East Africa

Details: East Africa; 21 June 2024; 180

South Sudan has excluded Abyei from the electoral process, citing its status uncertainty and the prevailing security situation in the disputed region.

The status of Abyei remains in limbo after the two main parties to the 2005 comprehensive peace agreement could not reach a consensus to implement the provisions pertinent to its status in the deal before South Sudan’s secession in 2011.

The lack of amicable settlement had renewed tensions and skirmishes between members of the Ngok Dinka and rival Arabs with whom they contest territorial ownership.

The stalemate persuaded the Ngok Dinka community and its leadership to conduct a unilateral popular referendum In October 2013. The result favoured a return to Bahr El Ghazal in the south from which it was transferred to Kordofan in Sudan which it was annexed in 1905 during the colonial administration.

The vote required acceptance and adoption of the two countries to determine the final status, but neither Sudan nor South Sudan had accepted the outcome.

In an administrative decision appointing the state high committee on June 19, 2024, the Chairperson of the National Elections Commission (NEC), Abednego Akok appointed chairpersons for high election committees in the 10 states.

The appointments for the three administrative areas, including Abyei were left out. The others are Ruweng and Greater Pibor.

There were no reasons to explain why the decision was made.

A press statement announced the appointments of chairpersons for the states. The appointed chairpersons include: Alphayo Philip Lako for Central Equatoria, Simon Bakama for Western Equatoria, Abdalla Hassan Abididi for Eastern Equatoria, and Joseph Akuei for Northern Bahr el Ghazal states.

Others were Arkangelo Udo for Western Bahr el Ghazal, Jacob Anei for Warrap, Tuor Majok for Jonglei, Kot Kuer for Lakes, Peter Mayom Pur for Upper Nile, and George Kuong Gattang for Unity State.

Akok explained that Abyei Administrative Area will participate in the December polls as part of the Gogrial in Warrap.

He did not elaborate on the context in which the citizens of Abyei would participate in the vote as part of the citizens of Gogrial in Warrap.Gogrial is split into two counties: West and East. Abyei shares direct border with the Twic in the south and Aweil east in Northern Bahr el Ghazal in the southwest of the area.

It therefore remains unclear how the region would participate in the elections and the county in Warrap in which they would participate. Akok expressed doubts about the participation of the entire Abyei area due to “insecurity.”

South Sudan and Sudan are disputing territorial ownership of the oil-producing region of Abyei, which is predominantly inhabited by the nine Ngok chieftaincy and nomadic Arab tribes in Kordofan in Sudan.

The South Sudan Elections law mandates the Chairperson of the National Elections Commission to appoint chairpersons and deputy chairpersons of high committees in the states. Article 97(4) of the Constitution says the high committees shall be responsible to the Commission in administering and supervising the elections and referendum at the state levels.

The chairperson and deputy chairperson of the high committee work full-time. All other members work on a part-time basis, but may be engaged on a full-time basis as the commission deems necessary.

Each high committee comprises five members, including the chairperson and deputy chairperson.

The tenure for high committee members is six years, renewable once. (ST)

Details: East Africa; 21 June 2024; 256

Kenya and Tanzania are among Africa’s largest recipients of aid money from rich countries and international organisations, reflecting their reliance on donor funds to finance government expenses.

In 2022, ten African countries, including Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), received almost half of the official development assistance to the continent, a new report by the Mo Ibrahim Foundation shows. These countries, received between $2 billion and $8 billion in Official Development Assistance (ODA) from rich countries to finance their local government budgets, a reflection of heavy reliance on grants even as the donations begin to dwindle with changing priorities for the donors.

“Between 2013 and 2022, Africa received the largest amount of ODA of any world region in every year other than 2018. However, the total ODA received by Africa fell from $86.4 billion in 2020 to $81.4 [billion] in 2022,” says the report published this week.

Other than the four countries in the region, Egypt, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Mozambique, Morocco and Niger are also among the top recipients of the assistance funds, with the total ODA received in 2022 by the 10 countries amounting to $37.8 billion, or 46.4 percent of all aid money coming to the continent.

In the region, DRC received $3.4 billion in ODA, Kenya $3.3 billion, Tanzania $3 billion, and Uganda $2.4 billion.

