Johnson Kanamugire

Johnson Kanamugire is a Kigali-based journalist with The EastAfrican and Rwanda Today.

Kenya polls chief: No declaration of presidential results today

Wednesday August 10 2022

By NATION AFRICA

Kenya's Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) will not name the winner of the presidential election on Wednesday. This is according to the agency's chair, Mr Wafula Chebukati, who also acknowledged that third parties such as the media had already begun tallying using the available Form 34As.

Read: What are Forms 34A and 34B?

"Results in the public portal are the same that the commission will use to declare the results. We have given agents, media and certain stakeholders access to the same...Declaration of Presidential results will not happen today," he said.

In the Wednesday afternoon press briefing, the IEBC boss also reiterated that results announced at polling stations would be final. Mr Chebukati noted that IEBC was yet to receive any physical copies of Form 34A or 34B.

"Collating of results from 290 constituencies is underway and returning officers will deliver Form 34B afterwards," he said.

"We encourage candidates who have lost the elections to concede."

While the commission is yet to tally the presidential figures, the Nation's provisional results based on Forms 34A uploaded to the IEBC portal show that Deputy President William Ruto stood at 51.45 percent and Raila Odinga at 47.9 percent by press time (3.16 pm).

To follow the Nation's live updates on the election results, follow the live blog here.

To view the Nation's provisional results, check out the portal here.

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Uhuru, Karua fail to give Raila win in own polling stations

Kenya polls: Tea pluckers, henna-stained fingers and elderly problems

Uhuru Kenyatta, Martha Karua fail to give Raila Odinga win in own polling stations

Wednesday August 10 2022

President Uhuru Kenyatta casts his ballot at Mutomo Primary School in Gatundu, Kiambu County on August 8, 2022. He is flanked by his wife, First Lady Margaret Kenyatta, and some family members. PHOTO | NMG

By The EastAfrican

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Kenya’s Deputy President William Ruto garnered more than double the votes that were cast in favour of his closest rival Raila Odinga at President Uhuru Kenyatta’s polling station -- Mutomo Primary School in Gatundu South, Kiambu County, central Kenya.

A total of 983 ballots were cast in favour of Dr Ruto of Kenya Kwanza while Mr Odinga of Azimio la Umoja got 464 votes.

President Kenyatta was backing the veteran opposition leader Mr Odinga, much to the chagrin of his deputy.

The polling station, where Mr Kenyatta voted, has a total of 2,164 registered voters and only 1,460 turned up to vote. Three of the votes cast were rejected.

Agano presidential candidate Waihiga Mwaure garnered four votes, while his Roots party counterpart George Wajackoyah garnered nine.

Read: Kenya polls: The four men seeking to succeed Uhuru

Raila’s running mate

Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition party presidential running mate, Martha Karua casts her vote at Mugumo Primary School in Gichugu on August 8, 2022. PHOTO | NMG

In Kirinyaga County, DP Ruto pulled an upset in Mr Odinga’s running mate Martha Karua's own polling station through a clear win, with Ms Karua only delivering less than a third of the votes.

Results from Form 34A posted by Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) showed that at the Mugumo Primary School in Gichugu Constituency, in central Kenya, where she voted, DP Ruto garnered 911 votes against Mr Odinga's 311 votes.

In the headlines

No presidential results today, says IEBC chief

Chebukati also encouraged candidates who have lost elections to concede.

Burundi allows sugar, cement imports to tame black market

Cabinet says efforts to enforce official prices amid commodities shortage have been in vain.

Fuel prices rise in Rwanda despite subsidy

Lift arms embargo on Somalia, Museveni, Mohamud urge UN

Kenya awaits vote results in close race for Ruto and Raila

Kenya polls: Tea pluckers, henna-stained fingers and elderly problems

Kenya awaits vote results in close race for William Ruto and Raila Odinga

Wednesday August 10 2022

Ballot boxes from over 190 polling stations brought by presiding officers to the YMCA Shauri Moyo, which is the Kamukunji Constituency Tallying Centre in Nairobi on August 10, 2022. PHOTO | AMINA WAKO | NMG

By AFP

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Kenyans waited anxiously on Wednesday for the results of the country's presidential election after a largely peaceful poll, with low turnout in some areas suggesting growing frustration with the political elite.

