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Dedan Kimathi’s wife does in Nairobi.
Mukami Kimathi, the widow of Kenya’s Mau Mau freedom struggle icon Dedan Kimathi died on Friday in a Nairobi hospital.
Her family told the media that she developed breathing problems on Thursday night and was taken to a hospital in Nairobi, where she died shortly after.
Her husband, who was the leader of the Mau Mau uprising, was captured, tried, and executed by the British colonial government in 1956. He was buried at Kamiti prison.
On Friday, President William Ruto paid tribute to Mrs. Kimathi for having “courageously withstood the brutality of colonial oppression, proudly wore the scars of the battle, and bore the terrible losses of war with admirable fortitude.”
Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua described her as “the mother of our liberation struggle and a beacon of hope surrounding the freedom fighters and their descendants.”
Mukami Kimathi, the widow of Kenya's Mau Mau freedom struggle icon Dedan Kimathi died on Friday in a Nairobi hospital.https://t.co/ihGVPNAMb4
1/7 pic.twitter.com/GTu5yG2d1U— Africana Voice (Formerly Hotseatnews) (@AfricanaVoice) May 5, 2023
Did Azimio’s Tuesday Maandamano flop?
Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition Party’s anti-government protests that were scheduled for Tuesday, May 2, appeared to have largely failed.
Unlike in the past, when the coalition principals came out guns blazing, Tuesday’s protests were low-key, and the key opposition figures were not publicly seen.
As in the past, the government claimed to have outlawed the protest, saying the opposition’s marches are always destructive. Raila Odinga, the opposition supremo, had on Monday evening released a statement alleging planned assassination attempts on opposition leaders.
However, pockets of charged youths barricaded the roads of Nairobi and Kisumu cities and engaged the police in the usual hide-and-seek games.
A group of goons set fire to a public service vehicle along Ngong Road. However, Kenyans on social media claimed that the bus had been burnt by goons hired by the government to make the Azimio protest seem destructive.
“The state, in a well-orchestrated spate of violence, is trying to paint our #MaandamanoTuesday as anything but peaceful. We know these tricks. We urge our supporters not to fall for these shameful tactics meant to incite Nairobians against each other and maintain peace,” said Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna.
Later, a group of opposition legislators tried to get into the office of the President at Harambee Avenue to present their petitions. Still, they were dispersed by teargas canisters that the police fired at them.
Azimio later announced another protest to be held on Thursday, May 4. But it didn’t happen.
Meanwhile, the Kenya Kwanza committee member of the proposed bipartisan talks pleaded with Azimio to suspend the protest to allow the negotiations to take place.
“Whether they like it or not, they can go for demos today, they can go for demos tomorrow and every other day, but sanity will not be brought back by demos, but by talks. I appeal to Raila to let members of his committee resume talks,” Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale said.
Tharaka MP George Murugara faulted the opposition MPs for derailing the talks by returning to the streets.
“We have an issue with Azimio; they want talks and demonstrations, there can’t be both, we either talk or they demonstrate, we call on them to resume the talks,” Murugara said.
Murugura added that Kenya Kwanza members were ready to bend to listen to and accommodate the demands made by Azimio.
“He (Otiende Amollo) indicated that he has reservations over some issues and that they won’t honor the invitation today, but we haven’t given up. Despite all this, we are prepared to bend over and over again, whatever the direction we are given, so that we make these talks successful. There is no issue bigger than the country; we are ready to listen to them,” Muragura said.
However, Otiende Amollo, the chairman of the Azimio bipartisan committee members, said his committee had no power to call off the protests.
“They are bringing up the issue of demonstrations, which has never been an agenda of the committee. We have no powers to call for or call off demonstrations that can be dealt with at the level of the constitution and the principals,” Amollo said.
Instead, he asked the Kenya Kwanza team to drop the Azimio-elected Eldas MP, Adan Keynan, from their team to allow the negotiations to start.
“Our position has been clear; it was clear last week, it’s clear even now, remove Hon Keynan from the committee, and we will resume the talks,” Amollo said.
Pastor Mackenzie released and arrested immediately.
