KENYA

Karua: 19 foreigners, two Kenyans helped rig election 

The 2022 presidential election was rigged way before August 9 through 21 individuals— 19 foreigners and two Kenyans—who had access to the electoral agency’s technology, Azimio presidential candidate Raila Odinga and his running mate Martha Karua allege in court.

Mr Odinga and Ms Karua add that the alleged rigging began in March 2022 through intrusion into and tampering with the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission’s (IEBC) systems by foreign nationals.

Without giving the names of the individuals allegedly involved in the scheme, Mr Odinga and Ms Karua claim the interference resulted in manipulation and alteration of voter turnout and Kiems kit data on election day and the subsequent declaration of William Ruto as President-elect.

The petitioners state that the 21 individuals, who are not employees of the IEBC, manipulated figures and election results generated by the presiding officers in the field, thus compromising the integrity of the election.

“There was an elaborate and fraudulent premeditated scheme to interfere with and undermine and defeat the integrity, credibility and security of the presidential election. The interference was intended to alter the true results of the presidential election,” they claim.

In the petition pending determination before the Supreme Court, the two leaders further alleged a breach of security of IEBC’s election materials, systems and devices.

(Source: The Daily Nation)

TANZANIA

Koica Bolster Diplomatic Ties Between Korea, Tanzania

KOREA International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) has reaffirmed its commitment to cooperate with the government of Tanzania to bolster diplomatic relations between South Korea and Tanzania.

The remarks were made on Tuesday by KOICA’s Country Director Tanzania Office, Mr Kyucheol Eo, during the occasion to bid farewell to Mr Ali Rashid Hamad, who obtained a scholarship to pursue a doctoral degree in the Response to Climate Change programme at Inchon National University in Korea, through KOICA’s Scholarship Programme from 2022- 2025

“The government of South Korea will continue to cooperate with the Tanzanian government in various areas of social and economic development,” he said.

Mr Eo further said the capacity-building programme initiated in 1992, has, to date, seen at least 2,000 Tanzanian government officials travelling to Korea for short-term training and long-term studies. He further highlighted the areas of studies by which the scholarship is based as agriculture, fisheries, education, health, energy science, ICT, gender leadership, trade and industrial policy.

The list also has economic development, aviation management, finance and tax, audit, e-government as well as urban development. He added that over the last three years, KOICA has increased the number of scholarship programme places available for Tanzanian government officials from 20 in 2020 to 35 in 2022.

“I am very pleased to see 35 government officials are selected and benefited from the 2022 KOICA scholarship programme,” Mr Eo said For his part, Mr Hamad, who is also from the Ministry of Blue Economy and Fisheries in Zanzibar said his doctorate degree in the response to climate change will bring an impact on the seaweed farming in Zanzibar.

He will jet off to South Korea on August 22 this year and will attend his studies at Inchon National University.

(Source: Daily News) 

UGANDA

Govt appoints team to audit Uganda Airlines

The Ministry of Works and Transport has established a six-member team to investigate human resource irregularities in Uganda Airlines.

The Minister of Works and Transport, Gen Katumba Wamala, told legislators that the team is expected to complete the task by next month.

“I wrote to the Minister of Public Service and the executive director of the National Planning Authority requesting them to give me a technical team to conduct a manpower audit and evaluate the current capacity of the employees in Uganda Airlines,” Gen Katumba said.

The audit comes a week after lawmakers on the Parliament’s Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (Cosase) established human resource challenges in Uganda Airlines.

The team is supposed to investigate whether Uganda Airlines’ current staff meet the minimum requirements as outlined in the human resource manual, the extent and effect of staffing gaps and also recommend a befitting salary structure for staff at various levels.

The team is also supposed to establish whether the current staff are steering the entity towards the realisation of the national carrier’s mission and vision and if the current staff structure meets the staffing requirements as stipulated by the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority (UCAA).

(Source: The Monitor)

RWANDA

Kagame Promises ‘Quick Action’ to Hefty Taxi Moto Insurance Premiums

President Paul Kagame has promised taxi moto operators a quick and permanent solution to their hefty insurance bills, an issue that has plagued the industry for months.

