President Uhuru Kenyatta. Image: PSCU
President Uhuru Kenyatta has urged South Sudan leaders to hasten the implementation of the remaining aspects of the peace pact signed in Khartoum, Sudan in 2018.
The President singled out the establishment of the legislative assembly and reforms in the security sector as some of the pending areas that require attention as the country returns to stability after years of conflict.
The Head of State spoke Tuesday evening at State House, Nairobi when he hosted US Special Envoy for South Sudan Amb Stuart Symington and his UK counterpart Bob Fairweather who paid him a courtesy call.
The two envoys briefed the President on the South Sudan peace process and thanked Kenya for its leading role in the long search for peace and stability in the young African nation and the region.
Amb Symington, a former US Ambassador to Djibouti, Rwanda and Nigeria, said Kenya's longstanding support has contributed to the progress made in the journey of returning South Sudan to the road of peace and stability.
He urged the President to continue giving the peace process positive influence by rallying South Sudan leaders to implement the remaining aspects of the Khartoum accord.
On his part, UK Special Envoy for Sudan and South Sudan Bob Fairweather praised parties to the South Sudan peace pact for taking bold steps to end conflicts and forge a stable, peaceful and progressive nation.
The British diplomat assured the President that the Troika nations of Norway, the US and the UK will continue working closely with Kenya and the region in search of sustainable peace and stability in South Sudan.
President Kenyatta assured the two diplomats of Kenya's continued support for the peace process saying the country will leverage on its UN Security Council membership to assist her young neighbour and the region achieve stability.
The President was joined in the meeting by Foreign Affairs CS Amb Raychelle Omamo and the Head of Public Service Dr Joseph Kinyua while the special envoys were accompanied by British High Commissioner to Kenya Amb Jane Marriott and Mr Eric Kneedler, the Charge d' Affaires at the US Embassy in Nairobi.
Separately at State House, Nairobi, President Kenyatta met former Prime Minister of Ethiopia Hailemariam Desalegn who delivered a special message from Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
The former Prime Minister briefed the President on a number of subjects top among them Ethiopia's internal conflict involving the Federal Government and the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF), the simmering border conflict with Sudan and the progress made in resolving the regional stand-off over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on River Nile involving Sudan and Egypt.
President Kenyatta expressed concerns about the stability of the region citing several emerging conflicts and assured the visiting Ethiopian leader that Kenya will continue supporting regional efforts to resolve the challenges.
On the Tigray conflict, President Kenyatta welcomed the measures being taken by the Ethiopian Federal Government in addressing the humanitarian situation in the region.
The former Premier was accompanied by Ethiopia's State Minister for Foreign Affairs Amb Redwan Hussein and the country's Ambassador to Kenya Meles Alem Tekea in the meeting also attended by Kenya's Foreign Affairs CS Amb Raychelle Omamo. - PSCU/The Star
Cabinet Secretary for Defence Monica Juma, her UK counterpart Ben Wallace and UK High Commissioner to Kenya Jane Marriot speaking to Uk and KDF soldiers at BATUK on Tuesday./ELIUD WAITHAKA
In Summary
• CS says it is not for Kenya to decide on withdrawal of the security troops, adding that Amisom operations are ongoing because they are not defined by bilateral relations.
• Juma had accompanied UK Secretary of State for Defence Ben Wallace in opening Nyati barracks at BATUK in Nanyuki town.
Kenya Defence Forces deployed to Somalia under African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom) will not be withdrawn before the matter is discussed and the resolution ratified by the UN Security Council, Defence CS Monica Juma has said.
Juma on Tuesday maintained that it is not for Kenya to decide on withdrawal of the security troops, adding that Amisom operations are ongoing because they are not defined by bilateral relations.
“The withdrawal is the mandate of the African Union which is the authorizing agency. It is not us to decide when to get in or out,” Juma told journalists at the British Army Training Unit in Kenya (BATUK).
Juma had accompanied United Kingdom Secretary of State for Defence Ben Wallace in opening Nyati barracks at BATUK in Nanyuki town where the two supported continued training British and Kenya Army soldiers.
