KENYA

Rich Kenyans get helicopter tax cuts in President Ruto budget plan

Wealthy Kenyans and politicians will import helicopters and planes at cheaper prices after President William Ruto’s administration proposed to scrap three taxes on aircraft and parts at a time the Treasury plans to hit the middle class with higher fuel and salary taxes to fund the Sh3.59 trillion budget. In the Finance Bill, 2023, the government proposes to exempt importers of aircraft, especially choppers, from paying the 16 percent Valued Added Tax (VAT) while scrapping the 3.5 percent import declaration fee (IDF) and the two percent Railway Development Levy (RDL). Wealthy Kenyans, including politicians during elections, hire helicopters and spend between Sh150,000 to Sh400,000 per hour. Importers of helicopters are now one of the biggest beneficiaries in the latest amendments after the Treasury Cabinet Secretary Njuguna Ndung’u proposed to have them placed under the exempt status for three levies.

(Source: Business Daily)

TANZANIA

Pula Graphite Partners drops $195 million suit against African Rainbow Minerals

A $195 million lawsuit filed on Tuesday by Pula Graphite Partners and the Pula Group LLC against African Rainbow Minerals (ARM) and its six affiliates was abruptly dropped on Thursday.

On October 28, 2022, Pula filed an application in a lawsuit claiming a breach of a non-disclosure and non-compete agreement at the Commercial Division of the High Court of Tanzania. This action marked the beginning of the legal dispute between the two mining companies. But in a surprise move, when the case came up for hearing on Tuesday, Pula withdrew it with the intention of refiling it within ten days, within which the company will have to sort out some technical issues that could have affected the case.

(Source: The Citizen)

UGANDA

State House probes fraud at ICT ministry

The State House Anti-corruption Unit is investigating a whistleblower’s allegations of corruption and mismanagement at the Ministry of ICT and National Guidance, the unit’s spokesperson has said. The whistleblower report alleged corruption and mismanagement during the development of the Parish Based Management Information System (PBMIS), meant to support the Parish Development Model (PDM), a flagship government programme. The whistleblower also alleged mishandling of funds meant for innovation hubs and the National ICT Initiatives Support Programme (NISSP), nepotism, irregular procurements, as well as inflated and diverted costs of an advertising deal with a local private television station.

(Source: The Monitor)

RWANDA

Kigali: 6,000 families to be relocated from high-risk zones

The City of Kigali has announced that 5,812 households must be urgently relocated from high-risk zones, according to an assessment as of Thursday, May 11. The decision was made in response to the deadly flooding and landslides that wreaked havoc in parts of Western, Northern, and Southern provinces earlier last week during which 131 lives lost their lives.

The high-risk zones are those that put people’s lives at risk namely wetlands, sloppy land, living 10 metres from drainages, and others, city engineers said. High-risk zones are also those in residential zones but in unplanned settlements creating vulnerability and are places that are inaccessible, especially during an emergency.

(Source: The New Times)

ETHIOPIA

Safaricom gets licence to launch M-Pesa services in Ethiopia

Ethiopia has granted Safaricom a licence to launch M-Pesa services in the populous nation that is largely unbanked. The telco expects to roll out the mobile money services before the end of the year, which is set to lift M-Pesa’s profile since its launch in Kenya in 2007.  The Safaricom-led consortium in Ethiopia has paid $150 million (Ksh20.5 billion at the current exchange rates) as licence fees to the National Bank of Ethiopia (NBE).

(Source: The East African)

SUDAN

Sudanese generals determined to eliminate RSF militiamen and prosecute rebel commander

Several sources close to the American-Saudi mediated talks in Jeddah said an agreement would be signed in the coming hours to stop the fighting in Khartoum and deliver humanitarian assistance to the civilians in the capital.

In an interview with the Saudi Asharq al-Awsat newspaper on Wednesday, Mohamed al-Atta, however, said that the aim of the talks underway in Jeddah was only to withdraw RSF forces outside the capital and assemble them in a gathering site before merging those who met the conditions for military service and demobilizing the rest.

(Source: Sudan Tribune)

SOMALIA

MW Hassan Sheikh who issued a statement on the decision approved by the Cabinet today

The President of the Federal Republic of Somalia, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, has welcomed the resolution approved today by the Council of Ministers of the Federal Government in their weekly meeting held in Mogadishu.

The resolution is based on the strengthening of measures to ensure the efficiency of the financial process and the quality of the staff, to prevent corruption and attack public offices that work for the country and the people. The resolution of the Council of Ministers strengthens and imposes standards that deal with important activities, transparency and accountability, while presenting the assets of the national authorities, enhancing the implementation capacity, and expanding the employment based on quality.

“Fighting corruption is not only a moral duty, it is also a standard for Somalia to enjoy sustainable development, justice and equality. Therefore, we are determined to build a transparent, accountable process that serves the Somali people.

(Source: Radio Dalsan)