Although presidential frontrunners William Ruto and Raila Odinga have both vowed to maintain calm following Tuesday's poll, the memory of past election-related violence remains fresh for many Kenyans, who have urged political parties to accept the results.

With pressure building on the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), which has to declare the results by August 16, officials worked overnight to count votes and dispel rigging fears.

"We call for patience among Kenyans as we undertake this rigorous exercise and also endeavour to complete this exercise as soon as possible," IEBC chairman Wafula Chebukati said in a late-night briefing.

Kenyans, some of whom lined up before dawn to cast their ballot, voted in six elections on Tuesday, choosing a new president as well as senators, governors, members of parliament, woman representatives and some 1,500 county officials.

Despite the early show of enthusiasm, however, turnout in some areas appeared to be weak, suggesting that for some Kenyans at least, patience with years of unfulfilled promises was running out.

Even those who showed up early to vote said they were tired of electing political leaders who had done little to improve their lives.

"All along we have been doing elections, getting promises but we see no change," said George Otieno Henry, a 56-year-old artisan.

"I hope this time it will be better," he told AFP in Kibra, one of Nairobi's largest slums.

By 4 pm (1300 GMT), 10 hours after polling began, turnout was at just over 56 percent of the 22 million registered voters, according to the IEBC.

Read: Kenya voter turnout at 56pc an hour to polls closing

Comparable figures for the August 2017 election were not immediately available but overall turnout reached 78 percent in that vote.

Cost-of-living crisis

Deputy President Ruto and Odinga, a veteran opposition leader now backed by the ruling party, have both pledged to tackle the cost-of-living crisis and ease the lives of ordinary Kenyans.

But many are bracing for the pair to spar over the results, reflecting earlier polls in the East African nation where no presidential election outcome has gone uncontested since 2002.

Once the heir-apparent, Ruto, 55, found himself banished to the sidelines after two-term President Uhuru Kenyatta -- who cannot run for a third time -- joined hands with his former foe Odinga, 77, in a move that stunned the country.

Since then, the wealthy businessman has cast himself as the champion of "hustlers" trying to eke out a living in a country ruled by "dynasties" -- the Kenyatta and Odinga families that have dominated Kenyan politics since independence from Britain in 1963.

With a third of Kenya's population living in poverty, economic pressures weighed on voters even before the war in Ukraine sent the prices of essential goods soaring.

Prior to the election, some observers surmised that the economy could surpass tribal affiliations as a key factor driving voter behaviour, while others said politicians' failure to tackle the crisis could keep people away from the ballot all together.

"Many Kenyans... have cited their lack of faith in politicians to improve their current economic circumstances as the main reason for not participating in the August polls," Oxford Economics said in a note last week.

'Calm and peaceful'

Analysts have suggested that Odinga, a onetime political prisoner and former prime minister who is making his fifth stab at the presidency, could edge past his younger rival.

If neither wins more than 50 percent, Kenya will stage a run-off for the first time in its history.

Kenya's international partners are closely watching the election in a country deemed a beacon of regional stability.

Read: Kenya’s change of guard: Why neighbours watch every step

Local polls were suspended in several areas on Tuesday, triggering a protest in one case, but police said the electoral process had largely "remained calm and peaceful with no major incidents to report".

Security was tight, with a view to preventing a repeat of the post-election violence that has hit Kenya in the past.

The 2007 poll was followed by politically motivated ethnic clashes that killed more than 1,100 people, while Odinga's challenge to the 2017 election result was met with a heavy-handed police response that left dozens dead.

In the headlines

No presidential results today, says IEBC chief

Chebukati also encouraged candidates who have lost elections to concede.

Burundi allows sugar, cement imports to tame black market

Cabinet says efforts to enforce official prices amid commodities shortage have been in vain.

