SUDAN TO PAY 1998 KENYA, TANZANIA BOMB VICTIMS - PM

By Our Correspondent

Sudan's new prime minister has pledged that his country will soon compensate hundreds of Kenyans and Tanzanians who have been awarded nearly $6 billion in compensation for the 1998 US embassies bombings in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam.

The U.S. Embassy in Dar es Salaam Tanzania after the August 7, 1998, suicide bombing

“We took corporate responsibility on addressing these claims and reaching an agreement on them,” Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok told the Wall Street Journal in the US last week.

“A settlement with Kenyan and Tanzanian survivors of some of those killed in the attacks will be reached “definitely in weeks, not months,” Mr Hamdok said.

But US attorneys representing the affected families are sceptical about Mr Hamdok's assurance.

At issue are payments by Sudan to 570 relatives of US embassy employees or contractors killed in al-Qaeda's nearly simultaneous attacks on the embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam.

None of the awards ordered by US courts will be available to the thousands of Kenyans and Tanzanians who were harmed by the attacks either directly or indirectly but who were not employed by the embassies or by private companies that did business with the embassies.

A total of 224 people died in the twin bombings — 214 in Nairobi and 10 in Dar. The death toll includes 212 Africans and 12 Americans.

US courts have held Sudan liable for $5.9 billion in compensatory damages to the designated groups of survivors because it sheltered al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden as he plotted the embassy attacks.

The survivors could receive an additional $4.3 billion if the US Supreme Court overturns a decision by a lower court disqualifying them from punitive damages that would also be paid by Sudan.

“We have reached out to the attorneys representing Sudan and offered various creative proposals for resolution of their obligations to the victims of the bombings,” Chicago-based attorney Gavriel Mairone said in an email message.

Those offers “take into consideration Sudan's economic situation and the economic situation of our clients whose lives have been destroyed and many of whom were thrown into poverty for the last 20 years with the loss of their 'breadwinners' (fathers or mothers / spouses),” Mr Mairone wrote.

“We are waiting for a serious counter-proposal from the prime minister,” added the attorney who specialises in terrorism-related cases.

Mr William Wheeler, a US attorney also involved in the Sudan litigation, said in a separate message to the Nation, “We are always working very hard to obtain settlements for our clients, but it is too early to make any type of prediction.”

Prime Minister Hamdok held talks in Washington last week with the aim of having Sudan removed from the US list of countries that are said to sponsor terrorism.

Sudan was hit with that designation in 1993. Sanctions arising from that blacklisting have prevented the country from participating fully in the global economy.

In order to be removed from the terrorism list, Sudan must meet a series of US conditions, including payments to the embassy bomb victimsMr Hamdok was appointed prime minister in August in the wake of an uprising that topped long-ruling Sudan dictator Omar al-Bashir.
The new leader has promised to institute sweeping reforms in Sudan's domestic and international policies.Mr Mairone, however, is not convinced that the prime minister will make good on his stated intentions.“The road forward requires the government of Sudan to demonstrate its commitment to international norms through deeds, and not merely aspirational words,” the attorney said.Sudanese officials, he added, have previously been “pleading poverty as an excuse for 'getting away with murder' without accepting the responsibility for the harms and economic devastation they inflicted upon the victims.”

KENYA: NAIROBI GOVERNOR TO BE ARRESTED OVER CORRUPTION

Nairobi Governor, Mike Sonko

By Joel Mboga, NAIROBI Kenya

Kenya’s public prosecutor has ordered the immediate arrest and arraignment of Nairobi Governor, Mike Sonko, for alleged corruption.

The Nairobi City County boss and others are expected to be dragged to the anti-corruption court on Friday to face charges over the loss of Kenya Sh357 million ($3.51 Million).

Other City Hall officials in the soup are county secretary Peter Mbugua, members of the tender committee Patrick Mwangangi, Samuel Ndung'u, Edwin Kariuki, Lawrence Mwangi, and Preston Miriti among others.

The governor and the officials will face charges of conspiracy to commit economic crime, wilful failure to comply with the law and conflict of interest.

