KENYA 

Key races in Rift Valley, Mt Kenya as UDA holds primaries

Politicians allied to Deputy President William Ruto are today facing a fight for their political lives when the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) conducts nominations in 36 of the 47 counties, a logistical nightmare the party said it was well prepared for.

For some, especially in Dr Ruto’s Rift Valley backyard and President Uhuru Kenyatta’s restive Mt Kenya, the nominations today could seal their fates politically. In these two regions, analysts have described the primaries as a mini General Election, where winning a ticket could be as good as being elected.

Uasin Gishu, Bomet, Kericho, Nandi, Elgeyo Marakwet, Kajiado, Laikipia, Baringo, Kiambu and Embu counties will see some of the most hotly contested races for governor, as well as other seats.

A total of 13 counties will nominate their gubernatorial candidates, 18 for Senate, and 28 for woman representative while13 constituencies will get to nominate their parliamentary aspirant. A total of 834 wards will be deciding their candidates for county assemblies. In total, the UDA National Elections Board will conduct 981 nominations for elective seats countrywide.

Yesterday, the chairperson of the board, Mr Anthony Mwaura, said 75,000 transparent ballot boxes complete with 650,000 seals had already been dispatched to various constituencies across the country.

After the primaries, the boxes will remain the property of UDA for future party elections. Ballot papers, said Mr Mwaura, have various security features, such as watermarks, to curb tampering or photocopying.

The primaries will begin at 6a.m. and end at 5p.m. and will be manned by 47 county returning officers, 200 constituency returning officers, 21,000 presiding officers and 52,000 clerks. A total of 34,680 police officers will be on guard to provide security.

(Source: Daily Nation)

TANZANIA

US commander visits Walter Reed Army Institute labs in Tanzania

US Commander of the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR), Colonel Chad Koenig, last week visited several health facilities and diagnostic and research laboratories across Tanzania, the US embassy has said.

Walter Reed, is a US government agency working within the Department of Defence that has been operating in Tanzania since 1999.

Commander Koenig and his delegation, which included Walter Reed Chief Science Officer, Dr. Karen Peterson, and Director of the United States Army Medical Research Directorate- Africa, Colonel Shannon Lacy, visited the Walter Reed’s research programs in Tanzania.

The team also visited the Mbeya Zonal Referral Hospital in the Southern Highlands to observe Walter Reed supported research facilities including the National Institute of Medical Research- Mbeya Medical Research Center, and laboratories run by the Ministry of Health in collaboration with HJFMRI.

These facilities included TB diagnostic laboratories, HIV vaccine trial clinics, HIV viral load and sequencing facilities, COVID-19 diagnostic and sequencing laboratories, and a long-term research study that has tracked HIV patients across Africa since 2008 with the intent to inform and shape government policy and programming.

(Source; The Citizen)

UGANDA

Bobi Wine visits Omoro, hails Jacob Oulanyah

Bobi Wine on Sunday paid tribute to the former Speaker of Parliament Jacob Oulanyah.

Bobi Wine while in the company of Ambassador Olara Otunnu, Kilak South MP Gilbert Olanya and Lina Zadriga, the Vice President for NUP in the Northern Region laid a wreath on the grave of the fallen Speaker in his home village of Ajuri, Lalogi Sub County Omoro District.

He later held a closed door meeting with the late Oulanyah’s father Nathan Okori and leaders of the Acholi Cultural Institution led by Prime Minister Ambrose Olaa.

The security team at the gravesite briefly blocked Bobi Wine and his accomplices from accessing the burial ground on the said orders of the Omoro Resident District Commissioner Andrew Onyuk, but they were later allowed.

Bobi Wine told Uganda Radio Network – URN that he had come to pay his last respects to Oulanyah because he had missed the burial which was held on Friday while he was out of the country.

On Saturday, Bobi Wine also had closed door meetings with Bishop John Baptist Odama, the Chairperson, Acholi Religious Leaders Peace Initiative (ARLPI) and other political leaders.

