Author: staff reporter

The Committee for Section 194 Enquiry into the Public Protector’s (PP), Ad Busisiwe Mkhwebane’s fitness to hold office heard that the former Head of the State Security Agency (SSA) Mr Arthur Fraser informed the former head of security in the Office of the PP, Mr Baldwin Neshunzhi, that he was not providing the support he was employed to provide to the Office of the PP.

According to Mr Neshunzhi evidence, Mr Fraser indicated that Adv Mkhwebane complained about the lack of support. Mr Neshunzhi said Adv Mkhwebane made this complaint at the end of 2019. “At the time I did not know how precisely I failed in my job as that was not said to me by the Public Protector. I did not know how I failed to support the Public Protector. As far as I was aware, there was no security issues and when the Public Protector went on roadshows, I ensured that all the arrangements were made and I fulfilled my responsibilities,” said Mr Neshunzhi.

Committee Chairperson Mr Qubudile Dyantyi sought clarity from Mr Neshunzi as Mr Fraser was not with SSA in 2019, but a Commissioner of Correctional Services. The witness said he will have to check the date.

Mr Neshunzi told the committee that there was an expectation that he would be the eyes and the ears of the Office, and he was letting the PP down. Mr Neshunzi said he was informed by Adv Mkhwebane that there was an atmosphere of resistance against her in the Office and he was asked to see how to overcome it. He said he told Adv Mkhwebane that perhaps she was not adequately accessible to the people and suggested that she must spend one afternoon going around in the Office mingling and greeting people.

The committee also heard that in 2018 Mr Neshunzi was tasked to investigate whether there was something wrong with the Office’s leave system. But nothing wrong with the leave system was found after the investigation. He said he was informed that there was a training workshop that was arranged for him at the SSA.

 HE Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Sudan Ali Al-Sadiq received Thursday a written message from HE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, pertaining to bilateral relations and ways to support and develop them.

The message was handed over by HE Ambassador of the State of Qatar to Sudan Abdulrahman bin Ali Al Kubaisi during a meeting today with HE the Sudanese Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs

The United Nations continues to engage with authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in the wake of the deadly shooting this past weekend involving peacekeepers from its Mission there, MONUSCO. 

On Thursday, the head of UN Peacekeeping, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, briefed a closed-door session of the Security Council to discuss the situation in the country, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told journalists in New York. 

Ambassadors met a day after Congolese authorities officially expelled the MONUSCO Spokesperson from the country, reportedly for making “indelicate and inappropriate remarks” following recent deadly protests in the east, according to media reports. 

Regret and commitment  

Mr. Dujarric said the UN regrets the decision. 

“In line with the status of the UN under the Charter of the Organization, any concerns that the Government may have regarding the actions of a member of MONUSCO should be raised directly with the Mission leadership. The Mission and UN Headquarters are accordingly engaging with the Government to address this matter,” he added. 

MONUSCO also lamented the government’s decision. In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Mission underscored its commitment “to continuing to work alongside the Congolese population and authorities to implement the mandate entrusted to it by the Security Council.” 

Establish accountability 

The shooting incident occurred on Sunday in Kasindi, a town in North Kivu province, on the border between the DRC and Uganda. 

The peacekeepers were returning from leave, when they opened fire at a border post, under circumstances which are not yet clear. Two people were killed, and several others wounded, according to media reports. 

UN Secretary-General António Guterres was “outraged” by the “serious incident”, in addition to being saddened and dismayed over the loss of life and injuries, according to a statement issued that day by his Spokesperson. 

The Secretary-General strongly emphasized the need to establish accountability, and welcomed MONUSCO’s decision to immediately open an investigation. 

by Bai Lin and Naftali Mwaura

NAIROBI, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) — When construction of the 480-km Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) begun in 2014, Ali Mohamed was impressed by the thoughtfulness of the Chinese contractor in protecting local habitats from any harm.