Fuel prices rise in Rwanda despite subsidy

Lift arms embargo on Somalia, Museveni, Mohamud urge UN

Uhuru, Karua fail to give Raila win in own polling stations

Kenya polls: Tea pluckers, henna-stained fingers and elderly problems

Kenya election: What are these Kiems kits?

Tuesday August 09 2022

An IEBC official holds a KIEMS gadget during tallying at Nyeri Technical in Nyeri town on August 9, 2017. FILE PHOTO | NMG

By ONYANGO K’ONYANGO

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Kenya’s elections on Tuesday witnessed sporadic failures of kits used to manage voters’ roll and transmission.

In some stations, the polling clerks were forced to identify voters using the manual registers after the gadgets failed.

What does the law say?

Under the law, the electoral agency is permitted to use the Kenya Integrated Elections Management System (Kiems) kits to identify voters at the polling station.

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) loads the Kiems kits with electronic voter identification and results transmission system software, Sim cards of network operators and secure digital (SD) cards containing registered voters’ biographic and biometric data.

How is the kit used?

The Kiems kit digitally identifies voters at polling stations, unlike before, when clerks used a manual register to recognise a voter in the commission’s roll.

When a voter arrives at the polling station, they present their national identity card or passport used at registration.

The polling clerk then uses the Kiems kit to identify and authenticate the voter. They do so by assisting the voter in placing their fingers on the kit for fingerprint identification.

Once identified, the voter is issued with six stamped ballot papers for president, governor, senate, woman representative, MP and member of County Assembly (MCA).

How are results transmitted?

Apart from identifying the voters, the Kiems kits will also be used to transmit results from the polling stations to the national and constituency tallying centres.

Once vote counting has been done, the presiding officers manually fill out the tally forms, after which they take a picture of the forms. Under the election regulations, Form 34A is the first form used to tabulate the presidential election results. The presiding officer fills it after counting votes at the polling station.

The Form 34A picture is then transmitted through the Kiems kit to the constituency and national tally centres and the IEBC public portal.

Who made the kits?

The IEBC awarded the tender to Smartmatic International BV in November 2021.

Smartmatic builds and implements electronic voter systems. It was contracted by IEBC to supply up to 14,100 Kiems kits for use in the polls. It is also the software provider for the kits, having replaced OT Morpho, now called Idemia, which was the technology service provider for IEBC in 2017.

Recently, IEBC chairman Wafula Chebukati disclosed that Smartmatic did not provide all the Kiems kits needed for the election, noting that before the contract with the tech firm, the commission had 41,000 working kits.

He said this brings “the total number of the kits that are in good working condition to 55,100.”

Are there disputes over the gadgets?

Yes. Overreliance on Kiems kits has been at the centre of push and pull between political players and the electoral agency.

Azimio La Umoja One Kenya presidential candidate Raila Odinga and his main rival Deputy President Willam Ruto of the Kenya Kwanza coalition have repeatedly disagreed on the use of Kiems kits, a matter that landed in courts. Last week, the High Court ruled that the manual voter register be used as a complementary system.

The arguments ranged on possible failures of alphanumeric search, keypad, screen pad or booting system malfunctions and battery breakdown. There were also concerns over malware infection, operating system crash or breaking of the kit if it drops.

The electoral agency said it had six extra Kiems kits in each ward across the country to act as a backup.

In the headlines

No presidential results today, says IEBC chief

Chebukati also encouraged candidates who have lost elections to concede.

Burundi allows sugar, cement imports to tame black market

Cabinet says efforts to enforce official prices amid commodities shortage have been in vain.

Fuel prices rise in Rwanda despite subsidy

Lift arms embargo on Somalia, Museveni, Mohamud urge UN

Kenya awaits vote results in close race for Ruto and Raila

Uhuru, Karua fail to give Raila win in own polling stations

Kenya polls: Tea pluckers, henna-stained fingers and elderly problems

Kenya elections: Tea pluckers, henna-stained fingers and elderly problems

Tuesday August 09 2022

An IEBC polling clerk uses a Kiems kit to identify a voter. PHOTO | NMG

By The EastAfrican

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Sections of Kenyans who showed up early to vote in various polling stations across the country were forced to resort to identification via manual register after the election’s technology failed to pick their fingerprints.