Director of Public Prosecutions, Noordin Haji, said investigations by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) had yielded sufficient evidence to sustain the charges.

Law enforcement agencies have been ordered to investigate attempts to hinder the investigation.

This comes a few weeks after Sonko failed to stop the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) from investigating him over claims of corruption.

The agency is also investigating the governor over alleged past criminal records.

The governor wanted the court to temporarily restrain the commission from prosecuting him, but Justice James Makau declined to issue the order.

Instead, Makau transferred the case to the anti-corruption division of the High Court.

Haji said Sonko will also be questioned over unlawful acquisition of property and money laundering, among other economic crimes. - Africa

FLOODS KILL 280 PEOPLE IN EAST AFRICA

By Our Staff Reporter, Nairobi KENYA

At least 280 people have been killed and more than 2.8 million others affected by unusually heavy rainfall and flooding in eastern Africa, the United Nations (UN) humanitarian agency said on Thursday.

The UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said homes, infrastructure and livelihoods have been destroyed and damaged in the hardest-hit areas, and the risk of communicable diseases including cholera is rising.

Flooded city of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

"Primarily driven by the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD), the heavy rains are likely to persist into December and to intensify in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda," OCHA said in its latest regional Flash Floods Update.

The UN agency said the annual short rains which ordinarily last from October to December have been exceptionally heavy in Kenya and affected more than 160,000 people in 31 of the country's 47 counties.

"At least 132 people have reportedly died, including 72 who were killed by a landslide which buried their homes in West Pokot County," said OCHA.

The storms have caused destruction and damage of key infrastructure in Kenya, including houses, health facilities and schools, displacing an unconfirmed number of people and disrupting basic services. Roads and bridges were damaged, hampering effective humanitarian response efforts in affected areas.

In Djibouti, the report says the equivalent of two years' rainfall fell in one day, causing flash floods that have affected up to 250,000 people, including nine people killed.

"In many areas, the floods are coming on the back of consecutive droughts, while in others people impacted by the floods are also suffering from conflict and violence," said OCHA.

"As families struggle to cope with these compounding and complex shocks, there is a high risk of their adopting negative coping mechanisms, including school drop-out and early marriage," it warned.

Nairobi, Kenya

According to OCHA, flooding in Somalia has affected 547,000 people, including an estimated 370,000 who have been displaced and 17 killed. In South Sudan, where 908,000 people have been affected since June, the flooding has submerged entire communities, destroyed or rendered inaccessible basic services and markets, and caused crop losses which will result in an early start of the lean season in January.

The UN agency said more than 420,000 people were affected by floods from August to October in Sudan, during which 78 people died and 49,500 homes were destroyed.

OCHA said about 570,000 people have been affected in Ethiopia, including more than 200,000 displaced, and rains have negatively affected the harvest season.

In Burundi, it said, 3,100 people were affected by torrential rains in Munyinga province, while in Uganda, flooding and landslides have impacted at least 12 districts, including Bundibugyo district, where more than 4,000 people were affected.

In Tanzania, said the UN agency, the death toll is over 50, including 10 people who were drowned by a flood-swollen river. - Africa

26 KILLED AS LANDSLIDES HIT NORTH-WESTERN BURUNDI

A woman is rescued following landslides in Cibitoke province, northwest Burundi

By Our Correspondent, Cibitoke BURUNDI

At least 26 people have been confirmed dead and seven others injured in a landslide in Burundi’s Cibitoke province, northwest of the country.

“There was a landslide on December 4, around 4pm in Mugina commune following heavy rains. Currently the death toll is at 26 but 10 people are still missing,” said Burundi’s police spokesman Pierre Nkurikiye in a statement.

Rescue and recovery operations are still ongoing.

The loss of life comes at a time when the East African Community is expected to set up an urgent response fund for floods and environmental disaster for affected communities.

According to the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Unocha), unusually heavy rainfall and flooding have claimed more than 280 people across the East African region, affected more than 2.8 million people.

