The US State Department affirmed on Wednesday that the US will not restrict any military aid to Egypt.
Not restricting military aid to Egypt is essential to supporting regional stability, the state department explained.
A spokesperson for the US State Department explained that, “The US will provide Egypt with $1.3 billion in military funding”, as reported by Cairo News Channel citing Reuters.
The State Department spokesperson said, ‘We will not restrict any military aid to Egypt, and this is necessary to support regional stability.'” EI
Kenya has announced the launch of a geothermal risk underwriting facility, said to be the first of its kind in Africa, to underwrite up to KES260mn ($2mn) in early project development to attract and fast-track investment into domestic and regional green energy projects.
Kenya’s Insurance Regulatory Authority (IRA) said it is working in partnership with the country’s Ministry of Energy and Petroleum, State Department of Industrialisation and the East African Insurance Sector (ICEA Lion, Kenya Re, Old Mutual, GA and Mayfair) on the new facility.
Its development was supported by Financial Sector Deepening (FSD Africa), which is funded by UK aid from the UK government, with a mandate to transform financial markets across sub-Saharan Africa, in collaboration with partners Parhelion Underwriting and Kenbright.
To drill a geothermal well requires on average $5mn, with significant risk of missing geothermal resource after drilling. FSD Africa said the new de-risking facility, which will cover early-stage development drilling risks for investors in geothermal projects, “represents a critical step in creating a more favourable investment environment by mitigating the financial risks associated with these high-potential but high-risk projects”.
This underwriting facility marks a significant milestone in Africa’s sustainable energy goals and sets a precedent for future initiatives aimed at de-risking and supporting other high-impact sectors across the continent, FSD Africa said.
Alex Wachira, Kenya’s Principal Secretary, State Department of Energy, said that insurance cover for the risky upstream geothermal exploration work is a great enabler for the country to exploit its vast geothermal potential estimated at 10,000 MW.
“Our country is endowed with vast geothermal resources, and great progress has been made in tapping into this clean power. However, for us to fill the energy gaps, we need collaboration and investment between the public and private sectors,” he said.
Kenya is already a leader in geothermal electricity, with a total installed capacity of 988.7 MW contributing 47% of the power on the grid. This places the country at rank sixth globally and first in Africa in terms of geothermal power development. Kenya’s geothermal potential is estimated at 10,000 MW.
FSD Africa said its support of the geothermal underwriting facility is part of a wider geothermal energy programme that includes, among other things, technical capacity development and facilitation, advocacy and technical assistance, fundraising, and inclusive economic growth. Source: BNE Intellinews
Kisii Senator Richard Onyonka has claimed there are attempts by the government to silence the whistleblower of the controversial planned takeover of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) by an Indian company Adani.
Onyonka said the decision by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations requesting several documents from the CEO of Afrinet Carbon Limited Nelson Amenya, to allegedly investigate computer fraud was aimed at intimidating him over his role in exposing the suspicious deal.
The Kisii senator, who was speaking to The Standard at Parliament buildings, said the information requested by the DCI are documents that the State can access from the Business Registration Service (BRS), an entity mandated to oversee all the operations of registration of such businesses.
“I have reliable information that Afrinet Carbon Limited is associated with one Kenyan who is the main whistleblower of the controversial planned takeover of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport by Adani Group. I consider this letter and request from the DCI as a witch-hunt aimed at serving a vindictive, vitriolic and vengeful politically motivated abhorrence,” said Onyonka.
The senator said political persecution is a cowardly act that contravenes the fundamental rights enshrined in Chapter Four of our 2010 Constitution on the Bill of Rights and other provisions of the Whistleblower Protection Act.
Onyonka said the country's progressive Constitution protects citizens against sinister attempts by the State to maliciously intimidate a citizenry for political reasons, explicitly to restrict or prevent their ability to participate in political activities which include protesting, petitioning and other voluntary activities undertaken by the masses to influence public policy.
“In my conscious volition as a democratically elected senator, I have been in constant communication with the whistleblower, which informed a statement that I sought on the floor of the Senate directed at the Committee on Roads and Transportation on July 17, 2024. This followed summons to the committee on August 1, 2024 to give more information on the statement about the Adani-JKIA takeover, ” said Onyonka.
Amenya was quoted last Friday saying his company received a letter from the head of Serious Crimes Unit at the DCI headquarters requesting for certified copy of certificate of incorporation, certified copy of Article and Memorandum of Association and names of contacts of registered directors and founders of the company.
Meanwhile Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) workers in Mombasa joined in the push against the deal. The employees staged a protest at the Moi International Airport on Sunday to oppose the government plan to lease JKIA to Adani Airport Holding Limited saying it was a rip off.
The aviation workers, led by Kenya Aviation Workers Union branch chairman Walter Ongeri and branch secretary Robert Lichoro, said they will not allow such a strategic facility to be placed in the hands of a foreigner.
The workers claimed Adani has caused trouble and was rejected in several foreign countries such as Australia and asked the government to stop the deal.
“The government should stop the deal with Adani. It should not give away the strategic airport to Adani for 30 years. The government should not sneak in this investor,” said Lichoro.
He said JKIA is not a loss making facility and hence should be spared from a concession with a firm whose operations have been questionable.
He said JKIA makes about Sh6 billion profit annually and its revenue runs the other airports and airstrips in the country and hence should not be handed to a foreigner.
Ongeri claimed Adani was set to bring trouble instead of improving the operations of the country's biggest airport, adding that the planned investment can be carried out by Kenya Airport Authority.
He called on MPs to intervene and also reject the concession deal with Adan saying he would bring in expatriates that take way the local jobs.
The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) and the Max Planck Foundation for International Peace and the Rule of Law have commenced a four-day training program for members of the National Constitutional Review Commission (NCRC) on federalism and power sharing.
This initiative, financially supported by UNMISS and the European Union, aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of federalism and pluralism within the constitution-making framework established by the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARSS).
During the opening ceremony, Guang Cong, the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, emphasized UNMISS’s commitment to supporting the government and people of South Sudan in implementing the Revitalized Peace Agreement, including the crucial task of the constitution-making process.
“We are dedicated to assisting all parties to the agreement in ensuring meaningful participation and diversity in the peace process and ongoing peace-building initiatives,” he stated.
For his part, Ruben Madol Arol, the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, highlighted the importance of federalism as a constitutional requirement that will guide the country towards peaceful and credible elections.
“The training of the members of the National Constitutional Review Commission is essential for facilitating popular participation of the people of South Sudan in the constitutional-making process,” Madol said.
Throughout the workshop, participants will engage in discussions covering concepts of federalism and decentralization, the roles and responsibilities of the three branches of government within a federal system, and various power-sharing options. Radio Tamazuj
The Ethiopian Ministry of Defense announced Tuesday the pardon of 178 military personnel who were sentenced up to death for their involvement in crimes committed during the Tigray conflict. The pardon was granted as part of an amnesty marking the Ethiopian New Year.
According to the ministry's statement, the individuals were convicted by military courts for abandoning their constitutional duties and committing serious offenses against both the military and the public. Following their convictions, they had been serving prison sentences.
The pardon was approved after formal requests for clemency were submitted and reviewed by the Amnesty Board, the statement added.
The Tigray conflict began in November 2020 when Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) forces attacked federal army bases, sparking a war that claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and displaced millions.
The conflict subsided after peace agreements were signed in Pretoria and Nairobi in November of last year. By Sadik Kedir Abdu, Anadolu Agency
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