Author: staff reporter

Child rights organizations on Sunday called for kids safety ahead of Kenya’s general elections slated for August 9 th 2022.

Jennifer Kaberi of Mtoto News told journalists in Nairobi that there have been cases where children are being exposed to child protection risks due to political affiliations, child labour associated with campaign events; selling campaign merchandize, injuries during campaign-related skirmishes, staying a whole day without food and other forms of abuse.

“In situations where there have been negative parental conversations in households and communities on political affairs, children have found themselves in between opposing political interests thereby affecting them psychologically and emotionally,” Kaberi said.

She called on parents and caregivers to prioritize safety, security and protection of all children at all times.

“Parents and Caregivers should have specific focus and attention to all children with various forms of disability and ensure that their safety, security and protection is enhanced within the households and communities,” she added.

As we approach the elections day, the child rights campaigners appealled to all parents and caregivers to ensure that no child attends political events either in private or public.

They also urged all parents and caregivers not to take along their children with them to the polling stations, but if they must do, then safety, security and protection of all the children should be guaranteed.

Commission on Administrative Justice (Office of the Ombudsman) shall observe the Aug. 9 General Election to oversee the public electoral management processes to mitigate against unfair official conduct.

Florence Kajuju, chairperson of the commission told journalists on Sunday that  the election observation exercise is informed by the centrality of elections in the advancement of good governance which forms the basis for the existence of the Commission.

“Monitoring and observation of elections are essential pillars of electoral governance and play a critical role in building public confidence while providing valuable feedback for electoral system reforms,” Kajuju said.

Kajuju, who is also the secretary general of the African ombudsman and mediators’ association said that the Commission has deployed its Commissioners and staff as Long term and short-term election observers in about 690 polling stations in 33 countiesspread across the country.

She noted that the   Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has accredited the Commission’s staff to serve as observers on  Aug. 9.

The Commission has also developed a tool for election observation to capture requisite details focusing on administrative justice, and access to information on different aspects; general layout of the polling centers and stations, procedural adherence during the voting process, counting, tallying, and transmission. The Commission will thereafter provide an informed, comprehensive, and impartial analysis of the entire electoral process, in line with the established methodology for observing elections as an aspect of administrative justice.

The Commission is also hosting a delegation from the African Ombudsman and Mediators Association (AOMA) who have been accredited by the IEBC to observe Kenya’s 2022 general elections.

The African Ombudsman and Mediators Association (AOMA) is a continental body with 44-member countries with its secretariat in Durban, South Africa with a  mission  to advance the development of the Ombudsman institution in furtherance of good governance, the rule of law, and human rights in Africa.

The AOMA Observation Mission delegation to Kenya is composed of four regional Ombudspersons, notably:  Hon. Mathew P. Mwaimu – Tanzania, Hon. Grace Malera -Malawi, Hon. Pascal Essou- Benin, and Hon. Dr. Antonia Florbela Rocha Araujo- Angola. The Head of the mission; Hon. Grace Malera, the Ombudsman of Malawi shall deploy the AOMA election observers to 11 counties, namely; Nairobi, Kajiado, Machakos, Nyeri, Kirinyaga, Uasin Gishu, Kakamega, Mombasa, Kilifi, Kisumu, and Homabay on 9^th August 2022.

Following a long period of unrest and violence between cattle keepers and farmers in and around Nimule in Magwi County, the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) recently paid another visit to the area.

Internally displaced persons took the opportunity to request the world body’s assistance in bringing reconciliation so that conflict-affected communities can start living together in peace.

“We are open to and would welcome a peace conference. What has happened has happened, now is the time to forge a sustainable way forward. We need to find common ground to coexist in harmony again,” said John Bol, Chief of the Dinka community in Nimule, with reference to the Madi community, the traditional residents of the area.

Over the last few months, bouts of violence between cattle keepers and farmers, disgruntled because of their crops being ruined by the beasts, have claimed many lives, cattle raids and revenge attacks, forcing lots of people to leave their homes. As tends to be the case when there is conflict, vulnerable groups like women, children, the elderly and the disabled have suffered the most.

“We disabled people are useful to the nation. If there is conflict, we cannot run, so violence affects disabled people, who have made history in this country, more than others,” said Isaac Chol, one of the many people who were badly injured during South Sudan’s war of independence.