The 44-year-old resident of a serene village overlooking a mangrove swamp on the northwestern edges of Kenya’s coastal city of Mombasa is proud of the modern railway project for the high importance it attaches to the conservation of marine life.

The Mombasa-Nairobi SGR — which connects Mombasa, the largest port in East Africa, and Nairobi, Kenya’s capital city — is Kenya’s largest infrastructure project since its independence in 1963.

MANGROVE FORESTS WELL PROTECTED

Mohamed, also the founder of Bidii Creek Conservancy, a Mombasa-based green lobby, said during a recent interview with Xinhua that the SGR has provided best practices on blending conservation with infrastructure development.

“I visited the SGR when its construction started and witnessed restoration of the previously degraded sections of the mangrove forest in our locality,” said Mohamed.

“The installation of overpasses and culverts ensured there was minimal disturbance to the mangrove forest which is an important fish breeding site, besides regulating coastal weather,” he added.

Adjacent to Mohamed’s ancestral village, tall concrete pillars support an overpass snaking through pristine beaches and mangrove swamps to allow seamless movement of SGR passengers and cargo trains.

Mohamed and his conservation peers lauded efforts made by China Road and Bridge Corporation, contractor of the Mombasa-Nairobi SGR, to ensure that ecological integrity of the marine ecosystems including mangrove forests and estuaries was not harmed by the infrastructure project.

Five years since its launch, the SGR has earned accolades from local officials and conservationists for prioritizing ecological protection along its corridor.

Philip Jamuhuri Mainga, managing director of Kenya Railways Corporation, said that green ethos has been placed at the center of SGR operations, bringing benefits to local communities in terms of clean air and tranquil landscapes.

“We have performed very well in terms of environmental conservation. The SGR corridor has reduced carbon emission, the trains are well maintained and do not produce waste,” said Mainga.

Unlike trucks, the SGR trains plying along the corridor have not been emitting smoke to the atmosphere, boosting Kenya’s quest for improved air quality, said Cosmas Makewa, station master at the Mombasa SGR Terminus.

According to Makewa, the design and execution of the modern railway project adhered to local environmental protection laws, ensuring a healthy relationship between the contractor and local communities.

“The project had a positive impact on the environment. It did not cut through the sea nor interfered with mangroves. We made temporary culverts to make sure water flowed from the sea to the other side,” said Makewa.

He added that SGR bridges cause minimum disturbance to the ground even as the contractor strengthens partnership with coastal communities to restore depleted sections of mangrove forest.

WILDLIFE TAKEN GOOD CARE OF

At the idyllic plains that dot Tsavo National Park, Kenya’s oldest and largest wildlife sanctuary, iconic species including elephants, giraffes and zebras are always spotted passing through underpasses installed by the SGR contractor, to ensure they can migrate uninterruptedly.

The Mombasa-Nairobi SGR snakes through Tsavo National Park, a world-famous tourist destination.

To enhance safety of wildlife, the SGR contractor erected electric fences on both sides of the track besides installing wide underpasses at short intervals to facilitate movement of both large and small animals.

Nancy Githaiga, country director for Kenya at Nairobi-based African Wildlife Foundation, said that establishment of bridges and underpasses aided protection of iconic wildlife species at Tsavo National Park.

Initial fears that the SGR could harm biodiversity, including wildlife, were laid to rest, thanks to the erection of safe passways by the contractor, Githaiga said.

Wildlife protection measures initiated by the SGR contractor should inform future efforts to develop mega infrastructure projects while safeguarding integrity of biodiversity hotspots in Kenya, she added.

CHINA’S ECOLOGICAL CIVILIZATION VISION

In the view of Leopold Omondi, a campaigner with Nairobi-based green lobby Pan African Climate Justice Alliance, the Mombasa-Nairobi SGR project highlighted the viability of China’s vision of ecological civilization.