Some voters faced delays before casting their ballots, while others were turned away after the Kenya Integrated Elections Management Systems (Kiems) kits failed to pick their fingerprints.

Some, like Presidential candidate Prof George Wajackoyah, failed to vote following the kits glitch. He left but later returned to cast his ballot at Indangalasia Primary School in the afternoon.

Separately, Kenya Kwanza Alliance presidential running mate Rigathi Gachagua finally voted at 7.39 am after several attempts on the Kiems kit.

Some leaders like Kisumu Governor Anyang’ Nyong’o asked the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to do away with the Kiems identification process and allow voters to be identified through the manual register. He said cases of people being turned away because the gadgets cannot identify them have been reported across the county.

Failure reports

Following the reported hitches of the Kiems kits in parts of the country, IEBC said it had authorised the use of manual registers. However, in a press briefing at the national tallying centre, Bomas of Kenya in Nairobi, on Monday afternoon, the agency said they did not consider the kits’ failures to be widespread.

“We have received 200 failure reports out of a total of over 46,000 (Kiems kits). The failure is not widespread. Technology does break down, and we have ways to address that, which we have done. We expect that one or two may present a malfunction, but that does not mean it is widespread,” said IEBC commissioner Justus Nyang’aya.

The Nation, however, has compiled instances where the technical hitches were reported across the country, thus pointing towards a larger problem.

Mt Kenya: Tea pluckers’ fingerprint challenges

In central Kenya, voting started early and went on smoothly in most parts of the region. However, in some areas, voters were turned away because they could not be identified biometrically.

Cases reported in Othaya involved tea and coffee farmers and farm workers who use their thumbs and index fingers to harvest the crops. The Kiems kit could not read their fingerprints.

In some cases, voters were sent home to wash and lubricate their fingers and return, while in others, IEBC officials were forced to rely on voters’ identification documents and their manual registers.

Network hitches also disrupted voting. At Nyaribo Primary School in Nyeri Town Constituency, the first person voted at 6.47 am despite being in queues hours before that.

Coast: The henna-stained fingers problem

In Lamu Old Town, most Swahili women voters with henna on their fingers could not be identified using the Kiems kits. IEBC had earlier advised they remove it before polling day, but a majority still turned up with the dyes.

Lamu County Deputy Returning Officer Mohamed Ali says the henna ink makes it difficult for fingerprint recognition.

In Kwale, polling stations in Kinango, Matunga and Lungalunga reported failure of the kits to work. Kwale IEBC Returning Officer Obadiah Kariuki said a team from the commission’s ICT department was notified to rectify the challenge.

In Nyali, IEBC replaced defective Kiems kits. Returning Officer John ole Taiswa said in polling stations where there were delays occurred, voting hours would be extended.

In Wundanyi, Taita Taveta, faulty Kiems kits and poor internet connectivity were reported. IEBC elections manager Eisha Oshan confirmed the complaints and said the ICT department intervened.

Similar challenges were reported in Rabai, Kilifi.

The elders’ struggle

Elsewhere in the country, the decision by IEBC to strictly adhere to the use of Kiems to identify voters has subjected the elderly in some parts of the North Rift region to uncomfortable situations. Some were turned away after the kits failed to pick their fingerprints.

In various polling stations in Elgeyo Marakwet, Uasin Gishu and West Pokot counties, the elderly, who had turned up in large numbers, had to contend with rubbing their palms together or on rocks and even warming them over gas lamps to soften them.

“When their hands are warm, the fingerprints become visible, and the kits recognise them,” said Hillary Kosgei, the presiding officer at Turesia polling centre in Elgeyo Marakwet. More than 10 elderly women were seen by the Nation warming their fingers over a lamp at the centre.