The latest major incidents to befall Magwi County took place on 9 July, when a theft of 150 goats also left two young men dead, and on 11 July, when the Anzara village chief was killed in Nimule town.

“Seeing all this violence is painful for us women. Let there be no more revenge attacks,” pleaded Mary Yarr, a Dinka church leader who has lived in Nimule for more than 30 years. “I don’t want to see anybody killed, neither Madi, nor Dinka,” she added.

The UNMISS team undertook the patrol to Nimule and surroundings to assess the security situation and to seek the opinions of affected communities as to how the peacekeeping mission can best protect civilians and contribute to restoring peace.

“We are here to discuss how we can contribute to reconciliation and to ensure that civilians, vulnerable people in particular, are safe. But, if peace is to prevail, you must remain calm and put an end to the vicious, self-perpetuating cycle of revenge attacks,” said Civil Affairs Officer Hercules Balu Henry.

In a meeting between the peacekeepers and representatives of the Madi community, the latter shared the desire for peace previously expressed by their Dinka counterparts.

 “We have no time for conflict, we need peace. But before we can sit down for a dialogue to resolve our issues, all cattle must leave Magwi County,” said Koma James Adriko, a representative of Madi chiefs.

President Adama Barrow has called on Gambians and residents to come out in numbers and register for the newly introduced biometric birth certificate and Health Insurance Scheme after successfully registering into the new electronic Civil Registry and Vital Statistics and National Health Insurance Scheme at the State House in Banjul Wednesday, 3rd August 2022.

The President congratulated the entire government, particularly the Health Ministry, for introducing the Health Insurance Scheme, which he described as a ‘significant initiative’. He said the scheme would ease the challenges people face when they are sick and will provide necessary solutions.

Stressing the importance of the scheme, the President urged Gambians to register for the electronic birth certificate, which comes with the Insurance Card, saying it is long overdue for Gambians to have safe data record keeping. 

‘’As Head of State, I think it is important for me to do the same process so that I have Health Insurance and a biometric birth certificate. This is a big achievement for our country.’’ President Barrow noted.

Providing appropriate healthcare services to the people living in The Gambia is a campaign promise the President made.

The Gambia government, through the Ministry of Health, introduced the National Health Insurance Scheme to make healthcare accessible and affordable to all Gambians. According to the Health Ministry, the registration process will last three months throughout the country at no cost to citizens.

New UN Women Country Representative Paulina Chiwangu formally assumed duty Wednesday after presenting her credentials to Uganda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hon General Jeje Odongo.

The presentation took place at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and was witnessed by dignitaries from MOFA and the UN Women Uganda Country Office.

During the ceremony, the minister acknowledged the tremendous work by UN Women in supporting women’s empowerment and gender equality. The new country representative was commended on her impressive experience as well as having worked extensively in Uganda.

“Women in Uganda are still faced with many challenges, including the effects of COVID-19, challenges in externalized labour in the countries in which they work, and patriarchy which still make them lag behind. We want to work with UN Women to address the prevailing challenges in refugee settings and the externalization of labour. UN Women should work closely with the government to identify priority areas that can be worked on together,” Hon. Jeje Odongo said.

Ms. Chiwangu remarked on her warm welcome to Uganda, highlighting UN Women’s mandate to support all countries to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment. 

“Firstly, I congratulate Uganda and Brenda Akia for being voted onto the CEDAW committee, the first time a Ugandan has been elected to the committee. On behalf of UN Women, I pledge our close collaboration with her on CEDAW work. Further congratulations to the country on the launch of the Parish Development Model, and I commit support to ensure that it is successfully implemented,” she said.

Ms. Paulina Chiwangu holds a Doctorate in Philosophy and has over 20 years of experience in development and humanitarian work. 

She has previously served as Deputy Country Representative with UN Women in South Sudan and as Deputy Country Representative for the UN Women Iraq Country Office, as well as Head of KRG Sub-Office. 

Prior to her work with UN Women Iraq, she worked with UN Women Bosnia and Herzegovina as Head of Gender Coordination for the UNDAF. She worked with UN Women in Serbia as interim Head of Office. Prior to that, she was heading the UN Inter-Agency Joint Programme on Gender Equality and she was the Acting Country Representative for UN Women office in Uganda for one year. 

