LAUSANNE, Switzerland, April 23, 2012/ — APO will offer transport, accommodation and perdiem for one African journalist to attend the 2012 Annual Meetings of the African Development Bank Group held in Arusha, Tanzania, from 28 May to 1 June 2012.
The winner will have the opportunity to interview experts, senior officers of the African Development Bank and meet the AfDB Head of Communications.
Only African professional journalists are eligible.
The deadline for entry is midnight on 1 May 2012.
Winner will be announced on 9 May 2012.
APPLY to win the invitation: http://www.apo-opa.org/en/application?vc=WIN
More information about the 2012 Annual Meetings of the African Development Bank Group: http://bit.ly/IlMKih
The developing world’s progress is seriously lagging on global targets related to food and nutrition, with rates of child and maternal mortality still unacceptably high, says the Global Monitoring Report (GMR) 2012, released today by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Recent spikes in international food prices have stalled progress across several of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the report says.
The chairman of the Awendo Town Council Johnson Omolo Owiro has strongly refuted claims that he was the one holding back the planned construction of new indoor market in the town.
He also dismissed as malicious the claim that he was dilly-dallying with the implementation of the project because the market has been earmarked to be construction of the side of Sakwa East Location, which is outside his electoral Ward in Sakwa Central.
He said Awendo town is not subjected to locations politics, but is an entity administrative area of itself and any government project can be built anywhere on any side of the town.
Councilor Owiro in a long phone conversation with this writer admitted that “some alarming leaflets were last week dropped n Awendo Town by unknown people”. He said the same people suspected to have been behind the anonymous leaflets have since applied to the Provincial Administration for permission to stage street demonstration in Awendo Town.
But he explained that the market project is not the Council responsibility, but a Central Government project which is being financed by the Ministry. What role the Council is playing is to identify a suitable land plot and site.
The Council had identified the site of the old market and had asked those owning temporary kiosks and makeshift structures to dismantle them and vacate the site to pave the way for the construction work on the new market to go on as planned. The trader had complied with the Council order and duly vacated the site.
. It was at this juncture when someone from nowhere emerged and laid the claims on this site. arguing that the land belonged to him The man moved to court and filled a legal suit in an attempt to stop the work and temporarily restrained the Council from carrying on with the project. And this is what has been holding back to construction work at the new market.
The ownership of the land which has been the market place for many years is right in dispute involving a court case. And because of the court case, the Council cannot implement the project on the plot which is in dispute. Once the court is determined and disposed, the project would go on as planned.
Councilor.Owiro was reacting to an article which appeared in one of the weekly newspapers under the headline “Alarming Leaflets Hit Awendo Town “alleging among that he was reluctance to allow affect the construction of the modern market on a land earmarked for it, which is free of any dispute or a court case.
Impeccable sources have revealed that Awendo, the small, but fast growing farming town within Migori County is faced with endless scandals after one another
The latest scandal is about its two ODM nominated civic leaders who are reported to have influenced the employment of their relatives.
One of the nominated civic leaders Coun Odera Awene from Central Sakwa Location who is also the ODM sub-branch chairman is said to have brought back his two married daughters and have them employed in the Council a market gate collectors.
The other nominated civic leaders is Councilor Mr Berty Onyango, from Sakwa East Location who is reported to have influenced the employment of her husband who is now working as driver and now driving the Council’s tipper. She has also employed her own sister to the Council service.
The government of Kenya has now made it clear that it has temporarily suspended the payment of all claims by people bitten by snakes.
It has ordered for the probe o claims that some people have been making falsified claims, and even other are reportedly inflicting injuries by cutting their legs with razor blades and thereafter conspire with medical personnel to register false and fake claims of snake bite.
A Senior Game Warden in Mwingi district, Eastern Province who is in-charge of the Kora National Game Park Wilson Njue made the announcement.
The announcement says some victims of snake attacks in the region may not be paid after the government suspended compensation following infiltration into the exercise by fraudsters.
The government has launched investigations into a scam in which it has paid out millions of shillings for fake and phony snake bite injuries and death claims.
About 100 people from Mwingi a semi arid area in the Eastern region of Kenya where cases of snake bites are so rampant who had been bitten by snakes were awaiting compensation. He said in the same district, the Kenya Wildlife Services {KWS} offices is said to be receiving almost 10 cases of snake bites are reported every month.
It was further established that suspension of compensation through a ministerial directive was brought about by revelations that fraudsters connived with crafty medics’ personnel and police officers to present false claims that passed and were paid.
“The government realized it was losing lots of money by paying fictitious claims and thus in February slammed a countrywide suspension on payment of claims related to snake bite injuries or deaths.
However, claims for attacks, death or injuries resulting from other wild animals are being honored.”
The Game Warden further disclosed that at the time of the suspension took effect in February his office had up to 100 snake bite claim forms awaiting for payments.
“The suspension was mean to facilitate investigations into the government rip off through falsified claims; residents who will attack by snakes should file reports with his office.”
“The suspension does not mean the claims will never be paid.””After investigations are concluded, a decision with be made and the genuine claims may be paid,” he said.
“Therefore those who are attacked should not be discouraged but should report to us as we wait for the conclusion of the probe.” The statement concluded,
Identity theft and tax fraud victims – like Michael Bucalo whom I recently met in Cleveland – know that “there are people out there [who] are so slick; they can steal your shoes while you are running.” For criminals who prey on unsuspecting taxpayers, tax season is the time to cash in – on other people’s hard-earned refund checks.
With more than two million suspected fraudulent tax returns currently under review by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), criminals who steal identities to illegally obtain tax returns are creating a national epidemic. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), a Chardon couple was charged with filing at least 35 false income tax returns, resulting in a total of at least $155,000 in false IRS claims. Reports also show that Americans make about 50,000 identity theft claims to the Federal Trade Commission every week – mostly regarding tax refund theft.
Here’s how it happens: criminals steal taxpayers’ Social Security numbers and file false tax returns early to steal refunds. Many Americans may not even realize that their personal information has been compromised until they file their returns later during the tax season and discover their return has already been claimed. Identity theft and fraudulent tax refunds cost Ohioans time and money.
Hardworking Ohioans have to spend time navigating paper trails and re-establishing their identities – while missing out on the tax refunds they’ve earned. According to the Taxpayer Advocate’s Office, the average tax refund in 2011 was about $2,913. This is money that hard-working Ohioans cannot afford to have taken from them by fraudsters. And our government cannot afford to hand out billions in illegal tax returns each year.
That’s why I’m fighting to pass the Identity Theft and Tax Fraud Prevention Act, which would protect Americans in three, simple ways.
First, it would increase penalties for people convicted of committing identity theft and cashing fraudulent return checks. We can stop and deter the networks of criminals who steal, trade, and cash-in on other people’s identities, by imposing tougher penalties. This bill would also increase the civil and criminal penalties for improper disclosure or use of taxpayer information by tax return preparers.
Next, and perhaps most importantly, this bill would expedite tax returns for Ohioans whose identities have been stolen. Innocent Ohioans should not be doubly punished – having their identity stolen and their tax return delayed. Instead, this bill would give all identity theft victims a unique personal identification number to include on their tax return to further prevent fraud and avoid tax refund delays. Honest citizens should not have to wait months and months to get the money they’ve earned. Ohioans making less than the average gross income of $32,393 simply cannot afford to go without a refund – or wait longer than usual to receive a refund because a crime has been committed against them.
Finally, this legislation would require the IRS, Bureau of Prisons, and the Treasury Department to step up identity theft tax fraud prevention programs. We can do a better job of informing citizens how to keep their information safe. The IRS can do its part to protect taxpayer information by providing an annual report on the number of reported tax fraud cases and the actions taken in responses to these reports. The IRS and Bureau of Prisons can work together to reduce prison tax fraud. And the Secretary of the Treasury should have the authority to implement an identity theft tax fraud prevention program to empower citizens.
If this law had been in place when Michael realized he couldn’t access his tax refund, then he may not have had to mail the IRS a copy of his Social Security card, driver’s license, passport, utility bill, and a copy of the police incident report – just to get the refund he deserved.
Until we pass this legislation, Ohio taxpayers can help prevent fraud by taking a few extra steps:
Don’t carry your Social Security card or any document with your Social Security number;
Avoid sharing your Social Security number and other personal information – especially over the telephone, Internet, or mail; and
Check your credit report each year.
Ohioans who suspect identity theft can contact local law enforcement officials or the IRS Identity Projection Specialized Unit at 1-800-908-4490 or click here.
With this legislation, we can protect taxpayers’ privacy and keep citizens safe. Ohio taxpayers, like Michael, deserve a government that fights to make sure citizens don’t fall prey to identity theft and tax fraud.
Sincerely,
Sherrod Brown
U.S. Senator
Senator Brown’s Offices
Washington, D.C.
713 Hart Senate Building
Washington, DC 20510
p (202) 224-2315
f (202) 228-6321
Columbus
200 N High St.
Room 614
Columbus, OH 43215
p (614) 469-2083
f (614) 469-2171
Toll Free
1-888-896-OHIO (6446)
Within the globalisation framework that considers the private sector as the engine for development and the possibility of investment mobility across the globe, many developing countries have been opening their markets to Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and promoting the development of national entrepreneurs. This means that there is an opportunity for the increment of domestic resources through taxation.
