Rival east Libya factions battle for crucial oil ports

Rival armed factions are fighting for control over crucial oil terminals in the east of Libya.
The forces of military strongman Khalifa Haftar, who have controlled the "oil crescent" since September, have lost ground, their spokesman says.
He said they had carried out air strikes against a faction known as the Benghazi Defence Brigade, after it launched an attack on Friday.

Four oil terminals in the area provide much of Libya's export income.
Libya remains regionally split with two centres of power that politically oppose each other, and a myriad of rival armed groups that the country's two governments cannot control.

Field Marshall Khalifa Haftar is allied to an administration based in the eastern city of Tobruk, which is challenging the authority of the UN-backed unity government based in Tripoli.


His forces, known as the Libyan National Army (LNA), have been battling Islamist and other militias in the area, after forcing them out of much of the country's second city, Benghazi in February 2016.
Oil exports resumed after the LNA took over the four terminals of Zuitina, Brega, Ras Lanuf and Sidra six months ago, giving a strong boost to the country's output after a blockade of nearly two years.


Libya's oil facilities, airports and other vital infrastructure have, in part, been at the centre of a battle of wills between rival armed factions for years now.
Observers have been warning of the dangers of a looming war in the oil crescent for months, and the need for local and international players to prioritise defusing tensions there.
This latest move by the so-called Benghazi Defence Brigade (BDB) is ultimately motivated by a need for territorial gains to remain a relevant stakeholder in whatever shape Libya's future takes. This is what all of Libya's armed groups are fighting for.
It will be difficult for the BDB to maintain its ground there, or to push further east.
However, this latest shift is a dangerous one that raises the prospects of a wider war that the country cannot afford politically, or financially.
The stakes are high in this particular battle because it affects everyone - oil is Libya's lifeline.
It remains unclear exactly how much control the Benghazi Defense Brigade has gained.
A diplomatic source, who asked not to be named, told the BBC that much of the oil crescent had been overrun by the Benghazi Defence Brigade, including Sidra, Ras Lanuf and Naufliya, but this cannot be independently confirmed.


The spokesman of the LNA, Colonel Ahmad al-Mismari, said on Friday that it had retreated to avoid civilian casualties.
On Saturday, he said the group had lost control of Ras Lanuf's main airfield, AFP news agency reported.
"The attackers were armed with modern tanks," he was quoted as saying. "We lost two men. But the battle is ongoing. The situation in the oil crescent remains under control."
The Benghazi Defence Brigade is composed of a mix of armed groups, including Islamists, tribal-affiliated militias from the east who oppose Field Marshall Hafter, and an armed group that previously controlled the oil crescent.
Libya's National Oil Corporation (NOC) held an urgent meeting on Saturday to review crude loading schedules and emergency measures to protect oil facilities in response to the fighting.

SOURCE:BBC

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UPDF soldier shot dead in fight with M-23 rebels

Kisoro. One UPDF soldier was shot dead while another sustained minor injuries in a cross fire as the army and Uganda Wildlife Authority security officials repulsed M-23 rebels that attempted to cross into Uganda at Sabinyo in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Kisoro District on Tuesday.
The head of the district security committee, also the Kisoro Resident District Commissioner, Mr Shafique Ssekandi, identified the deceased UPDF soldier as Lance Corporal David Ojuna and the injured as John Busoborwa.

According to Mr Ssekandi, the incident happened at around 3pm on Tuesday. Three M-23 rebels were arrested and another one shot dead during the gun fight.
He said on Thursday that the body of the deceased soldier was to be transported to his home for burial, while the deceased M23 rebel was buried in the Kisoro Municipality cemetery.
He added that the captured M-23 rebels have been handed over to the UPDF Second Division headquarters in Mbarara Municipality.

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Bosses take fat pay as UTL sinks

Kampala. For years, Libyans and other senior managers at Uganda Telecom (UTL), with the knowledge of ministry of Finance officials, paid themselves handsomely and enjoyed free water and electricity, schools fees for their children and housing allowances, Saturday Monitor can reveal.
Although the company managing director (MD), Mr Mark Shoebridge, blames thieving and other fraudulent practices by UTL employees alongside a mountain of debt that distressed the company, Saturday Monitor investigations, however, point to what sources and MPs have called “obscene pay” of the top bosses and a long spell of financial indiscipline.

For instance, UTL staff payroll for October 2016 shows that the top four managers – the MD, the Chief Finance Officer, the Chief Legal Officer, and Chief Commercial Officer – earn a combined salary of $95,583 (almost Shs400 million) per month.
The MD earns a gross salary of Shs121m per month, followed by the Chief Finance Officer, Mr James Wilde, who pockets Shs95.2m. Mr David Nambale, the Chief Legal Officer, takes Shs90.5m, and Mr Ameer Kamal Arif, the Chief Commercial Officer, walks away with Shs76.4m.
Like other employees, Mr Kamal, a Libyan national who earns a salary of almost Shs50 million per month, is also entitled to housing allowance of more than Shs11.9 million, acting allowance of 12.3million, schools fees of about Shs3m, water and electricity of Shs3m per month. However, it’s not clear whether school fees allowance is paid to the top managers per month or per term/semester.

Removing the lid
In an interview with Saturday Monitor, Mr Nandala Mafabi (FDC, Budadiri West), who blew the whistle on the alleged mismanagement and financial indiscipline at UTL, complained about “obscene salaries” and explained that “despite the UTL bleeding and being in a financial crisis, the telecom top managers have continued to pay themselves huge salaries and allowances on top of other benefits.”
Mr Mafabi on November 17 last year informed Parliament that the UTL chairman board of directors, Mr Stephen Kaboyo, had his allowance increased from a net of $1,500 (Shs5.1m) to a net of $5,000 (Shs17.2million) per month with effect from September 2016.
His fellow board member, Mr Moses Mwasa, remained at $1,000 (Shs3.5million) per month. This is on top of other allowances that they get.”

Realising that UTL was on its deathbed, the Libyans, who controlled 69 per cent stake in the company, pulled out, compelling the government to repossess the troubled company. The debt-stricken telecom where government owned 31 per cent stake, is now on the verge of collapse should government fail to invest or find a risk-taker, who is willing to inject in excess of $48m (more than Shs172.5b) into the company.
The salaries for the top four managers combined, is about a third of the total salary bill for the entire company of about 500 employees. These salaries, according to Mr Mafabi and members of the House Select Committee investigating what has now become a scandal, must be among the highest for such staff in any company in Uganda.
“These acts by UTL top management are further weighing on to fast-track UTL’s death.”

Although the company introduced some cost-cutting measures, including cutting down the number of expatriates from eight to two, the UTL board of directors and the top management continued to enjoy huge perks at the expense of the low-cadre staff. Besides, Mr Mafabi told Parliament that the mileage allowance that operational staff used to get for field work in the absence of company transport was recently removed in the name of cost cutting, including provision of tea in office.
Saturday Monitor understands that half of UTL’s fleet was also grounded in September 2016 and nearly half of the remaining fleet is currently down with various repair needs as a result of delayed servicing and repairs, a situation that has affected network maintenance which has led to increased network degradation.
“It is very clear cost-cutting

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Soldier who lost manhood flown to Somalia for trial

KAMPALA. The Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) on Tuesday stealthily flew out to Somalia the soldier who lost his manhood after he was tortured by senior army officers.
His lawyers now fear that Cpl Majibu Ssebyara, whose horrid account of beastly torture by his superiors Daily Monitor exposed in December 2016, could be summarily tried and “unfairly convicted, sentenced and in the worst case scenario executed.”

Human rights lawyer Ivan Mugabi, who has been representing the embattled soldier for two years, told Saturday Monitor: “I talked to him on phone on Tuesday and he inquired what he would do. I told him to plead to the army that he has had lawyers for two years so he can’t take part in proceedings without his lawyers. He was meant to be tried yesterday (Wednesday) but I have lost communication with him and the army is not giving his attorneys and family audience.”

According to the lawyer, the soldier, alongside four unidentified others, was picked from Makindye Military Barracks detention cells in Kampala at 4am, driven at breakneck speed to Entebbe International Airport from where they were hauled into a waiting plane. It is at this point that the soldier sent his lawyer a text message, seen by this newspaper, which read: “I am being flown to Somalia. I don’t know what to expect. Pray for me and my family.”

The five soldiers were flown out alongside officers of the General Court Martial who will try them in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, where a contingent of the UPDF is deployed as part of the African Union Peacekeeping Mission in Somalia (Amisom).
“My reliable sources in the army say the plot is to have them convicted in Somalia because the lawyers in Kampala are a stumbling block. We condemn and shall resist this impunity and gross violation of his right to a fair trial to the best of our human ability. We shall resist attempts by a few rogue elements to take Uganda back to the dark days of Idi Amin and even worse,” lawyer Mugabi said.

When contacted on Thursday, army spokesman Brig Richard Karemire said: “We don’t sneak people out of the country; least our own. If he was taken to Somalia that becomes a court matter and it will be handled by the court martial.”

Cpl Ssebyara’s troubles date back to June 12, 2015, when tension heightened at the UPDF base in the lower Shabelle region in Somalia after a tin containing ammunition for a 12.7mm anti-aircraft gun vanished, leaving him as a suspect. He would later be tortured culminating in the loss of his manhood. Pictures seen by this newspaper that were adduced and admitted in court as credible evidence show the soldier screaming as he balances in space with his hands tied to a metal bar and a black sack suspended and dangling between his thighs, the navel area growing red and his male organs subjected to the pressure and weight of the sack.
In an August 8, 2016 affidavit sworn in support of his application challenging the trial at the General Court Martial, Cpl Ssebyara recounted how he was, “undressed, insulted and tied by the hands on a steel bar, a bag of about 15 kilogrammes tied and hanged on the penis and testicles.” He was then handcuffed and dumped in a metallic container for 24 hours.
Medical reports dated October 6 and November 2, 2015, from Nakasero Hospital in Kampala and Bombo Military Hospital respectively indicate his right testicle had become smaller than the contralateral (opposite) testis, was non-tender and he suffered from “chronic right testicular infarction and internal echogenicity with no flow.”