“At last, I voted despite almost burning my fingers (over a lamp). In the past, we only presented our national IDs without pressing on the device, which is uncomfortable for us,” a relieved Kabon Kapkong, 80, said after casting her vote.

Some casual workers in Kesses Constituency, Uasin Gishu, suffered the same fate but were turned away and could not vote.

...and more frustrations

The kit failures and delays were also reported in Kamunkunji in Nairobi, Bullapesa and Wabera in Isiolo and multiple polling stations in Makueni.

The hitches led to some voters opting to leave while others persevered and waited around to get a chance to vote.

In Kibwezi West, Makueni, the delays triggered disgruntlement among voters. A spot check by the Nation showed that more than 100 Kiems kits had failed.

At Kiambani Primary School, for instance, five of seven polling stations had failed, while in Emali Primary School, voting took place in only two of the 12 stations following a breakdown of the kits.

IEBC officials had difficulty reassuring voters who were running out of patience. To recover the lost time, the officials at the affected stations pledged to extend the voting period.

Report by Mercy Mwende, Fred Kibor, Barnabas Bii, Oscar Kakai, Waweru Wairimu, Pius Maundu, Mkamburi Mwawasi, Lucy Mkanyika, Siago Cece, Anthony Kitimo, Charles Ongandi, Steven Heywood, Maureen Ongala, Kalume Kazungu, Brian Ocharo and Philip Muyanga.

In the headlines

No presidential results today, says IEBC chief

Chebukati also encouraged candidates who have lost elections to concede.

Burundi allows sugar, cement imports to tame black market

Cabinet says efforts to enforce official prices amid commodities shortage have been in vain.

Fuel prices rise in Rwanda despite subsidy

Lift arms embargo on Somalia, Museveni, Mohamud urge UN

Kenya awaits vote results in close race for Ruto and Raila

Uhuru, Karua fail to give Raila win in own polling stations

Burundi allows sugar, cement imports to tame black market

Wednesday August 10 2022

Smallscale traders in Bujumbura. The shortage of processed goods in Burundi is driving citizens to the black market. FILE PHOTO | AFP

By MOSES HAVYARIMANA

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By HELLEN GITHAIGA

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Burundi is set to open a window for importing sugar and cement to meet a shortfall that has created a black market where prices have shot up.

This was revealed through a Cabinet statement released Wednesday following a Council of Ministers meeting in Gitega last week.

“There are discrepancies between the reference prices and the actual prices on the market,” the Cabinet said, adding that efforts to enforce official prices have been in vain.

State-owned producers have also been seeking a price review, particularly beer maker Brarudi and cement manufacturer Buceco since 2021, for reasons including soaring raw materials and transport costs.

“Given the production capacities of these companies, it is not clear that these products will be available even after the price increase,” the Cabinet noted.

The government noted that State-run Sosumo’s sugar and Buceco’s cement were insufficient and approved “other operators with sufficient financial capacity a gateway to import these products.”

The government said it would also accelerate the revamp of the sugar miller Sosumo to increase its production capacity.

Price increases

Beer maker Brarudi proposed increasing prices per bottle between 200 Burundian francs ($0.098) to Bf600 ($0.29) based on product type.

On its part, Buceco wanted to raise the price of a bag of its Cement 32.5R by Bf3,000 ($1.47). The official cement price is Bf24,500 ($11.99) but retails at Bf32,000 ($15.66) on the black market.

But the government says the two companies must first show how they plan to increase production to meet current demand.

The Trade, Community Development and Agriculture ministers were also tasked with creating modalities to help Brarudi on its quest to cultivate sorghum.

The Cabinet also directed the enforcement of official prices since there is no corresponding tax increase when the commodity costs rise.

Fuel shortage

In addition to the biting sugar and cement shortage, Burundi has also witnessed a shortfall of fuel, with long queues still seen in the commercial hub Bujumbura.

“I have spent two days here queuing for fuel, and yet I don’t know if I will get it,” a taxi driver in the former capital said.