The amount is close to just about the same money the countries seek to raise from additional taxes this year, amidst renewed fiscal consolidation measures aimed at taming soaring debt levels.

Read: Africa in debt crisis as donors resort to lending

Curiously, these are also some of the richest countries on the continent, cumulatively accounting for about 45 percent of the continent’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), based on World Bank’s latest data.

Indeed, ODA is a crucial source of finance for all African countries, but most of it comes with conditions that have to be met and at times leads to unpopular decisions by governments.

For instance, donations and concessional loans from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) – which, alongside the World Bank, is the largest source of ODA for Africa – come with conditions on economic reforms that often lead to fiscal consolidation and efforts to boost tax revenues that most times receive a backlash.

Other top donors, including the United States and the European Union, have conditions relating to political pluralism, market-based economy and sometimes migration conditionality, especially with the EU, the report reveals.

The tough conditions that come with the donations appear to be limiting their absorption, as between 10 percent and 70 percent of the aid money is not consumed by African countries and is sent back to the donors.

“Many countries encounter difficulties in effectively absorbing ODA funds, due to various political and administrative shortcomings in managing investment projects,” the report said.

“According to the OECD in 2022, ODA donor countries actually held on to 14.4 percent of aid, worth over $193 billion, that was intended to be distributed but was not delivered, and around $30 billion was funnelled back to the accounts of donor countries as a result of mislabelling what counts as aid,” the report says.

Besides the tough conditions that often come with these ODAs, another reason they might not be good for Africa is their impact on the continent’s economies.

According to the African Development Bank: “Official development assistance has not met the challenge of getting African economies out of debt, and several countries have contracted the aid curse.”

The continental lender said in its recently published Africa Economic Outlook report: “ODA appears to be positively and significantly associated with the increase in budget deficits and public debt.” By Vincent Owino, The East African

Details: East Africa; 20 June 2024; 210

Anglo-French VC firm Breega has launched a $75m (£59m) fund to invest in early-stage startups in Africa.

The London, Paris and Barcelona-based investment firm will open two new offices in Nigeria and Cape Town.

It is Breega’s first fund in Africa since it closed its first fund in 2015 and gives the VC a footprint in both Europe and Africa.

The “Breega Africa Seed I” will look to back early-stage startups based in Nigeria, Egypt, South Africa, Kenya, Morocco, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The new fund will be led by entrepreneur and angel investor Melvyn Lubega, who co-founded African digital education unicorn Go1, and Tosin Faniro-Dada, the former CEO of Endeavor in Nigeria and former founding executive of startup incubator Lagos Innovates.

“Startup ecosystems work like pyramids: they are only sustainable if the base, i.e. the early stage, is well financed,” said Ben Marrel, CEO and co-founder of Breega. “It is with this impact-driven mindset that Breega is positioning itself as the first investor to back and support entrepreneurs from idea to impact.”

The new fund has already made several investments, including in Numida, Socium, Klasha, Kwara, Coachbit and Sava. It plans to make investments ranging from $100,000 to $2m as the initial investor.

“Breega invested when we didn’t have a product yet, so their early trust was key,” said Kolawole Olajide, CEO & co-founder of Sava, based in South Africa.

“With the invaluable support of the scaling team, not only have we now reached the commercialisation phase, but we’ve also defined our internal culture and processes, and established our brand. We never thought we’d receive so much help and support from a venture capital fund.”

Last year Breega closed a €250m (£212m) investment fund for Series A and above rounds. It has since invested in London-based fintech Griffin. By Robert Scammell, UKTN

Details: East Africa; 21 June 2024; 438

By JULIUS MBALUTO

Kenyans and especially Gen Z movement mourn the shooting of one of their won, a Kenyan whose crime was to go and protest against the controversial Finance Bill 2024. For the first time in Kenya's history, we have seen peaceful protests across Kenya which if the police went there to protect the protesters all would end as peaceful as it started. The Gen Z protesters have in many occasions reminded the police that they are peaceful and as well, they are protesting against the Finance Bill 2024.