The 15-kilogramme weight blocked blood flow to the testicles of the father of three, causing decay. Cpl Ssebyara can neither get an erection nor pass urine normally. Attempts by his lawyers to get him further treatment have fallen on deaf ears of the military authorities. Under Section II of the Prevention and Prohibition of Torture Act, 2012, the errant soldiers can be held liable in their individual capacity for the torture.
On September 2

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Kenya radio stations warned over hate

vernacular radio stations are being closely monitored by government security agencies to prevent them from broadcasting inflammatory statements that could lead to violence in the August 8 general election.

The authorities have taken preventive measures based on the experience of the 2008/2009 post-election violence when vernacular radio stations were accused of fanning inter-ethnic hatred that formed the foundation for the violence.

While the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) has launched a campaign to encourage responsible reporting during the elections, media owners have raised concern that the government is seeking to curtail freedom of the media and free speech.

The CA has developed mechanisms to monitor and punish media houses that broadcast hate speech ahead of the elections.

The CA director-general Francis Wangusi expressed concern that the multiplicity of media outlets — both mainstream print and electronic as well as social media — have the potential to promote inter-ethnic tension, which if not constructively managed could destabilise the country.

“While we recognise that the Constitution provides for freedom of expression, we are seeking collaboration with all stakeholders to ensure that we maintain peace during the electioneering period,” said Mr Wangusi.

He said the tremendous growth of media outlets poses a challenge with the number of television stations currently standing at 60 up from 14 during the 2013 elections, and FM radio stations ballooning to 139.

However, media owners have raised concern that the government is planning to censor the media and limit freedom of speech ahead of the election.

At a stakeholders meeting held in Nairobi on February 27, media owners sought assurance from the authorities that new measures to curb hate speech are not going to interfere with the independence of the media. The meeting was also attended by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission , the Media Council of Kenya and the National Cohesion and Integration Commission.

However, Mr Wangusi assured media owners that CA will not interfere with the editorial policy of media houses, but he urged media owners to delink ownership from editorial independence.

Political tension has been on the rise after the last mass voter registration, which ended on February 14, as the ruling Jubilee Party and the opposition National Super Alliance embarking on early campaigns and attacking each other.

A survey by the BBC last April showed that hate speech was broadcast by vernacular stations when the opposition staged a month-long street protest to oust the former IEBC commissioners.

The biggest culprits were listeners who called in to express their opinions for and against the former IEBC commissioners.

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Tanzanian kidnapped in DR Congo

Dar es Salaam. Tanzania is making efforts to have its national kidnapped by rebels in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to be released.

The Tanzanian is among five miners abducted by rebels, according to the deputy minister for Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, Dr Susan Kolimba.

She told The Citizen yesterday that after learning what had happened, the ministry communicated with the DRC ambassador in Dar es Salaam to get more information.

“We will act basing on the information we have on the incident. Currently, we don’t have much information therefore we are first gathering information before planning what should be done.”

The fine mine workers who also include a French national were kidnapped on Wednesday from Namoya gold mine owned by Banro Mining Corporation.

“The ministry is aware of the incident and we are working to ensure that the kidnaped Tanzanian and his colleagues are released without any harm,” she said. Media reports said the incident was executed by the Mai Mai’s Rahiya Mutomboki Group.

The rebels are demanding $1 million in ransom and a contract to construct basic infrastructure in the area, including roads, schools and health centres.

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Mama Salma tells JPM to stay focused, declares her support

Lindi. Former First Lady Salma Kikwete yesterday declared her support for President John Magufuli, urging him to “ignore all noises and focus on his work”.

Speaking at a rally in Lindi Town Mama Salma, who has been nominated as an MP by President Magufuli, said the Head of


State had an overwhelming support.

“Don’t be distracted by noises being made by some people. What matters is that the majority of Tanzanians support what you are doing.”

This was the former First Lady’s first public address since her March 1 nomination attracted a lot of speculations and comments.

President Magufuli revealed why he appointed her.

“She is hardworking and she loves CCM,” said Dr Magufuli amid cheers at Ilulu Stadium.

The former First Lady hails from Lindi Region.

She is Lindi’s representative in the CCM National Executive Committee.

Her nomination is viewed as an attempt by the President to reach out to a powerful group within the ruling party that was lukewarm in its support of the new CCM chairman.

She was expected to marshal support for Dr Magufuli in Lindi Region ahead of the party’s internal elections later in the year.

Meanwhile, the President blasted the lack of commitment and weak supervision from authorities were responsible for poor water supply in Lindi. “The government has spent Sh21 billion on a Lindi water project, but the problem persists.”

He also warned a group of workers who are pressuring the government to pay them their arrears, saying they should wait until the process of verifying ghost workers is completed.

Although he did not name the group, it is understood that the Tanzania Teachers Union has threatened to galvanise its members into action unless the government pays Sh800 billion arrears.

“I am aware that a group of workers is forcing the government to pay debts this month. I tell them not to proceed with their demand… I hope my message has been sent,” he warned. He also promised the government to build a ferry to connect Lindi Town and Kitunda Village.

“One of the ferries serving Kigamboni residents in Dar es Salaam can take be taken to Lindi because they also use the Mwalimu Nyerere Bridge,” he said. Dr Magufuli also commended Lindi government leaders for their good performance. He praised Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa, who is also the Ruangwa MP, and the minister for Information, Culture, Artistes and Sports, Mr Nape Nnaye.

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Change of yellow fever cards ‘in progress’

Dar es Salaam. The ministry of Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children has announced procedures and centres to be used for people, who want to secure new yellow fever vaccination cards.

According to a public notice issued by the ministry, the new cards will be provided in two groups of those living in Dar es Salaam and regions close to boarders and residents of the regions that are far from health centres mentioned in the first group.

Those, who live in Dar es Salaam and near border posts can obtain the new cards at the ports of Dar es Salaam, Tanga, Kigoma and Mwanza and airports in Dar es Salaam, Mwanza and Kilimanjaro, as well as at Tunduma, Kasumulu, Mtasambwala, Tarakea, Holili, Holoholo, Namanga, Mutukula, Rusumo, Sirari and Isaka boarder points. The cards will also be available at Mnazi Mmoja Hospital in Dar es Salaam.

“The change of yellow fever vaccination cards is in progress and will be closed on March 31,” reads the notice.

The process requires a person to fill in a special form, which is also available at the ministry’s website (www.moh.go.tz) and submit it to the centre together with their old cards and passports and pay a Sh5,000 fee for Tanzanians and $10 for non-Tanzanians before they are provided with the new cards.

“If your old cards is not genuine the service provider will put you under a physical examination and vaccinate you,” adds the notice.

People living in other regions far from the mentioned centres will be required to visit the office of their regional medical officer, where they will fill in the forms, attach with their old cards and passports.

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Barrow pardons new batch of prisoners

Almost 100 prisoners have been freed from Gambian jails as the new government starts to sweep up some of the legacy of the old regime. It has also promised to establish a truth and reconciliation commission.


The new president, Adama Barrow, pardoned prisoners from three different jails, two weeks after he pardoned 174 other prisoners, a government source told the French news agency AFP on Friday.

The 22-year rule of former President Yahya Jammeh, which ended in December, was marred by clampdowns on dissenters, disappearances and detention without trial. The tiny West African nation has been in the spotlight for violations of human rights for over two decades.

"The Prison high command Thursday released 98 prisoners who were held at Mile Two, Old Jeshwang and Janjanbureh prisons. They were discharged on the directive of President Adama Barrow," the source said.


Rapists, robbers and burglars

Among the freed prisoners were rapists, robbers, burglars and people convicted for firearms offences, the source added. Sixteen were foreign nationals from Senegal, Guinea and Sierra Leone.

A prison officer at the country's most notorious jail, Mile Two, said Barrow may have been forced to act after Interior Minister Mai Fatty pledged recently to build facilities in line with international norms after shocking footage emerged of prisoners kept in dark and bare concrete cells.

The same source confirmed Friday that the former head of Gambia's prisons under Jammeh was being investigated in connection with the disappearance of a former head of Gambian intelligence who was accused of plotting a coup.

"(David Colley) is being investigated in connection with the disappearance of an ex-director general of NIA, Daba Marenah, and senior military men who went missing in 2016 after President Yahya Jammeh accused them of trying to overthrow his government," the source said.

A broken system

The Gambia's prison system is heavily overcrowded and has long relied on strict mandatory sentencing, with even first-time offenders handed down sentences without parole under the former regime of Yahya Jammeh.

The new government has vowed to overhaul unsanitary penitentiaries they say are unfit for their purpose.

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Ghana at 60: Remembering Kwame Nkrumah

As Ghana gears to celebrate its 60th independence anniversary, the memory of its founding father Kwame Nkrumah is back in the public limelight. But his legacy in Ghana and across Africa leaves much to be desired.


When Ghana celebrates the 60th anniversary of its independence on March 6, Kwame Nkrumah's name will stir varied thoughts and emotions across the nation of 27 million. "Today, Kwame Nkrumah is a name clouded in mystery and controversy,"  Atsu Aryee from the University of Ghana told DW.

That was different in the early days of his rule. When Ghana gained independence from Britain in 1957, Nkrumah was cheered on by masses of his supporters. "At long last, the battle has ended. Ghana, our beloved country is free forever," Nkrumah declared to chants of "Viva" from the crowd.

