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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

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
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

 
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

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

FILE: Former first lady of Zimbabwe, Grace Mugabe, pays her last respects during a state funeral of her husband and the country's longtime ruler Robert Mugabe, at the national sports stadium in Harare, Sept. 14, 2019.
 

A Zimbabwean court is expected today to hear an appeal by former First Lady, Grace Mugabe, against a chief’s ruling that she violated traditional norms by laying to rest former President Robert Mugabe at the family homestead in Zvimba communal lands.

Mrs. Mugabe’s attorney, Fungai Chimwamurombe, has asked Chinhoyi courts to make a judicial review of Chief Zvimba’s ruling, compelling her to exhume her husband’s remains and rebury them at the National Heroes Acre in Harare.

The basis of the appeal, as cited by Chimwamurombe, is that there was "absence of jurisdiction, impropriety of relief granted, irregular service of summons and the judgement was biased.”

The Zimbabwean government wanted Mugabe to be laid to rest at a special mausoleum at the National Heroes’ Acre but his family refused, saying he wanted to be buried near the grave of his late mother, Bona.

The chief fined Mrs. Mugabe five cattle and a goat for burying the former president at his homestead instead of the family cemetery in Kutama village.

The Mugabe family rejected the village court order with the late president’s nephew, Leo Mugabe, saying they will fight the case to the bitter end.

In an interview recently, Leo Mugabe said, “It’s a ruling against a widow and the widow has nothing to do with the burying of her husband … This judgment is irrelevant, if you were to ask me, because in any case, Chief Zvimba does not preside over cases here.”

Mrs. Mugabe and other family members and Chief Zvimba were unreachable on their mobile phones. VOA

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