Given that taxes have a pervasive influence on economic decisions of individuals and businesses and on social equity, the tax systems should achieve the appropriate level of revenue as efficiently and fairly as possible. Thus, tax systems should be effective in raising revenues, efficient in their effects on economic decisions of households and businesses and equitable in their impact on different groups in society. http://www.eurodad.org/uploadedfiles/whats_new/reports/what%20has%20tax%20got%20to%20do%20with%20development%5B1%5D%281%29.pdf
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Karibu Jukwaa la www.mwanabidii.com
Pata nafasi mpya za Kazi www.kazibongo.blogspot.com
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Karibu Jukwaa la www.mwanabidii.com
Pata nafasi mpya za Kazi www.kazibongo.blogspot.com
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The IMF president, a French national recently went to Nigeria to tell them what to do with their economic situation as it relates to fuel subsidy. Of course, one could have said, a ‘Daniel Come to Justice’, a machination of Nigeria Finance Minister Ms Okonjo-Iweala, who believes into to in the virtues of the World Bank and IMF. To her, except these institutions endorse her often whacky economic solutions, it has no merit even when such runs counter to reality on the ground.
It baffles one that whenever Nigeria faces any struggles, their default wish is to run abroad for some solution. A dangerous dependent approach that makes the most populous black nation in the world, a patient of all kinds of doctors, willing and ready to swallow prescriptions that often leaves her marooned and comatose.
Given the structural challenges in Europe and Madam IMF president is a French nation, I like to know whether she has gone home to tell France and EU member nations what solutions they need to pursue.
It is amazing as UK, US and EU are challenged by their own situations, institutions like the World Bank and IMF, are still seen as relevant in addressing the challenges of developing nations mostly African ones. They case of doctor cure/heal thyself, is now more evident and yet, doctor is getting sicker. I wonder what ‘patient’ nations in Africa are left to do. I suppose remain hapless and wish the doctor cures thyself well enough to prescribe yet another potion for the patient.
A different world whereby what we have all known to be true, are looking more like voodoo prescriptions only suited for unsuspecting nations. If we are one global village, how come we are not trading in one currency? Maybe we eliminate all the barriers that choke the world. It is good to see the ‘master’ struggle maybe it is time the ‘servant’ stood up and defy what the master has made them to believe is gospel truth. We never know. Do we?
As the height of the European debt crisis deepens and tensions abound, European Union struggle to what is likely to be a slow and painful recovery. The pain caused by deficit-reducing austerity measures will likely be much more significant than many realize: contraction of government services will hit Europe’s poor hard, worsening an already- desperate situation, says the New York Times.
The poor of EU nations will face significant obstacles on the road to recovery, and the pain will not be isolated to those countries that are most in debt — even France and Germany are discovering striking amount of desperation among their working poor.
In 2010, 8.2 percent of workers in the 17 EU countries that use the euro were living under the region’s average poverty threshold of 10,240 Euros, or about $13,500 annual income.
The situation is nearly twice as bad in Spain and Greece.
This is up from only 7.3 percent in 2006, according to Eurostat.
As a point of comparison, the Labor Department estimated that 7 percent of single adult workers in the United States earned less than the poverty threshold of $10,830 in 2009.
France, which is second only to Germany in its aggregate level of prosperity, has seen a fundamental failure of its own generous social safety nets to protect the poor.
Slightly lower than the European Union average, France still faces a below-poverty rate of 6.6 percent for single workers.
Furthermore, half the nation’s workers earn less than $25,000.
Even though the country’s workers make more than most other workers in the European Union, they also face higher prices that diminish this advantage.
For example, the lack of affordable housing (home prices have surged 110 percent in the last decade) have left many homeless.
One of the obstacles that the EU’s workers face is that traditional jobs, which include benefits and comprehensive compensation packages, are largely being replaced by inconsistent contract work. In 2011, temporary contracts accounted for 50 percent of all new hires in the European Union, according to Eurostat. The growing needs of the poor place greater pressure on government services just when EU governments are cutting back on those same services. Source: Liz Alderman, New York Times, April 1, 2012.
Funny money and credit instruments, laced with creative financing and fuzzy math models, have left America wounded, putting the entire economy in structural shock; teetering and tethering.
Extension of credits by instruments, a model developed and preached by the West, using future income models to finance current needs, makes one wonder, are we not living way above our means? The ratio of revenue to current budget needs fueled by undue dependency placing weight on future incomes while the economy is in dire strait is not sustainable.
Two deficit nations US and UK, are getting to understand that beyond the 6 functions of money, and undue carry forwards, it is time for austerity measures. It’s time to tighten spending and really cutting one’s coat according to their size.
The ‘crazy-like-fox’ class of operators and manipulators on Wall Street, will always assure the rest of us they have the answers. Well, how is that? We have unduly become a laboratory controlled by weird and wired minds, who prescribe ‘whatever’ financial vehicle when simple approach very well could have delivered the needed answers. It is amazing!
I get hearty laugh when I hear the word ‘austerity’ used in US and UK, because those of us coming from foreign countries, very well understood what that means given the often failed financial and economic prescriptions hoisted on unsuspecting nations by World Bank and IMF; the principal command and control arms of US and its European allies on developing nations.
It’s now time for the doctor to test and use their prescription. I guess what ‘Thou Has recommended, Thou often shy from using’, more like, do as I say but never as I do’. Any country serious about developing should see what US and UK have done, and never repeat those especially on spending versus revenue. We are choking at our prescriptions and no solutions appear in the horizon. The world is no longer naive.
Now, the doctor is facing their own prescription but they want Kool- Aid. One in denial always ends up confused more.
We must embrace ‘Back to the Basics’ with applied common sense economics, but common sense is a luxury in our good ole US America. I guess, we are waiting for ‘What the Doctor Ordered’, but what doctor? I pass.
What goes up comes down, and the Sun never rises from the West. Does it?
The reshuffle in Coalition Government Cabinet Ministers is a prescription for avalanche with Professor Ongeri as foreign Minister is equally questionable. Once people of questionable characters are put on strategic position, the world must be worried of what will transpire next.
Kenya is so strategic to the world’s stability and success and the world cannot sit back and watch Kenya destroyed by the Chinese Commission Agent of the International Corporate Special Business Interest cartel network. We now need swift urgent action. The fact remains that The Coalition Government has failed and it cannot be allowed to spin out of control. It is already leaning at danger zone, will the world leaders sit back and spectate?
We demand that, Kibaki and Raila dissolve the Government now and the Transitional Caretaker step in to fix the fixtures towards a safer and secured democratic electioneering.
Wake up people, wake up……..
Judy Miriga
Diaspora Spokesperson
Executive Director
Confederation Council Foundation for Africa Inc.,
USA
http://socioeconomicforum50.blogspot.com
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Don’t rush new laws, warns judge
Published on 05/04/2012
BY WAHOME THUKU
Supreme Court judge Njoki Ndung’u has warned against rushing implementation of the new Constitution.
Lady Justice Ndung’u, who is one of the crafters of the Constitution, said rushing the process will lead to a false start. She said contrary to wide perceptions, the Constitution was not designed to be implemented at once or by the current Parliament only.
“It was not for this Parliament to legislate all the laws. We will take ten to 15 years to fully implement the Constitution, but if we rush, it we would fail,” the judge said.
She was addressing members of the Institute of Certified Public Secretaries of Kenya (ICPSK) during their 19th annual dinner at Panafric Hotel in Nairobi on Wednesday evening.
Ndung’u was a member of the technical committee of experts that drafted the Constitution. She was also a nominated MP at a time debate on the Constitution review was at its peak. The judge, who was the chief guest, urged professionals to get more involved in management of counties.
run like businesses
“The running of counties will determine the economic growth of the country. But they will only succeed if they are run like businesses, so you should be looking for good managers,” she told ICPSK members.
The judge said devolution of services will not happen at the same time for all counties.
Ndung’u appealed to the public to shift debate from political aspects of the next election to technical issues.
She said Judiciary has undergone tremendous reforms in the past months, but more is yet to be done.
“Success will not come from internal reforms only. We must respect judicial decisions even as we make criticism of the Judiciary,” she added. Ndung’u appealed to the public to shift debate from political aspects of the next election to technical issues.
Anti-graft veto sparks anxiety
By JUMA KWAYERA
Is there a plot to frustrate the creation of a new anti-graft body that may pursue key politicians and lock them out of the next General Election?
This is the question after Mutula Kilonzo’s removal from the Justice Ministry raised doubts about the fate of proposed changes to a draft law that would give more powers to the Independent Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission. The body is among the vetting agencies that would screen candidates for political office on integrity issues.
The EACC remains hamstrung by controversy over the appointment of commissioners.
Five months since a parliamentary committee rejected three nominees picked by President Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga to head the body, the push to roll back graft has lost steam.
Its predecessor, the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission, had targeted senior politicians and other Government officials implicated in graft, but its disbandment has taken the wind out of the sails of the anti-corruption effort.
Former KACC Director-General PLO Lumumba and four deputies were shown the door last year after MPs made changes to the Bill creating the EACC. Dr Lumumba’s ejection came after his famous declaration regarding five to ten “high voltage files”, alluding to investigations targeting four Cabinet ministers and at least 45 heads of parastatals.
As with the law on KACC before it, MPs watered down the Bill, taking away proposed powers to prosecute among other steps to clip the commission’s wings even before establishment. Their argument, that such powers would cause a clash between the EACC and the Director of Public Prosecutions ignored the fact that the Bill had stated the commission would institute criminal proceedings “in consultation with the office of the Secretary of Public Prosecutions”.