Controversial preacher Paul Mackenzie was released on Tuesday by a Malindi court and re-arrested shortly after.
Mackenzie is accused of masterminding the Shakahola cult deaths, in which over 109 people died by fasting. He will now appear at the Shanzu court alongside his co-accused.
Judge Ivy Wasike said the Malindi court lacks jurisdiction to hear their bail application.
The prosecution had earlier urged the court to close the files of Mackenzie and his co-accused for the seven to face terrorism charges at the Shanzu court.
Sabina Chege overthrows President Uhuru Kenyatta as Jubilee leader
East African Assembly (EALA) legislator Kanini Kega-led Jubilee faction Tuesday kicked out former President Uhuru Kenyatta as Jubilee party leader and replaced him with nominated MP Sabina Chege.
“That the office of the Party Leader of Jubilee Party is thereby declared vacant. That pending the convening of a Special National Delegates Convention, Sabina Chege will be the acting party leader of Jubilee,” said Kega.
Jeremiah Kioni, a close ally of Uhuru, later wrote to the registrar of political parties and asked to remove Chege and Kega.
“That the Honourable Sabina Wanjiru Chege has violated the Jubilee Party Constitution by usurping the powers of the National Delegates Conference by creating a non-existing position of the ‘Acting Party Leader’ a preserve of the National Delegates Conference,” Kioni’s letter to the registrar read in part.
“Thus, from the foregoing, we hereby request you to accordingly strike her name from the register of our members and notify us therefrom. Kindly take further notice that this notification has been served to you by my dint of being the Secretary-General and as a Member of Jubilee Party,” Kioni added.
Who could be Kenya’s next Central Bank Governor?
Kenya’s Public Service Commission (PSC) Tuesday shortlisted six candidates for the position of Governor of the Central Bank of Kenya.
The candidates set to be interviewed by PSC include former Treasury PS Kamau Thugge and former CBK deputy governors Haron Sirima and Edward Sambili.
Other shortlisted candidates include Dorcas Muthoni Mutonyi, Nancy Onyango, and Adan Abdulla Mohamed.
The interviews are set to be held on May 9, 2023.
Kenya Kwanza drop Keynan from the bipartisan talks
Kenya Kwanza Wednesday gave in to Azimio’s demand to drop Adan Keynan from their Bipartisan Committee to allow the talks to continue.
“We appreciate the conciliatory route taken by our Azimio counterparts to engage in talks and stand down the planned street demonstrations should Kenya Kwanza recuse Eldas Member of Parliament, Adan Keynan,” Kenya Kwanza said in a statement.
“As we have always stated, we are willing to bend backward for the sake of the progress of the country, national unity, and stability of the nation,” the statement added.
The ruling coalition said it had consulted with Keynan and the coalition’s top leadership, and Keynan had agreed to recuse himself from the bi-partisan committee.
Shortly after the statement, Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition called off its demonstrations set for Thursday.
Kenya’s Controversial Finance Bill 2023 draws ire
The National Treasury’s proposals of deducting 35 percent of the PAYE tax on all salaries above Sh500K per month raised a heated debate among Kenyans.
If passed, it would mean that anyone earning half a million would only remain with 325 000, which would also be subjected to other statutory deductions.
The Treasury also seeks to deduct 3 percent of all employees’ basic salaries towards a kitty known as the National Housing Development Fund.
The bill also proposes a 5 percent excise tax on human hair and other types of wigs, false eyelashes, beards, and artificial nails.
"This overtaxation is going on unabated despite the fact that an employee's salary is protected by law & that any deduction can only be by mutual consent or through negotiation by workers' representatives." ~Dr Charles Mukhwana Kenya University Staff Union Secretary General
1/ pic.twitter.com/ngqXOyvKyb— Africana Voice (Formerly Hotseatnews) (@AfricanaVoice) May 8, 2023
The US increases Visa application fees
Kenyans will, from May 30, 2023, start paying higher fees to acquire their non-immigrant visas (NIV) after the United States (U.S.) The Embassy reviewed its worldwide visa fees.