23 KILLED IN SUDAN FACTORY EXPLOSION

By Our correspondent, KHARTOUM, Sudan

At least 23 people were killed in Sudan after a fire triggered an explosion at a tile factory in the capital Khartoum on Tuesday, state news agency SUNA said.

SUNA further said 130 people were also wounded in the explosion. It pointed out that the injured people have been taken to several hospitals in the capital for treatment.

The Sudanese doctor's committee also said many of those injured would need emergency care, and pleaded with other health workers in the capital to prepare for more casualties as people are evacuated from the scene of the accident.

The news agency revealed that the fire, which took place at Salomi Ceramics Factory in Khartoum North, came after a gas tanker exploded while unloading its shipment at the factory.

"A fire erupted in an industrial area because of which 23 people were killed and more than 130 injured," the statement said. "A blast in a gas tanker triggered the fire." Government said in a statement.

The government called on citizens to donate blood to treat the wounded.

"Preliminary observations indicate a lack of necessary safety measures and equipment at the factory, in addition to random storage of flammable materials," the statement continued.

The government said it had ordered an investigation into the exact cause of the incident.

Sudan has suffered from various industrial accidents in recent months, raising concerns about the adequacy of health and safety regulations. - Africa

MALARIA FIGHT STALLING AT 'HIGH LEVEL' OF DEATHS: WHO

By Kate Kelland, LONDON

Malaria still infects millions of people every year and kills more than 400,000 - mostly children in Africa - because the fight against the mosquito-borne disease has stalled, the World Health Organization said on Wednesday.

Funding for the global battle against malaria - which kills a child every 2 minutes - is broadly flat, the WHO warned, and because of ongoing transmission via mosquitoes, half the world’s population is still at risk of contracting the disease.

One way to prevent the spread of malaria is by spraying insecticide inside a home's walls, ceilings and other resting places of mosquitoes that transmit malaria. 

It called on donor nations and governments in countries affected by the disease to step up the fight.

“The world has shown that progress can be made,” the WHO’s malaria expert, Pedro Alonso, told reporters. He cited significant reductions in malaria cases and deaths since 2010, when case numbers fell from 239 million to 214 million in 2015, and deaths fell from 607,000 to around 500,000 in 2013.

“But progress has slowed down,” he said. “And we have stabilized at ... an unacceptably high level.”

Cases in 2018 were down slightly - to 228 million from around 231 million in 2017 - and deaths were down to 405,000 from 416,000 in 2017.

The WHO’s report found that pregnant women and children in Africa continue to bear the brunt of the malaria epidemic.

An estimated 11 million pregnant women in sub-Saharan Africa – 29% of all pregnancies – were infected with malaria in 2018, leading to nearly 900,000 children being born with a low birthweight, putting their health further at risk.

More than a third of young children in sub-Saharan Africa in 2018 also were still not sleeping under a mosquito net, which could protect them from malaria infection, the report found.

The RBM Partnership to End Malaria advocacy group said the WHO report showed that global political commitment and investment have been critical to sustaining progress made to date, and urged governments not to lose focus.

“In most parts of the world, a child who gets malaria today has a better chance of survival than at any other point in history. Yet, despite the availability of effective life-saving malaria interventions, too many vulnerable pregnant women and children still face the greatest risk of dying from a mosquito bite,” the group’s chair, Maha Taysir Barakat, said in a statement.

EU AMBASSADOR TO MALAWI RECALLED FOR UNREVEALED REASONS

By Elwin Mandowa, Lilongwe MALAWI

The European Union (EU) Ambassador to Malawi and Head of Delegation, Sandra Paesen, has been recalled from her tour of duty in the country.

According information sourced by MBC, the EU Head of Delegation has been given 7-days to pack up and head back to the EU headquarters in Brussels, Belgium.

The European Union (EU) Ambassador to Malawi and Head of Delegation, Sandra Paesen, on 16th October 2018, presented her letters of credence to President Peter Mutharika, at Kamuzu Palace in Lilongwe

No reasons have been given by the EU for Paesen early departure and the authorities in Malawi have not yet commented on the matter.