Before he was moved to the Education Ministry in a recent Cabinet reshuffle, then Justice Minister Mutula Kilonzo had stated he had written to the Kenya Law Reform Commission seeking to amend the EACC Act to give it prosecutorial powers. These were the subjects of one of the more controversial changes to the Bill.
Draft law
The original draft law had also barred State officers from operating bank accounts abroad to clamp down on offshore accounts where looted public funds are stashed. The provision was expunged in a move supported by Cabinet ministers James Orengo and Amos Kimunya.
The recent Cabinet changes came against the backdrop of discussions on legislation on leadership and integrity, which will give EACC powers to bar any person from seeking elected or appointed office if they have contravened the law.
The apathy to an anti-graft effort is apparent in the way the Executive and the Legislature have dragged their feet in creating a fully operational autonomous institution.
The nomination of former Kenya Revenue Authority commissioner Mumo Matemu and his deputies —Jane Onsongo and Irene Keino — has hit a dead end. The lack of progress since has led to a growing perception Kibaki and Raila are reluctant to open a corruption can of worms ahead of the General Election.
New ministers have work cut out for them
Published on 27/03/2012
He barged into the political scene with youthful vigour and has maintained that label: Kenya future prosperity belongs to, and must be steered by the youth. That man is Eugene Wamalwa.
And with the same gusto, he took over his first ministerial appointment at the Justice ministry yesterday, in place of long-serving veteran lawyer Mutula Kilonzo.
And of course, all media has an opinion or other during these testy and momentous times. Ours is to congratulate Eugene for his elevation as Watchdog Number One of the rights of all Kenyans, even as we demand a few things in return.
Given the sensitivity and overall importance of the Justice and Constitutional Affairs docket, Eugene will undoubtedly be in the public eye a lot more, from now henceforth. For the lawyer in him, the courtroom just got wider and louder and he will learn to keep his counsel, advise government on the best possible legal routes to tread and read the charts for the ubiquitous ‘mines’ that will no doubt litter his tenure.
The new minister shall learn to develop a thick skin, as the spotlight shall invariably be on his office and interpretations or directions that may emanate from there.
Given the fractious nature of the Grand Coalition Government and a decidedly polarised Parliament, his must become a unifying rather than divisive appointment. He shall find his office faced with the self-same challenges of selective interpretation of provisions in the new Constitution by vested interests.
Not-so-rosy task
He shall have to deal with the steaming potato that is the International Criminal Court, appointments to public office, confronting the Lords of Impunity, witness protection and a host of other pieces of legislation.
It is, therefore, not a time to celebrate the elevation, rather time to roll up the sleeves and get some judicial work done.
These observations do not just apply to Eugene Wamalwa alone. The same appointing authority handed Mr Danson Mwazo, another newcomer to Cabinet, the not-so-rosy task of ensuring Kenya becomes and remains the destination of choice for tourists. Easier said than done, as many of his predecessors have found out.
However, much ground has been covered and Mr Mwazo’s task would be to breathe life into the legacies of past Tourism ministers.
Mr Wetangula is no stranger to roundtable negotiations or recognising when to play hardball. As the immediate former Foreign minister, he is very well placed to address trade matters regionally and internationally. As it is, recent high-profile visitors to Kenya were here solely on matters to do with trade. What more is there to say?
Environment minister Ali Chirau Mwakwere has for the second time taken over a docket formerly held by the late John Michuki. First was the Transport ministry and now Environment. His predecessor had things sewed up pretty well and ran a tight, well-regimented ship. If the accolades Michuki was showered with at his requiem Mass are any indicator, let’s hope he did not raise the bar too high.
Mr Jamleck Kamau comes in to replace the late son of Murang’a, Michuki. No one needs to draw him a map of Nairobi or enumerate the myriad needs unique to this city. Can he prove that he is the man Nairobians have been waiting for?
Prof Sam Ongeri is known for his methodical approach to issues. And having been a key PNU-Kanu negotiator at the Serena talks in 2008, he appears to be the right appointee to the Foreign Affairs desk. It is time he oversaw crafting of some hard and fast rules and a Foreign Policy seeing as Kenya is increasingly being called upon to lead or arbitrate between states, the world over.
In confirming Mr Njeru Githae at the Treasury, the President must have been alive to the fact that the annual Budget cycle is being assailed and pressured by demands from every ministry.
In this docket too, lies the make-or-break proposal that devolved government is waiting for. At no other time in the history of this nation has the Treasury been under such scrutiny. Githae needs no “honeymoon” and would be well advised to start counting the shillings and make sense thereof.
Plush offices
Mutula Kilonzo is no stranger to this publication. The straight-talking lawyer has little fear for criticism and will have little trouble straightening the Education ministry at a time when there are calls for revising the learning system, higher education is expanding, teachers’ unions are as militant as ever and the examinations council is taking a beating. “Good morning Mr Kilonzo”, they shall keep saying until they realise he is the man that wields the cane!
Whatever other motivation informed this mini-reshuffle, it is clear there is a lot of work ahead for all these gentlemen whose plush offices we shall call into in 100 days. Need we say more?
— On Mon, 11/7/11, Judy Miriga wrote:
From: Judy Miriga
Subject: WORLD BANKER MAKES STUNNING CONFESSION (Please Watch) It is what is true in Kenya
Date: Monday, November 7, 2011, 10:31 AM
From: Judy Miriga
Folks,
Revelation of the World Bank as a Financial Institution dominance and control into the future is threatening. This is a deliberate scheme to the world of Conspiracy. It is our life and we must take charge to decide how to live our lives Democratically. The shift of wealth from west to East is scarring. We must unite with the World to correct the wrong. Quote……THE FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE WORLD BANK 1995 – 2005, JAMES D. WOLFENSOHN, recently made a stunning speech about Wealth, Race and Economics to a group of students in Stanford University…….WOLFENSOHN’S OWN INVESTMENT FIRM IS IN CHINA, POISED TO PROFIT FROM THIS “IMMINENT SHIFT” IN GLOBAL WEALTH, and could this be the reason for the shift of Global Wealth pitying the poor livelihood…..??……Is it a conspiracy….???…..This is a silent weapon to destroy lives of the poor of Africa along with the Global poor including the destruction of the Middle Class of the world. To counter this, the Government must step up and bond with the public to safeguard public interest. The World Bank, IMF with other Financial Institution must preserve dignity and liberty of humanity. They must work alongside the people public to nub thievers who are trading unscrupulously.
A lot of Kenyan Funded loans have not been put to do what it was requested for or intended to do. The funds have since 1995 been steadily diverted. There is need to check and investigate “Equity Bank of Kenya” lest it is operating in the “Ponzi Scheme” using public money in the form of Loans in their business……This is a serious concern. World Bank, IMF with other Financial institutions must stand by the public to expose corruption which is a serious cancer to the whole world region. World Bank have enough evidence to expose to public so proper measures can be taken against unscrupulous leaders. This will prove World Bank is not covering or working together with unscrupulous rich to rob taxpayers from exhobitant defrauding scheme which is in its climax…….This cancerous killer must be nipped in the bud…..it is deadly and it is destroying the whole world…….If let loose, no one will escape or survive at the rate things are………It is wicked and satanic…….
Yes, What is driving this World Wide Change craze is greed…???……The Poor of Africa and the Middle Class poor of the World are the New Minion Class. Minions are the true workforce of Evil. Sure, Evil Overlords get the fame and notoriety, In fact, the only thing we have to look forward to is a cruel and painful death. As long as Evil Minions take pride in their work, we will continue to be a labor force for Overlords, Warlords, Mad Scientists, Criminal Masterminds and any other charismatic madman in search of world domination. They are putting a good face on evil, such like you see hunger, poverty, draught, faked HIV/Aids, faked Malaria and other faked diseases, pain and suffering of the poor, taking property and land of the poor free and by force, through torture, assassinations and exterminations…….
This is a Global Political Power machination of conspiracy, where majority of them invested in Gold, Diamond, Titanium, Gas and Oil and the Africa’s Agricultural Marketing control by the unscrupulous Rich, and some pretend behind religious groupings, driving and draining the poor of dear life and leaving the poor to die out of poverty and hunger in a hopelessness manner.
This is what Predicts China’s Economy boom against Europe Financial collapse, it is done through “Ponzi Scheme” and “Hedge Funding”……the reason China has taken control in “Intellectual Property Thieving” in the acquisition and ownership of Africa’s public and community land, in the watch of Kenya Coalition Government connected to the previous ones….It is the reason the Coalition Government of Kibaki and Raila Refused to offer proper implementation of the Constitution as is mandated at Referendum and provide Devolution of Counties as Public Demands…..it is the reason they are dilly dallying, trying to chart out the Constitution to cater for their interests……What is their the projection for the next 10 to 20 years???….This is the period the Rich of Africa and Kenya have quietly given away the land as an example of Dominion Farm by …..Ask yourselves…….Will Africa break free from its former Colonial masters???…..Yes, it must and it has, and that is the reason they had a Referendum to own their Democratic Governance. Africa is not a major problem to the Rich World, because it is open to mutual Partnership arrangement for Development where the poor also gets involved into Development Agenda on a shared give and take. But, the problem with the unscrupulous rich is that, they want to take and own everything as if it is their own. They are dealing in “Ponzi Scheme”, and this is not fair…..Africa provide vital resources for the rich, and so in a barter trade or shared in Partnership under cooperative arrangement, we will preserve life in a challenging and competitive manner. Through mutual partnership cooperative arrangement, we will remain at Peace, in Love and United with each other in the Global World of Emerging Market…It is the way to go to a long lasting relationship into the future we all aspire for. Local and Foreign NGOs controlled by the unscrupulous rich are the problem, who jointly are after eliminating the poor from survival.