The Embassy said on Wednesday that the increases were caused by the “rising cost of the inputs associated with the services provided by consular sections around the world.”
Visitor visas for business or tourism (B1/B2s) and other categories, such as student (F) and exchange visitor visas (J), will be increased from Ksh.21,824 ($160) to Ksh.25,234 ($185) under the revised cost schedule.
The Embassy also stated that the fee for certain petition-based nonimmigrant visas for temporary workers in the H, L, O, P, Q, and R categories would rise from Ksh.25,916 ($190) to Ksh.27,962 ($205).
Those seeking to acquire an E-category visa, among them the treaty trader, treaty investor, and treaty applicants, will start paying Ksh.42,966 ($315) from Ksh.27,962 ($205).
UN chief lauds Kenya for supporting peace in the Horn of Africa
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres Wednesday landed in Kenya to assess the humanitarian and security situation in Sudan following weeks of conflicts.
Guterres was received on Wednesday morning by Kenya’s Foreign Affairs Minister Alfred Mutua at the JKIA airport.
He said the UN appreciates Kenya’s role in Somalia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, and Sudan, searching for lasting peace.
He further said the UN would continue to support efforts being done by Kenya, IGAD, and the Africa Union in ensuring the cessation of hostilities between the two warring groups in Sudan over the country’s leadership.
“Your clear leadership direction in collaboration with AU and IGAD to address the challenges facing Sudan is commendable,” Guterres said.
“Kenya is a crucial partner of the UN in multiple sectors, including implementing Agenda 2030, supporting the United Nations operations in the Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes region in addressing complex global challenges such as climate change, environmental degradation, biodiversity loss and food insecurity among others,” President Ruto said.
AFRICA
Nigeria accused of the bungling evacuation of its nationals from Sudan
Nigeria was accused of ethnic bias during the evacuation of its nationals from Sudan. It has denied the allegations.
This is after a viral video in which one of the Nigerians alleged that some of them were left behind during evacuation because of their ethnicity.
In a statement on Tuesday, the Nigerians in the Diaspora Commission denied the accusations terming them “divisive and ridiculous.”
Abdur-Rahman Balogun, the Nidcom spokesperson, said all those who converged at the prescribed locations were picked up and have all been moved in 40 buses either towards Port Sudan or towards the Egyptian border.
He said priority was given to women, children, and students, and they were called according to their states in alphabetical order, beginning with the southeastern Abia state.
The Sudan conflict jeopardizes WFP’s work in the country
The UN’s World Food Programme Wednesday said its ability to resume deliveries of life-saving aid in Sudan would depend on whether the latest ceasefire agreement takes hold.
The warring military factions had agreed to a seven-day truce starting on Thursday. However, previous ceasefires have been repeatedly violated.
A WFP spokesperson, Leni Kinzli, told the BBC that the agency would prioritize emergency food distribution to pre-existing refugees and people newly displaced by violence.
She said the looting of thousands of tonnes of food from warehouses in the Darfur region would hamper operations.
Ugandan soldier kills government minister.
A Ugandan army soldier has shot dead Charles Okello, a government minister he was guarding.
Retired Colonel Okello was the deputy minister for gender and labor. He was shot at his home on Tuesday morning.
The soldier also shot himself dead.
Ugandan parliament passes the harsh anti-gay bill again.
Uganda’s parliament on Tuesday passed a strict anti-LGBTQ bill that includes provisions for long jail terms and the death penalty. The president had requested some parts of the original legislation be toned down.
The legislation was amended to stipulate that identifying as LGBTQ is not a crime. It also revised a measure that obliged people to report homosexual activity only to require reporting when a child is involved.
The new bill retains most of the harsh measures of the legislation adopted in March, which drew condemnation from the United States, the European Union, the United Nations, and major corporations.
The provisions retained in the new bill allow for the death penalty in cases of “aggravated homosexuality,” a term the government uses to describe actions, including having gay sex when HIV-positive.
It allows a 20-year sentence for promoting homosexuality. The legislation will return to President Yoweri Museveni, who can sign it, veto it, or return it to parliament.