The Deputy Minister in the Presidency, Thembi Siweya, will lead a Gender-Based Violence and Food Parcel Donation Drive at Jabulani Old Age Home and Care Givers in Pretoria North, Gauteng Province on 04 August 2022. The drive  is part of commemorating Women’s Month.

South Africa commemorates Women’s Month in August as a tribute to the more than 20 000 women who marched to the Union Buildings on 9 August 1956 in protest against the extension of Pass Laws to women. The Government of South Africa declared August Women’s Month and 9 August is celebrated annually as Women’s Day. This year’s Women Month will be celebrated under the theme: “Generation Equality: Realising Women’s Rights for an Equal Future”.  The concept of Generation Equality is a global campaign and links South Africa to global efforts to achieve gender equality by 2030.

During the drive, Deputy Minster Siweya will engage with citizen on dialogue about Gender-Based Violence. Women’s Month allows us to measure how far we have come in transforming society, mainly the transformation of unequal power relations between women and men. While also focusing on and addressing gender oppression, patriarchy, sexism, racism, ageism, structural oppression, and creating a conducive environment which enables women to take control of their lives.

The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (the African Commission), through its Country Rapporteur for the Republic of Kenya Honourable Commissioner Solomon Ayele Dersso, and the Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Women in Africa Honourable Commissioner Janet Ramatoulie Sallah-Njie, are following human rights issues relating to the electoral process in the Republic of Kenya.

The African Commission commends the preparations that are under way towards ensuring that the national elections scheduled for 9 August 2022 are free, fair and credible, and also notes the enthusiasm of the electorate for exercising their sovereign right through participation in the electoral campaign process and balloting. 

The African Commission is however alarmed by reports of increasing political tension and risks and incidents of violence, hate speech and the production and circulation of content for inciting division and violence during the electoral campaign.   

We particularly underscore the urgency and need to prevent the incidence of acts of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) against women, to prevent the recurrence of such violence reported during earlier electoral disputes in the Republic of Kenya.

The perpetration of brutal acts of sexual violence and rape that is weaponized in the context of electoral disputes in Kenya involving in particular, law enforcement personnel constitute serious breaches of the rights and freedoms guaranteed by the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (the African Charter), the Protocol to the African Charter on the Rights of Women in Africa (the Maputo Protocol), and the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance which it has severally reiterated to Member States. These include the rights to dignity, personal security, bodily integrity, personal liberty, peace and security, the right to participate in political and decision-making processes, as well as freedom from discrimination, torture, and inhumane or degrading treatment

During the last 2007 and 2017 Presidential Elections in Kenya, the Commission received several reports about the perpetration of brutal acts of violence and rape, weaponized in the context of electoral disputes in Kenya, involving in particular, law enforcement personnel engaged in dispersing election protesters, with a very low record of accountability accorded in justice to the victims. The African Commission notes that such acts constitute a serious breach of the rights, and freedoms guaranteed by the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (the African Charter), the Protocol to the African Charter on the Rights of Women in Africa (the Maputo Protocol), and the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance which it has severally reiterated to Member States. These include the rights to dignity, personal security, bodily integrity, personal liberty, peace and security, the right to participate in political and decision-making processes, as well as freedom from discrimination, torture, and inhumane or degrading treatment.

The African Commission also notes that trust issues relating to the integrity of the electoral process, the electoral management institution and the judiciary can affect not only confidence in the electoral process but also, as previous experiences show, can create the conditions that precipitate violent contestations.

The East Africa Community (EAC) Regional Steering Committee (RSC) on the implementation of the AU Declaration on Land developed a road map for implementing the land agenda in their first meeting held on August 3. This meeting was a key recommendation of the Regional Technical Working Group (TWG) on the Terrestrial Ecosystem meeting on July 26 to 28, in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, where the RSC was established. The RSC aims to provide guidance to the EAC Secretariat as it coordinates the implementation of the AU agenda by EAC Partner States, namely the Governments of Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda. The inaugural meeting, represented by senior officials from respective EAC Ministries, land-affiliated Ministries and the East Africa Community (EAC) Secretariat, with technical support of the African Land Policy Centre (ALPC), developed a Road Map with key actions that will be implemented over the coming year.