(Source: The Independent) 

RWANDA

Slain politicians remembered as commemoration week ends

Families of the slain politicians were joined by senior government officials and diplomats in an event that also marked the end of the 28th official commemoration week.

At Rebero memorial that is located in Kicukiro district, a resting place of 14,000 victims of the Genocide against the Tutsi, mourners, accompanied by officials laid wreaths on the tombs, a gesture normally done to pay tribute.

The politicians who were remembered, many of whom were members of either the Liberal Party (PL) or Social Democratic Party (PSD), were reformists who called for peace and reconciliation, according to various testimonies.

Many of them were killed at the beginning of the genocide against the Tutsi.

They pushed for dialogue, and condemned the hate ideology that was being propagated by the regime of late President Juvenal Habyarimana.

(Source: The New Times)

ETHIOPIA

Draft Bills HR 6600, S3199 Worsen Problems in Ethiopia: American Advocacy Journalist

The draft bills HR 6600 and S3199 will not create peace and stability, but further exacerbate the problems that exist in the country, American advocacy journalist Betty Sheba Tekeste said.

Both HR 6600 and S3199 bills are similar bills that threaten to impose serious sanctions on Ethiopia in various aspects, she added.

They also “promote instability and will further exacerbate issues and the problems that exist in the country.”

The American journalist, who travelled widely in the northern part of the country, noted that there are many internally displaced people and serious disruption of electricity.

A lot of destruction has been created in the northern part of the country and rehabilitation efforts are underway to meet the needs of the people that have suffered greatly.

Betty recalled that the diaspora community in the No More movement has galvanised and motivated around the globe to inform the international community about what has been happening in Ethiopia.

The advocacy journalist finally called on the Ethiopian Diaspora to continue explaining the realities of Ethiopia to the world and strongly oppose the draft bills.

(Source: Ethiopia News Agency)

SOMALIA

A Delegation From The Federal Electoral Commission Heads To Baidoa

A delegation from the Federal Electoral Commission (FEC) on Wednesday headed to Baidoa, the capital of Bay region and the interim capital of the South West State of Somalia.

The electoral commission has announced that it will send members of its commission to Baidoa to address the South West Administration’s concerns over the election and the swearing-in ceremony of the new 11th Parliament.

Members of the electoral commission will hold meetings with President Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen to discuss how to resolve their grievances and bring Laftagareen and Prime Minister Roble closer together.

As many as 73 MPs from the South West are in Baidoa, who have not received a FEIT certificate, and are opposed to the recent election of three members of parliament by the FEIT. believes in re-election.

President Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen accused Prime Minister Roble of setting up roadblocks for the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) parliamentarians, which they will not accept, and various efforts are still underway to address the South West concerns led by Galmudug President Ahmed Qoorqoor in Baidoa. 

(Source: Radio Dalsan)

SUDAN  

Sudan Revolutionary Front presents political initiative to Troika, EU

A delegation from the leadership of the Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF), headed by Member of the Sovereignty Council and Chairman of the SRF, El Hadi Idris, met with the ambassadors and representatives of the Troika countries (USA, UK, and Norway) in Khartoum on Tuesday, followed by a meeting with ambassadors of the European Union (EU) today. The SRF presented a detailed explanation of the political initiative they propose as the correct way out of the Sudanese crisis.

The Troika representatives welcomed the initiative and praised the role of the RSF and its quest to reach a comprehensive political settlement. RSF spokesman Osama Saeed said in a statement on Monday that the delegation asked the Troika representatives to urge their countries to continue supporting Sudan, and to continue to provide aid to the Sudanese people.

The EU mission in Sudan also affirmed its support for the initiative, and welcomed all constructive efforts to solve it. The Head of the European Union Mission in Sudan, Robert van den Dool , said in a statement to the official Sudan News Agency (SUNA) today, after meeting with the SRF delegation, that the European Union is always supportive of Sudan in the process of democratic transition, indicating that the EU will continue its dialogue with all Sudanese parties.

Member of the Presidential Council of the SRF, Mustafa Tanbour, said that the EU expressed its readiness and desire to play the role of facilitator between Sudanese parties.

(Source: Radio Dabanga)