We are just able to comment about the things we see happening. I believe, we can find a solution. It is the decision of the majority. If we want to safeguard lives we must provide serious debate of the same and make Mutual Agreement based justice and according to majority demands of the world.
Life is precious, lets us all unite to preserve it because of Peace, Love and Unity.
The Coalition Government of Kibaki and Raila are busy changing the constitution to suit their private and personal interest. The Coalition Government must disolve now. They failed to abide by the public mandate at Referendum and they have no business staying in Public Office. They are not constitutionally in order to occupy public office.
Wake up people and run to Court…….Stand up for your Rights, the Constitution is your Right……….
May God Bless us all…….
Judy Miriga
Diaspora Spokesperson
Executive Director
Confederation Council Foundation for Africa Inc.,
USA
http://socioeconomicforum50.blogspot.com
WORLD BANKER MAKES STUNNING CONFESSION
Uploaded by PremierLegend on May 31, 2011
THE FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE WORLD BANK, JAMES WOLFENSOHN, MAKES STUNNING CONFESSIONS AS HE ADDRESSES GRADUATE STUDENTS AT STANFORD UNIVERSITY. HE REVEALS THE INSIDE HAND OF WORLD DOMINATION FROM PAST, TO THE PRESENT AND INTO THE FUTURE. THE SPEECH WAS MAS MADE JANUARY 11TH, 2010. THE NEXT 19 MINUTES MAY OPEN YOUR MIND TO A VERY DELIBERATE WORLD.
HE TELLS THE GRAD STUDENTS WHAT’S COMING, A “TECTONIC SHIFT” IN WEALTH FROM THE WEST TO THE EAST. BUT HE DOESN’T TELL THE STUDENTS THAT IT IS HIS INSTITUTION, THE WORLD BANK, THAT’S DIRECTING AND CHANNELING THESE CHANGES.
WOLFENSOHN’S OWN INVESTMENT FIRM IS IN CHINA, POISED TO PROFIT FROM THIS “IMMINENT SHIFT” IN GLOBAL WEALTH.
Quote Commentaries:
@AffinityNetNews Right. Well said. But these people have historically waged war against those who resist them. Lincoln printed his own dollar right before he was ”mysteriously” shot, rendering Congressional dollars? worthless….bankers won.
Kennendy proposed a bill meant as a form of resistence …before he was mysteriously killed.
The Tzars of Russia resisted…then the family was finally killed and overthrown…Bankers don’t just steal. They kill those who resist.
cbasallie 3 days ago 4 On October 31, 2011 the UN announced the world had reached 7 billion in population. In the next few years it will hit 10 billion. And WHERE will all THOSE jobs come from?
Govt downplays drought severity
Uploaded by NTVKenya on Jul 8, 2011
http://www.ntv.co.ke
Abbas Gullet, the secretary general of the Kenya Red Cross society says the government has repeatedly failed to heed to warnings about the need to put in place contingency measures to deal with frequent drought. And as Lindah Oguttu reports, fresh revelations that donor funds meant for alleviating the effects of drought in northern Kenya have been embezzled further dents the government’s image, as millions face the risk of starvation.
Updated In Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia, relief efforts intensify
Uploaded by worldvisionireland on Oct 27, 2011
World Vision’s response to the drought and hunger in the Horn of Africa intensifies.
We need your help. Donate today www.worldvision.ie/give
World Vision talks to Somali refugee children
Uploaded by worldvisionireland on Sep 12, 2011
World Vision staff member Mindy Minzell speaks to children in Dadaab the world’s largest refugee camp. Their main concerns: food, safety and access to an education.
Help these children now – donate what you can to www.worldvision.ie/give
Drought UNICEF children crisis
Uploaded by standardgroupkenya on Jul 17, 2011
A hunger crisis is putting millions of children at risk in Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia as the drought situation begins taking its toll. The United Nations children’s fund, UNICEF, has called for an immediate expansion of assistance across the horn of Africato address the dire needs of more than two million children, 500,000 of whom face imminent risk of dying. Prime Minister Raila Odinga says aid should be distributed across the somali border to control the high numbers of refugees crossing into Kenya due to hunger.
Turkana drought
Uploaded by standardgroupkenya on Jul 16, 2011
The United Kingdom has pledged 17.5 billion shillings in emergency aid to help drought victims in Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia. The news comes just in time with a report released yesterday predicting that as many as 3.5 million people in Kenya alone will be in need of food aid in the next few months. Wajir district and the greater Turkana region are among the worst hit areas. Kenya Red Cross statistics show that about 800,000 people in the Turkana region are dependent on donors. KTN’s Betty Kyallo has just returned from Turkana Central and brings us this report.
For Somali refugee children in Kenya, the new school offers a fresh start
Uploaded by unicef on Sep 9, 2011
UNICEF’s Kyle O’Donoghue reports on accelerated education for Somali children who have fled famine and conflict and are living in refugee camps in Daddab, Kenya.
For more information, please visit http://www.unicef.org
The fate of a controversial Sh. 118 M Kenya police housing project in Ndhiwa , the backyard of internal security assistant minister Orwa Ojode will be known on Thursday when the public procurement oversight authority meet to look at the issue.
The project which seeks to ease the biting housing problem for the police officers working at Ndhiwa police station in Homa Bay county had a false start last month following a controversy over the award of the tender which saw one of the 12 contractors who participated in the bids petitioning the public procurement administrative review board to review the award citing alleged anomalies of procedure in procurement .
According to documents in our possession ,the tender for the proposed 16 units type E flats was advertised in the newspapers and opened on February 8th this year at the boardroom of the DC, Kisumu East district by the district tender committee chaired by the area DDO.
Twelve tenderers returned their tender documents amongst them, a firm known as Cell Arc Systems. It is this firm which petitioned the board for review of the tender award accusing the procuring entity of irregularly awarding the tender to a firm whose bid they claim was higher than theirs.According to documents we obtained while investigating the matter, Cell Arc Systems was the lowest responsive tenderer out of the four companies which were found to be responsive after evaluation.
The project had been estimated to cost Sh.118.7M by the quantity surveyor from the ministry of public works in Kisumu who prepared the bill of quantity for the project and according to the documents relating to the tender , Cell Arc Systems had a tender sum of Sh107,082,999.80.
Interestingly, the company whose details and name we also obtained and which won the disputed tender had quoted sh.128,336,019.20 which was the highest.
Other two companies which also prequalified after evaluation whose names we can not reveal for legal reasons quited sh.110,045,512.06 and sh 118,120,215.05.
In their petition, Cell Arc advance that the tender committee was required according to section 66(4) of the procurement Act to award them the contract being the lowest” responsive tenderer at Sh 107,082,999.80.
Instead, the committee awarded the tender to the winning company at Sh 128,336,019.40, a bid which was higher that that of the petitioner by a difference of sh 21.2 M.
Part of their letter to the review board dated 10th of March this year read in part ” the decision by the procuring entity to declare our bid unsuccessful was arrived at without due regard to the evaluation procedure and criteria as set out in the tender documents and the Act”.
It went ” under section 50(3), tenders shall be ranked according to their evaluated price and successful tender shall be the tender with the lowest evaluated price in accordance with section 66(4)of the Act”
The petitioner also states to the board that according to the technical evaluation committee report , the contractor who was given the job has only completed a project of Sh. 9M while Cell Arc has successfully completed a project Of Sh 59.4M and also implementing another worth sh 75.5M project within Kisumu.
” It is therefore inconceivable and in total breach of the Act and rules of natural practice to award contract to a firm whose bid was higher and also less experienced and technically qualified. Financial analysis also indicate that most of the rates of the contractor were high” read the letter to the board.
In fact following the appeal, the Kisumu East DC Mabeya Mogaka, in his letter to the Nyanza PPO Njue Njagi dated 14th March, which was also copied to the Nyanza PC and the regional commissioner Central Nyanza, informed the provincial police boss that the contract agreement for the proposed residential units for Ndhiwa police station should not be signed until he is notified that the complaint raised has been adequately addressed by the public procurement oversight authority who have been petitioned.
Notable is the DC’s comment in the same letter and we quote ” Indeed the highest tenderer was awarded the contract while it is prescribed that it is the lowest tenderer who should be awarded”.
Mabeya in fact cautioned in his letter to the PPO that ” from my quick observation I note that the government will lose Sh 18 M if this particular contract is signed”.
Most of the contractors we talked to during our investigations claimed officers from the public works inflated the cost of the project with some insisting the project could not be over Sh 70 M. Our efforts to very the claims by the quantity surveyors from the ministry were futile.
In his reply to the grounds of the appeal, the procuring entity on their part insisted it did an evaluation as per the relevant provisions in the Act and regulations by converting preliminary , technical and financial evaluation.