The frustration is also driving motorists to the black market.

Currently, a litre of petrol costs Bf3250 ($1.59) while that of diesel costs Bf3450 ($1.69).

“We sometimes go to the black market in Buyenzi where a litre of petrol is bought at Bf8,000 ($3.91),” said another taxi driver.

In the headlines

No presidential results today, says IEBC chief

Chebukati also encouraged candidates who have lost elections to concede.

Fuel prices rise in Rwanda despite subsidy

Lift arms embargo on Somalia, Museveni, Mohamud urge UN

Kenya awaits vote results in close race for Ruto and Raila

Uhuru, Karua fail to give Raila win in own polling stations

Kenya polls: Tea pluckers, henna-stained fingers and elderly problems

Fuel prices rise in Rwanda despite government subsidy

Wednesday August 10 2022

Fuel trucks entering Rwanda from Tanzania. FILE PHOTO | CYRIL NDEGEYA | NMG

By Ange Iliza

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Rwanda has increased its fuel prices, reflecting the little impact the bi-monthly government subsidy has had.

The latest prices, effective Monday, will see a litre of petrol retail at Rwf1,609 ($ 1.54), up from Rwf1,460 ($1.39) two months ago. A litre of diesel will sell at Rwf1,607 ($1.53), an increase from Rwf1,503 ($1.43).

The next fuel price review will be in October.

The Minister of Infrastructure Dr Ernest Nsabimana attributed the rising costs to the Russia-Ukraine war. He said since the war began early this year, oil prices have more than doubled. In February, a barrel of crude oil was at $0.57; by the end of July, it had hit $0.97.

Dr Nsabimana said he expects the prices to rise even higher in the next few months if the China-Taiwan situation escalates.

The price increases pile more pressure on households and motorists, given that diesel is a key determinant of the basket of goods and services used to measure inflation.

Cost of goods

According to the National Institute of Statistics, Rwanda’s general Producer Price Index, the monthly measure of change in the prices received by domestic producers, recorded an annual increase of 14.6 percent in June. Local prices increased by 15.3 percent, while export prices increased by 12.8 percent.

Producers of services such as electricity and manufactured goods usually factor in the higher cost of petroleum.

The government has invested Rwf10 billion ($10.1 million) to salvage the prices that would have increased to Rwf1,757 ($1.68) per litre of diesel and Rwf1,767 ($1.69) for a litre of petrol. Since July, the government has invested $23 million in fuel subsidies.

Rwanda introduced fuel subsidies in August 2021 with Rwf15 billion ($14 million). Prices at the time had increased to Rwf1,172 ($1.12) for petrol and Rwf1,122 ($1.07) for diesel.

Transport, food costs

While transporters are not allowed to adjust fares in response to the fuel price rise, the operators in the public transport business say the increase is eating into their profits. They say the subsidy of Rwf29 billion ($28 million) issued by the government in 2021 is no longer helping. While fuel prices have increased every two months since 2021, the public transport tariff was last revised in June 2021.

“Some small bus companies that travel to less populous areas have quit. There are buses we no longer see here. Some companies have also cut on the number of buses in operations,” said Joseph Muhumuza, a supervisor at Nyabugogo bus station.

The fuel price increase and the June-July dry season have hit food markets hard, worsening basic food prices and squeezing hard household budgets.

For instance, a litre of processed milk surged from Rwf450 ($0.43) in April to the current Rwf600 ($0.57). A tray of eggs is retailing at Rwf5,400 ($5.17) from Rwf3,600 ($3.45) in April. Some staple foods at the Kimironko market, one of the major food markets in Kigali, have almost doubled. Dry beans have reached Rwf1,500 ($1.44) per kilo, up from Rwf900 ($0.86) earlier this year, while Irish potatoes now cost Rwf660 ($0.63).

In the headlines

No presidential results today, says IEBC chief

Chebukati also encouraged candidates who have lost elections to concede.

Burundi allows sugar, cement imports to tame black market

Cabinet says efforts to enforce official prices amid commodities shortage have been in vain.