In the first years after independece, his government started an ambitious economic program aimed at industrializing the country which heavily depended on agriculture. The Volta River hydropower project is still a main electricity provider in Ghana. But many other projects have failed and the large state-owned enterprises he created amassed huge debts due to corruption and mismanagement.

Ghana's public also soon saw the other side of the firebrand politican who had so strongly advocated for freedom. Nkruma's rule became increasingly authoritarian. In 1964, he turned Ghana into a one-party state and later declared himself president for life. Some 10,000 Ghanaians, many of them members of the countrie's elite, sought refuge abroad. With the economy in free fall, simmering anger at his rule was growing. His government was finally toppled by soldiers while he was on a trip to China in 1966.


A waning legacy

But experts say his politics also contributed to the fact that Ghana remains a largely stable country. It never disintegrated into civil strife like many of its neighbors, despite a series of military take-overs in the 1970s and 1980s. "His legacy is the nationalism and patrotism he brought in when he was in power," the University of Ghana's Atsu Aryee said.

"This sense of that we are all Ghanaians, that we have one country and that the country must be stable."


But it's a legacy that is waning. Scores of school children still line up to visit his mausoleum in the capital Accra. But only a few comprehend what Nkrumah was all about.

"Kwame Nkrumah is still an important name in Ghana, because he led Ghana to independence. But many young people do not really know what happened during his time as president and prime minister," Burkhardt Hellemann, head of the Ghana office of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation told DW. The Konrad Adenauer Foundation is a political foundation aligned to Germany's ruling CDU party.

"You can feel that his name still has some influence, but I don't see his political concepts shaping present-day political debates," Hellemann said. Nkrumah's political outfit, the Convention Peoples Party (CPP), which he established in 1949, now plays only a minor role in Ghana's political arena.


Popular in the continent

Kwame Nkrumah's name remains popular with many people in sub-Saharan Africa. In 2004, the "New African" magazine asked its readers to choose the greatest Africans of all times. Nkrumah came in second behind South Africa's former president and anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela.

Nkrumah was greatly influenced by the concept of pan-Africanism during his stay in the United States. He was one of the continent's most influential political leaders at his time.

"Today there is a new African in the world. This African is ready to fight his own battle and manage his own affairs," he told a jubilant crowd on independence day in the capital Accra.

He argued for a pan-African union as a strong force to counter Western influence. Nkrumah is one of the founding fathers of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), the predecessor of the African Union.

"His concepts are still mentioned on the corridors of the African Union where they are advocating for greater continental unity," Nigerian historian Toyin Falola said.


Nkrumah's vision of pan-Africanism

Some scholars and activists still promote Nkrumah's thesis, Falola, a professor of African Studies at the University of Texas, told DW. "But the debate is not as vibrant as it used to be."

Despite the African Union taking a stronger role on the continent, Nkrumah's concept of a "United States of Africa" is not anywhere on the horizon, Falola says.

"After Mbeki and Obasanjo left office, we do not have dynamic African leaders pushing this idea at the moment. Every country seems to be interested in its own affairs, consumed by its own politicis, worried about the decline of its economy, so the bigger idea of pan-Africanism is pushed under the table."

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Nurse sacked,administrator demoted

THE Tarime District Council has sacked a nursing officer named Nega Jackson and demoted the head of the council’s human resource department, Jeveryson Kaguna, for underperformance.


“The council has resolved to demote Kaguna as head of the human resource department and sack Jackson as nursing officer,” the District Executive Director, Elias Ntiruhungwa, told reporters after a short meeting of the council yesterday. Before reaching yesterday’s decisions, Ntiruhungwa said he formed a team to probe the performance of the two officials.

“The full council meeting received a report of the probe team and made the decisions to improve quality services delivery,” he said. Tarime Town Council chairman, Hamis Nyansu, presided over the meeting, which was also attended by the Tarime Urban Member of Parliament, Esther Matiko.

A few weeks ago, Ntiruhungwa held a meeting with the council workers and repeatedly urged them to support efforts being made by the Fifth Phase Government in delivering better services to the people.

He also reminded the workers to observe, at all times, integrity and professionalism when performing their duties.

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Government commits to economically empower women

THE Ministry of Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children said yesterday it was committed to empowering women to fully participate in the industrial-powered economy.


Permanent Secretary (PS) in charge of Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children, Ms Sihaba Nkinga, addressing a press conference here said the government was taking all possible steps to empower girls and women at all sections in the society. The PS was briefing reporters ahead of the International Women’s Day, annually celebrated every on March 8.

She said in Tanzania, the event’s theme would be: “Tanzania’s industry, women are the basis of economic transformation” and would bring together state and non-state actors to deliberate on new ways to improve engagement of women in economic activities.

“The event is part of the sustainable development goals agenda 2030 that aim to improve gender equality,” she said. According to the PS, the government had launched a blueprint involving private sectors, civil society organization and development partners to forge partnerships towards eliminating burdens facing women.

As actors, she said, “We must come together to ensure all the challenges limiting active participation of women in economic development are eliminated.” To date, women and girl-children are facing excessive gender based violence.

Despite community and national interventions women and girls face domestic violence in the form of beating, child marriage, female genital mutilation, rape and other related sexual abuse. The World Health Organisation (WHO) says that one in every three girls are married before their 18th birthday.

In rural areas, girls get married off as young as 11 years old. But Ms Nkinga said the government was working to improve household income capacity, improve safety for a woman and a girl child and amend legislations propagating gender violence.

“We have outdated laws. Some cultural traditional practices and community involvement in most areas will have to be worked on to improve and empower women.”

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Poachersa take 12 years jail term

THREE most wanted poachers have been found guilty and sentenced to 12 years in jail each by the Resident Magistrate's Court in Dodoma, in one of the heaviest penalties aimed at stopping poachers who target endangered species.


The court ordered the three convicts, notably Boniface Methew Malyongo, infamously known as 'The devil has no mercy' or 'Shetani hana huruma' in Kiswahili, to remain behind bars for such period for illegal possession of 118 pieces of elephant tusks worth over 2bn/-.

Apart from ‘Shetani’, who the prosecution described as ‘the King of Ivory’, other convicts are his brother Lucas Malyongo, alias ‘Ruksa Mponze’, alias ‘Shimie’ and Abdallah Ally Chaoga, alias ‘Babu’. The long sought ‘Shetani’ was charged with other accused persons for sabotage crime.

The case was presided over by Resident Magistrate Joseph Fovo, who is Resident Magistrate-in-Charge. The prosecution led by State Attorneys Paul Kadushi and Salimu Msemo, said the poachers committed the offence between January 2009 and October 2015, contrary to the Economic and Organised Crime Control Act, 2002 and the Wildlife Conservation Act No. 5 of 2009.

A total of 11 prosecution witnesses gave evidence to support the charges. The prosecution had also tendered 15 documentary exhibits, including three motor vehicles (Mitsubishi Cantre with Registration Number T. 765 DAC, Honda CRV T 674 ARL and RAV 4 T 922 ATZ.

Mr Msemo had requested the trial magistrate to provide the convicts with a tough penalty to serve as a lesson not only to them but also to whoever else would be tempted to commit similar crimes.

He submitted that elephants are among the endangered species that need heavy security, thus a deserving penalty is needed on those found guilty.

According to him, killing of elephants was disrupting ecological system as it takes years for one elephant to glow long tusks. The trial attorney further requested the court to seize all the cars used as per the Wildlife Conservation Act No 5 of 2009.

The magistrate granted the prosecution’s request, ruling that the three vehicles used in the transportation of the government trophies, are seized and forfeited to the state.

The Anti-Poaching National Task Force arrested ‘Shetani hana Huruma,’ in September, last year, in connection with the crime. He was charged with leading organised crime and unlawful dealing in government trophies.

The prosecution alleges that between January 1, 2009 and October 23, 2015 at diverse places within Dodoma and Dar es Salaam regions, all accused persons jointly and together accepted, transported and sold 118 pieces of elephant tusks valued 1,929,300,000/-, the property of the government.

According to the prosecution, the accused persons had no trophy dealer’s licence or a permit from the Director of Wildlife Conservation.

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Ceremony as Lema is granted freedom

THE Arusha Regional Magistrate’s Court grounds turned into some sort of a ceremony venue when the Arusha Urban Member of Parliament (MP), Mr Godbless Lema, who is facing seditious charges, was released on bail. It was initially speculated that Mr Lema had won his case.


However, this was wrong, misleading information that was circulated to hundreds of the MP’s supporters who thronged the court premises’ fence outside. In reality the politician had just been granted bail after spending four months in custody.

Pandemonium ensued outside the Regional Magistrate’s Court prompting the police to intervene and in fact some of the chaotic youths believed to be supporters of the opposition Chama Cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (CHADEMA) were arrested in the process in effort to contain the situation.

Some women spread their khangas on the grounds so that the MP could walk on them. Previously inside the court, the Arusha City Mayor, Mr Kalist Lazaro, irked the people who were waiting for the case in the High Court chamber, by trying to force some of those seated on benches to leave their seats so that he and some of his party officials could sit.

Judge Salma Magimbi, who presided at the High Court Registry here yesterday, eventually granted bail to the Arusha Urban legislator, Mr Lema (CHADEMA) on a bond of one million shillings, backed by two sureties.

The outspoken parliamentarian was arrested on November 2, last year, in Dodoma and brought to Arusha to face various charges including that of issuing insulting statements against President John Magufuli and predicting the Head of State’s death.

Since then, he has remained in remand after his bail application flopped. Speaking outside the court, the just released Lema said he witnessed appalling conditions at Kisingo Prison facility and extreme breach of human rights. He stated that he will write an official letter to Dr Magufuli to complain against the penal facility in Arusha.

The Chairman of CHADEMA, Mr Freeman Mbowe, on the other hand said he will contact the Arusha Regional Police Commander (RPC), Mr Charles Mkumbo, to lodge complaints against police officers who, allegedly, harassed people that turned up at the courts grounds during the MP’s case.

