East Africa

Details: East Africa; 31 January 2021; 1238

Photo The Standard President Uhuru Kenyatta (pictured) today met thousands of delegates at the Sagana State Lodge in Nyeri where leaders from Mt Kenya region voiced their unanimous support for the Building Bridges Initiative. While praising the BBI report, the leaders led by Nyeri Governor Mutahi Kahiga told Uhuru they will not allow divisive politics and external influence to disrupt the peace and unity of the region. The leaders who included representatives of the youth, women, politicians and other grassroots formations made the assurance during the consultative meeting at Sagana. Speaking during the meeting, the leaders said their region stands to benefit from the constitutional reform process. The 7000 plus delegates turned up at Sagana as the President toured his home turf amid political undertone. All eyes are set on him on whether he would tame the vote-rich Mount Kenya bloc that seems to be slipping away. The attendants were drawn from the 10 counties as the President completed day two of his Central region tour. This comes as 10 county assemblies on Friday assured Uhuru they will pass the BBI legislation within the required legal timeline. The assurance by Meru, Tharaka Nithi, Embu, Kirinyaga, Nyeri, Murang'a, Nyandarua, Kiambu, Laikipia and Nakuru County Assemblies was made on Friday at Sagana during a meeting between the Head of State and 550 MCAs and their respective leadership teams. Led by their County Assembly Speakers and House Leaders, the MCAs said they back the BBI process because it will allocate more development resources to the grassroots. With the 2022 general election already in the horizon and the Building Bridges Initiative debate hotting up, Uhuru met leaders to discuss the region's development as well as other pertinent national agenda including the BBI. Uhuru on Friday started his four-day pitch for the BBI by offering a sweetener that could change the tide for the constitutional reform moment. The President acceded to demands by MCAs to be given car grants, adding that the same would be given to all ward representatives across the country. Uhuru also stated that although he would be retiring, he would still have a say in the political scene. “I will still sit in the negotiation table to ensure that our region is not taken lightly,” he said during a meeting with the leaders at Sagana State Lodge. At the same time, Uhuru pleaded with Mt Kenya leaders to delink his succession politics from the BBI process, saying, “I have never said I will support or not support someone (to succeed me) so I wonder why all the hullaballoo.” “I never said we shall elect so and so. I only said we shall support whoever was more popular than the others and I said we should widen our circle of friends so that we are safe, whoever is in power,” he said. Unlike before when the president read the riot act to the local leaders, yesterday he appeared reconciliatory, telling his allies “not to bother answering what the other people are saying”. - Jael Mboga, The Standard

Details: East Africa; 31 January 2021; 1438

South Sudan will switch to a new official time zone in February. Photo Nation Media Group South Sudan plans to reset its clock, moving back one hour on February 1. The change, which moves the country an hour behind its key trading partners Uganda and Kenya, is meant to align it to the time zone based on its geographical location. “The National Ministry of Labour informs all the civil service institutions, commissions, diplomatic missions, UN agencies, international/non-governmental organisations and the public at large that South Sudan has changed its official time from UTC +3 to UTC +2, which is based on South Sudan’s real location on the globe,” the Labour undersecretary Mary Hillary Wani Pitia said in statement on Friday. The Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) is a time standard by which the world regulates clocks and time. It is often interchanged with Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), but while there is no time difference between UTC and GMT, the latter is a time zone used in some European and African countries. The dateline – an imaginary longitude 180o that runs from pole to pole – zig zags east and west to accommodate the needs and demands of countries along its route. Most countries use hourly offsets from GMT. Countries can, however, set their own time for political reasons or to keep the same time zone with border countries. The switch by South Sudan will see it move from the East African time zone (GMT +3) – observed by Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Somalia, Eritrea, and Djibouti – to the Central African time zone (GMT +2). Some of the countries in this time zone include Sudan, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Burundi, South Africa and Egypt. “The current time will be set back by one hour, meaning 1:00 am will be reset to 00:00 am effective from 1st February 2021,” said Ms Pitia. The change was approved by South Sudan’s Cabinet two weeks ago but came under heavy criticism by citizens on social media. The government spokesperson, Michael Makuei Lueth, said the country has not been using its real time. - Garang A. Malak, The EastAfrican