Lift arms embargo on Somalia, Museveni, Mohamud urge UN

Kenya awaits vote results in close race for Ruto and Raila

Uhuru, Karua fail to give Raila win in own polling stations

Kenya polls: Tea pluckers, henna-stained fingers and elderly problems

Kenya polls chief: No declaration of presidential results today

Wednesday August 10 2022

By NATION AFRICA

More by this Author

Read: What are Forms 34A and 34B?

"Collating of results from 290 constituencies is underway and returning officers will deliver Form 34B afterwards," he said.

"We encourage candidates who have lost the elections to concede."

To follow the Nation's live updates on the election results, follow the live blog here.

To view the Nation's provisional results, check out the portal here.

In the headlines

Burundi allows sugar, cement imports to tame black market

Cabinet says efforts to enforce official prices amid commodities shortage have been in vain.

Fuel prices rise in Rwanda despite subsidy

Lift arms embargo on Somalia, Museveni, Mohamud urge UN

Kenya awaits vote results in close race for Ruto and Raila

Uhuru, Karua fail to give Raila win in own polling stations

Kenya polls: Tea pluckers, henna-stained fingers and elderly problems

Lift arms embargo on Somalia, Museveni, Mohamud urge UN

Wednesday August 10 2022

Somalia President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, with his delegation, during talks with his host President Yoweri Museveni (in white) at State House Entebbe in Uganda on August 8, 2022. PHOTO | PPU

By JULIUS BARIGABA

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Uganda President Yoweri Museveni and his Somali counterpart Hassan Sheikh Mohamud want the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to lift an arms embargo on the Horn of Africa country to build the capacity to manage its security mandate.

In a joint communique, the two heads of State said they "appreciated the support of the Security Council in the stabilisation efforts in Somalia but called upon the UN body to consider lifting the arms embargo to enable the country shoulder her security responsibilities".

President Mohamud has been in Uganda for a three-day State visit since Monday, where he held bilateral talks with his host at State House Entebbe on August 8.

The communique released after the talks and signed by Uganda's Foreign Affairs Minister Gen Abubaker Jeje Odongo and his Somali counterpart Abshir Omar Jama also touches on other areas of mutual interest, including trade and investment.

After one and a half-decade operation, the UNSC-backed African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom) transitioned to the African Transition Mission in Somalia (Atmis) in April, in readiness to transfer security responsibilities to the ill-equipped Somali National Army (SNA), when the renewed mandate of the AU force ends.

Uganda has been crucial to Mogadishu's internal security, as it is one of five troop-contributing countries to the Atmis.

Indeed, during President Mohamud's visit, he and his delegation on August 9 toured Uganda's military equipment and ammunition manufacturer Luwero Industries, owned and managed by Uganda Peoples Defence Forces, located in Nakasogola, 110 kilometres north of Kampala.

Read: Somalia is still fragile, new AU mission can help stabilise it

Funding support

The two heads of State also called upon the international community to continue supporting Somalia in building its institutions, especially the SNA and police, to ensure that the progress and gains made from the capacity building by the AU forces are consolidated.

They said adequate, predictable and sustainable funding to support Atmis and SNA is what the global community needs to guarantee.

While in Uganda, at the invitation of President Museveni, the Somali leader attended the first ever Uganda-Somali Investment and Business Summit, taking place from August 9-10 at Speke Resort, Munyonyo.

President Museveni pledged his support to Somalia on its bid to join the East African Community that, besides Uganda, also includes Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan and the latest entrant, the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Business summit

Somali-owned businesses based in Uganda and other EAC states are upbeat about the summit, coming just a fortnight after leaders of the EAC agreed to fast-track Somalia's admission to the bloc, offering an opportunity to invest and do business in the region.

Money transfer company Dahabshiil, one of the key participants in the summit and with a presence in Uganda, said the two-day event is an opportunity to explore and deepen trade and investment opportunities.

