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Details: East Africa; 02 April 2021; 225

General Thomas Cirilo Swaka with NAS flag behind him. Photo via Getty Images

JUBA – South Sudan’s holdout National Salvation Front (NAS) led by General Thomas Cirillo Swaka has refuted claims that it killed – in an ambush – at least four Ugandan citizens working as drivers along Juba-Yei road on Sunday.

Last week, four Ugandan drivers were shot dead by suspected members of National Salvation Front (NAS) led by Gen. Thomas Cirillo along Juba-Yei highway while heading to Juba for business.

The incident occurred on Sunday evening between Ganji, 65 kilometers south of the capital Juba, and Kullipa which is 58 kilometers away.

In a statement seen by Sudans post this morning, Suba Samuel Manase, the NAS spokesman refuted the claim and instead accused SSPDF of carrying out attacks on traders along Juba-Yei road.

“The citizens of Central Equatoria State in particular and South Sudan in general are living in agony because of atrocities being committed by the South Sudan People’s Defense Force and its allied militias,” Samuel said in the statement.

“The SSPDF and its allied militias have been repeatedly looting, burning houses, killing, raping women and displacing citizens from their villages. The latest examples were the killing of eight people in Kajo-Keji County and displacement in Otogo Payam, the home of the governor,” Samuel added.

Samuel condemned the Central Equatoria state government for describing NAS as terrorist organizations.

“NAS therefore, reject the allegation labelled against its forces on the causes of road ambushes between Juba-Yei roads as baseless and aimed at tarnishing the image of the movement,” he said. - Sudans Post

Details: East Africa; 02 April 2021; 292

NAIROBI, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Kenya on Thursday announced that the country's locust invasion will be effectively contained by mid-April.

Cyrus Oguna, government spokesperson, told journalists in Nairobi that control and containment efforts by the government in collaboration with the county governments and other development partners such as the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, Desert Locust Control Organization for Eastern Africa (DLCEO) and the World Bank, have managed to reduce the swarms to only three.

"These have split into small swarmlets which are currently concentrated around Gilgil and Elburgon in Nakuru County. Efforts continue to be applied to ensure that the last of the swarmlet is contained," Oguna said.

Oguna revealed that a total of 25 counties had been infested by the pests in different magnitudes and there has been remarkable progress made with the containment efforts against locust invasion.

According to the government spokesperson, the first swarms crossed in November 2020 and invaded counties bordering Ethiopia and Somalia. - Xinhua

Details: East Africa; 01 April 2021; 231

Kenya’s decision to halt the movement of interstate buses across its border following a surge in Covid-19 cases has left several Ugandans stranded in the neighbouring East African country

Summary

“Most of our passengers do advance booking and by the time the travel ban was issued, many had already paid for their tickets”~Mr Jafari Owour, a bus operator with Simba Coach Services

Kenya’s decision to halt the movement of interstate buses across its border following a surge in Covid-19 cases has left several Ugandans stranded in the neighbouring East African country.
Last week, President Uhuru Kenyatta ordered a lockdown which stopped movement in and out of five Kenyan counties that included Nairobi, Nakuru, Machakos, Kajiado, and Kiambu.

The move has left many travelers stranded on either sides of the countries and several businesses at the Busia border point paralysed.
Mr Jafari Owour, a bus operator with Simba Coach Services, while at the Busia-Kenya bus terminal, told Daily Monitor that they were stuck with several passengers, majority of whom were travelling from Kampala.

“Most of our passengers do advance booking and by the time the travel ban was issued, many had already paid for their tickets,” Mr Owour said on Tuesday.
He added that they were forced to make a refund to 50 travelers, majority of whom were traveling to Nairobi, Mombasa and Nakuru. Others are still waiting to get their money.

Mr Mudasiru Bahati, a Ugandan traveller, who had booked a bus from Kampala to Nairobi, said when he reached Busia, they were stopped from proceeding to Kenya.
“I was supposed to be in Nairobi by Monday but lam still stranded here,” he said, adding that he had spent a night at the bus terminal.
Mr Stephen Bwire, who is among the stranded passengers, said travelers from Kampala and Kigali cities, who were destined for Nairobi and Mombasa, are the most affected.
“We are wondering why Kenya ordered a ban on public transport in the five counties and yet they are llowing travel by air to Nairobi,” he wondered.

The spike in Covid-19 cases in Kenya has left several people in need of Intensive Care Unit (ICU) services, especially oxygen support.
President Kenyatta said hospital admissions had increased to 52 per cent in the past two weeks and that at least seven people are dying every day from coronavirus.
Mr Abas Lubega, a clearing agent at the Busia border point, said for the last two days,no bus from Kampala or Nairobi had arrived at the border, a development he said has started taking a toll on local businesses.

Mr Lubega said most customers who buy cereals in Busia Town are from Nairobi and the ban meant they were no longer going to do business with them.
Mr David Kuka, a moneychanger, said very few travelers were arriving at the border which had adversely affected his business. By David Awori, Daily Monitor

Details: East Africa; 01 April 2021; 238

What: The 27th Commemoration of the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi in Rwanda.

