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East Africa

Former Chief Justice David Maraga

“There is nothing for the youth of Kenya to celebrate this Madaraka Day.”

In Summary


  • Maraga said Njeri's arrest represents a tragic irony on a day meant to celebrate internal self-rule and democratic freedoms.
  • Former Chief Justice lamented the deteriorating state of democratic freedoms, particularly for Kenya’s younger generation. 

Former Chief Justice David Maraga has criticised the government following the arrest of software developer and activist Rose Njeri, saying the move undermines the essence of Madaraka Day.

In a strongly worded statement released on Sunday, Maraga said Njeri's arrest represents a tragic irony on a day meant to celebrate internal self-rule and democratic freedoms.

“Ms. Rose Njeri is the latest to be abducted for allegedly innovating an accessible system for citizens to express their views on the Finance Bill 2025. This completely negates the spirit of Madaraka,” Maraga said.

Njeri was arrested on Friday afternoon in South B and taken to Pangani Police Station.

Her online platform, Civic Email, enabled citizens to easily send formal objections to MPs regarding controversial provisions in the proposed Finance Bill 2025.

Her detention—without charges or bail—has drawn fierce backlash from civil society, digital rights activists, and youth groups across the country.

 

In his statement, Maraga lamented the deteriorating state of democratic freedoms, particularly for Kenya’s younger generation.

“There is nothing for the youth of Kenya to celebrate this Madaraka Day,” he stated.

“Youth unemployment is still soaring, livelihood opportunities keep shrinking, while a minority of the political elite live in opulence, straddling the young majority into servitude.”

As Kenyans marked the 62nd Madaraka Day at Raila Odinga Stadium in Homa Bay, Maraga urged a national reckoning with the values of justice and freedom.

“The country needs to rejuvenate the true spirit of Madaraka,” he said, calling for reflection and action during what he termed ‘Gen Z Revolution.’”

“Today, we begin a solemn month of reflection in memory of the lives of more than 60 young people killed in June 2024,” he continued.

“It is a month to stand in solidarity with those injured and abducted, and to comfort the families of those who lost their loved ones to police brutality.”  By Allan Kisia, The Star

(Image: KHNP)

Under the contract - signed in the Ugandan capital Entebbe on 27 May - as the main contractor KHNP will manage the entire project, with Dohwa Engineering and KEPCO Engineering & Construction also participating. The contract period is 26 months, from this month to July 2027. During this period, KHNP and its partners will evaluate the following factors in accordance with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) standards: climate of the site; natural disasters such as floods, geology, and earthquakes; cooling sources; events such as aircraft collisions; and movement and impact of radioactive materials. 

Along with the results of the site evaluation, KHNP said it plans to propose a site layout for four Korean-designed APR1400 reactors "to lay the foundation for nuclear power plant exports".

KHNP signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in the field of nuclear energy in March 2023 in the presence of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni.

"This contract signing is a meaningful first step toward exporting Korean-type nuclear power plants to the African market, which has great growth potential," said KHNP President Hwang Joo-ho. "Based on our cooperation with Uganda, we will expand KHNP's presence in Africa."

Uganda's Atomic Energy Bill came into effect in 2008, to regulate the use of ionizing radiation and provide a framework to develop nuclear power generation. The government then signed an agreement with the IAEA to initiate moves in that direction. The Uganda Vision 2040 roadmap launched in April 2013 incorporates the development of significant nuclear capacity as part of the country's future energy mix. Under the roadmap, Uganda plans to build six pressurised water reactors with a capacity of 8400 MWe by 2040 in the Buyende region.

According to the Ugandan energy ministry, eight potential sites were identified in Buyende, Nakasongola, Kassanda, Kiruhura and Lamwo Districts. These were then ranked using ranking criteria to arrive at a candidate nuclear power plant site. The proposed site for the first nuclear power plant project is in Kasaato Village, Kidera Subcounty, Buyende District, with alternative sites in Nakasongola and Kiruhura Districts.

Uganda - which is currently reliant on hydro for about 80% of its electricity - has also signed nuclear cooperation agreements with China and Russia.

In August 2023, President Museveni announced that Russia and South Korea had been selected to build two nuclear power plants in Uganda with a combined capacity of 15 GWe. World Nuclear News

Kenya's State House in Nairobi. [File, Standard]

 

Two Standard Group journalists were denied entry to State House, Nairobi, on Saturday to cover an event. This is despite receiving an invitation to cover a joint press briefing by President William Ruto and visiting Slovenian President Nataša Pirc Musar.

 

President Musar is in Kenya for a three-day state visit. After waiting for more than three hours outside State House Gate D alongside other reporters, a plainclothes police officer arrived around 11.30 am and called the group closer.

Accompanied by a uniformed officer, she began reading out names from a printed list for verification.

The names of the two Standard Group journalists were not on the list.

As the rest of the accredited media personnel were ushered in, the Standard Group journalists were left behind. 