“The SGR contractors somehow tried to prevent environmental harm as they laid down the rail from Mombasa to Nairobi. Wild animals’ habitats and the animals themselves were taken care of,” said Omondi.

By learning from China’s ecological civilization model, Kenya stands a better chance of achieving nature-positive growth, he added.

Isaiah Andebe, programs coordinator with Pan-African Media Alliance for Climate Change, said commendable protection of mangroves and wild animals points to successes of the ecological protection plan adopted by the contractor.

He commended the SGR contractor for providing migration corridors for wildlife at Tsavo and Nairobi national parks, and encouraging rainwater harvesting to cater for the animals.

“The SGR adopted greening measures as grass and trees were planted at various sections along the railway line. This not only helps in beautification but also in environmental protection,” said Andebe

A passenger train runs on the Tsavo River Super Major Bridge near the Tsavo National Park in Kenya, on July 28, 2022. (Xinhua/Dong Jianghui)

Mainga said over the past five years, the freight trains have moved an estimated 20 million tons of bulk cargo. The route came particularly in handy amid the COVID-19 pandemic by facilitating transportation of critical medical supplies.

“I must say we are lucky. We are doing more exports and diversification over goods than before. We are seeing a dynamic change on what the SGR is doing in terms of exports,” he said, adding the SGR has enhanced Kenya’s trade with neighboring countries and offered an economic lifeline to member states of the East African Community.

The official mentioned in particular the 120-km Nairobi-Naivasha section of the SGR, which is instrumental in opening northwestern Kenya to trade and investments.

Apart from freight trains along the route, there are also on average six passenger trains operating daily, carrying 7,000-10,000 people per day.

The passenger trains have transported more than 8 million people in the past five years, which shows their popularity, Mainga said.

A freight train runs on the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway track bypassing the mangroves in Mombasa, Kenya, on July 27, 2022. (Xinhua/Dong Jianghui)

“It has contributed to the tourism sector of this country, because we take a lot of people to Mombasa to do business, to work, to relax, and to enjoy. So when you see these, you see the Kenyan government and the Chinese government work together. We want to thank both governments for the support they have given us,” he said.

The official said the SGR is also benefiting local people as skills transfer has so far reached 80-90 percent.

“Now our people are able to run the operations, to drive their locomotives, to carry on with signal work, to repair and maintain our wagons,” Mainga said.

The SGR is a successful project, a project with a future, and a project that has transformed the country, he said.  ■

PHNOM PENH, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) — Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Thursday firmly refuted a Taiwan-related statement made by the Group of Seven (G7) foreign ministers.

The ins and outs of the current tension over the Taiwan Strait are crystal clear, so are the rights and wrongs. It is the United States which started the trouble, created the crisis, and continuously escalated the tensions, Wang said on the sidelines of meetings of foreign ministers on East Asia cooperation.

“The flagrant provocation by the United States has set an egregious precedent. If it’s not corrected and countered, will the principle of non-interference in internal affairs still exist? Will the internatioanl law still be upheld? How can the regional peace be safeguarded?” he asked.

Wang stressed that the statement of the G7 foreign ministers distorts facts and confounds right and wrong.

“Where did they get the right to groundlessly criticize China’s reasonable and lawful measures for safeguarding its sovereignty and territorial integrity? Who granted them the authority? Isn’t it absurd that the infringer is shielded whereas the defender is accused?” he asked.

Noting that the G7’s wrongdoing has aroused great indignation among the Chinese people, Wang said the sovereignty and independence of China and other countries were earned through bloody battles fought by the people and should never be infringed upon again.

Today’s China is no longer the China of the 19th century, and history should not and will not repeat itself, he stressed.

The international community should unequivocally oppose any act that challenges the one-China principle and resist all infringements on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries, Wang said.

Regional countries should be more united against any hegemony bullying the region, he said, adding only in this way can regional countries truly safeguard their own security as well as regional peace and stability. ■