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Projects denoy says Magufuli

PRESIDENT John Magufuli yesterday gave four months to Minister for Water and Irrigation, Eng. Gerson Lwenge, to make sure Ng’apa water project is completed or risk his job.


The Head of State was speaking after visiting the project site where he expressed his dissatisfaction with the contractor’s speed in the implementation of the project.

The president is on a working tour of Coast, Lindi and Mtwara regions. He immediately ordered security officials in the region to seize the passport of the representative of the Indian based contractor ‘Overseas Infrastructure Alliance Private Limited’, Mr Rajendra Kumar and other officials.

President Magufuli said the officials will not be allowed to move from the country until when the project is completed in the coming four months. The project commenced in March 17, 2013 and was supposed to be completed in March 17, 2015.

However, the contractor has so far failed to complete the project even after two years from the agreed time. According to Dr Magufuli, the project worth 29bn/- and so far a total of 21.8bn/- has been paid to the contractor.

President Magufuli said if the project is not completed in four months, he will take serious measures against those who are involved in the construction. “I am not happy with the way this project is being implemented, we have agreed on four months ultimatum, after that period, I should not be blamed for the action that I will take,” he said.

He added: “We cannot accept to see Lindi residents suffering, the donors are releasing money and the contractor is taking it to India, this project has been delayed for two years, the contractor is not at the site and those who are supposed to supervise him are not taking action, why didn’t you chase him away for all that long,” said Dr Magufuli in a disappointed mood.

He said the regional commissioner (RC) has visited the sites seven times trying to ask the contractor to speed up the project in vain, the Minister for Water and Irrigation, Prime Minister and other officials have all visited the site to speed up the project but n vain.

“Today, I have decided to come on my own, I wanted to know what is happening here. Minister Lwenge was my deputy when I was a minister in the fourth phase government, I know him very well so I have just given him four months to finish up this job, after that period, nobody should blame me,” he said.

Upon its completion, the project is expected to produce a total of 5 million litres of water per day to residents of Lindi Urban.

He added that a team of engineers will be formed to oversee the implementation of the project so that everything could go as planned.Earlier, Minister Lwenge told the head of state that the project is funded by the Germany Development Bank (KFW) and European Union (EU) and that so far it has been implemented by 85 per cent.

He added that the contractor has stopped due to lack of fund. President Magufuli said his government will be ready to provide the remaining amount of money for the project in case donors fail to provide the money.

On education, President Magufuli told Lindi residents that the government is doing everything within its powers to ensure free and quality education to Tanzanian students.

He said the government now offers free education from primary school to secondary school and that a number of students who get loans for higher learning education has increased from 18,300 to 140,000. On phantom workers, President Magufuli said a total of 19,000 of them have been removed from payrolls and 56,000 phantom students have been deleted from students’ lists.

“The government has been losing billions of shillings in paying salaries, allowances, capitation fund, pension and other benefits to phantom students, workers and pensioners, the state has managed to identify them and we no longer lose taxpayers money,” he said.

He warned some government officials who are currently threatening the government over their delayed payment, saying his government does not bow to any intimidation.

“Some people are threatening the government over their payment, but we could now pay them because we were dealing with phantom worker

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The Salma Kikwete story

Dar es Salaam. A brief dispatch from the State House on Wednesday night announced the nomination of former First Lady Salma Kikwete as an MP, stirring a huge public debate on the unprecedented move by President John Magufuli.

Mama Salma, as she is popularly referred to, would make history as Tanzania’s first former first lady to become Member of Parliament. Her husband, Mr Jakaya Kikwete, stepped down as Head of State in 2015 after serving a constitutional limit of 10 years.

Yesterday, President Magufuli embarked on his maiden tour of Lindi Region which is Mama Salma’s birth place and political base. The visit, it would appear, was a cleverly choreographed move which intensified the attention on Dr Magufuli’s arguably significant political move ahead of the ruling party’s intra-party elections a couple of weeks away.

On the surface, opinion is divided on what the appointment of the former first lady means to the nation, or what exactly it portends to CCM and President Magufuli as its chairman. Debate on social media was centered on support or disapproval depending on what side of the political divide one stood.

However, behind the scenes, Ms Kikwete’s nomination is being described as a major step by the administration to reach out to a group of politicians with a huge influence within CCM, and who were seen as drifting away from the President.

President Magufuli, despite his elevation to the party’s top position, is not sitting pretty, quite yet, according to party insiders, who claim the CCM chairman was still without the staunch backing of some of the ruling party’s power brokers, especially in the grassroots, who view their new leader as more of a boardroom executive.

Ms Kikwete is placed in the group that has not warmed up well to President Magufuli, considering that she was seen and vigorously campaigned in support of the candidacy of Mr Bernard Membe to clinch the CCM ticket to succeed her husband. Mr Membe, a close friend of the former first family for many years was Kikwete’s foreign affairs minister for eight years, also hails from Lindi and has taken a low profile since his defeat in the CCM nominations in which Dr Magufuli overcame odds to triumph.

President Magufuli’s crackdown on tax evasion at the Dar es Salaam Port soon after he came to power would be another friction point that drove a wedge between the former first family and the new administration, with the names of Ms Salma and her stepson, Ridhiwani Kikwete, constantly being linked to alleged tax scandals, albeit unofficially.

At one point, when the roumours of alleged business dealings between the former first family and businesses that were under scrutiny from the government peaked, Mr Kikwete was forced to come out to defend his family from any wrongdoing.

The former President asked people to leave her family alone, stating that those peddling that line of thought were out to spoil his reputation and paint his family as being anti-government. President Magufuli is also on record clarifying that the government was at peace with the former first family.

Furthermore Ridhwani, now an MP in his father’s former constituency of Chalinze, has also spoken publicly of his innocence in the alleged scandals. He was among those who took to social media to hail the nomination of Ms Kikwete whom he described as a champion for women rights in the country.

The surprise nomination and the subsequent Lindi tour was thus being seen as an attempt by the President to pacify the group coalescing around the former first family and reach out to their support and network among CC

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Stop punishing students, TCU officials must come out clean

Mbarouk –Tabora

The TCU’s decision to blacklist 8,000 students lacks merit because, in the first place, it was involved in their enrolment, and they were offered places based on their academic qualifications.

It really appears that the fifth phase government is downplaying efforts by the previous administrations to fight ignorance, one of the three enemies declared by the Father of the Nation, Mwalimu Julius Nyerere.

Instead of narrowing the chances of students seeking to join institutions of higher learning, the authorities should focus on supervising and monitoring the quality of education provided.

The country still need many experts in various fields, so it must not stand in the way of those seeking higher education studies.

John Raphael – Dar

This is a case of TCU punishing innocent students for the mistakes it committed. The institution is the one responsible for admitting students who have met the requirements for admission into universities. As such, the commission should take responsibility instead on victimising students.

Victoria Mallya – Arusha

It is evident that some people are just working to impress top authorities in government, even if it means victimising students along the way. This TCU ‘clean-up’ exercise is not aimed at the right people. TCU officials should be punished for admitting students who don’t meet qualifications. They abused their offices.

Fortunatus Lukunguru – Dodoma

The government should investigate what exactly transpired in the whole saga to identify the root of the problem and take all those responsible to task.

It does not make sense to punish students for this because they did not enroll themselves. There are records that can help track down all the officials involved, and these are the people to be punished.

SOURCE: THE CITIZEN

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Tanzania has 200 new dollar millionaires

Dar es Salaam. Tanzania created 200 new dollar millionaires in 2016, a new report shows, sending out a picture that the government’s cost cutting measures have had little impact on individuals’ wealth creation endeavours.

Knight Frank’s 2017 wealth report shows that the number of super rich Tanzanians jumped from 2,200 in 2015 to 2,400 in 2016.

This happened despite reports that the cost cutting measures – initiated by the President John Magufuli’s administration – were throttling the growth of the private sector.

Since he assumed office in November 2015, President Magufuli has taken measures that have squeezed public spending, resulting into a knockoff effect on private sector.

The actions included a mop-up of over Sh500 billion from commercial banks, a sustained and single minded tax crackdown while public agencies have been restricted to doing business within government. There has also been a general decline in public spending as travel, workshops and meetings in hotels have been curtailed.

In January, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) warned that such economic policies threaten the economic growth forecast for fiscal year 2016/17 (July-June).

Despite such a background however, Knight Frank shows that Tanzania is only second from Kenya in East Africa in terms of creating new dollar millionaires.

Last year, while some 200 wealthy people in Tanzania joined the super rich club, Kenya created 900 new dollar millionaires while Uganda and Rwanda registered 100 each. Basing its report on responses from 900 of the world’s private bankers and wealth advisors who manage over 10,000 clients with a combined wealth of around $2 trillion, Knight Frank Wealth study shows that Tanzania is one of the African countries that will drive the growth of dollar millionaires on the continent in the next ten years or so.

“In Africa, sharp rises are expected in countries such as Mauritius, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda,” the report reads. The number of super rich individuals in Tanzania is expected to double and reach 4,800 in 2026 while Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda will have 16,900; 2,500 and 1,200 respectively.

Knight Frank classifies the super rich individuals into five sub-categories. They include dollar billionaires, Centa- millionaires, ultra-high-net-worth individuals (UHNWIS), multi-millionaires and millionaires.

Dollar billionaires are those individuals who have assets worth over $1 billion (over Sh2.2 trillion) while each of the Centa-millionaires has assets worth over $100 million (over Sh223 billion). On the other hand, a rich individual in the UHNWIS category has assets that are valued at more than $30 million (about Sh70 billion) whereas assets for multi-millionaires and millionaires are valued at more than $10 million (about Sh22 billion) and $1 million (about Sh2.2 billion) respectively.