"Na hawa? (What about them?) The officer posed to her colleague, gesturing towards us. "KTN," the journalists replied in unison.

The denial of access has raised concerns about potential discrimination, possibly linked to the Standard Group’s critical coverage of government affairs. The Standard

Flash flooding earlier this week in central Nigeria killed more than 150 people, a local disaster response spokesman told AFP on Saturday, while displacing 3,000, levelling more than 250 homes and washing away two bridges.

 

The sharp jump from the previous death toll of 115 came as bodies were recovered nearly 10 kilometres (6 miles) away from the town of Mokwa, the epicentre of the floods, Ibrahim Audu Husseini, a spokesman for the Niger State Emergency Management Agency, told AFP.

As Husseini warned that the toll could still rise -- with bodies being swept away down the powerful Niger River -- President Bola Tinubu said that search-and-rescue operations were underway, with the disaster response being aided by security forces.

Tinubu, in an overnight post on social media, added that "relief materials and temporary shelter assistance are being deployed without delay" in Mokwa, which was hit by torrential rains late on Wednesday through to early on Thursday.

Buildings collapsed and roads were inundated in the town, which is located more than 350 kilometres (215 miles) by road from the capital Abuja, an AFP journalist in Mokwa observed on Friday.

Emergency services and residents searched through the rubble as floodwaters flowed alongside. 

"Some bodies were recovered from the debris of collapsed homes," Husseini said, adding that his teams would need excavators to retrieve corpses.

He said many were still missing, citing a family of 12 where only four members had been accounted for as of Friday.

Mohammed Tanko, 29, a civil servant, pointed to a house he grew up in, telling reporters: "We lost at least 15 from this house. The property (is) gone. We lost everything."

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said that the Nigerian Red Cross, local volunteers, the military and police were all helping in the response.

According to the figures shared by Husseini, 151 people were killed, 3,018 were displaced, 265 houses were "completely destroyed" and two bridges were washed away in the busy, rural market town.

Nigeria's rainy season, which usually lasts six months, is just getting started for the year. Flooding, usually caused by heavy rains and poor infrastructure, wreaks havoc every year, killing hundreds of people across the west African country.

 

Scientists have also warned that climate change is fuelling more extreme weather patterns.

In Nigeria, the floods are exacerbated by inadequate drainage, the construction of homes on waterways and the dumping of waste in drains and water channels.

"This tragic incident serves as a timely reminder of the dangers associated with building on waterways and the critical importance of keeping drainage channels and river paths clear," NEMA said in a statement.

 

 

The Nigerian Meteorological Agency had warned of possible flash floods in 15 of Nigeria's 36 states, including Niger state, between Wednesday and Friday.

In 2024, more than 1,200 people were killed and 1.2 million displaced in at least 31 out of Nigeria's 36 states, making it one of the country's worst flood seasons in decades, according to NEMA.

Displaced children played in the flood waters on Friday, heightening the possibility of exposure to water-borne diseases, with at least two bodies lying nearby covered in banana leaves and printed ankara cloth.

Describing how she escaped the raging waters, Sabuwar Bala, a 50-year-old yam vendor, told reporters: "I was only wearing my underwear, someone loaned me all I'm wearing now. I couldn't even save my flip-flops."

"I can't locate where my home stood because of the destruction," she said. Daily News

Youths Protesting in Parklands, May 31, 2025.

Normalcy was disrupted in Parklands, Nairobi, after residents took to the streets to protest against ongoing constructions they termed unlawful.

The irate residents took to the streets to protest against construction firms that have continued with development projects despite multiple court orders halting them. 

Concerned about the unchecked constructions, the residents claim the ongoing projects are endangering lives, polluting the environment, and disrupting daily life in their once-quiet neighbourhood.

They argue that the lack of proper oversight has led to dangerous working conditions, with several workers losing their lives due to violations of safety regulations at the construction sites.

The protestors cited at least eight deaths of construction workers reported so far. They also accused the ongoing construction of causing the recent traffic congestion witnessed in the area, increased dust, noise, and poor waste management from the sites. 

“We have only done two public participation [meetings] as required by the law and we were to go to the third one where they were supposed to tell us what's going on, but now, we were shocked to see them starting excavations without permits, without authorisation and it's causing a lot of havoc among Parklands residents,” one of the residents revealed.

The residents revealed that enforcement is lacking, allowing the projects to proceed unchecked.

“Two weeks ago, on 3rd Parklands, we had a construction site which was holding materials on one lane of the road, causing traffic. Before that, we have had over eight deaths in sites, and even construction workers are not safe,” another resident decried.

In February, a worker lost his life after a building under construction collapsed at Third Avenue in Parklands. Reports revealed that the constructor had not put in place the required safety measures. 

Apart from construction buildings collapsing, the area is also prone to frequent floods, which the county government blames on clogged drainage systems.

The residents have blamed the constructors for dumping waste improperly, leading to costly consequences. by Christine Opanda, Kenyans.co.ke

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