Sierra Leone clears opposition chief for June Election
The Electoral Commission of Sierra Leone Wednesday cleared presidential opposition candidate Samura Kamara to run in the June vote.
Kamara, who Julius Maada Bio defeated in the 2018 ballot, has been on trial since February for alleged corruption.
He was charged in December 2021 for allegedly misappropriating more than $2.5m in public funds while he was serving as foreign affairs minister. The electoral agency cleared him after his case was adjourned until July.
He is seen as the main rival to President Bio.
WFP suspends food deliveries into Tigray
The World Food Programme and the USAid Thursday suspended food deliveries in Tigray in northern Ethiopia after discovering that relief aid had been stolen.
The USAid Administrator Samantha Power said food shipments had been diverted and sold on the local market.
She said deliveries would resume once there was confidence that they would reach the intended population facing famine.
The interim leader of Tigray, Getachew Reda, says he’s setting up a task force to tackle aid theft.
He called on humanitarian agencies to continue delivering aid to the most vulnerable.
South Africa launches new currency.
South Africa Wednesday unveiled new banknotes and coins. The South African Reserve Bank announced the changes on Wednesday, saying the move was meant to keep up with technology and prevent counterfeiting.
The new notes will enter into circulation from Thursday. They will retain the image of Nelson Mandela, the country’s first democratically elected president, who died in 2013.
Africa’s “Big Five” wild animals — rhino, elephant, lion, buffalo, and leopard — will be depicted with their young on the banknotes. The coins will have an ecological theme through pictures of plants and animals.
South Africa’s 11 official languages will also be represented in banknotes and coins.
There will also be specific physical characteristics to help visually impaired people differentiate the banknotes.
Existing banknotes and coins will continue to remain legal tender and can be used alongside the upgraded banknotes.
The notes will also be rolled out in Namibia, Eswatini, and Lesotho, where the Rand is considered legal tender alongside their currencies.
Uganda court nullifies law banning bhang and miraa
A Ugandan constitutional court Friday nullified a law that criminalized drugs and narcotics, such as marijuana and khat.
This is after a legal battle started six years ago by a group of khat farmers in response to the 2015 law. The ruling now repeals its entirety after the court ruled that it had been passed without the required quorum in parliament.
For any law to be debated and passed in the Ugandan parliament, at least one-third of all members entitled to vote must be present in the house.
The US sanctions Sudan’s warring generals and demands end of conflict
US President Joe Biden Thursday sanctioned the warring Sudan generals and said that the Sudan crisis “must end.”
In a statement, Biden called the conflict a betrayal of the people of Sudan and said the US is willing and is already working to help the peace-loving Sudanese people.
Here below is the complete statement by Biden.
The violence taking place in Sudan is a tragedy—and it is a betrayal of the Sudanese people’s clear demand for civilian government and a transition to democracy.
I join the peace-loving people of Sudan and leaders around the world in calling for a durable ceasefire between the belligerent parties. This violence, which has already stolen the lives of hundreds of civilians and began during the holy month of Ramadan, is unconscionable. It must end.
Since the earliest moments of this conflict, the United States has facilitated the safe departure of thousands of people – Americans and others – by land, sea, and air and conducted intensive negotiations to de-escalate violence. Our diplomatic efforts to urge all parties to end the military conflict and allow unhindered humanitarian access continue, as do our efforts to assist those remaining Americans, including by providing them with information on exit options. The United States is already responding to this unfolding humanitarian crisis and stands ready to support enhanced humanitarian assistance when conditions allow.
The United States stands with the people of Sudan—and we are acting to support their commitment to a future of peace and opportunity. Today, I issued a new Executive Order that expands U.S. authorities to respond to the violence that began on April 15 with sanctions that hold individuals responsible for threatening the peace, security, and stability of Sudan; undermining Sudan’s democratic transition; using violence against civilians; or committing serious human rights abuses.
The Sudanese people suffered thirty years under an authoritarian regime—but they never gave up on their commitment to democracy or their hope for a better future.
Their dedication brought down a dictator, only to endure a military takeover in October 2021, and now more violence among factions fighting for control.
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