According to Knight Frank’s 2017 wealth report, Tanzania had two dollar billionaires in 2016 but the number is projected to reach four in 2026. One rich individual joined the Centa- millionaires club last year to bring the total number of individuals in that category to 13.

The number of rich individuals in the UHNWIS category remained unchanged at 40 while that of multi-millionaires rose by 10 more to reach 90 in 2016.

The report projects that the number of ultra-wealthy populations in Africa will grow by 33 per cent and Latin America 37per cent to outpace Europe and North America.

Nigeria added 4,100 individuals to the club of dollar millionaires in 2016 to reach a total of 15,400 while South Africa created 1,900 new dollar millionaires in 2016 to hit the 40,400 mark.

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Why dealing with hawkers requires long term strategy

Dar es Salaam. The exponential increase in the number of hawkers in Tanzania is caused by three major problems: unemployment, rural-urban migration and a weak economy. All three are interlinked. Unemployment is a global problem. The problem is worse in some countries and approaches to deal with it can differ from one country to another.

The unemployment rate in Tanzania is 10.3 per cent, according to latest data released in 2014 by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). Dar es Salaam has the highest unemployment rate of 21.5 per cent and rural areas have the least unemployment rate of 8.4 per cent. Actual figures, however, show that the number of unemployed persons aged 15 years and above in Tanzania is about 2.3 million. About 1.2 million among these live in rural areas, according to the NBS.

But the problem of unemployment in Tanzania is bigger if one considers the underemployed in sectors such as agriculture, which have stagnated for years. And this has been the main trigger for the increase in rural-urban migration as thousands of Tanzanians move to major cities in search of employment and better life. Agricultural growth has been stagnating for decades now, growing at below 4 per cent in the last 20 years.

Rural areas have also remained underdeveloped for a long time lacking good roads, inadequate electricity supply and with poor health and education services. All these factors have fueled rural-urban migration. The Tanzanian economy, as it is the case with other African economies are not very well developed enough to provide mass employments to job market entrants every year in the industrial sector.

Street vending is outlawed because it denies the government the much needed revenue. The Business Licensing Act of 2003 abolished the Nguvu Kazi licences making hawking illegal. Street vending had been legalized by the Human Resources Development Act of 1983 which provided for the issuance of the nguvu kazi licences. The assumption was that the informal sector formalisations programmes would reduce street vending and other informal businesses. However, a study conducted by Mr Nasib Rajab Mramba of the College of Business Education in Mwanza has found that reforms have failed to address fully the needs of street vending.

But with no immediate solution to the problem of unemployment hawking should be taken as a blessing in disguise to the country. What would all the one million Tanzanians who enter the job market annually do? If it was not for hawking would crime no increase twofold? In fact it is because of its capability to make the millions of unemployed youth economically active that the issue of hawking has become highly politicised; it offers a temporary solution to the problem of unemployment. Moreover, hawkers are voters that politicians would like to capitalise on.

And despite the fact that street vending is illegal it is not synonymous with armed robbery. It is the fear of losing votes during elections that led President John Magufuli issue a directive, in August last year, that requires local authorities to stop harassing hawkers but deal with them in a civilized manner.



Industrialisation is the way to go

Reducing street vending requires a long term strategy. Part of the solution is to encourage industrialise Tanzania. The industrialisation should focus on agro-processing which will not only boost agriculture by ensuring higher prices to produces it will also provided the much needed employment to the idle youth in rural areas. The high end industries that would feed on raw materials from agro-processors would also be a source of employment to the people. The government has revived the industrialisation move but experts say that any such moves should be biased towards agro-processing. But development agro-processing will have to go hand with overhauling the agricultural sector by, specifically, investing in irrigation. Long spells of drought brought about by climate change has been the largest culprit b

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South Sudan soldiers arrested for 'mass' rape

A senior South Sudanese military official says three soldiers suspected of mass rape have been arrested. Both rebels and government troops have been accused of committing war crimes.

The alleged incident took place in Kubi village about 50 kilometers (31 miles) from the capital of South Sudan, Juba. At a press conference held at army headquarters on Friday, military spokesman Brigadier General Lul Ruai Koang  said that the arrests were made after community leaders reported at least 11 women  had been raped, including a 13-year-old girl. The accusations surfaced about a month after South Sudanese President Salva Kiir said that soldiers who commit acts of rape and sexual assault against civilians would be executed. He later backtracked and said they should be brought before justice.

While commending the soldiers who made the arrests, Koang said "We are happy to announce the arrest of three SPLA (Sudan People's Liberation Army) soldiers suspected of involvement in the commitment of crimes against civilians at Kubi village last month."

Culprits identified

The three soldiers, named as Kanyang Wol Yai, Deng Geng Geng and Mabior Chol Anei were among troops deployed to the area after unidentified gunmen killed an army general. After failing to apprehend the killers, the soldiers are accused of going on a rampage, raping women and young girls, and torturing civilians in the area

In their defense, two of the soldiers claimed they were drunk at the time of the incident while another said he was misled by the devil. The three suspects were identified by some of the victims of the assault. "The suspects will be subjected to legal processes according to SPLA Act 2009 rules and if found guilty, they will be held accountable for their actions." Koang said.

Although the army last October arrested and convicted at least eighty soldiers suspected of committing various crimes ranging from looting to murder during an outbreak of fighting in Juba last July, no soldier was arrested for committing rape. If the three suspects now arrested are found guilty, this will be the first time South Sudan military convicts some of its own officers on rape charges.

The number of women and girls believed to have been raped in South Sudan since a split between President Salva Kiir and his former deputy Riek Machar escalated into a military conflict in December 2013 is put at several thousand.

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WFP shocked by 'destruction' in northeast Nigeria

WFP's Chief Economist Arif Hussain tells DW the humanitarian situation in Nigeria is far worse than anything he's seen. At a donor conference in Oslo, the UN had appealed for food aid for nearly three million people.

At a donor's meeting in Oslo, the United Nations said nearly three million people should be given food assistance to avert a famine in the Lake Chad region by July. The causes of the crisis are drought, chronic poverty and the Boko Haram Islamist insurgency. Arif Hussain, the chief economist at the World Food Program (WFP), tells DW that the situation in northeastern Nigeria is one of the five worse things he has seen in his 15 year-career.

DW: You have recently returned from a tour of Yemen, South Sudan, Nigeria and Somalia, what did you discover particularly in those three sub-Saharan African countries currently facing food shortages?

The situation on the ground in these four countries; northeastern Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen, is very bad. The main reason in three of those cases is conflict. Prolonged conflicts. In the third or fourth case, which is Somalia, it is a combination of bad weather as well as conflict.

The people we are dealing with are extremely poor. Most of these communities rely on agriculture. When there is conflict that means they cannot go and plough their fields, for example; they cannot produce their own crops. That also means they cannot go and herd their livestock, which are income sources for them.

On the other side, due to these conflicts, the costs of bringing things into the country go up. That means the prices for basic commodities also go up. So on one side, they don't have the money to buy and they are not producing for themselves. On the other side, prices have gone up and these are happening over a long period of time. This is the situation in northeast Nigeria, this is the situation in South Sudan. And in Yemen, it is not only the rural population, but the urban population is also affected.

Thirty percent of the population in Yemen lives in urban areas, where they depend on salaries and they haven't been paid their salaries. If you haven't been paid your salary, and the country imports more than 90 percent of their food and other essentials from outside, if the currency is depreciating and the ports are not working, you have a situation where one group of people do not have the purchasing power. But it also means that commodities may not be coming [into the country]. In Yemen we are talking of seven million people who are in situation of extreme food insecurity. So for many people in northeast Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, their only hope is humanitarian assistance.  

The Islamist group Boko Haram is still active in northeastern Nigeria. To what extent do they contribute to the food insecurity in that region?

It's no secret, it's huge. Because of the insurgency, people are not able to go out. People are not able to cultivate their fields. The commercial traffic is not moving because of the conflict. That means the private sector is ineffective. Most of the roads are laden with IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devises).

There is total destruction in many parts [of northeastern Nigeria]. Maybe 20 kilometers (12 miles) outside of Maiduguri, which is the capital of Borno State, there is complete destruction there.

The first time I went there was in summer, I went to one of the camps there. It was a camp for 50,000 people. They had one water point; the rooftop of their hut, the Tuchul, was a metal sheet. There was one communal kitchen preparing one meal for the 50,000 people.

This is probably one of the five worst things I have ever seen in my 15 year-career at the World Food Program. I have seen Darfur, I have seen South Sudan, I have seen Somalia, but this one was shocking.

Put it in another way, would the drought or just poverty in this region have caused destruction on a similar scale or is it just Boko Haram that plays a bigger role?

Most of the people in this part of the world, northeastern Nigeria, Lake Chad area, are poor people; there is no doubt about that. But before this insurgency, they had a life. Traffic was moving, people could move. Trade was happening. Maybe they are not producing that much, but they were producing for themselves.

We didn't have an operation in Nigeria. We established our operation last year. In December of 2016, we provided assistance for over one million people. By the end of March, we plan to assist at least two million people. There is a reason why we came in and that reason is because commercial traffic isn't moving, that means you cannot get out either. That means markets are not working because nothing is coming in. In that type of situation, it feels almost like a jail.

Imagine hundreds of thousands of people cannot be reached because of the insurgency. This is why full open humanitarian access, meaning not only our abilities as individuals to go in but also to be able to bring in stuff, to bring in what they need, those essential commodities, is so important. And it cannot be for one day. We need full humanitarian access.

Do you have that access to all the places where people are in dire need of food aid?

For some places, yes, but for some others, no! For me, the main thing is, number one; everything should be done to stop the conflict because until the conflict is stopped, this will continue.

While people are working to stop these conflicts, we must reach out to the women, we must reach out to the children, we must reach out to the youths not only to sustain them for today, but to make sure that there is tomorrow and that there is hope for tomorrow and they know that people out there care.