According to his response in a letter dated 16th March , the district procurement officer Mr. Luke Midamba said the award was not based on the lowest tenderer alleged by the applicant rather it was based on lowest evaluated tender after considering the criteria set in tender advertisement.
whether the project will be allowed to proceed to full implementation with issue raised by both the parties now remains to be seen as the board sit to review the award today at a Kisumu hotel.Based on their findings, the tender will either be nullified or be given green light.
The goal of this study is to improve our understanding of how changes in population age structure are influencing national economies. Until recently changes in age structure were favorable for most countries as populations became increasingly concentrated in the working ages. Effectively addressing the economic challenges of population aging is especially difficult, for two reasons. The first is that countries cannot rely exclusively on their own experience because in any given country changes in population age structure are occurring for the first time. The second problem is that many issues are addressed in piecemeal fashion, relying on partial and incomplete data. This study addresses this problem by relying on a newly developed system of accounts, National Transfer Accounts.
The World Bank Group has made available the presentations from the recent workshop on incentives for renewable energy and energy efficiency technology adoption. The workshop was attended by public and private sector participants and convened from 30 January-2 February 2012.
The main topics addressed were feed-in tariffs (FiTs) for renewable energy, trends and lessons learned in energy efficiency, renewable energy auctions and competitive procurement of energy efficiency. Tim Richards, Managing Director of Energy Policy for General Electric (GE), told workshop participants “We are in a phase of developing higher-cost renewable energy, and this is a highly policy-dependent environment,” adding that the key concept to focus on is the cost of electricity. In this respect, participants discussed FiTs—the most widespread policy incentive for renewable energy—which offer cost-based compensation to renewable energy producers. Workshop participants agreed that even though costs of wind and solar energy are diminishing, they cannot yet compete with fossil fuels without policy incentives.
This Technical Note explores the variety of reasons why and how microfinance associations may choose to adopt and promote self-regulation through a code of ethics or code of conduct. In this Note, three case examples are presented that illustrate three diff erent approaches to this task:
1. Adopting self-regulation as a response to crisis, the case of the MFIN Code of Conduct in India;
2. Proactively managing political risk through a voluntary Code of Conduct, the case of PMN in Pakistan; and
3. Industry building through a Code of Ethics, the case of ProDesarrollo in Mexico.
Stakeholders interest should not be taken for granted. Motivated land-clashes, deportation and forceful migration or transfers of population is an abuse, violation and crime against Human Rights.
According to the law of land with the International legal justification, In practical terms, any development agenda should incorporate public and community interest on the ground. No development agenda should be formalized without extensive consultation or information is conclusively agreed upon with needs, grievances and fears taken into consideration.
The project of building Lamu Port Mombasa is a good idea but if stakeholders and the local community’s interest for engagement are ignored, the project will have problems of sustenance in the future.
Thanks,
Judy Miriga
Diaspora Spokesperson
Executive Director
Confederation Council Foundation for Africa Inc.,
USA
http://socioeconomicforum50.blogspot.com
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Kibaki, Zenawi and Kiir launch Lamu port construction
Uploaded by NTVKenya on Mar 2, 2012
http://www.ntv.co.ke
And tonight in the county of Lamu, where what is likely to be a milestone in Kenya’s, and indeed the continent’s infrastructural achievements is now in the offing. President Mwai Kibaki, President Salva Kiir of Southern Sudan and Ethiopian Premier Meles Zenawi were all at hand today to inaugurate the Lamu port project, which is set to be the biggest port of its kind in Africa. Amid speeches gushing with praise for what the port could do to transform the economies of the regions nations, President Kibaki had soothing words for Lamu residents who were jittery over whether the mammoth project would force them off their land. Rita Tinina is in Lamu and now reports.
President Kibaki to inaugrate Lamu port construction
Uploaded by NTVKenya on Mar 1, 2012
http://www.ntv.co.ke
President Mwai Kibaki is tomorrow (Friday) expected to inaugurate the construction of the Lamu Port. The new facility will be part the Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia Transport Corridor. The LAPSSET projects are an ambitious plan to stitch up the region, especially the landlocked oil fields of South Sudan to the coast. NTV’s Rita Tinina reports from Lamu Island.
Kibaki, Kiir and Zenawi to attend Lamu Port inaugration
Uploaded by NTVKenya on Mar 2, 2012
http://www.ntv.co.ke
President Mwai Kibaki will shortly inaugurate the construction of the Lamu Port. The new facility will be part of the Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia Transport Corridor. The LAPSSET projects are an ambitious plan to stitch up the region, especially the landlocked oil fields of South Sudan to the coast. NTV’s Rita Tinina reports from Lamu Island.
Kenya: Tension Over Construction of Lamu Port
http://allafrica.com/view/group/main/main/id/00015836.html
There has been mixed reactions to the announcement of the construction of the port with some saying the effects of the environment, compensation for those who will be displaced and fishing were not taken into account.
Prime Minister Raila Odinga has today toured the proposed site of the new Lamu port, and assured residents who will be displaced by the project, that they will receive full compensation for their land.
Odinga who was accompanied by several line ministers that will undertake the various projects said the multi-billion shilling project will open up the region and boost trade between the horn of Africa countries.
The ministry of roads has already released 550 million shillings to construct roads leading to the proposed port. Denis Otieno has details to that report.
Kenya: Lamu Tension Over Port Ceremony Demo
Nairobi Star, 1 March 2012
A human rights activist in Lamu county was yesterday grilled by police over plans to hold demonstrations against the construction a multibillion port project ahead of the … read more »
Kenya: ‘White Elephant’ Projects Face Extinction
The Nation, 28 February 2012
The occurrence of ‘white elephant projects’ could be a thing of the past, if a Bill by the Government aimed at ensuring socially and economically beneficial projects is enacted. read more »
Chinas Grant to Fight High Sea Piracy
Uploaded by kenyacitizentv on Jan 6, 2010
The government has received a 550 million shilling grant from china to fight piracy in the high seas. Both governments are concerned about the piracy which has threatened to bring business between Kenya and other countries to its knees. Chinese Foreign Affairs Minister Yang Jie Chi also said that China is prepared to finance the construction of a second port in Lamu.
China will finance the building of a second port in Kenya
Uploaded by TheMarinewaves on Jan 22, 2010
Ship calls to the Philippines increased by 4% in the third quarter of 2009, according to data from the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA). Port congestion is at its highest for the first time since July 2009. The number of Capesize bulkers waiting to berth at Chinese iron ore ports hit a high at 45 vessels in July 2009, but this month, the number has risen to 60.Mehr News Agency reported that the third largest container shipping company in the world started its operations in Bushehr Port of southern Iran.China will finance the building of a second port in Kenya as well as a transport corridor and upgrade of a railroad linking Kenya’s Mombasa port and the Ugandan capital.
Kenya begins port construction
March 2 2012 at 01:51pm
Comment on this story
Kenya launched on Friday the construction of a massive port, railway and refinery near a UNESCO-listed Indian Ocean island in a project it bills as the biggest ever undertaken by an African nation.
Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki, Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and South Sudanese President Salva Kiir unveiled a plaque at a ceremony to mark the official start of building work near Lamu island in Kenya’s southeast. – AFP
Capital FM (Nairobi)
Kenya: Lamu Project Kicks Off Amid Locals’ Scepticism
By Victoria Rubadiri, 2 March 2012
Nairobi — The government launched the construction of a massive port, railway and refinery in Lamu with calls to sceptical locals to support the project it bills as the biggest ever in an African nation.
The government hopes the Sh2 trillion project will turn the country into a regional economic hub and propel it to become a middle-income economy in the next two decades.
The port is to be constructed with 32 berths and be connected to Ethiopia and oil-rich South Sudan by a super-highway, a railway and a pipeline to export Juba’s crude.
The project is expected to be funded by regional financial institutions, governments and international lenders, with China believed to have a major stake.
However, Lamu residents protest that the huge port, although located some 10 kilometres from the UNESCO-listed Island, will impact on their livelihoods and accuse the government of ignoring their concerns
Local MPs Abu Chiaba and Fahim Twaha told their constituents who have been accusing the government of ignoring their concerns to stop protesting against the construction and expressed satisfaction with the government’s commitment to compensate residents.
President Mwai Kibaki also took issue with NGOs rallying residents against the project further ordering that issuance of title deeds to residents of Lamu County and other parts of the coastal region to be fast-tracked.
“I want to assure you that my government will compensate those affected by the development of the corridor in accordance with the law. While developing Lamu port, all necessary precautions must be taken to ensure that there is minimal interference with the delicate ecosystem and cultural heritage,” he said.
LAPSSET will address transport challenges facing the Northern, Eastern and Coastal parts of our country, and is expected to generate employment and act as a catalyst for productive economic activities in various sectors of the economy.
Minister for Transport Amos Kimunya said the project that has been at least 40 years in the making will spur industrialization along the corridor as well as facilitate technology transfer.
“Other proposed developments include the international airports in Isiolo, Lamu and Lokichoggio. Resort cities along the corridor and oil refineries in Lamu and even one in Isiolo,” he revealed.
The Power Purchasing Agreement recently finalised between Kenya and Ethiopia will see up to 400 Megawatts of power imported from Ethiopia to boost construction of the Lamu Port.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said the LAPSSET project comes at an opportune time and once complete will be a crucial segment on the Great Equatorial Land Bridge that will connect the Eastern and Western coasts.
“The significant economic gains we have registered in recent years have put a heavy strain on our existing infrastructure. If our region’s high rates of economic growth are to continue unimpeded we must ensure our infrastructure development precedes the pace of our economic development,” he said.