In her opening remarks, the Chair of the EAC Regional TWG and the RSC, Ms. Carine Hakizimana (Burundi) stressed the critical role of the RSC in enhancing cooperation and coordination of the AU land agenda in the region. Hakizimana appreciated the longstanding relationship and support of the ALPC to the EAC Secretariat which has culminated in the establishment of the RSC and Road Map to actualise the AU Declaration on Land Issues and Challenges.

ALPC Coordinator, Ms Joan Kagwanja, applauded the EAC secretariat and Partner States for the  inauguration of the RSC and emphasized the importance of an empowered RSC as key to enhancing land reforms to expedite regional integration in EAC Partner States. The ALPC has worked closely with EAC since 2015, developing a joint project to enhance the capacity of EAC, along with other Regonal Economic Communities (RECs) given their critical role in  implementing the AU Agenda on Land.  Since then, key Directives have been adopted by the EAC Council of Ministers of Environment. The establishment of  the RSC, is a key milestone and  Kagwanja expressed the commitment of ALPC to  support the RSC in implementing its Road Map, starting with the convening of  a  regional platform for Partner States to share experience, lessons and best practices

Supporting initiatives to enhance food safety across the continent was the focus of an African Food Safety Workshop jointly held by the IAEA, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations and the National Metrology Institute of South Africa (NMISA).

Over 280 experts and researchers from 43 countries’ food safety regulators, food testing laboratories, food manufacturers, and governmental and non-governmental organizations, shared experiences on vital topics, such as preventing food fraud, monitoring of radionuclides, use of radio receptor assays and stable isotopic techniques for veterinary drug and pesticides residues, as well as mycotoxins, toxic metals and biotoxins. Participants also addressed responding to food borne illnesses and disease outbreaks, setting maximum residue limits, and implementing effective food monitoring and surveillance programmes.

“This workshop showed the commitment of the African continent not just to increase food safety and trade nationally and in the region, but to support achieving several Sustainable Development Goals, including good health and well-being, industry, innovation and infrastructure as well as ending poverty and hunger,” said Shaukat Abdulrazak, Director of the IAEA’s Technical Cooperation Division for Africa. “African Union leadership and various stakeholders across the continent discussed cross-cutting food safety issues and had a common voice on strategies for supporting the Africa Continental Free Trade Area, addressing food trade rejections, and ensuring consumer protection and food security.”

During the five-day event held in Johannesburg, South Africa, from 27 June to 1 July 2022, participants discussed the benefits of ISO accreditation for food safety and international trade; ways of collecting scientifically reliable data on levels of food hazards, such as mycotoxins, drug and pesticide residues, persistent pollutants, toxic metals and microplastics; and how to develop regionally-tailored laboratory testing and reference material, which could enable countries to provide better analytical services.

“We need to build institutional excellence, which would lead to more ISO accreditation for laboratory services,” said Ndwakhulu Mukhufhi, Chief Executive Officer at NMISA. “This can be achieved by sharing relevant reference material and conducting training programmes. Institutions such as NMISA are here to support.”

 Legislators have applauded President Yoweri Museveni for putting emphasis on value addition of agricultural products saying it will transform the agricultural sector.

This was during the debate on the President’s State of Nation Address which he delivered to Parliament on Tuesday, 07 June 2022.

Namayingo District Woman Representative, Hon. Margaret Makhoha said that the Parish Development Model (PDM) is a timely intervention but she called for increased budgeting for irrigation.
“It is not good for us to have drought and yet we have lakes. Like in Namayingo, we have lakes around us but we are not seeing water,” she said.

Hon. Peter Okeyoh (NRM, Bukooli Island County) advised the President to put emphasis on fish farming saying that the sector has potential to become one of the biggest revenue earners.
“The fishing community should be enabled and supported. Ministry of Agriculture should give adequate funding to boost the fishing sector,” he said.

Hon. Jane Pacuto Avur (NRM, Pakwach District) said that while value addition is a welcome intervention, attention should be put to ensure sufficient electricity supply countrywide.
“Unless electricity is supplied to all rural areas, it will be very difficult for our people to achieve value addition. West Nile is in a blackout and for us to partake of that, then supply of electricity to all areas should be fast-tracked,” she said.

National MP for Older Persons, Hon. Peggy Joy Wako said that the Parish Development Model will go a long way in improving the quality of life of older persons.
“As you are aware, most of our older persons are in rural areas. I also agree with the Leader of the Opposition’s response on protection of older persons,” she said.