Arif Hussain is a chief economist and head of the Food Security Analysis service at the World Food Program.

SOURCE: DW

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50 passengers injured in bus accident-Kampala

About 50 passengers that were heading to Kisoro town from Kampala were involved in an accident when the bus they were traveling in lost control and overturned at Mubwindi trading center in Muko Sub County in Rubanda District early on Thursday morning.

The Rubanda district police commander Mr Tai Ramathan said that the accident happened at about a half past midnight on Thursday. He added that the bus, Reg No UAV 119U belonging to Bismarkan Bus Company was heading to Kisoro from Kampala and none of its occupants died.

Ramathan added that one passenger sustained serious injuries and was rushed to Kabale regional referral hospital for medical attention together with those who had sustained minor injuries.

“The cause of the accident is reckless driving because the bus driver failed to negotiate the sharp corner. I appeal to the drivers on this Kabale-Rubanda-Kisoro road to always observe traffic rules and regulations, avoid over speeding and be aware of the night mist that usually covers the road especially in the valleys and corners. Putting on fog lights can also help the drivers that use this road during night hours,” Ramathan said.

Last week the Rubanda District vice chairman Mr Silver Baguma sustained serious injuries on the same Kisoro-Kabale road after he failed to negotiate a sharp corner as he rushed to attend the district council executive meeting.

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Uganda runs to China for Shs2 trillion oil roads

Kampala. The government has turned to China’s Export–Import (EXIM) Bank to secure funding for the construction of ten “critical oil roads” in the oil belt, Albertine Graben, in South Western Uganda needed urgently to ease the ongoing process of expediting commercial oil production to start by 2020.

Daily Monitor understands that ministry of Finance has already put in a loan request for more than $500m (Shs1.8t) which will be supplemented by withdrawals from the Petroleum Fund and additional funding from the ongoing budgetary cuts.
Finance minister Matia Kasaija, who was early this week due to travel Beijing with a delegation from government to further discussions with EXIM Bank on funding for the multi-billion Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) but the arrangement has since suffered some setbacks, confirmed the loan request and said they need $564m (approx. Shs2t) for the oil roads.

“It is true we put in the request and discussions are ongoing; to see how they can help us,” Mr Kasaija told this newspaper. “It is a matter of prioritising, and we have made it clear that these roads are much needed to help us get oil out of the ground.”
The ministry of Finance is already enforcing a 10 percent budget cut for all ministries and agencies on the directive of President Museveni with hopes of raising money for the ten road projects in the Albertine Graben.

According to the Uganda National Roads Authority (Unra) the roads are, Hoima-Butiaba-Wanseko road (111km), Masindi-Biiso (54km), Masindi-Bugungu via Murchison Falls National Park (80km), Kaseeta - Lwera via Bugoma Forest (16km), Hohwa-Nyairongo-Kyarushesha road (25km), and Wanseko-Bugungu (23km).
Others include Lusalira- Nkonge-Sembabule (97km), Kyotera – Rakai (20km), Buhimba-Nalweyo-Kakindu-Kakumiro-Mubende (100km) and Kabale – Kiziramfumbi road (30km). Unra executive director Allen Kagina told this newspaper yesterday that feasibility studies for the selected roads is ongoing to establish their actual costs.

“We are working very hard and each day counts; we plan to be through with every process including awarding contracts by June because the roads have to be ready by 2019,” Ms Kagina said.
Besides the $564m government needs between Shs117b-Shs212b ($50m-$60m)for land acquisition and compensation of property along the proposed right of way.
Mr Kasaija said the government already is sure to raise $33m (approx Shs116b) from the Petroleum Fund subject to approval from Parliament. The Fund managed by Bank of Uganda is established by the Public Finance Management Act 2015 to receive all petroleum revenues upon collection by the Uganda Revenue Authority.

The Fund has two objectives, financing the budget and saving/investment for the future generations; therefore withdrawals from the Fund are only allowed to go to the Consolidated Fund for the first purpose.
According to the Bank of Uganda 2015/16 Annual Report, the Fund contained Shs245.b as at the end of last financial year following an additional payment made by Tullow of the balance from the out of court settlement with URA over Capital Gains Taxes.

Last December, Mr Kasaija, tabled a motion requesting Parliament to allow withdraw of Shs116.6b from the Fund as a supplementary budget to Unra but the request was blocked. Parliament said the government had not followed the necessary laws to move the money.
With aid taps lately turning very slowly the government is badly in need of oil revenues and on which they are borrowing heavily as a guarantee. The International oil companies, Tullow, France’s Total and China’s Cnooc, have been mounting enormous pressure on government accelerate the processes and have the infrastructures required in place by 2020 to facilitate oil production to start.
The oil companies, according to estimates by ministry of Energy, are expected to invest up to $8b (Shs23t) in the next phase of development leading first oil. This is on top of other required infrastructures like the $3.5b (Shs11t) 1,445km crude export pipeline to Tanzania and the $4b (Shs13t) Greenfield refinery.

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US diplomats fear drastic Trump funding cu

Washington, United States | AFP |.President Donald Trump's review of government spending has forced US diplomats to consider drastic budget cuts they fear would harm their ability to head off conflict -- and silence a superpower.

Already sidelined by Trump's foreign policy inner circle, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's State Department has reportedly now been asked to suggest ways to slash 37 percent from its $50 billion budget.

Serving State Department staff said budget negotiations are "in the early stages" -- but there was no disguising the grim mood in the building, and former senior officials were scathing in their criticism of the idea.

Trump has promised the US military its biggest funding increase in history, boosting the Pentagon's spend to more than $600 billion with a hike greater than the State Department's entire annual budget.

He proposes to pay for this from the proceeds of increased growth and by making draconian cuts to several government programs and departments, including the State Department and its development agency USAID.

- Low esteem -

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has already signalled he may not allow such a massive cut to the department to pass, but Trump's opening gambit is a sign of the low esteem he attaches to State.

"It's not like we have enough capacity right now," said Ilan Goldenberg, a senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security and a former senior official at both State and the Pentagon.

Goldenberg told AFP it would make no sense to gut the State Department just as Trump is demanding renewed efforts to conclude counter-terror operations against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria.

When the US military or its local allies defeat the jihadists, local authorities will need diplomatic and political support to rebuild communities and prevent an eventual slide back into violence.

But Trump made no mention of Iraq, Syria or Afghanistan -- still host to more than 8,000 US troops and the longest war in US history -- in a landmark speech to Congress on Tuesday laying out his priorities.

According to Goldenberg, the Pentagon has often drawn up ambitious counter-terrorism plans that rely upon State and USAID to work with local populations, only to find the diplomats lack the resources.

"The bottom line is if you actually ended up with this cut, it would be pretty devastating," he warned.

Faced with multiple violent crises around the globe, the big-spending Pentagon could quickly find ways to spend Trump's promised windfall -- but even the military establishment has not welcomed his plan.

On Monday, 120 retired generals and admirals -- including former CIA director and retired general David Petraeus -- signed a letter urging the president not to cut spending on diplomacy and foreign aid.

The officers argued that the State Department and development agencies' work is "critical to preventing conflict and reducing the need to put our men and women in uniform in harm's way."

- 'More ammunition' -

Trump's serving defense secretary, retired general Jim Mattis, has not spoken out about the budget debate. But in 2013, while he was still in uniform, he had a stark warning for Congress.

"If you don't fund the State Department fully, then I need to buy more ammunition ultimately," he said.

It may not come to that -- even Republican senators like Lindsey Graham and Marco Rubio have said they will oppose a drastic cut that might harm the safety of US diplomats working overseas.

And Rubio said of the idea of cutting USAID: "Foreign aid is not charity. We must make sure it is well spent, but it is less than one percent of budget and critical to our national security."

Tillerson, who has kept an extremely low profile since taking up his role, has made no public comment since reports of the planned cut and of low morale in his department surfaced.

Dozens of senior State Department positions are empty after the incoming administration elected to clear-out of figures who

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Drought worsens insecurity in Kenya's Rift Valley

The ongoing drought in Kenya's Rift valley has intensfied the struggle for resources among pastoralists. The Red Cross suspended food aid in the area after being attacked by armed men.


Fighting over resources is nothing new among Kenyan pastoralists. Two ethnic communities, the Pokot and the Tugen, have often clashed over water and pasture.

But the motive for the recent killing of two politicians Fredrick Cheretei and Simon Pepee, both from the Pokot ethnic group in Baringo County in Kenya's Rift Valley, may be more complex. A purportedly ethnic clash may have been instigated for political reasons.

Baringo is the home of former Kenyan president Daniel Toroitich Arap Moi and no stranger to fierce political loyalties and tensions.

The killings have evidently unnerved local officials. William Kamket, Baringo County spokesman told the culprits, who have not yet been caught or identified, "we are giving you only two days. If the killers are not named, no one will be safe."

The deteriorating security situation in Baringo county has also prompted Deputy President William Ruto to issue a shoot-to-kill order to police.

Shoot-to-kill order

Local media say the order was to be used against bandits who recently killed at least ten people and forced thousands to flee their homes.

The media outlet East African (Nairobi) reported that Ruto had ordered "police officers to shoot anyone stealing livestock, whether in possession of a firearm or not, and also anyone found with an illegal firearm will be shot on sight."

Peter Ndungu, Baringo County Commissioner, told local residents that they would be safe. "We would like to assure residents that their security is guaranteed and assure them that the government has the capacity to protect them wherever they are," he said.


The insecurity is making the deprivation caused by the prolonged drought even worse. Aid workers are pulling out of the region. The Kenyan Red Cross suspended all operations after local people allegedly harassed its staff and looted relief food.