Kagame was speaking on Thursday, August 25, on the first day of his citizen outreach tour where he met over 50,000 residents who had convened in Ruhango District, Southern Province.

His promise was a reaction to a question by one Pierre Bizimana a taxi moto operator based in Ruhango District.

When time came for Bizimana to personally ask a question to President Kagame, he pleaded that motorists are supported to bring down motorcycle insurance premiums that are currently high.

According to Bizimana, he currently pays a bill of Rwf165,000 only for insurance alone, and when added to other charges he can barely win bread for the family.

“We are heavily burdened by the current motorcycle insurance premiums…we request that you intervene and help us find a solution.”

This is not the first time operators decry drastic rise in motorcycle insurance premiums, with some policyholders citing a threefold increase.

Just last year, information that The New Times got from Radiant Insurance Company indicates that the annual insurance premium increased from Rwf61,666 to Rwf153,280 for a motorcycle that was manufactured five years ago or less.

(Source: The New Times)

ETHIOPIA

IGAD Calls on Warring Parties in Northern Ethiopia to Cease Hostilities

The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) has called on warring parties in northern Ethiopia to adhere to an immediate cessation of hostilities.

According to a press release of the authority, IGAD Executive Secretary Workneh Gebeyehu is profoundly concerned at reports of hostilities on the border of Tigray region of Ethiopia and called for immediate ceasefire and for the parties to dialogue.

He also called on all sides involved to immediately refrain from hostilities and escalation and recommit to dialogue to find sustainable peace in the best interest of the people of Ethiopia and the entire region.

It is to be recalled that the Government Communication Service disclosed on Wednesday that the terrorist TPLF launched offensives to trigger another round of devastating war.

Ignoring all the peace alternatives presented by the government, the terrorist TPLF attacked government forces in Bisober, Zobel, and Tekulesh, it was learned.

Recognizing that all of Ethiopia’s problems can only be solved peacefully, the federal government has been insisting that peace is always the best solution.

(Source: Ethiopian News Agency) 

SUDAN

ICC Prosecutor requests access to ousted Sudan dictator Al Bashir

The Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Karim Khan, confirmed that he had requested access to former ousted President Omar Al Bashir concerning cases of alleged war crimes in Darfur.

In yesterday’s press conference, the ICC prosecutor stated that “we must respond to the aspirations of the people of Darfur to achieve justice for the victims, but we cannot achieve anything without cooperation”.

The ousted dictator, already indicted by the ICC on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur, was also investigated on charges under Sudan’s Foreign Exchange Law and money laundering, after Sudanese authorities seized a substantial amount of cash during a search of his residence in Khartoum last year*.

Khan added that they are in the process of receiving evidence in each of the 31 cases of war crimes and crimes against humanity being tried against former janjaweed leader Ali Muhammad Ali Abdelrahman (known as ‘Ali Kushayb’).

He called on the Sudanese authorities to cooperate with the ICC in the investigations into the crimes witnessed throughout Darfur.

(Source: Radio Dabanga) 

SOMALIA

Members Of The People’s Assembly Of The Federal Parliament Have Gone On Vacation

The chairman of the BJFS People’s Assembly, Sheikh Adan Mohamed Nur Madobe together with his deputies chaired the 1st session of his 16th meeting today, the total number of delegates who attended the meeting was 179.

A committee consisting of several parliamentarians who went to investigate the security and living situation in Bokool Region heard a report and said that the community of Bokool Region is facing insecurity, drought and different living conditions.

The governor also appointed the two deputy commissioners, namely Hil. Sahra Abdullahi Igaal and Hil. Abbas Ali Ibrahim, and the vote of confidence was given by 175 MPs. they are

On the other hand, the MPs elected the five-member Constitutional Review Monitoring Committee of the People’s Assembly and succeeded.

Finally, the Speaker closed the 1st Session of the People’s Assembly and said during the meetings of the 1st Session that the Council has fulfilled its duty, the Speaker also told the MPs that they will go on a two-month vacation and return to their constituencies.

(Source: Radio Dalsan)