Juma said the joint partnership between the two forces created a platform for training and preparedness, adding that it is historical and which has valuable.
The two noted that Kenyan troops have been in Somalia long enough and have learnt a lot from terror groups such as al shabaab and share the same with the British troops training in the country who also in turn share their military experiences of their excursions in Afghanistan and Iraq.
“Putting that knowledge together and joint training personnel helps keep Kenyans safe when they are doing this job because the bombers are crafty, clever and dangerous,” said Wallace.
Wallace added that despite the Covid-19 pandemic, the last troop of visiting troops from UK arrived on Sunday, noting that there are about 200 troops who are permanently based in Nanyuki.
“It’s an exciting future we’re holding as well as we view Kenya as a standard bearer of top quality professionalism in its military in the region of shared values and also that we have a shared enemy the Al Shabaab who target Kenyans, tourists and all the values we stand for,” Wallace added.
The Secretary of state added that now that both Kenya and the UK were both members of the United Nations Security Council, they would work closely to ensure that there was stability in the Horn of Africa and the entire East Africa region.
“Britain and Kenya are now together this year on the Security Council, Britain is the Chair while Kenya has taken up its place on the same, that’s good news, and we’ve jointly gone through the four priorities for Kenya that is climate change, counter terrorism, nation building and regional stability and that’s where Britain agrees completely with Kenya,” Wallace said. By Eliud Waithaka, The Star
Prosecutors said that artwork, African masks and heroin were also allegedly trafficked by the men.
A Kenyan man accused in a multimillion-dollar operation to deal rhinoceros horns and ivory from elephant tusks, harming more than 100 endangered animals, arrived in New York Monday morning after being extradited to face charges of conspiracy to commit wildlife trafficking and other counts.
Mansur Mohamed Surur, who was arrested by Kenyan authorities in late July, is accused of being part of a crew that allegedly transported and smuggled 10 tons of elephant ivory (about £2.9 million worth) and more than 400 pounds of rhinoceros horn (about £2.5million worth) from animals in several countries in east Africa, according to an indictment charging Mr Surur and three others.
Mr Surur, 60, who was extradited Sunday, pleaded not guilty through an interpreter at his arraignment and was ordered detained.
Authorities said 100 elephants and 35 rhinoceroses were illegally poached over a seven-year period beginning in 2012. The illegal merchandise procured by Mr Surur and his co-defendants originated in countries such as Uganda, Guinea and Senegal and were sent to buyers in the United States and southeast Asia, according to prosecutors.
Artwork, including African masks, and heroin were also transported by the alleged traffickers, prosecutors said.
"The enterprise is allegedly responsible for the illegal slaughter of dozens of rhinos and more than 100 elephants, both endangered species," Acting US Attorney Audrey Strauss said in a statement.
Two of Mr Surur's co-defendants, Moazu Kromah and Amara Cherif, were previously arrested and extradited from Uganda and Senegal. Another defendant, Abdi Hussein Ahmed, is a fugitive.
Mr Surur, along with Mr Kromah and Mr Ahmed, allegedly interacted with a confidential source repeatedly to discuss potential ivory and horn deals. Law enforcement agents intercepted a package of rhinoceros horns sent to the source in 2018, items that were intended for a buyer believed to be in New York.
Mr Surur faces up to life in prison on the top count, conspiracy related to heroin trafficking.
The investigation was handled by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York
The ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) chairman of Katabi-Kitubulu village in Entebbe, Eric Kyeyune has been shot dead this morning during a joint NRM-Democratic Party protest over alleged vote-rigging.
Kyeyune was allegedly shot dead by the presidential guards, Special Forces Command (SFC) while protesting with other voters in the same area over the declaration of independent candidate Fabrice Ruhinda as the winner of the Entebbe mayoral race.
Also shot with Kyeyune, and seriously injured was Godfrey Baguma, husband of Scholastica Baguma, the divisional seat contender who now says she has even lost interest in the race.