Details: East Africa; 30 January 2021; 1651

The International Criminal Court has granted Paul Gicheru’s (pictured) request for interim release. Judge Reine Adélaïde Sophie Alapini-Gansou of Pre-Trial Chamber A on Friday but with conditions restricting liberty. On November 9, 2020, the Chamber received Gicheru's request for interim release under the Provisions of Article 60(2) of the Rome Statute. Pre-Trial Chamber A's decision will be implemented as soon as the ICC Registry finalises all the necessary arrangements. The arrest warrant against Gicheru and Philip Kipkoech Bett was issued under seal on March 10, 2015 and unsealed on September 10, 2015, for offences against the administration of justice consisting in corruptly influencing witnesses of the Court. The first appearance of Gicheru before the Court took place on November 6, 2020. The confirmation of charges procedure will be conducted in writing to determine whether or not there is sufficient evidence to conduct the subsequent phase of the trial. A statement on the ICC website says in the view of the Chamber, Gicheru's voluntary surrender demonstrates his concrete willingness to subject himself to the jurisdiction of the Court in relation to the allegations against him. The Prosecutor did not oppose Gicheru's request for interim release together with conditions restricting liberty and that he is suspected of offences under article 70(1)(c) of the Rome Statute, consisting in corruptly influencing witnesses regarding cases from the situation in Kenya, which attract lower sanctions, if established. “Moreover, the Chamber is of the view that the risks mentioned under article 58(1)(b) of the Rome Statute may be adequately mitigated by imposing conditions restricting liberty.” The conditions restricting Gicheru's liberty are such as providing financial security to the ICC Registrar in the form of cash or bank order to the value of Sh1 million. He is also required to comply fully with all orders issued in the case and surrender himself immediately to the relevant authorities if required. Gicheru shall appear before the Chamber at the date, time, place, and in the manner ordered and shall remain in attendance until excused. The restrictions also prevent Gicheru from obstructing the investigation or contacting, directly or indirectly, any of the witnesses or victims in this case, except through counsel authorised to represent him before the Court. The Court further ordered Gicheru to not make any public statements, social media post, or communicate with the media about the merits of the case. He shall reside in Kenya at a specific address for the duration of the proceedings when not present in the Netherlands for the purposes of court proceedings. “…shall provide the Registrar with copies of all passports, visas, identity documents, and any other travel documents issued to him.” In this duration, Gicheru will not travel internationally except to the extent permitted by the Chamber and shall inform the Registrar or his delegate, no later than seven days prior to any international travel. He is further required to report once a week to the Registrar, his delegate, or other person(s) on the date and time and in the manner to be determined by the Registrar, which may include the use of video conferencing technology. Gicheru will provide the Registrar with all mobile and other telephone numbers and shall ensure that at least one of his mobile telephone numbers remains active and with sufficient credit to be reachable at any time. In the event that Gicheru fails to comply with any of the conditions restricting liberty specified, the Chamber may declare the financial security provided by Gicheru forfeit to the Court, issue a warrant of arrest and issue any other order it deems relevant in relation to a failure to comply with the conditions. By Jael Mboga, The Standard

Details: East Africa; 31 January 2021; 1339

Photo African Union With the African Continental Free-trade Area (AfCFTA) now operational, there are new opportunities for the UK and Africa to strengthen their trade and investment ties. AfCFTA came into effect on 1 January – a significant milestone in the journey towards creating a single market for goods and services. With a combined GDP of $3.3 trillion and a market of 1.2 billion people, AfCFTA has the potential to increase growth in Africa by $450 billion over the next decade, according to the World Bank’s estimates. By removing tariffs, reducing trade barriers, and standardizing regulatory frameworks, intra-African trade could rise from 15% currently to 25% by 2040, according to the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA). The benefits of intra-regional trade are well known, and some examples already exist on the continent. Trademark East Africa, an initiative supported by the UK government that is aimed at driving trade across the East African community, has been effective in increasing trade flows and reducing trade costs by up to 10%. This initiative should be scaled to other regions in Africa to supplement AfCFTA and accelerate its rollout. Although the initial benefits will stem from increased intra-African trade, we believe that AfCFTA also provides a huge opportunity to boost the UK-Africa trade corridor. It will also stimulate significant investments into the continent, particularly in sectors such as technology, manufacturing and infrastructure. To achieve the sustainable development goals by 2030, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) estimates that Africa requires up to US$600 billion per year in incremental financing. Given the nature of Africa’s development challenges, patient capital is the order of the day. The pursuit of short-term returns will, in many cases, lead to the wrong investment decisions. As such, investors must have long-term views that are underpinned by a clear purpose and value proposition. AfCFTA is a flagship programme under the African Union’s (AU’s) 2063 agenda. Together with the Sustainable Development Goals, the 2063 agenda provides a strategic framework for inclusive economic growth. To maximize long-term returns and create shared value, British and African corporates are therefore able to align their strategies with this framework. And as African corporates grow while addressing the continent’s developmental challenges, the UK’s capital markets will have a role to play as a reliable source of funding. Since 2018, Standard Bank has raised more than $7 billion for its corporate and sovereign clients from the UK’s capital markets. The depth of the country’s financial markets was exemplified in June 2020 when, amid the first wave of COVID-19, London-listed telecoms group Helios Towers issued Eurobonds worth $750 million. Further, we assisted Acorn Holdings with issuing East Africa’s first green bond for green-certified student accommodation – an instrument that was cross-listed on the International securities market (ISM) of the London Stock Exchange. I believe that with these new opportunities at hand, African corporates and sovereigns could delve deeper into the UK’s capital markets to fund their growth on the continent. Lessons from COVID-19 One of the lessons from COVID-19 is that we need each other, and partnerships between nations and the private and public sectors are critical. Private sector-led economic growth, enabled by market-friendly policies, should be the template for public-private partnerships in Africa. Africa’s growth story has been slowed by the COVID-19 pandemic, but it has certainly not been derailed. The World Bank’s 2021 GDP forecast for sub-Saharan Africa is growth of 2.7%, and the continent’s underlying structural drivers remain firmly in place. We must turn the challenges the continent faces into opportunities. As Africa gears up for a COVID-19 recovery and the UK charts its own path in the wake of Brexit, new opportunities are coming to the fore, particularly for purpose-driven organizations. Sola David-Borha, Chief Executive for Africa Regions at Standard Bank Group - Ventures Africa