Kenya: South Sudan’s Kiir Joins Regional Leaders in Launching Lamu Project
3 March 2012
Khartoum — Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki, Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir witnessed Friday the launch of Lamu project which will give the two landlocked Ethiopia and South Sudan a maritime access to export its products and import others.
The $24.5 billion project in Kenya’s port on the Ocean Indian includes a pipeline, oil refinery and road network as well as railways line to Juba.
For South Sudan, the project presents an opportunity to end dependency on oil pipelines and infrastructure of neighboring Sudan. Juba suspended oil production after accusing Khartoum of stealing the oil as talks on the transit fees failed to reach an agreement.
Speaking at the launch ceremony, Salva Kiir Mayadrit said “for South Sudan, it is a vision to long-term security. The backbone of our infrastructure that will allow us to end our reliance on oil extraction.”
“It is a vision whereby in the future you will be able to board people and freight cargo in the morning in Juba and be in Lamu that same afternoon,” he added enthusiastically.
South Sudan minister of information, Barnaba Marial Benjamin, at a press conference on Thursday saidthe cost of the construction would be shared among Kenya, South Sudan and Ethiopia.
However, Kenyan president, Kibaki, thanked in his speech some international and regional financial establishments like the World Bank, African Development Bank for their participation in the funding of the project. He further said that China is very supportive for the project.
Kibaki also reassured the residents of Lamu that their interests will be preserved and the government will do what is possible to avoid at negative environmental effects caused by the project.
The BBC reported that worries of local residents about the impact of the project on Lamu Island which includes a site classified by the UNESCO as World Heritage Site.
President’s word onSh2 trillion mega project
By PATRICK BEJA
President Kibaki has brushed off criticism and concerns over a giant port, railway and refinery project launched with fanfare in Lamu district Friday.
He assured Kenyans there would be no State-led land grab connected with the project and that title deeds would soon be issued for plots in the coastal region.
“I have instructed the relevant Government ministries and agencies to ensure that concerns (over the project) are addressed as soon as possible,” he said.
There have been fears that land in the area will be compulsorily acquired for the giant project without compensation.
Kibaki led his counterpart Salva Kiir of South Sudan and Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi in officially launching construction on the project.
The three unveiled a plaque to mark the start of work on the Lamu Port-South-Sudan-Ethiopia Transport (Lapsset) corridor. They termed the economic and development corridor a dream project to address poverty in the three countries.
The Sh2 trillion ($25 billion) venture is being billed as one of the biggest ever attempted by an African nation.
“I have no doubt that this day will go down in history as one of the defining moments, when we made a major stride to connect our people to the many socio-economic opportunities that lie ahead,” Kibaki said.
The president added the project was unstoppable, saying that conservationists and others speaking up against it had come forward too late.
“There has been some people trying to ask Lamu residents to oppose this project but they have come too late because there is general acceptance of the project by the people,” the president said. Kibaki added the project also had the support of Comesa, the East African Community, SADC, the African Development Bank, the World Bank and the International Finance Corporation.
The groundbreaking ceremony was held under tight security at the port site at Magogoni, some ten kilometres from the UNESCO-listed Lamu Island. There were security patrols on the ground, by air and at sea throughout the day as the historic event was in progress. Officials of civil society groups opposed to the project were blocked by a contingent of police officers when they attempted to make their way to the venue. Those locked out included the Mombasa-based Muslims for Human Rights.
President Kiir said he had gone to Lamu to witness a great dream for the region come true, adding that South Sudan has suffered from lack of reliable transport infrastructure, which resulted in costly goods.
“The project will bring new ventures for people of the three countries and beyond. It will create economic opportunities and employment and enhance regional stability,” he said.
Kiir used the occasion to condemn the recent bombing of oil installations in his country, saying it did not augur well for regional peace and stability. Sudan is believed to have been behind the attack.
“We should condemn the act in the strongest terms possible because it does not augur well for peace and stability,” he said.
PM Zenawi said Ethiopia was committed to the full implementation of the Lapsset project.
“This ambitious project will enhance regional integration and serve as a symbol of brotherhood,” he said. “Ethiopia is committed to ensuring the project comes to full fruition.”
Kibaki, who was flanked by PM Raila Odinga and Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka, urged Kenyans and potential investors to take advantage of the investment opportunities possible under the project. He said the transport corridor would help the region’s economy by providing landlocked countries with a direct and dependable route to the sea. This will link South Sudan, Ethiopia and the entire East and Central African region to international markets.
“This project is expected to pay a critical role in enhancing the economic livelihood of over 167 million people in our region,” Kibaki said. “Moreover, through the use of labour intensive methods, Lapsset projects will generate massive employment opportunities for our people.”
The president said the Government would speed up the issuance of title deeds in Lamu and the entire Coast province.
“I urge Lamu residents and Kenyans at large to support this project because nobody will grab their land,” he said. He added that the Government was aware of concerns on land, environment, cultural heritage and fishing grounds and would address the issues.
“The rights of Lamu people, like the rights of all other Kenyans, are enshrined in the Constitution and are, therefore inalienable. I, therefore, take this opportunity to assure the people of all areas where the Lapsset corridor will pass through, that the Government will address their issues,” he said.
Friday, Lamu leaders commended the President for directing that 1,000 youth from Lamu be trained to take up job opportunities in the port and transport corridor project. Lamu East MP Abu Chiaba and his Lamu West counterpart Mr Fahim Twaha said residents were happy with the move.
“We are also happy with the presidential directive that a technical institute be constructed in Lamu as part of the project to ensure training of local people,” Twaha said. However, Chiaba said the issue of title deeds should be given priority as residents feared losing land.
The president assured residents the Government would ensure those affected are fully compensated in accordance with the law. He said local communities would benefit from water, electricity, roads and new schools.
Raila said allayed fears that the project was costly and could turn out to be a white elephant saying critics had said the same thing about the construction of the Mombasa-Uganda railway over a century ago.
“The world is watching Africa with great expectation. Lapsset is a viable project because even those who called the Uganda railway the ‘Lunatic Line’ were all proved wrong,” Raila said. He added that major economic developments would follow after the Lapsset project is kicked off with the construction of the first three of the 32 planned berths.
Kalonzo said Lapsset was set to fight poverty in the country and serve as a legacy for the Kibaki government.
“Never again will Africa be referred to as a dark continent,” he said.
Transport minister Amos Kimunya said the project was the single biggest project in Africa and would spur industrial growth and business and also ensure transfer of technology. He said it was conceived 40 years ago but implementation had been delayed. Lapsset comprises a seaport, airport, railway, super-highway, oil pipeline, resort city and a refinery. Lamu will be connected to Ethiopia and oil-rich South Sudan by a, a railway and a pipeline to export Juba’s crude. The project is expected to get funding from regional financial institutions, governments and international lenders, with China believed to have a major stake.
LAMU PORT WATCH
Uploaded by ramadhankhamis on Mar 23, 2011
Discussions on the proposed Lamu complex in Lamu.
Lamu Port
Uploaded by kenyacitizentv on Feb 21, 2012
Prime Minister Raila Odinga has today toured the proposed site of the new Lamu port, and assured residents who will be displaced by the project, that they will receive full compensation for their land. Odinga who was accompanied by several line ministers that will undertake the various projects said the multi-billion shilling project will open up the region and boost trade between the horn of Africa countries. The ministry of roads has already released 550 million shillings to construct roads leading to the proposed port. Denis Otieno has details to that report.
Lamu Port Demonstration ….. Wana Lamu wanataka Haki yao / Lamu people demands their Constitutional Rights
Uploaded by savelamu on Jan 26, 2012
No description available.
Community consultations, land reforms as stipulated in the new? constitution, environmental impact assessment report made public and a transparent development proposal. All of these must be in place, that is our constitutional right.
savelamu 3 weeks ago
Lamu demos on port
Uploaded by standardgroupkenya on Jan 25, 2012
Wenyeji wa lamu hii leo wameandamana kupinga mpango wa ujenzi wa bandari mjini humo wakidai mradi huo utasababisha baadhi yao kufurushwa kutoka katika mashamba yao. Bandari hiyo mpya inalenga kupunguza mrundiko katika bandari ya mombasa. Hata hivyo katibu wa usafiri cyrus njiru alipuuzilia mbali uwezekano wa watu kufurushwa akisema kwamba wachache watakaoathirika watalipwa fidia. Mbali na hayo kuna habari njema kwa wale ambao mizigo yao imezuiliwa bandarini mombasa kwa kushindwa kulipiwa kwani sasa, malipo yameondolewa kati ya sasa na tarehe tatu mwezi ujao.
This sounds like a very good progress move. It will be a success story only when additional push and shoves from the wider community of Civil Society get engaged. Its success will remain our progressive adventure to better future destiny……
Positiveness, Committment and Good endeavours pays……..
Have an Engagement Day………
Cheers everybody…….
Judy Miriga
Diaspora Spokesperson
Executive Director
Confederation Council Foundation for Africa Inc.,
USA
http://socioeconomicforum50.blogspot.com
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Kenya: Swiss Freeze Anglo-Leasing Money
By Andrew Teyie, 1 March 2012
THE Swiss government has frozen three bank accounts associated with Anglo Leasing suspect Deepak Kamani and opened money laundering charges against him and two Britons.