The drought, which has ravaged the areas since December, has killed thousands of head of cattle and left people with little or no food at all. The population has become dependent on the Red Cross and other relief agencies for their food.

Farmers have been selling their livestock at rock-bottom prices. But even that can be a gamble as livestock trader Shamo Tanda told DW. "Over 40 cattle died along the way while we were looking for water. Sometimes when we are transporting them to Nairobi many of them die on the way."

Baringo County is just over 200 kilometers (135 miles) from the Kenyan capital, Nairobi.  

The Kenyan government has declared the current drought a national disaster.  Under a relief program, $2 million (1.8 million euros) will be disbursed to 12,000 pastoral households hit by the drought. Each household will receive about $170.    

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Voluntary return home for Nigerian refugees in Cameroon under UNHCR deal

Tens of thousands of Nigerians who fled to Cameroon to escape the Boko Haram insurgency could be voluntarily repatriated under an agreement signed by the UN refugee agency, UNHCR.


Cameroon, Nigeria and the UN refugee agency UNHCR have signed an agreement for the return home of 85,000 Nigerians who fled to Cameroon to escape attacks from the Islamist militant group Boko Haram.

"The agreement lays out the legal framework for the eventual voluntary return of Nigerian refugees who are living in the far north of Cameroon," Roselin Okoro, the UNHCR's deputy representative in Cameroon told DW.

Okoro said the signing of the agreement does not mean that refugees would start returning automatically.

Flight from Chibok

Boko Haram is still seen as  a threat to Nigeria, despite claims by the military that it has reclaimed territory it once occupied and cleared some of its bases. The International Organization for Migration said on Wednesday that an estimated 4,449 people had fled from the town of Chibok "seeking safety following attacks or the threat of attacks" since February 25.

Chibok become a global symbol of the insurgency after Boko Haram militants kidnapped more than 200 teenage girls from their school in the town in April 2014.


The Boko Haram insurgency began in 2009 and has claimed at least 20,000 lives. 2.6 million people have been displaced, both internally and to neighboring countries. Some of the displaced may wonder whether it might be premature to return home.    

Okoro emphasized that the return home for Nigerian refugees in Cameroon would be "voluntary and on the basis of an individual decision."

The UNHCR would also provide displaced persons with information about conditions in the area to which they were thinking of returning.

UN Security Council visit

The tripartite deal comes amid heightened international concern generally about developments in the Lake Chad region, which Swedish diplomat Carl Skau said had been hit by "a perfect storm" of challenges: "terrorism trafficking, serious underdevelopment, but also the effects of climate change."

Fifteen ambassadors from the UN Security Council began a visit to the region on Thursday, possibly paving the way for tougher action by the Council on a crisis affecting 21 million people which one envoy said had been "largely overlooked."

Last week fourteen countries pledged  $672 million (639 million euros) to a Lake Chad funding appeal at a donors' conference in Oslo.  The UN says it needs $1.5 billion.

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Merkel in Egypt to reduce migrant flows

German Chancellor Angela Merkel landed in Cairo Thursday on a two-day trip to Egypt and Tunisia, in a push to limit migrant flows to Europe through North Africa, especially chaos-torn Libya.



Turmoil exploited by people smugglers since the 2011 overthrow of Moamer Kadhafi has made Libya the main gateway for African migrants seeking to make dangerous Mediterranean crossings.



Merkel, who faces elections in September, has been under intense pressure to reduce the number of asylum seekers coming to Germany, which has taken in over one million migrants since 2015.



Her government has urged the North African states to step up border controls and speed up repatriations of migrants whose asylum applications are rejected.



Merkel is scheduled to meet Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Thursday, followed by meetings with Coptic Orthodox Pope Tawadros II and Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb, Egypt's top Muslim cleric.



She will depart to Tunisia on Friday to meet Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi.



She will "inform herself of the situation of Coptic Christians" and "speak to (Tayeb) about tolerance and the peaceful co-existence of religion," her spokesman Steffan Seibert said in a video uploaded on his Twitter account.



Merkel is joined by a business delegation that could sweeten the diplomacy with investments badly needed by both countries, which are grappling with sluggish economies, jihadist attacks and high unemployment, especially among youths.



"The chancellor will speak with Sisi about, among other things, economic cooperation and opportunities for German companies," Seibert said.



A major focus in Egypt and Tunisia will be on their troubled neighbour Libya, a largely lawless country that has porous desert borders with Algeria, Niger, Chad and Sudan.



- Holding centres -

"Without a political stabilisation of Libya, we won't be able to stop the human traffickers operating out of Libya who are responsible for by far the most arrivals in Italy," Merkel said in her latest weekly podcast.



The trip is part of a larger diplomatic push by Merkel, who last year visited Mali, Niger and Ethiopia. She had also planned a trip to Algeria last week, but it was called off after President Abdelaziz Bouteflika fell ill.



Germany, which this year holds the G20 presidency, has also announced investment partnerships in Africa with the long-term goals of reducing poverty and deterring people from leaving in the first place.



Last year, Berlin spearheaded an EU agreement with Ankara that helped sharply reduce the influx of migrants through Turkey and western Balkan countries.



But as with the Turkey deal, the negotiations with the North African countries have been clouded by human rights concerns.



In particular, an idea floated by Merkel's interior minister -- for North African countries to build holding centres for returned migrants -- has been rejected by Merkel's centre-left coalition partners and by rights groups.



Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel -- whose Social Democrats hope to topple Merkel this year -- dismissed the idea, saying: "I doubt that all this has been really thought through".



- 'Dodgy deals' -

Human Rights Watch noted that Egypt banned protests and jailed thousands of people, while outlawing the Muslim Brotherhood movement president Mohamed Morsi whom Sisi, a former army chief, overthrew in 2013.



Repatriating Tunisians and Egyptians who do not need protection can be "legitimate" if they are treated fairly, the New York-based rights group said.



"It's another thing entirely to pursue dodgy deals that could trap asylum seekers and migrants from elsewhere in countries like Tunisia and Egypt that cannot guarantee decent treatment or meaningful access to asylum," said Judith Sunderland, a Europe and Central Asia director for the group.



But Merkel is under huge pressure at home to achieve results in an election year, as the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany party hope

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Activists to send Kim murder leaflets to N.Korea by balloon

South Korean activists will send millions of leaflets about the poisoning murder of the half-brother of the North's leader across the border by balloon, they said Thursday.



It is not clear how many North Koreans are aware of the fate Kim Jong-Nam, who was killed with the nerve agent VX at Kuala Lumpur's international airport, allegedly by two young women acting on Pyongyang's orders.



The North has angrily denied involvement and accused Malaysia for colluding with South Korea to frame it, while only referring to the victim by a pseudonym, without clarifying his relationship with Kim Jong-Un.



The leaflets -- to be flown across the border by giant, gas-filled balloons -- contain details of the murder and pictures including one of a dying Kim Jong-Nam slumped in a chair at a clinic in the airport.



The text describes the North's leader as "a devil who killed his own brother".



"We will start launching the leaflets in mid March," said activist leader Park Sang-Hak, a defector who leads the Fighters For Free North Korea group.



The move was intended "to let our North Korean compatriots know the act of extreme brutality committed by Kim Jong-Un", he added in a statement.



News from the outside world is banned or heavily censored in the North, as the Kim dynasty rules the impoverished, isolated nation with an iron fist and pervasive personality cult.



The leaflets also contain assertions by Seoul's spy agency that Jong-Un had executed many Pyongyang officials and ordered the half-brother's murder to strengthen his grip on power.



The text claimed that Jong-Un -- son of Kim Jong-Il's third wife -- had ordered the assassination of Jong-Nam because some viewed him as having a better claim to inheriting the leadership as their father's first-born son.



Conservative South Korean activists, including many North Korean defectors, have sent leaflets northwards for years, infuriating Pyongyang, which has at times threatened military strikes in response.

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What traders see as major hindrance to business

Dar es Salaam. Kariakoo has a long history. After Kariakoo Market was built by the Germans, it started operating in 1923. Today, Kariakoo is Tanzania and east and central Africa’s most vibrant commercial hub. It is near the city centre and the Dar es Salaam Port, which was constructed first by the Germans in the late 1890s. The construction of the iconic Kariakoo Market, a three-storey structure spanning several streets that was unveiled in 1975 by Tanzania’s first President Julius Nyerere, changed the fortunes of Kariakoo.

Now the commercial hub has attracted not only traders and shoppers from every corner of the country and beyond, but it has also attracted various investors in the hospitality industry, banking and in light industries.

The vibrancy of Kariakoo - more than Sh10 billion change hands daily, according to some estimates - has also facilitated the mushrooming of street vendors and hawkers, who peddle their wares on almost every Kariakoo street.

Shopping in Kariakoo is an experience of its own. A sea of humanity is overwhelming. Many streets are virtually impassable by vehicles and even by pedestrians because they are fully packed by vendors, who sell their merchandise at cheap prices.

This has left shop owners and other legally registered traders in the area complaining about their inability to compete with vendors, who sell their products at throw away prices.

But for Kariakoo traders, vendors are only part of the problem. The unfriendly business environment in Kariakoo, would, even without the menace of vendors, make their businesses unprofitable.

They complain about numerous charges and fees, erratic power supply, which means they have to spend money on fuel to run standby generators daily, a poor sewerage system and lack of parking spaces.

Charges, according to shopkeepers, include exorbitant garbage collection fees and over-the-roof space rentals.

In light of this, traders appeal to the responsible authorities to improve the business environment in line with creating a good sewage system and parking.

Those, who spoke to The Citizen, say the situation is such that doing business in Kariakoo as a formal and registered trader is almost impossible. But it is the problem of vendors that tends to get under the skin of many traders, who spoke to The Citizen.

Mr Omela Omela, an electronics trader and a shop owner in Kariakoo, says multiple charges are a major hindrance to his business.