Sandra Paesen presented her letters of credence to His Excellency the President Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika at the Kamuzu Palace on 16th October 2018.

In her remarks, after presenting the credentials to Malawi President Peter Mutharika, Ambassador Paesen said the European Union (EU) will continue implementing strategic priorities of its cooperation with the Malawi Government.

She said her focus is on maintaining and strengthening the good working relationship and cooperation between EU and the Malawi Government, including regular political dialogue on Malawi’s ambitions and regional issues within the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC).

Paesen said her discussion with Mutharika, held in camera, centred on the domestic political agenda, the economy and trade and investment agenda, development cooperation and governance, elections and the EU external investment plan, among other things.

Sandra Paesen was appointed as Head of the EU Delegation from Uganda where she served as the Head of the Political, Press and Information Section in the EU Delegation to Uganda.

AFRICA'S LARGEST POWER DAM STOKES NILE RIVER TENSIONS

Cairo, EGYPT

Ethiopia's construction of a massive power dam on the Blue Nile is raising tensions with Egypt, which depends on the river for 90 percent of its water supply.

As the neighbours and Sudan meet in Cairo for talks Monday and Tuesday on the potential conflict flashpoint, here is some background.

At 6,695 kilometres (4,160 miles), the Nile is one of the world's longest rivers and a crucial supplier of water and hydropower in a largely arid region.

Its drainage basin of more than three million square kilometres (1.16 million square miles) covers 10 countries: Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda.

The two main tributaries -- the White Nile and the Blue Nile -- converge in Khartoum before flowing north through Egypt and into the Mediterranean Sea.

Around 84 billion cubic metres of water is estimated to flow along the Nile every year.

Ethiopia in 2011 launched construction of the Grand Renaissance Dam on the Blue Nile, roughly 30 kilometres from the border with Sudan.

The $4.2-billion (3.7-billion-euro) dam is expected to begin generating power by the end of 2020 and be fully operational by 2022.

It will produce about 6,450 megawatts of electricity, making it Africa's biggest hydroelectric dam and doubling Ethiopia's electricity output.

Egypt, an arid nation of nearly 100 million people, depends on the Nile for around 90 percent of its water needs, including for agriculture.

It says its rights to the Nile's waters are protected by a 1929 treaty which guarantees it a significant quota, and gives it veto power over construction projects along the river.

A 1959 treaty boosted Egypt's allocation to around 66 percent of the river's flow, with 22 percent for Sudan.

But in 2010 Nile Basin countries, excluding Egypt and Sudan, signed another deal, the Cooperative Framework Agreement that allows projects on the river without Cairo's agreement.

Ethiopia, one of Africa's fastest growing economies, insists the dam will not affect the onward flow of water.

But Egypt fears its supplies will be especially reduced during the time it takes to fill the 74-billion-cubic-metre capacity reservoir.

The two sides need urgently to compromise on a timeline for filling the dam, think-tank the International Crisis Group said in a report in March 2019 that warned the issue was a potential flashpoint.

Ethiopia initially wanted it filled in three years so the dam could be operational as soon as possible, the report said. Egypt had asked for 15 years, which would have less downstream impact.

After talks in Washington under US mediation on November 6, Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan agreed to a series of technical meetings with the aim of resolving their differences by January 15. - AFP

“TANZANIA'S ECONOMY TO GROW FASTER IN 2020” - WB

FILE: President of Tanzania John Magufuli (R) welcomes World Bank representative to Tanzania, Bella Bird, to State House in Dar es Salaam October 9, 2018.

By Our Staff Reporter, NAIROBI Kenya

Tanzania’s economy will grow 5.8% in 2020 compared with an estimated 5.6% this year, and growth will rise to 6.1% in 2021, the World Bank said on Tuesday.

The World Bank’s 2019 forecast is lower than the government estimate of 7.1%, the second time this year its estimates have differed sharply from the government’s estimates.

“World Bank staff estimates ... suggest that real GDP growth in 2019 will be 5.6%, up from 5.4% in 2018,” the World Bank said in its Economic Update on Tanzania.