“The Swiss government has delivered on the requests regarding the money trail of Anglo Leasing suspects as requested by the Kenya government. The Swiss authorities believe that it was a case of money laundering. They also believe that the suspects infringed on the laws of Switzerland. The accounts that have been frozen belong to three individuals. The individuals are among those who set up the financial structure,” said Swiss ambassador Jacques Pitteloud in Nairobi yesterday. The two Britons were not named.
An unconfirmed report says that Kamani-associated companies may have had US$160 million (Sh13.6 billion) in accounts in Geneva with HSBC, Schroders, UBS and Pictet. In 2009 US national Bradley Birkenfeld was sentenced to 40 months for helping clients hide their money in a multibillion dollar international tax fraud over Swiss private banking. Bradley was intimately connected with the Kamani brothers – Deepak and Rashmi – who controlled 13 of the Anglo Leasing companies whose accounts Bradley managed when he worked for UBS.
Bradley’s private residential address was listed as the office of Midlands Finance and Securities Ltd which received 36 irrevocable and negotiable promissory notes worth euros 49.6 million for a sham loan that Kenya never received as part of the Anglo Leasing scam. Bradley also signed one of the 18 Anglo Leasing contracts on behalf of Info Talent to computerise the police force at a cost of $59.7 million (Sh5.1 billion). Two years ago, the Swiss government complained that a “conflict of competence” had arisen when then Attorney General Amos Wako invalidated a request for assistance made by the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission to investigate those responsible. The KACC was also expected to recover assets acquired through Anglo Leasing.
The Swiss government was unable to act on the KACC request until now when new Attorney General Githu Muigai renewed the request for assistance last month. Yesterday, Pitteloud, flanked by his deputy Siri Walt, declared that the days when Switzerland was used as a money laundering haven were over. He said that Switzerland has co-operated with Kenya and will continue to do so. He said it was now up to the Kenya government to prosecute those involved. “The office of the Attorney General of Switzerland has completed the execution of eight requests for assistance in connection with the Anglo Leasing affair,” said Pitteloud.
He said his government would itself soon be making similar requests for assistance to the Kenya government. “The findings made so far from the comprehensive analyses have made further investigations essential. In the coming months, the Swiss Attorney General will be making his own request for assistance to various states with the aim of establishing whether money laundering has been committed or not,” said Pitteloud.
Last year, Treasury directed AG Amos Wako and then Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission director PLO Lumumba to recover Sh3.83 billion from Anglo Leasing suspect Deepak Kamani. Wako was also asked to trace and recover assets acquired through Anglo Leasing. The directive followed a Cabinet meeting that terminated four contracts awarded to companies associated with the Kamanis. The contracts were for security vehicles to be supplied by Leyland Exports/Silverspoon Establishment; the construction of a forensic laboratory by Forensic Laboratories Ltd; tamper-proof passports for the Immigration Department by Anglo Leasing and Finance Ltd; and the E-cop police computerisation project financed by Infotalent.
Kenya: Hague Appeals Chamber Rejects Victims’ Application
By Nzau Musau, 28 February 2012
THE ICC appeals chamber has rejected an application by the victims section of the court to make observations on the appeals filed by the four Kenyan suspects challenging jurisdiction.
All but one of the five judges rejected the application made by Office of Public Counsel for Victims Paolina Massidda. She had wanted to make submissions distinct from the ones to be made by the legal representatives for victims. Lawyer Sureta Chana is acting on behalf of the victims in the first Kenyan case involving Eldoret North MP William Ruto and journalist Joshua Sang. Morris Anyah is acting for the victims of the second case of deputy PM Uhuru Kenyatta and former head of public service Francis Muthaura.
In dismissing the application, the judges said the chamber already has a scheme on how victims may participate in appeals on jurisdiction and which does not support Massida’s application. “Under this scheme, only those victims who have made observations on the question of jurisdiction or admissibility in the proceedings before the Pre-Trial or Trial Chamber are invited to make observations before the Appeals Chamber,” the judges said.
The four, Akua Kuenyehia (Presiding Judge), Erkki Kourula, Anita Usacka, Daniel David Ntanda Nsereko, said the scheme also includes those victims whose status is yet to be confirmed but only if they have participated in the matter before. They said they did not invite the victims office to make observations on the appeals because because they had not submitted any observations on the jurisdictional challenge before the Pre-Trial Chamber.
“Furthermore, in the present appeals, the Appeals Chamber does not see any reason to permit the OPCV to make observations on an exceptional basis,” they said. Judge Sang-Hyun Song dissented from the opinion of the majority but nevertheless rejected the application. The judge dissent was based on a separate legal reasoning opposed to that one of the majority. All the accused in the two cases had pleaded with the chamber not to entertain the request arguing that victims interests were fully represented by their two lawyers- Anyah and Chana.
Islanders protest against Kenya mega port plan
Fisherman are pictured at a harbour in Kenya’s resort-island of Lamu. Residents of …
Residents of Kenya’s coastal island of Lamu protested Thursday against a planned huge port to be constructed near the UNESCO-listed isle, accusing the government of ignoring their concerns.
Around 200 placard-bearing protesters gathered at Lamu’s town square before marching on the narrow sea front walk-way shouting “our land, our rights.”
The residents of Lamu, an ancient Swahili coastal town in Kenya’s southeast, say the government has failed to do a study on the mega port’s impact, involve the community in the project and is yet to issue them land ownership titles.
“The government has the responsibility to protect Kenyans first before others,” said Hussein Khalid, of Muslim Human Rights community group. “We are not asking for a favour, we are demanding our rights.”
Besides a 32-berth port, the project also comprises thousands of kilometres-long rail road and highway to Ethiopia and South Sudan, which has inked a deal with Nairobi to build a pipeline to export its crude through Lamu.
Kenya hopes the $24.5 billion project will uplift its economic development in the next two decades.
“The demands for the rights of Lamu people has fallen on deaf ears,” said a statement by Save Lamu, a coalition of local community groups in Lamu.
“We are greatly concerned that the lack of transparency, secrecy and poor accountability in the way the project is being implemented is a dismal reflection of our rights as governed by the constitution,” it added.
There are also fears the mega port will impact Lamu town — whose ancient Swahili architecture is a UN-listed World Heritage site popular with celebrities — although the port will be some 10 kilometres (six miles) away.
Kenya’s President Mwai Kibaki will host South Sudan President Salva Kiir and Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi on Friday to inaugurate the project.
To placate angry residents, the Kenyan government has begun issuing land title deeds to locals, who despite calling Lamu their home for years, have never had official land ownership.
To assess what contribution, if any, gold could make to the current international monetary system in the wake of the global financial crisis, Chatham House set up a global Taskforce of experts in 2011. It investigated the role gold could play:
• as an anchor;
• as a hedge or safe haven;
• as collateral or guarantee;
• as a policy indicator.
The Taskforce explored the advantages and disadvantages of reintroducing gold in the system and identified a number of possible scenarios for reform.
REPRESENTATIVES of governments and stakeholders drawn from the financial five member states of the east African Community {EAC} financial sector are in attendance of the crucial meeting to review developments in the region’s financial markets as the deadline nears for the much awaited region’s’ single currency.
The meeting is taking pace at the EAC Secretariat, which is located in the Northern Tanzania City of Arusha.
It is discussing among other things the launching of the single currency, which is expected to in place by June this year.
“The participants discussed issues relate to the sustaining of the economic growth in the region, developments in the euro zone and lessons for the EAC as it negotiates protocol for a monetary union.”
A state issued by the EAC secretariat further disclosed that the meeting being held jointly with the International Monetary Fund {IMF}.
EAC countries are Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi. The five states have been discussing a single currency plan covering monetary policy harmonization and financial sector integration.
However, Rwanda is said to have indicted that t might not be part of the region’s single currency plan.
A senior Tanzanian government official recently hinted that the deadline for the East African countries to adopt a monetary union set for this year, might be extended, signaling the partner states unwillingness to embrace the monetary union in earnest
A senior Tanzanian official told one of the country’sdaily this week that sticking issues such as budgets, inflation rate, foreign exchange reserves, government debts and exchange rates among member countries must be observed before they commit to a single currency arrangement.
Dr Stergomena Tax Bamwenda, the Permanent Secretary in the Tanzanian Ministry of the East African Cooperation noted that the ongoing negotiations on the monetary union would consider all the factors, and if not met, the countries will not embrace a single currency this year as planned.
“We are still I the process. We can’t rush to introduce monetary union until those criterion are met, even as the deadline approaches, we will not rush,” she insisted.
Dr Bamwenda said EAC was also learning from other regional blocs like the euro zone on intricacies of the monetary union before ratifying the agreement.
The two days Arusha meeting comes amid growing regional trade crisis. Most of the region’s border posts are experiencing cargo backlogs, amid graft allegations.
The EAC Secretary General Dr Richard Sezibera says the Arusha conference would offer a unique opportunity to discuss how best the region should work to achieve vision of promoting a secure, competitive and prosperous East Africa.
The conference ends today was held under the theme,” The East African Community after 10 years; Deepening EAC Integration” also offer a platform to about 100 regional and international experts and policy makers to discuss EAC accomplishments since the year 2001.
Peaking at another forum late last year Dr.Sezibera expressed confidence that the EAC would introduce a single currency by Jun this year, making it the second regional bloc to adopt single currency after the European Union.
