions list, there is need for the 27-member bloc to go a step further and remove any form of embargo on Zimbabwe.

"Polad IRRC encourages the EU to desist from what seemingly is clear interference in Zimbabwe's democratic and governance space by prescribing to the Government how to administer not only its laws but, the governance architecture".

The opposition parties added that President Mnangagwa's administration has made it clear that it is preparing the country for an upper-middle-income society by 2030 and the reforms are a key pillar towards economic revival and political and social development which is expected to improve the livelihoods of ordinary people.

The EU declaration on Zimbabwe, Polad said, is indicative of the continued need to dialogue not only as part of international diplomatic engagement but also the need to bridge the previously fragile EU-Zimbabwe relations.

"Zimbabwe continues to make positive strides to engage with the West and the West has reciprocated the gesture by welcoming Zimbabwe back as part of the international community. 

"This is evidenced by the recent international invitations extended to Zimbabwe namely, Cop-26 in Scotland and the EU-Africa Summit held in Brussels.

"Polad IRRC remains concerned by the unwillingness of the EU to review the illegal restrictive measures on the Zimbabwe Defence Forces Industries (ZDI). Polad IRRC reiterates that, these illegal restrictive measures are not targeted, but have for the last 20 years, demonstrated that they have far-reaching negative impact on ordinary Zimbabweans.

"Further, Polad IRRC acknowledges that the democratic blocks in the space of human rights, law reform, rule of law is work in progress and welcome any assistance that the EU may extend to assist Zimbabwe in its quest to realise its international human rights obligations.

"Polad IRRC reiterates that dialogue is the only democratic mechanism to improve relations not only with the West but even at domestic level," read the statement in part.

President Mnangagwa has championed the implementation of several reforms in areas such as security, the economy, media, and justice delivery and this has not gone unnoticed.

Among the notable reforms are the repealing of the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act and the Public Order and Security Act.

Six new independent television stations have been licensed to operate, and the opening of the airwaves has been hailed as a crucial step towards promoting transparency. Bulawayo News24

In 2019, two major reproductive health bills came up for debate in Kenya. One, the Reproductive Healthcare Bill, would outlaw forced sterilization and make pre- and postnatal care free for Kenyan women. The other, the Assisted Reproductive Technology Bill, sought to establish regulatory standards around surrogacy. 

Bills can take years to pass through Kenyan legislation, and the debate around these two played out extensively on Twitter. Now, a newly published study from the Mozilla Foundation, conducted between September and November 2021, has found that a far-right Spanish organization gamed Twitter’s Trends algorithm and employed other popular disinformation tactics to influence that debate and push its conservative agenda in the country.

Odanga Madung, a Nairobi-based fellow at the Mozilla Foundation, found tweets published as far back as 2019 that were shared by accounts paid anywhere between $10 and $15 per campaign to amplify disinformation. The campaign resulted in over 20,000 tweets and managed to get 10 campaign hashtags attacking the two proposed laws to trend on Twitter. The platform has since removed 240 accounts connected to the campaign for violating its policies on manipulation and spam. 

According to Madung, the account holders received instructions and content to post via WhatsApp, all in support of the policy goals of a right-wing Spanish organization called CitizenGo. 

CitizenGo bills itself as an online petition site, similar to progressive counterparts MoveOn and Avaaz. Current petitions on the site include “Stop the Vaccine Mandates” and “Boycott Sesame Street!” A 2021 report from the European Parliamentary Forum for Sexual and Reproductive Rights found that between 2009 and 2018, CitizenGo, founded by far-right organization HazteOir, raked in more than $32 million from wealthy individuals across Europe (in particular, Russian oligarchs), despite claims on its website that it’s funded by small donations. 

“Such organizations see Kenya and other countries in the Global South as new frontiers to reinforce and spread their ideologies,” Madung told Rest of World. Madung said the reproductive bills were “low-hanging fruit,” allowing the CitizenGo campaign to capitalize on existing moral and religious sentiments in Kenya, where reproductive health systems are already fragile. “These vulnerabilities are easily exploitable by groups from afar which have global ambitions,” he said.

Reproductive health has long been an area where international actors have sought to exert influence across Africa. For many years, organizations receiving U.S. government funding were bound by the “global gag rule,” which prevented them from offering counseling or referrals for abortions. At the same time, right-wing groups funded “crisis pregnancy centers,” in places like Uganda and South Africa. 

In some of the tweets identified to be part of the campaign, CitizenGo’s representative in Kenya, Ann Kioko, is shown alongside George Soros, a favorite target of right-wing antisemitic conspiracy theories, with the hashtag #IStandWithAnnKioko.

Tweets about the Assisted Reproductive Technology Bill pushed false information suggesting that the children of surrogates have increased behavioral issues. Other tweets attempted to stir up fears that the law would make Kenya “a baby manufacturing hub.” Anti-abortion advocates also quickly rebranded the Reproductive Healthcare Bill as an “abortion bill,” though it would not have legalized abortion. According to the Mozilla report, CitizenGo amplified anti-abortion messaging, including hashtags targeting the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women (UNCSW), even after the Reproductive Healthcare Bill was tabled in 2020.