He pays Sh900,000 in rent for a stall, whose length and width stand at 3.5 metres and 2.5 metres respectively.

The monthly wage for his five shop assistants and electricity bills stand at Sh750,000 and Sh200,000 respectively. Garbage fees stand at Sh12, 000 per month.

“The presence of vendors almost everywhere on the streets and their merchandise, which they sell cheaper than we do are among the problems we are facing in our business,” Mr Omela notes.

He says if the government cannot deal with the problem of vendors and hawkers, it should, at least, reduce the high cost of doing business by ensuring reliable power supply, among other things.

“High operational costs do not match the profit we make as we are often forced to lower prices,” Mr Omela told The Citizen.

He says his daily profit stands at an average of Sh45,000, but it could be higher than that if he did not have to use his standby generator every day to test radios and TV sets before selling them to customers.

“For us, the fear of multiple charges is the beginning of wisdom. So, I appeal to the authorities for a more business-friendly tax regime so that we can improve our business performance,” he says.

Mr Jackson Lang’o, a mobile phone dealer in Kariakoo, also laments that exorbitant charges and fees impart negatively on his business.

“This is daylight robbery… we are being exploited and our businesses are suffering, thanks to the high and numerous charges that are hanging over our heads,” complains Mr Lang’o.

His sentiments reflect the general feeling am

SOURCE:THE CITIZEN

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78% of people affected by food shortages in Tanzania: Twaweza

Dar es Salaam. Seventy-eight per cent of people in rural and urban areas have experienced food shortages in the last five months, according to a new report by the advocacy organisation Twaweza.

Eighty-four per cent of rural residents reported being affected, while the figure for urban areas is 64 per cent.

More than two thirds of households (69 per cent) feared running out of food, 51 per cent did not have enough food to feed all household members, while 50 per cent reported having at least one member who skipped a meal because food was not available.

Releasing the report titled Hunger Pangs: Food (in) Security in Tanzania, Twaweza Executive Director Aidan Eyakuze said the study involved 1,800 respondents across Mainland Tanzania between September 14 and 26, last year, with 1,610 others reached between February 9 and 15, this year.

The findings are based on data from Sauti za Wananchi, a nationally representative mobile phone survey. The findings are based on data collected from Mainland Tanzania only.

“While the number of citizens worried about food shortage increased to 65 per cent in February, this year, from 45 per cent in September, last year, half of the citizens said they didn’t have enough food to feed their householders as compared to 43 per cent recorded in September, last year,” he said.

In February, 35 per cent of citizens reported that a household member had gone without eating the whole day due to lack of food over the last three months compared to 21 per cent before September 2016.

Mr Eyakuze said rising food prices could possibly explain why most of those polled were unable to meet their basic food needs, citing data from the Bank of Tanzania which showed that a kilogramme of maize sold at Sh1,253 this year compared to Sh432 early last year.

“The current shortages and ongoing food insecurity underline the context of general vulnerability and income poverty. A total of 8 out of 10 citizens (80 per cent) report that their households do not receive enough income to cater for their daily needs with figures varying slightly among groups.”

The Twaweza study corroborates widespread concern since early this year that the country was facing food insufficiency due to crop failure following a prolonged spell of drought in some areas and extreme poverty in rural areas where families are unable to afford food whose prices have recently skyrocketed in recent months.

Advocacy groups, politicians and the media were censored by the government officials after they reported food shortages, hunger and livestock deaths in some of the affected areas.

The government’s official position was that there was no hunger in the country, with President John Magufuli publicly accusing some media outlets and businesspeople of conspiring to raise fears for speculative purposes.

The President warned regional leaders against declaring hunger in their areas, saying the government saw no justification for doing so.

He stressed at public meetings that the government would not distribute famine relief despite calls for intervention by a cross-section of political and religious leaders.

However, Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa told Parliament last month in Dodoma that 55 district were experiencing drought and the threat of food shortages.

He said nearly 1 million people needed food aid following crop failure in their areas, adding that authorities would distribute relief for those in the worst affected areas.

Mr Eyakuze noted yesterday that the study was a depiction of the real situation at the time sampling was done.

“People said (in the study) they have been hit hard by food shortages. We would like the government to acknowledge the situation and encourage rapid intervention to prevent a bigger crisis,” he said

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Legal Challenges, Politics Delay Naming Zimbabwe's Chief Justice

HARARE —
In Zimbabwe, the process to name a new chief justice of the Supreme Court has become mired in legal challenges and politics.

At his farewell party Wednesday night, the outgoing chief justice, Godfrey Chidkyausiku, was asked if he had any disappointments in his career.

"Yes, there are times when things are not going the way they should. One of them is the way we are quarreling about my successor," Chidkyausiku said. "It's a big disappointment, but it's nothing that we can't overcome. In my view is, there is really no dispute, there is really no issue. With the passage of time, things are going to fall into place. I would have wanted to leave one, very united judiciary that is fearless, independent and with the back bone of steel."

His retirement didn't come as a surprise. The law requires the chief justice to retire at the age of 70, which Chidkyausiku reached in February.

Two months prior, the Judiciary Service Commission started public interviews to replace him. The commission then sent President Robert Mugabe a list of the three final candidates from which, by law, he can choose.

Then, from out of nowhere, Romeo Zibani, a law student, surfaced and successfully challenged the process at the High Court. That ruling was then dismissed by the Supreme Court after an appeal.

Zibani is represented by ruling party Member of Parliament and lawyer Jonathan Samukange. They have appealed to the Constitutional Court to uphold the High Court's ruling.

"A chief justice is different from an ordinary judge," Samukange said. "A chief justice does not only wear a judicial hat. He must also wear a political hat. That is why it is important and crucial that we have a chief justice who can work in harmony with his excellence the president. The president must choose who he wants to work with. It is like marriage, you marry someone whom you can stay with and work with in harmony for the interests of Zimbabwe as a whole."

Prior to 2013, the president had the power to handpick judges. But that year, Zimbabweans overwhelmingly voted to pass a new constitution that included this new procedure.

Mugabe has made no public statements on the chief justice question. However, a request to amend the constitution has been initiated by his vice president, Emmerson Mnangagwa.

The next Supreme Court sitting opens July 1. Lovemore Madhuku, a law professor at the University of Zimbabwe, is not optimistic the issue will be sorted out by then.

"I think the president wants to wait for the constitutional amendment," Madhuku said. "The constitutional amendment provides for an appointment which is not subject to controls by anybody. So it is the president's love for total control of the country which is always his approach to the way he governs."

Madhuku says politics are tangled up in this dispute, with elections just a year away. The Supreme Court would rule on electoral disputes.

Mugabe has announced his intention to run for re-election, but as the 93-year-old leader advances in age, debate over his succession grows louder and the chief justice could one day weigh in.

Local analysts say the country's current leadership would prefer a war veteran as the new chief justice. None of the three candidates proposed by the commission have that credential.

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Aid Agencies Struggling to Provide Food to South Sudanese Refugees in Uganda

NAIROBI —
Uganda has taken about half of the more than 1.5 million South Sudanese who have fled into neighboring countries, as South Sudan has become Africa’s largest refugee crisis, resulting from more than three years of civil war.

As the refugees flee conflict, sexual violence, looting, and food insecurity — highlighted by the recent announcement of famine in two counties of Unity State — they’re finding that aid agencies are struggling to provide them with enough food in the Ugandan refugee settlements



Charlie Yaxley, the spokesperson for the United Nations refugee agency in Uganda, says resource constraints meant food rations had to be cut in half last year for all refugees who arrived in Uganda prior to mid-2015. He noted that exceptions were made for those who were considered vulnerable.

“We continue to operate in a context of chronic, severe underfunding. Last year, the humanitarian appeal for South Sudanese refugees in Uganda was $251 million U.S. dollars, and we received just 40 percent of that money,” said Yaxley. “And that has a real, direct impact on humanitarian organizations’ abilities to deliver critical live-saving aid.”

More coming

With thousands of South Sudanese refugees continuing to arrive in Uganda every day, including more than 120,000 new arrivals in the first two months of this year, aid agencies are struggling to keep up.

“The resourcing situation is so bad, that it is possible that we will have to extend those cuts; we have been on the brink of having to do that several times in the last month but have managed to avoid it,” said Challiss McDonough, a spokeswoman for the U.N. World Food Program in East Africa. “But we just are simply not getting the resources that we need to keep pace with the incredibly large number of refugees that have arrived in the country in the last six months.”



It costs the U.N. about $13 million per month to feed the more than 700,000 primarily South Sudanese refugees now living in Uganda who depend on food assistance, a figure which McDonough says is not being met. Approximately 200,000 of the refugees are receiving the reduced rations.

A progressive approach

Despite the resource challenges, though, Yaxley says that Uganda has an "incredibly progressive" approach to asylum. It provides refugees with plots of land to build new homes and grow crops, and they live next to the Ugandan host community. They can find work, start a business, and are free to move around the country. He says the host community has "welcomed refugees with open arms," but that others need to do more.


“It’s key to stress that this is not a crisis Uganda and neighboring countries can tackle alone,” said Yaxley. “It’s vital that the international community come together with their resources and expertise to first of all ensure the humanitarian appeals are fully funded but also to explore the reasons why people are fleeing in the first place.”

And because refugee crises are impacting so many places around the world, including Syria and Afghanistan, resources are already stretched thin, observes McDonough.

“And we try very hard not to prioritize one hungry person over another, because of where they live,” said McDonough, “but the problem is that the needs globally are so enormous that there just aren’t right now the resources within the international community to meet those needs.”

The government of Uganda and UNHCR, the U.N.’s refugee agency, work with humanitarian organizations to coordinate the refugee response at border entry points. They provide clean water and medical screenings that include examining children for malnutrition, and providing high-energy biscuits for people who are likely malnourished.

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