Renowned city lawyer Ahmednasir Abdullahi is calling on Inspector General of Police Japhet Koome to resign for inaction following startling confessions that junior police officers attempted to bribe him.

In a post on his X account, the Senior Counsel demanded that Koome must be held accountable and show steps he took in order to deter such levels of graft in the National Police Service.

Ahmednassir said the IG must reveal the names and the ranks of police officers who allegedly visited his office with the intention of compromising his integrity.

The Senior Counsel added that the IG must also reveal how many police officers have been arrested and are being prosecuted for trying to bribe the police boss.

‘THIS CONFESSION BY IG KOOME the police officers have variously tried to bribe him IS SHOCKING…He must answer a few questions:. How many officers are being prosecuted for trying to give you something? If the answer is none…when will you tender your resignation IG KOOME?’ Ahmednassir posted.

Speaking on Friday during a meeting with the Head of Public Service Felix Kosgei, The IG admitted that corruption is rife in the NPS, as he recounted that junior officers came to his office to give him proceeds from collecting money.

The National Ethics and Corruption Survey 2021 revealed, the Kenya Police rank first as among government departments and agencies where one is most likely to encounter corruption and unethical practices, at 82.1%​.

According to E​thics and A​nti-C​orruption C​ommission, corruption can have detrimental effects on the functioning of a government and the well-being of its citizens. 

Corruption often leads to the misallocation of resources, undermines the rule of law, and erodes trust in public institutions. By Laban Wanambisi, Capital News

JOHANNESBURG

South Africa's anti-apartheid struggle stalwart Aziz Pahad has died, his family and the ruling African National Congress Party (ANC) announced. He was 82.

Pahad passed away on Wednesday evening at his home in Johannesburg. His brother Essop Pahad, also a veteran of struggle against white minority rule, died in July.

The ANC said it will remember Pahad as a patriot, freedom fighter, and servant of the people throughout his life.

“He was a dedicated member of the ANC, a brilliant diplomat, and a strategist who served as a member of parliament and deputy minister for international relations from 1994 to 2008,’’ it added.

President Cyril Ramaphosa extended his deepest condolences, saying “Aziz Pahad worked for our freedom during his decades in exile in the United Kingdom, Angola and Zambia – a period during which he played a diversity of roles including as a member of the ANC's Revolutionary Council and the Political Military Committee and being part of the ANC negotiating team that secretly met representatives of the apartheid regime and also with leading members of the Afrikaner community."

He described Pahad as a "consummate diplomat" not only in the service of South Africa, but in support of causes for freedom and justice elsewhere in the world, notably advocating the plight of the Palestinian people. Anadolu Agency

Maj Mark Wanyama, a Uganda People's Defense Forces (UPDF) officer, who is accusing Mukono businessman Jackson Twinamasiko of trespassing on his land, has threatened to take a criminal path if he doesn't get justice from the courts of law.

Wanyama issued the threats while appearing before the Mukono chief magistrate, Roselyn Nsenge today Thursday. The magistrate had instructed Wanyama to testify with caution. It came after Stephen Turyatunga, the lawyer representing Twinamasiko requested the court to consider a nearby date for a decision on whether to proceed with the trial or dismiss it.

Turyatunga argued that his client had been notified by the crime investigations department (CID) of additional charges similar to those already before the court. 

He said “Once the court insists on adjourning the matter to November, the complainant is going to keep on bringing more similar cases even before this is concluded, your worship I request that you consider a nearby date at least in October to have this matter decided as we wait for the High court to give its position on the rightful owner of the contested land.”

In response, Nsenge cautioned both parties against overburdening the court with unnecessary cases and urged them to let the law take its course.

"Filing separate cases on the same matter must stop. You will not achieve your goals by wasting the court's time. Let's file cases with substance,” she warned.

This did not go down well with the complainant when asked whether he had understood the caution. Wanyama expressed his dissatisfaction with the caution, stating that such warnings wouldn't deter him when his properties were at stake. 

He asserted, "These people think that just because we are soldiers, we should not fight for what belongs to us. I can take the same path as he did to reclaim what is rightfully mine." 

The case dates back to August 1, 2023, when Twinamasiko went to the CID to follow up on a complaint he had filed against Ben Mugisha, a police officer attached to the land protection desk. 

He, however, was arrested during this visit. While he was later granted a police bond, Twinamasiko was arrested again two days later on August 3 on charges related to property damage, removal of boundaries, and trespassing on land claimed by Wanyama. The disputed land is located on Mbeya Island in Mpunge sub-county within the Mukono district.

Twinamasiko was presented in the Magistrate's court and granted bail. Twinamasiko's lawyer argued that the case is fundamentally civil in nature but has been inappropriately criminalized. The prosecution sought an adjournment because the complainant was absent, and they needed more time to respond to the complaint's lawyer's submission.

The prosecution argued that the case involves possession rather than ownership and stated that the trespass occurred on June 9, 2021, with damage to Wanyama's properties. Turyatunga maintained that the soldier used military force to take over land that was previously in civilian possession, going against an interim court order obtained on November 27, 2019, and a subsequent temporary injunction issued in February 2020.

The injunction allowed the defendant to continue using the land and restricted the complainant from entering the same land. Nsenge agreed with the defendant's lawyer and rescheduled the matter from November 9, 2023, to an earlier date, October 16, to decide whether to drop the charges or continue with the trial. - URN/The Observer

KISUMU, Kenya, Sep 28 – UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has appointed Kisumu Governor Anyang’ Nyong’o as an advisor on Local and Regional governments.

Nyong’o joins the UN Advisory Board that will play a role in strengthening the engagement of local and regional governments in intergovernmental planning processes.

Given the important role of local and regional governments in consonance with the national governments to achieve the SDGs, the Advisory Group will advise the United Nations Secretary-General on matters pertaining to local and regional governments’ engagement and action, to inform Member States’ decision-making in relation to recovery measures from multiple and overlapping crises and implementing international agreements and standards, including on sustainable development, gender equality, social inclusion, climate action, the new urban agenda, and human rights.

“As a member of the Advisory Group, I trust I can count on your knowledge and expertise on multi-level governance to localize and align efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals”.

The establishment of this Advisory Group also offers UN Member States an unprecedented opportunity to promote inclusive, networked, and effective multilateralism, as envisioned in the United Nations Secretary General’s “Our Common Agenda”.

The Advisory Group’s recommendations on local and regional governments’ engagement in intergovernmental processes, could also inform Member States as part of the “Pact for the Future”.

In his acceptance of the appointment, Governor Nyong’o thanked the UN Secretary General for the honour bestowed on him to be a member of this very important committee.

“It is with humility that I accept this appointment, promising that I will do my best to promote the ideals and objectives of the UN as a member of the Advisory Group in advancing the cause of local and regional governments”.

Governor Nyong’o is also the current United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLGA) Vice President for East Africa. He also sits on the Presidency of UCLG Africa as well as the Executive of UCLG World. By Ojwang Joe, Capital News