Photo Anadolu Agency

Turkey’s state-run aid agency on Friday donated materials to be used by women to make sandals in South Sudan, a landlocked country in East-Central Africa.

The Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) donated several sandal-making items to empower women by providing them opportunities to earn independently.

“We support humanitarian and developmental projects for the benefit of the people of South Sudan,” said Mustafa Kemal Akbulut, Turkey’s deputy chief of mission for political and economic affairs. He disclosed that about 46 women were trained on how to make sandals.

“This project will empower women and will generate income for them and we will be working together with relevant South Sudanese authorities and NGOs,” Akbulut added.

Peter Mayen Majongdit, the minister of humanitarian affairs and disaster management, thanked the Turkish government for the support, saying it will improve livelihoods of people.

Angelina Abuk, one of the beneficiaries, said the project is very important for them because it is going to change their lives.

The project for making sandals is being implemented by a women-led national organization LULU CARE.

Turgut Gazigil, the acting coordinator for TIKA in Juba, was also present at the occasion. - Benjamin Takpiny, Anadolu Agency

President Uhuru Kenyatta has reportedly fired his private secretary Jomo Gecaga, several sources have claimed.

Gecaga, who is also the President’s nephew, has been working with Uhuru since his time as the Finance Minister in the Coalition Government. State House is yet to comment on the reports.

Just in: President Uhuru Kenyatta had reportedly fired his personal assistant Jomo Gecaga.

The bad blood between the President and his aide first played out during Uhuru’s visit to Namibia in March 2019. The President questioned why Gecaga, a man he described as a long-serving Personal Assistant, was not taking notes during a meeting with Kenyans living in the Southern African country.

Unconfirmed rumours also claim that Gecaga could have been fired due to his close relationship with ex-Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko. Uhuru and Sonko are in a bear-knuckles fight, following revelations by the President that he engineered the latter’s impeachment.

It is also worth knowing that Gecaga has two kids with former K24 news anchor Anne Kiguta. Kiguta controversially quit from the Kenyatta family-owned in December last year, citing fundamental disagreements with her bosses. Her ‘Punchline Programme’ had been turned into a propaganda tool against Deputy President William Ruto.

Gecaga, a brother to KICC CEO Nana Gecaga, recently made headlines after former Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero sued him over unpaid rent at a high-end apartment in Riverside, Nairobi. The President’s aide is said to have failed to pay Kshs 540,000 monthly rent, claiming that he had been financially affected by COVID-19 KDRTV

KIGALI, Rwanda

Rwandan authorities on Tuesday re-imposed a lockdown in the capital Kigali after a recent spike in new COVID-19 cases and related deaths.

Unnecessary movements are restricted except for essential services such as medical, grocery shopping, and banking among others, according to a government statement.

The Cabinet directed most public and private employees to work from home, with the new measures expected to be reviewed after 15 days.

While inter-districts public transport is restricted, most businesses are closed save those distributing and delivering essential services such as food, medicine, hygiene and cleaning products, and fuel. They are ordered to operate at 30% capacity, and close by 6 p.m. local time (1600 GMT).

Educational institutions and places of worship have also been shut with schools, both public and private, advised to revert to remote learning.

Tourism activities such as hotels, tour operations will continue to work in line with health guidelines.

The Kigali International Airport, the country’s main airport, however, will remain open with arriving travelers required to present a negative COVID-19 test taken within 120 hours prior to departure.

Designated hotels for arrivals will remain open in accordance with the COVID-19 prevention measures, whereas departing travelers must also present a negative COVID-19 result.

Majority of the new cases in recent days were registered in Kigali with health officials attributing it to complacency in observance of virus control measures.

A landlocked East African country, Rwanda has so far seen 11,259 cases and 146 related deaths. By James Tasamba, Anadolu Agency