First Lady Madam Sajidha Mohamed departed on Sunday evening for Tanzania to attend the 11th “Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary” Annual Conference. She will participate in the High-Level First Ladies Panel and deliver a keynote address, as well as speak at the Merck Foundation First Ladies Initiative (MFFLI) Committee Meeting.

The 11th Edition of the conference, taking place from October 29-30, 2024, brings together healthcare professionals, policymakers, and academics to discuss topics such as women’s empowerment, disease management, and expanding access to quality healthcare across Africa and Asia. The President's Office

In June 2019, when I sat down with the then Transport Cabinet Secretary James Macharia and Ugandan Finance Minister Matia Kasaija on the sidelines of the first China-Africa Trade Expo in Changsha, China, it was clear that geopolitical tensions in the East African region were the main reason for the delay in the full implementation of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) protocol.

Kampala was hesitant to construct the SGR from Uganda’s capital to Malaba before Nairobi extended its line to the border. However, the Jubilee administration felt let down by its peers.

During the Belt and Road Initiative forum in Beijing, President Uhuru Kenyatta emphasised that every country should implement the agreements of the initiative, just like Nairobi had done. 

When Kenya, with the help of China launched the SGR on December 1, 2017, it was seen as a game-changer, facilitating cargo transportation and enhancing people-to-people exchanges.

At the time, Nairobi was monopolising the rail sector. However, seven years later, Kenya is facing stiff competition from Tanzania and even Uganda, which has signed a deal with the Turkish firm Yapi Merkezi to construct its own railway within 48 months.

While the move by East African countries to join the railway league is good for regional integration and trade, Kenya needs to rethink its SGR plan to avoid being left behind by its peers who are now building electric railways, unlike Nairobi’s diesel-powered SGR.

In 2014, Kenya, along with its Northern Corridor Partner States—Uganda, Rwanda, and later South Sudan—signed a regional SGR protocol to develop a seamless transport system interconnecting their cities and connecting them to the coast of Mombasa. 

With Kenya now in fresh talks with Beijing about extending the SGR from Naivasha to Malaba, the East African economic powerhouse must remain relevant and make the Port of Mombasa attractive to avoid losing business to Dar es Salaam.

Nairobi will be forced to revamp its existing Mombasa-Naivasha line to electric power. The ongoing talks, which will conclude in December, should focus on electric SGR rather than the diesel-powered one.

Although Kenya initially started with a diesel-powered train, China has shown willingness to help Nairobi upgrade its line to electric.

The deal inked four years ago between the Kenya Electricity Transmission Company and China Electric Power Equipment and Technology Company should be expedited to make Kenya’s dream of having an electric train, like Tanzania and Uganda’s proposed one, a reality.

As a country, we cannot effectively address global warming if we continue using diesel-powered trains. Achieving the Paris Agreement’s goal of reducing transport-related emissions from the current 7.7 gigatons of carbon dioxide by 2050 will require transitioning to cleaner energy sources.

Regardless of whether a country has a diesel or electric SGR, the Port of Mombasa and Kampala, both key cities along the Northern Corridor Infrastructure Projects Protocol, are essential for unlocking economic growth and fostering a conducive investment environment for local and foreign investors. Mr Onyango is a journalist and communication consultant , The Standard

South Sudan’s First Vice- President Dr Riek Machar has said the world’s youngest nation should have adopted the Sudan laws instead of drafting new ones.

Machar expressed the sentiments at the conclusion of the validation of Judiciary Reform Committee (JRC) report in Juba on Friday.

He said an independent South Sudan should have inherited the Sudan laws they participated in creating and embarked on catching up with the rest of the world.

The First Vice-President, however, pointed out that the sharia (Islamic law) should not have been adopted.

South Sudanese, he said, contributed to the enactment of most of the Sudan laws, and therefore adopting them and amending some would have precipitated the reforms.

“If we had adopted the laws of Sudan which we contributed to properly, we would have reformed our judiciary system and justice administration without difficulties, but we decided to start from scratch,” he said.

Machar further advised the country to reconsider adopting the pre-South Sudan independence laws, except sharia, in order to catch up with other countries that have reformed their judicial systems, rather than having news laws.

“Maybe we have to critically think some of our decisions when we rejected the adoption of the Sudan laws prior to independence, except for sharia,” he reiterated.  

The First Vice-President, who is also the chairman of the opposition SPLM-IO Party, has tasked JRC to deliberate on the laws enacted in Warrap and Lakes states, with a view to ending the vicious cycle of conflict and cattle rustling.

This year, Warrap State introduced the Green Book law, which includes severe penalties, like the execution by the firing squad, for offences such as cattle raiding, revenge killings, rape, forced marriages, kidnapping, and hate speech.

In 2022, Lakes State implemented a similar law called Public Order, aimed at addressing the crimes.

“You know, Warrap and Lake states are one step ahead of the others. I think what they are trying to do is to have a state penal code,” he said.

Meanwhile, Chief Justice Chan Reech Madut emphasized the need for the judicial transformation to prioritize the upholding of the fundamental human rights, pointing that the cultures that abused them should be abolished.

“Bear in mind that we’ve got some customs that undermine fundamental human rights. An example is the giving of a young girl compensation to family whose member has been killed to become a wife when she comes of age,” he said.

Reech said the country must respect human rights at all levels for there to be meaningful judicial reforms.

The Transitional National Legislative Assembly Speaker, Jemma Nunu Kumba, emphasized the importance of an independent judiciary in a democratic transition.

She said a reformed judiciary promotes transparency and accountability and fosters trust between the citizens and the government. Radio Tamazuj