The bloc, Dr Sezibera said was halfway through the negotiation process, adding that the high level task force was doing all it could to accelerate the adoption of a monetary union.
From: Garlin Gilchrist II, MoveOn.org Political Action
Date: Tue, Feb 28, 2012 at 2:41 PM
Subject: President Obama is lowering taxes for corporations?!
Dear reader,
Great news—the Obama administration has committed to veto any extension of the Bush tax cuts for the richest 2%.1 More than 250,000 MoveOn members helped make this happen by calling on the president to make this commitment.
But only days after promising to veto the Bush tax cuts, President Obama introduced a plan to reduce corporate tax rates.2
Big corporations should be paying more taxes, not less. They’re raking in record profits, more than any they’ve made since the end of World War II.3 Corporate lobbyists have woven unfairness into nearly every fiber of our tax code, finding new ways to sneak in tax tricks for their bosses every day.
We need to respond to this quickly. A loud, immediate negative reaction to lowering corporate tax rates could take this idea off the table, just like we did with the Bush tax cuts for the rich. If we get 200,000 signatures, we’ll deliver them directly to the White House.
;
There is simply no reason to lower corporate tax rates. While the statutory corporate tax rate is 35%, the effective corporate tax rate is far lower. Corporate taxes are an increasingly small fraction of federal revenue, in part because of tax-avoidance maneuvers that business lobbyists snuck into the tax code.
For example, Facebook will pay zero income taxes on its nearly $1 billion profits from last year. It’s not alone: 30 of America’s most profitable companies pay no federal income tax either.4 The president is proposing to close loopholes that help these companies duck taxes, but reducing corporate tax rates undermines that effort. Serious reform that makes corporations pay their fair share cannot be subverted by lowering tax rates.
When hundreds of thousands of progressives pushed President Obama to make the rich pay their fair share of taxes, he responded by creating the Buffett Rule.5 He stepped up on the Bush tax cuts too. Add your name to call on the president to make corporations pay their fair share of taxes and remove lowering corporate tax rates from consideration
;
Thanks for all you do.
–Garlin, Mark, Elena, Marika, and the rest of the team
Sources:
1. “‘Taxmageddon’ looms at end of payroll tax holiday,” The Washington Post, February 18, 2012
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=271504&id=36264-21095459-vGqGiOx&t=5
2. “Obama Offers to Cut Corporate Tax Rate to 28%,” The New York Times, February 22, 2012
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=271432&id=36264-21095459-vGqGiOx&t=6
3. “U.S. Business Has High Tax Rates but Pays Less,” The New York Times, May 2, 2011
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=271435&id=36264-21095459-vGqGiOx&t=7
4. “Putting a Face(book) on the Corporate Stock Option Tax Loophole,” Citizens for Tax Justice, February 7, 2012
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=271037&id=36264-21095459-vGqGiOx&t=8
5. “Budget Seeks to Boost Tax Revenue,” The Wall Street Journal, February 13, 2012
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=271434&id=36264-21095459-vGqGiOx&t=9
Produced BY MOVEON.ORG POLITICAL ACTION, http://pol.moveon.org/. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.
The East African Community (EAC) is not ready for a common currency, a University of Oxford economist has told delegates at the ongoing monetary union summit in Arusha.
Paul Collier, director of the Centre for the Study of African Economies at Oxford, said that economic imbalances among EAC member countries could create regional instability similar to the current crisis facing the eurozone.
The Arusha summit is a precursor to the signing of an EAC monetary union charter later this year, which is expected to pave the way for a single currency for member states.
“Don’t do what Europe did, you need an independent voice saying let’s be careful,” Prof Collier told delegates who included regional finance ministers and central bank governors.
A major pre-requisite for the formation of a monetary union is the establishment of a regional central bank and guaranteeing the independence of central banks of member states.
Prof Collier said that the eurozone experience had shown that it is difficult to enforce spending limits among members of a monetary union such as the one proposed by the EAC.
Some European Union countries reneged on agreements to maintain low budget deficits since there were no rules for enforcing fiscal discipline.
Heavily indebted countries such as Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain and Ireland have deepened the eurozone crisis, raising fears among lenders that their weak economic growth cannot sustain repayments.
“If you are not confident of the structures for enforcing national budgets then you are not ready for a monetary union,” said Prof Collier.
The economies of EAC member countries are also too divergent to support a common currency, according to the widely published economist.
South Sudan is entirely dependent on oil, Uganda and Tanzania have recently discovered commercially viable oil and gas reserves respectively while Kenya and Rwanda are less reliant on natural resources.
This potentially makes it more difficult for the member countries to have similar fiscal objectives, as resource rich countries have more spending power than agricultural and service based economies.
The EAC, however, stood to gain from closer trade integration and better infrastructure funded jointly by the member countries, said Prof Collier. Permanent secretary in the Ministry of Finance, Joseph Kinyua, said that a strong fiscal policy of the kind that would support a monetary union would require politicians to “bite the bullet” and guarantee independence of institutions such as the Central Bank.
He, however said that it is important for the EAC to sign the monetary union protocol this year even as negotiations for policy rules for the eventual single currency continue.
“What we will be signing is a framework for building the union but it will not mean that we will have a single currency by the end of this year,” said Mr Kinyua.
The EAC was revived 12 years ago following collapse of the first union between Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania in 1977.
Rwanda and Burundi have joined the expanded EAC with an estimated population of 130 million, while an application from South Sudan is under consideration.
The global financial crisis has triggered a transformation in thinking and practice regarding the role of government in managing international capital flows. This paper traces and evaluates the re-emergence of capital controls as legitimate tools to promote financial stability. Whereas capital controls were seen as “orthodox” by the framers of the Bretton Woods system, they were shunned during the neo-liberal era that began in the late 1970s.
The fact that capital controls continue to yield positive results is truly remarkable, given the fact that there has been little (or contrary) support for global coordination, and that many nations lack the necessary institutions for effective policies. The paper concludes by pointing to the need for more concerted global and national efforts to manage global capital flows for stability and growth.
This is the views contained in an article published and posted at the weekend by Uganda Correspondent in its website.
Forwarded By Leo Odera Omolo
Past & Present: Africa’s powerful dictators.
Members of the European Parliament [MEPs] have, in an unprecedented move, raised the red flag on their governments and called on their leaders to end what they called “hypocritical” dealings with the world’s top tyrants who use EU member states as a safe haven for their ill gotten wealth.
“…Leaders of authoritarian regimes can spend their dubiously acquired wealth in the EU, despite measures to prevent it, because EU Member States provide safe havens for their personal fortunes and give them access to education and leisure services. This has to stop,” the European Parliament said in a resolution passed on Thursday last week.
In the resolution addressed to the European Council of Ministers, the MEPs said to many authoritarian leaders and their acolytes, the EU is an attractive place to invest, buy property, hold bank accounts, and enjoy the “…freedom to spend their often dubiously acquired wealth.” The EU legislators added that the hypocritical stance towards the leaders of authoritarian regimes needs to end.
“…We publicly denounce their human rights records, while letting them busily stash their money away in our banks, own property within our borders, do business with our companies, and holiday in our resorts. Our message has to be loud and clear: the EU will not help you launder your ill-gotten gains,” said MEP Graham Watson who drafted the report.
End selective application of sanctions
The MEPs also said applying restrictive measures inconsistently is not effective and damages the EU’s credibility. They thus called on all Member States to ensure that there are “…no double standards when deciding on restrictive measures or sanctions and that these are applied regardless of political, economic and security interests.”
They MEPs also invited the European Commission and all Member States to coordinate arms embargoes and pay due regard to International Criminal Court judgments relevant to EU sanctions policy. Member States were also urged to declare the names of persons on the sanctions list who hold property or financial assets within their borders and cooperate in identifying and confiscating those assets.
“…Listed leaders and persons or organizations associated with them [dictators] should be strictly prohibited from owning assets and property in the EU or travelling in Europe for leisure. Academic institutions, sports and charity organizations should likewise be prohibited from accepting funding, grants or donations from these leaders and their natural and legal associates,” the MEPs demanded.
At the same time, the MEPs said, the EU should strive to minimise the impact of sanctions on the vulnerable and innocent populations of authoritarian regimes. “…All restrictive measures must aim to influence only the accountable elites of repressive or criminal regimes, and should be coupled with support for civil society, so as to build respect for democracy and human rights.” the EU legislators counselled.
Repatriation of frozen assets
The MEPs were however, also at pains to point out the need to repatriate frozen funds and assets back to the citizens of the countries from which they were stolen. “…Member States should endeavour to mobilise frozen and confiscated assets and repatriate them to their respective countries as soon as possible so as to benefit the population,” the text of the report read in part.
Egypt’s former dictator Hosni Mubarak has for example been accused of stashing away [in the EU and US] a massive fortune estimated to be around $70 billion. Likewise, the family of the deceased Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi is suspected to have accumulated billions of dollars worth of properties abroad.
Other Mubarak and Gadhafi, the French media reported in 2009 that on the 28th of August 2009, long serving Cameroonian President Paul Biya and his acolytes checked in La Baule, a luxurious French resort where they each booked 43 rooms at the cost of $60,000 per night. They stayed there for 20 days and racked up a bill of $1.2million for accommodation alone.
Before this latest EU resolution, a senior Ugandan opposition leader told this newspaper last year that when Museveni’s government falls, they would seriously hunt down assets bought by NRM leaders abroad using stolen money. That may however be easier said than done.