President John Magufuli’s government has invested billions of dollars in an ambitious industrialization drive that includes construction of a new rail line, revival of the national airline and a hydro-power plant.

But state intervention in sectors such as mining and agriculture has led to a drop in foreign investment in East Africa’s third-largest economy.

“Despite the recent recovery in exports, inflows are still lower than historical averages,” the World Bank said, adding that foreign direct investment had dropped by one-third, to $1.0 billion from $1.5 billion, between 2015 and 2018.

The government says the economy expanded by 6.9% in the first half of 2019 compared with 6.8% the previous year, driven by high public investment and exports, the bank said.

Finance Minister Philip Mpango told lawmakers in June that the economy would grow by 7.1% in 2019, up from 7.0% in 2018.

Dar es Salaam City

In July, the World Bank put Tanzania’s 2018 growth at 5.2%.

The International Monetary Fund has also reported lower economic growth figures than the Tanzanian government this year.

In April, the IMF said “unpredictable and interventionist” policies were undermining growth, according to a leaked report seen by Reuters.

The World Bank warned on Tuesday that spending pressures expected as a result of next year’s elections mean the country needs to strengthen its fiscal management.

“Revenue forecasting is weak, undermining budget credibility and resulting in accumulation of arrears and commercial domestic debt,” the bank said in its report.

The fiscal deficit has widened to 3.2% in 2018/19 from 1.9% of GDP in 2017/18, it added.

“The ambitious revenue target of 17.1 percent of GDP (in the previous fiscal year 14.0 percent was actually collected) and the higher budgeted spending may make it difficult to achieve the fiscal deficit goal of 2.3 percent of GDP in 2019/20,” the bank said. - Reuters

KENYA FORCING IMPORTERS TO USE COSTLY NEW CHINESE RAILWAY

By Duncan Muriri, MOMBASA, Kenya

Kenya’s new Chinese-built railway should have been a boon for business. The $3.3 billion line sliced hours off the journey from the port city of Mombasa to the capital, Nairobi.

But some importers said their transport costs shot up by nearly 50% when they used the rail due to extra fees, more time spent clearing goods at the congested Nairobi train depot and the need to send a truck to collect the goods from there.

A Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) cargo train transferring containers leaves the port of Mombasa, Kenya

These importers used to truck their goods in from the coast. But port authorities now say businesses based in Nairobi and upcountry must use the new line because the Mombasa port is contracted to supply it with a minimum amount of cargo.

“KPA has an obligation to feed the railway ... we were the guarantors of the rail,” said Daniel Manduku, head of the state-run Kenya Ports Authority.

The railway’s problems are a cautionary tale, both for developing nations loading themselves with Chinese debt, and for China as it seeks to expand global trade links and project soft power through its massive Belt and Road initiative.

“The vast majority of its (China’s) overseas spending has no detectable effect on economic growth,” said Bradley Sparks, executive director of AidData, a research facility that tracks development finance at William and Mary university in Virginia.

China has sought to allay fears that its infrastructure projects overload some countries with debt.

Last year, it agreed to restructure more than $12 billion in repayments owed by Ethiopia, whose Chinese-funded railway is also struggling.

Now some Kenyan politicians are asking whether their railway was worth the cost.

Hundreds of people - residents, business owners and local leaders - hold weekly demonstrations in Mombasa against the mandatory movement of cargo by rail.

“This is a revolution,” lawmaker Mohammed Ali said earlier this month as demonstrators carried a mock coffin branded “RIP China Colonisation” in blood-red letters.

The contract between China’s Exim Bank, the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) and Kenya Railways requires KPA to provide 1 million tonnes of cargo to the railway per year, rising to 6 million by 2024.

KPA says rail cargo is expected to hit 5 million tonnes this year, after more than 4 million last year.

Mombasa is projected to handle 34 million tonnes of cargo this year; most does not go by rail. Cargo destined for Mombasa, or countries other than Kenya, can still go by road.

But Kenyan importers in and around Nairobi say they have been forced to use the line since October last year. The port confirmed the policy in August, but rescinded the order in October after protests. Businesses say little has changed and they are still required to use the more expensive railway.