However, that didn't stop the police from firing teargas and throwing teargas canisters against them. Worse still, the police used live bullets and ended the life of a young man known as Rex Masai whose only crime was to exercise his right to protest. The police must know that the Kenyan constitution guarantees the freedom to protest. They are therefore not allowed to beat, teargas and kill any Kenyan while they are protesting.

Most of the issues Gen Z are protesting against directly affect the police too. If they get confused to serve the interests of a regime out to oppress Kenyans, one day shall come when they will remember the words of Pastor Martin Niemoller who was a Nazi supporter during holocaust but changed later when it was his turn to face the injustice perpetrated to others during the holocaust.

First they came for the Communists and I did not speak out, because I was not a Communist. Then they came for the Socialists and I did not speak out because I was not a Socialist. Then they came for the Trade Unionists and I did not speak out because I was not a Trade Unionist. Then they came for the Jews and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak for me!

Kenyans have a right to protest against any form of injustice they see. No police officer should shoot them when they do so. Gen Z movement has chosen not to wait for someone to speak for them. They know well like in the case of Pastor Martin Niemoller that if they wait, there might not be anyone left to speak for them. Gen Z Protesters want to be the change they wish to see. Political parties have failed them, MPs have sold them to them deep state, the political system in its entirely gives no hope for the future. The future belongs to the youth. They are not your enemies. Listen to them and don't kill them.

Details: East Africa; 20 June 2024; 273

TAX PROPOSALS: Protesters take to the streets to demonstrate against the Finance Bill, in Mombasa, on Tuesday, June 19, 2024. Image: COURTESY

Since the government is hell-bent on ruining our present and future, young people will have no other choice but to voice their concerns.

In Summary

Dear Mr President, with all due respect, the Almighty God gave you sovereignty and greatness to lead the great people of Kenya.
Let not your heart become arrogant and hardened with pride.

The phrase, ‘the will of the people’, repeatedly featured in the President-elect’s acceptance speech after being declared winner of the August 2022 general election. It was an assertion demonstrative of the supremacy of the people’s choice over any malicious machinations and illegitimate impositions. The people were grateful. The future seemed delightful.

Yet almost 24 months later, what a different rhetoric now reigns. The will of the people has been constantly and mercilessly rebuffed by clearly clueless or worse pernicious policies. What’s laughable is that the very progenitors fumble on live TV when questioned about the spirit of the Finance Bill, 2024 proposals while others utter imbecilic justifications which even the most primitive cannot find imagine.

Dear Mr President, with all due respect, the Almighty God gave you sovereignty and greatness to lead the great people of Kenya. Let not your heart become arrogant and hardened with pride, lest you are deposed by God himself from your royal throne and stripped of the glory and majesty as it happened to the great King Nebuchadnezzar.

Listen to the voice of the people, the same voice that bestowed their trust on you. Vox Populi, Vox Dei - the voice of the people is the voice of God.

Kenya is our beloved country. None of us would like it to descend into anarchy and become a failed state. But since the government is certainly hell-bent on ruining our present and future, the young people will have no other choice apart from vehemently and non-violently voicing their concerns, both online and offline. And if the youth-led protests on Tuesday are anything to go by, oh boy, then it will be very interesting to see what the future holds.

Lastly, I have a word from the Lord to the government-allied cronies characterised with unscalable pride and repeated chest thumping yet have no balls to call out the injustice so as not to lose their popularity and regularity of their pay checks: History will rightly judge you harshly. And since the language of the Bible is not foreign to you, I will paraphrase the Book of Esther to speak directly to you:

“Do not think that because you are in the [government’s] house you alone of all the [Kenyans] will escape. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the [Kenyans] will arise from another place, but you and your families will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your positions for such a time as this?” By JEFFERSON MWANGI, The Star

Page 102 of 761

East Africa

South Sudan excludes Abyei from December elections

Kenya and Tanzania among 10 states receiving half of aid money to Africa

Anglo-French VC Breega launches Africa fund to back early-stage startups

Killing innocent Gen Z protesters unacceptable

MWANGI: Mr President, listen to the people's will

TAX PROPOSALS: Protesters take to the streets to demonstrate against the Finance Bill, in Mombasa, on Tuesday, June 19, 2024. Image: COURTESY

Since the government is hell-bent on ruining our present and future, young people will have no other choice but to voice their concerns.

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