CitizenGo did not respond to calls and emails requesting comment. 

A Twitter spokesperson told Rest of World that it uses “both technology and human review” to identify coordinated disinformation campaigns but did not specify what, if any, methods it uses to prevent bad actors from weaponizing its Trends algorithm, or if the CitizenGo campaign violated the company’s policies around health misinformation.

Madung, whose research has focused extensively on Twitter-based influence campaigns in Kenya, said that what most concerns him is that campaigns like CitizenGo’s are able to exploit the same vulnerabilities in the platform over and over again. 

“Twitter is the primary vector for the disinformation industry in Kenya, largely due to how easy it is to get its algorithms to amplify content,” said Madung. “The tactics used in this campaign are exactly the same as what we have seen previously, which makes it all the more confounding as to how Twitter is having such a hard time dealing with this problem.” - Vittoria Elliott, REST OF WORLD

The application window for new biometric passports in Rwanda has opened as authorities announce plans to phase out the old passport format by June this year, local portal Taarifa writes.

The report quotes a statement from the Directorate General of the Immigration and Emigration Service of Rwanda as saying applications can start coming in because the old passports issued before 27 June 2019, will be out of use after June 28, 2022.

The Directorate also disclosed fees for various categories of the new passports as follows: ordinary passport for minors with two-year validity Rwf 25,000 (US$24); ordinary passport of 50 pages with five-year validity Rwf 75,000 ($72); ordinary passport of 66 pages with ten-year validity Rwf 100,000 ($96); service passport with five-year validity Rwf 15,000 ($14), and diplomatic passport Rwf 50,000 ($48). -  Ayang Macdonald, Biometric Update

Western leaders allied to Azimio la Umoja Movement have disputed claims of disunity within the group. 

On February 10, Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho led leaders allied to Azimio in campaigning for Raila Odinga's presidential bid in Vihiga and Busia counties.

Conspicuously missing was Vihiga Governor Wilber Ottichilo and his Kakamega counterpart Wycliffe Oparanya. 

This elicited talk of sibling rivalry in Azimio. But on Monday during a delegates convention at Kidundu stadium in Vihiga Count, the leaders said they are united.

The meeting dubbed Vihiga One was organised to dispel the rumours and this was evident in the speeches by the leaders.

Ottichilo and Oparanya who were in attendance reiterated their commitment to the ODM party and Azimio la Umoja Movement.

Leaders present were Governors Wycliffe Wangamati (Bungoma), Stanley Ongwae (Kisii), MPs Chris Omulele (Luanda), Caleb Amisi (Saboti), Justus Kizito (Shinyalu), Ayub Savula (Lugari) Godfrey Osotsi (Nominated), Kakamega Woman Representative Elsie Muhanda, Democratic Action Party of Kenya leader Wafula Wamunyinyi. 

Ottichilo said he was firmly in ODM and was committed to ensuring Raila wins the presidency in the August 9 General Election.

"We are here to make one resolution as a county and that is supporting Raila and their will be no turning back," he said. 

The governor declared that the ODM leader was best suited to revive the economy and protect devolution.

Mr Oparanya said Raila was fit to rule the nation and the Luhya community will rally behind him. 

The leaders will hold similar meetings in all five Western counties.

"The group will have the same meeting today in other counties as we popularise Raila as our candidate for the presidency," said Oparanya.

Leaders who addressed the gathering criticised ANC leader Musalia Mudavadi and his Ford Kenya counterpart Moses Wetang’ula decision to work with Deputy President William Ruto in Kenya Kwanza Alliance.

Governor Wangamati claimed that the alliance between Mudavadi and Ruto would not benefit Kenyans.

He said the odds were in favour of a Raila presidency.

Mr Wangamati claimed that Mudavadi won't be given the running mate position in the Kenya Kwanza coalition.

"Mudavadi don't be given deputy seat and thus makes him a non-factor in Kenya Kwanza," he said.

The leaders said the Luhya community should be in the next government regardless.

"We have seen our brothers go to Sugoi and we accept that that is their democratic right, but they should be honest with us as Luhya people," said Mr Osotsi.

The leaders urged Mudavadi and Wetang'ula to join Azimio la Umoja.

"Come back my brother Mudavadi and Wetang'ula the Azimio la Umoja house has enough room for all of us," said Mr Omulele.

MP Kizito said the ANC and Ford Kenya leaders could come back to support Raila but they should first be taught a lesson by the electorate.

MP Amisi said Raila had the charisma to steer the nation to prosperity socially and economically.

"Raila will not struggle to be the president of this nation he has already struggled beyond limit and Kenyans will only bestow to him the presidency on August 9," he said.

Wamunyinyi said the Western region communities will rally behind Raila.

"All the parties in the Azimio la Umoja coalition are united to one mission, to make Raila the president in few months," he said. By Brian Kisanji, The Standard