Port authorities are diverting shipments to the new railway, said a Nairobi-based customs clearance agent. “You are made to pay for it whether you like it or not.”

Moving a 40-foot container to Nairobi by rail costs 80,000 shillings ($800) - roughly the same as a truck, said Mercy Ireri, chief operations officer for the Kenya Transporters Association.

But importers must also pay at least 25,000 shillings for a truck to collect the goods from the Nairobi depot and 15,000 shillings in depot fees, said three businessmen who asked not to be named.

Manduku, also a board member of Kenya Railways, said the higher charges are necessary to meet loan repayments.

Kenya owes Exim Bank of China 660 billion shillings for the railway and other projects, about a tenth of its total national debt. The bank did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Kenya Railways did not respond to requests for comment. The China Road and Bridge Corporation, which built the railway and now runs it through its Kenya subsidiary Africa Star Operations, said it did not set policy on cargo.

The exact terms of the agreement are not public.

The new line opened in 2017. Running alongside a dilapidated track British colonialists built a century ago, it cut the Nairobi-Mombasa journey to four hours from 12 for passengers and to eight hours from 24 for cargo.

China supported the directive requiring importers to use the railway, said Wu Peng, Beijing’s ambassador in Nairobi.

 “That is a responsible and smart move by the Kenyan government,” Wu told Reuters.

After the directive was lifted, the embassy said the line “has revolutionized cargo and passenger movement”.

Parliament summoned the transport minister to answer questions about the cargo policy in November but he did not appear. Esther Koimett, principal secretary at the department of transport, told Reuters the government was no longer making importers use rail.

But Daniel Nzeki, chairman of the Container Freight Stations Association of Kenya, and Ireri of the Kenya Transporters Association, said port security in Mombasa was still preventing trucks from picking up some cargo.

“It is a circus,” Nzeki said.

LIFE: PULLING A CART WITH DISTINCTION IN MATHEMATICS

Kevin Makachia at working

By Silas Nyamweya, NAIROBI Kenya

There is a common saying; when life gives you a lemon instead of an orange, you can make lemonade out of it. But what happens when life doesn’t give you neither an orange nor a lemon?

This is the situation Kelvin Makachia Osore has found himself after searching for formal employment in futility.

Makachia Osore, 25, and a graduate from Kenyatta University is currently surviving by pushing a cart and other odd jobs in Soweto area, Nairobi. Mr. Makachia, who graduated from the institution in 2018 with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics, tried finding a job, but he was not able to secure one.

“I have tried sending my applications to more than 200 companies, but no reply is forthcoming,” says Mr. Makachia, who also claims to have visited many companies in Industrial area seeking any available job without success.

“The many months I have “tarmacked” and struggled have been utterly disappointing to my family and me, especially my mother, who is regretting why he took a loan to educate me at the university.”

Makachia has five siblings, three sisters and two boys. His mother, a single parent, and vegetable vendor single-handedly saw him through education, including taking a loan for his university education.

Nonetheless, life has to go on, and this is why Makachia, an A student in High School and a second class upper division student at the campus, decided to put aside his certificate and do something that can sustain him at the moment.

After hard deliberations on what next he had to do to survive, he settled on water vending and carrying luggage for needy clients in Soweto area.

“Since I knew somebody who could lend me a cart, I decided that I will start vending water and carrying luggage for needy clients such as stall owners in Soweto area,” he said, adding that “luckily, the business is currently doing better than expected.

He wakes up at 4 am, collects water from school boreholes in Soweto, and takes it to needy residents whom he charges 20 per jerrican. He buys a 20-litre jerrican at Sh5, and on a good day, he can go home with Sh900 profit. 

However, he is looked upon by his mother to pay rent, buy foodstuff, and school fees for his younger siblings.

The current challenge in this business is the free water brought to Soweto and Kayole by Sonko on some occasions.

“When this water arrives at the village, this becomes a disadvantage to us as water vendors as we are unable to sell.”