Protestors started convening at Entebbe Central Market as early as 7 am, demanding that the Wakiso Electoral Commission registrar and returning officer Tolbert Musinguzi announce that either NRM's Michael Mutebi Kabwama or DP's Vincent DePaul Kayanja winner of the Entebbe Municipality mayoral race instead of Rulinda.
Led by Mutebi, the protestors, both from the NRM and DP camps say their candidates were rigged out. Some of the protestors say soldiers while firing live bullets targeted Mutebi but Kyeyune who'd moved in front of him was hit instead.
According to the official results released by Electoral Commission on Tuesday morning, independent candidate Rulinda who polled 6,703 votes won the election and in the second position was NRM’s Mutebi with 6,342 votes.
Kayanja, in third place, got 5,576 votes, followed by Nassuna with 2,499 votes and Ssimbwa got 45 votes. Also, former Entebbe Municipality MP Kawuma got 521 votes and Muwonge scored 13 votes. The protestors, however, insisted that Rulinda was a distant third according to their tally sheets.
Uganda Red Cross Society volunteers thereafter took Kyeyune to Emmanuel health centre where he has been pronounced dead on arrival. Since the incident, military police and regular police were deployed but the protestors continued to burn NRM branded T-shirts and posters.
The joint protests come days after Mutebi also led a protest last week over the alleged intimidation by military officers who aren't expected to participate in partisan politics.
Emmanuel Dombo, the in-charge of publicity at the NRM secretariat told URN on Sunday that Mutebi had not informed the secretariat about his fears. He however said should Mutebi lose, it could be grounds for a petition.
The Entebbe mayoral race attracted seven candidates namely the incumbent Kayanja, Mutebi, Fabrice Rulinda, Olive Nassuna of the National Unity Platform, Gerald Muwonge, Mohamed Kawuma and Kenneth Ssimbwa of the Alliance for National Transformation (ANT). - URN/The Observer
South Sudan member of parliament Bor Gatwech Kuany. Photo via Facebook
JUBA – A South Sudan lawmaker allied to the country’s Vice-president Taban Deng Gai has said the Transitional National Legislative Assembly (TNLA) formed in 2016 as part of a 2015 peace agreement is still legal and still have the legislative powers to function before its revitalization to include opposition lawmakers.
This comes after several members of the Revitalized Transitional Government of National Unity (R-TGONU) declined to appear before the TNLA following summon by the lawmakers. Last year, defense minister Angelina Teny refused to appear before lawmakers saying they don’t have legitimacy given the parliament has not been revitalized as part of a 2018 revitalized version of the 2015 peace agreement.
Last week, information minister Michael Makuei Lueth also declined to appear before the parliament also saying the lawmaking institution does not have any legal recognition since the peace deal has provided for its dissolution pending reconstitution.
However, MP Bor Gatwech Kuany, a member of the TNLA loyal to (former first vice president) vice president Taban Deng Gai says the revitalized peace agreement does not provide for the dissolution of the parliament, but for its extension arguing that because the current parliament is part of the upcoming parliament, it has legal recognition to exercise legislative activities.
“Article 1.14.2 stipulated that the TNLA shall be expanded to 550 members and then reconstituted according to power sharing ratios. There are three words that we need to consider in this article. First, the acronym TNLA is not connected with the word revitalized. Second, the agreement provides for only two things to happen with the current parliament (TNLA): expansion from 400 to 550 members and reconstitution.
“This means that, the current parliament doesn’t disappear. It get expanded and formed again. So whatever we have now at the moment, the law consider it as part of the next parliament according to this provision. 400 members of a parliament of 550 members can still take binding decisions, it is more than 2/3 majority. I therefore argue that the current parliament is legal and can therefore continue to function pending its expansion and reconstitution because the agreement doesn’t dissolve it entirely.”
He further accused unnamed members of President Salva Kiir’s cabinet of defiant to respect the legislature.
“The TNLA and CS [Council of States] that were reconstituted by the first agreement of 2015 remains in place. But some members of the executive that was rightly revitalized and came to existence without being vetted or approved by parliament remains selectively defiant to observe the authority of the current parliament alleging that it is illegal,” he said. - Sudans Post
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