Theme: “Remember-Unite-Renew”.

When: Sunday, 7th April 2021, starting from 11:00 a.m.

Where: Nelson Mandela Hall of the AUC headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The Virtual Event will take place on Zoom platform.

Join Zoom Meeting

https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_zafq0sXPSNGejiqENxcczQ

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Who: The Department of Political Affairs, Peace and Security (PAPS) of the African Union Commission (AUC), in collaboration with the Embassy of the Republic of Rwanda in Ethiopia and Permanent Mission to the African Union

Purpose and Objectives:

The overall purpose of this annual commemoration is to continuously awaken greater awareness of the African peoples and the international community about the value of life and humanity, and to renew our collective commitment to protect and uphold fundamental human rights.

The specific objectives are to:

a. To remember the atrocities brought by the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi in Rwanda;

b. To reflect on the repercussions that the genocide against the Tutsi in 1994 has had inside and outside Rwanda's borders;

c. To unite together in fight against genocide; genocide ideology as well as genocide denial;

d. To renew our resolve to ensure that Genocide does not happen ever again in Africa or elsewhere;

e. To collectively commit to justice and the fight against impunity.

Participants:

The 27th Commemoration is organized by the African Union Commission in collaboration with the authorities and members of the Rwandan community and attended by Officials from the AU Commission (AUC), AU Member States, Members of the Diplomatic Corps, AU Organs, Religious Institutions, Human Rights Institutions, Intergovernmental organizations, Civil Society Organizations, UN Agencies, Think Tanks, International Organizations, Schools and Academic Institutions in Ethiopia.

Background:

The commemoration of the Rwanda Genocide is annually organised by the African Union following the African Union policy organ decision to recognise the 7th of April as a day of remembrance of the victims of the genocide and reaffirmation of Africa’s resolve to prevent and fight genocide on the Continent. The decision was adopted by the African Union Permanent Representatives Committee during its special session on the Commemoration of the 10th Anniversary of the Genocide in Rwanda.

Journalists are invited to cover the 27th Commemoration of the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi in Rwanda through the Zoom link: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_zafq0sXPSNGejiq ENxcczQ

Details: East Africa; 01 April 2021; 214

Interview sessions in Turkana and Garissa counties.

Having gained a more detailed understanding of the challenges, ILO PROSPECTS Kenya partnered with Turkana and Garissa county governments, the East Africa Institute of Welding (EAIW) and the Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM) to deliver a dual-learning welding skills programme accessible to refugee and host communities.

The two refugee-hosting counties in Kenya, Turkana and Garissa, are classified as Arid or Semi-Arid (ASAL) and are home to some of the traditionally marginalized national populations with limited resources. Hosting large numbers of refugees for over two decades has further exacerbated the socio-economic development challenges for both host and refugee communities. The youth population in these areas have few employment and entrepreneurship opportunities, particularly as a result of limited labor market information and mismatched skills.

Having gained a more detailed understanding of the challenges, ILO PROSPECTS Kenya partnered with Turkana and Garissa county governments, the East Africa Institute of Welding (EAIW) and the Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM) to deliver a dual-learning welding skills programme accessible to refugee and host communities. Seventy young people, including 14 women and two persons with disabilities, were selected through a competitive recruitment process in November and December 2020. The process involved several partners, including the county governments, UNHCR, EAIW and Film Aid Kenya.

The young people’s training journeys began on 11 January 2021 with the official “flagging off” by county government representatives as the students boarded their buses to Nairobi for a five-month specialized welder training programme at EAIW, which will culminate in work-based learning activities supported by KAM through its affiliate members.

“Congratulations goes to all of you for accepting this offer and I would love to urge you all to work hard to gain these skills. Remember you are the first beneficiaries of the programme and your performance matters a lot. My hope is you will take full advantage of this opportunity, enhance your skills and hence make Turkana County proud. "
Hon Pauline Lokuruka, Chief Officer Education, Sports and Social Protection, Turkana County Government.

Turkana County Director of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), Mr Stephen Eregae, applauded the partnership between the county government and the ILO Stating: "This shall enable our young people to tap into rare skills that have not been promoted in the county for some time. Young people should have a more positive attitude towards skills development and help promote entrepreneurship in the region.“

The main objective of the programme is to provide market-relevant skills through TVET using Competence-Based Education and Training (CBET) curriculum in welding. The programme builds these skills through three levels: welder training at level 1 (known as fillet welding), level 2 (plate welding) and level 3 (pipe Welding). The soft skills and work-based learning components qualify the graduates for the TVET-CDACC (Curriculum Development Assessment and Certification Council) level 4 welding and fabrication certification that means that the training is situated within the national accreditation framework.

Students working on a project during a practical lesson on level 1 fillet welding.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic and in line with Kenya Vision 2030 which pursues a move towards a digitally-enabled society, a blended learning approach was adopted in this programme. This meant that theoretical aspects, such as digital literacy, entrepreneurship, environmental literacy, communication skills, numeracy skills, employability and occupational safety and health skills, were delivered digitally through a learning management system.

A group of students at the East African Institute of Welding.

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