Details: East Africa; 30 January 2021; 1262

UK's Ambassador to the EU Political and Security Committee Julian Braithwaite Image: UNITED NATIONS The United Kingdom has expressed concern over “continued restrictions to civil and political rights and media freedom” in Rwanda. UK's ambassador to the EU Political and Security Committee Julian Braithwaite made the statement on Rwanda at the 37th Session of Universal Periodic Review. “As a member of the Commonwealth, and future Chair-in-Office, we urge Rwanda to model Commonwealth values of democracy, rule of law, and respect for human rights,” said the statement dated January 25. But the UK welcomed Rwanda’s “strong record” on economic and social rights, and promotion of gender equality. As a member of the Commonwealth, and future Chair-in-Office, we urge Rwanda to model Commonwealth values of democracy, rule of law, and respect for human rights United Kingdom In human rights realm, however, the UK recommended that Rwanda conducts transparent, credible and independent investigations into allegations of extrajudicial killings, deaths in custody, enforced disappearances and torture and brings perpetrators to justice. It also called on the Paul Kagame government to protect and enable journalists to work freely, without fear of retribution, and ensure state authorities comply with the Access to Information law. Braithwaite also recommended screening, identifying and providing support to trafficking victims, including those held in government transit centres. However, Rwanda’s delegation led by Justice Minister and Attorney General Johnston Busingye denied the claims in a lengthy statement virtually. Busingye denied existence of illegal detention facilities, dismissed allegations the opposition and critical media were being deliberately targeted. He also denied the government of Rwanda is involved in forced disappearances. “There are no prosecutions that target persons simply because they are politicians or journalists or human rights defenders, and the so-called political trials do not exist, nor are trials against journalists or human rights defenders just for being journalists or human rights defenders,” the AG said. The US also said despite Rwanda’s progress in increasing gender equality and access to education, it was concerned about limited civic and political space. "This is specifically unduly burdensome permitting requirements which inhibit the right of peaceful assembly," US State Department said in a statement. The US recommended promotion for the right to freedom of expression by ending detentions and harassment of members of the media and civil society for their reporting, among other proposals highlighted by Human Rights World Report 2021 accused the Rwandan Patriotic Front of targeting those perceived as a threat to the government last year. “Several high-profile government critics were arrested or threatened. Authorities failed to conduct credible investigations into the suspicious death in police custody of well-known singer and activist Kizito Mihigo, in February,” the report said. Human Rights Watch particularly noted that arbitrary detention, ill-treatment, and torture in official and unofficial detention facilities continued unabated. “Fair trial standards were routinely flouted in many sensitive political cases, in which security-related charges are often used to prosecute prominent government critics,” they said. State interference and intimidation have forced many civil society actors and journalists to stop working on sensitive political or human rights issues. President Kagame has in the past hit back at critics of human rights, saying their accusations are motivated by historical guilt. By Elidu Kibii, The Star

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East Africa

Uhuru Central tour: Mt Kenya now 'unanimously' supports BBI

South Sudan switches to new time zone in February

ICC grants Paul Gicheru’s request for interim release

AFRICA’S FREE-TRADE BLOC COULD SIGNIFICANTLY BOOST UK-AFRICA TRADE AND INVESTMENT FLOWS

UK, US raise concern over human rights violations in Rwanda

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