"This business summit between governments and business communities is vital because it not only opens up opportunities for business people to interact but also gives us a chance to understand the challenges our people in this region face," said Dahabshiil, chief executive officer Abdirashid Duale.

Other Somali big names at the summit include real estate entrepreneur Amina Hersi, also based in Uganda but with roots in Kenya, Somaliland and Somalia, boasting of a myriad of flourishing businesses such as Atiak Sugar Factory and commercial properties in the capital.

Somalia is currently suffering a devastating drought and food insecurity, and the summit is seen as an opportunity to learn ways of addressing the challenges through public-private partnerships.

According to SomInvest, the Horn of Africa country's investment promotion agency, Somalia is looking at the region and beyond to attract investors in renewable energy to boost power generation capacity. According to assessments by the African Development Bank (AfDB), renewable energy is "a viable and the immediate way to increase affordable energy for Somalis".

"Investments in renewable energy are multiplying in Africa as the costs of renewable technologies decrease. Somalia has one of the highest potentials for onshore wind power in Africa and one of the highest rates of daily total solar radiation in the world," said AfDB.

Read: AfDB arm releases $5.4 million for Somalia food security

Apart from his Foreign minister, President Muhamud's delegation also includes the ministers of Defence, Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur, and Commerce, Jibril Abdirasid Hagi Abdi.

Others are lawmakers and other State officials. Somalia's Ambassador to Uganda, Ali Mohamed Mohamud, is also part of the delegation.

In the headlines

No presidential results today, says IEBC chief

Chebukati also encouraged candidates who have lost elections to concede.

Burundi allows sugar, cement imports to tame black market

Cabinet says efforts to enforce official prices amid commodities shortage have been in vain.

Fuel prices rise in Rwanda despite subsidy

Kenya awaits vote results in close race for Ruto and Raila

Uhuru, Karua fail to give Raila win in own polling stations

Kenya polls: Tea pluckers, henna-stained fingers and elderly problems

Papss can save continent $5b in payment costs

Wednesday August 10 2022

Mike Ogbalu III, the chief executive officer, Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (Papss). PHOTO | COURTESY

Summary

By BAMUTURAKI MUSINGUZI

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Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (Papss), is a payment method that operates across African borders allowing the transfer of currencies instantly and at low costs. Its chief executive spoke to Bamuturaki Musinguzi about its achievements and prospects.

Why was the pan-African Payment and Settlement System (Papss) developed?

Over 80 percent of intra-African payments go through Europe or the US, resulting in high transfer and compliance costs. The establishment of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) has added to the need and urgency of providing an enabling continental payment and settlement infrastructure that will support its objectives. Papss was adopted in July 2019 by the African Union Heads of State to support the AfCFTA.

Read: Afreximbank rolls out tools to spur trade

What has PAPSS achieved since its launch?

All six central banks of WAMZ (West African Monetary Zone) have been carrying out a pilot live exercise, which began in October 2021, and has been successfully concluded. This paves the way for commercial bank transactions. In the past few months, two more central banks and more than 300 major commercial banks have joined the PAPSS network.

In parallel, we signed strategic partnerships that broaden our reach — such as the Comesa Regional Payment and Settlement System and the Buna platform, the first Arab regional payment system.

This is in addition to partnering with AfricaNenda, with whom we work to build in-country capability for instant payments.

How is this system enabling instant payments in local currencies?

At its core, Papss is an instant payment system built to the highest global standards and then coupled with the systems of central banks. This is then coupled with the core systems of commercial banks, which will be direct participants in the Papss network. On top of this, we layer on other banks, fintech and payment service providers as indirect participants.

Payments are initiated and settled in the local currencies of initiators and beneficiaries, effectively eliminating the need for third (hard) currencies to consummate trades within our region.

National and sub-regional payment systems lack interoperability. It is paramount that we now integrate all of Africa financially to hasten the pace of economic growth.

Once it begins to operate at scale, PAPSS should save African countries an estimated $5 billion annually in transaction costs.

What has hindered expansion?

It will take an appreciation of the value that Papss is bringing in terms of speed, low cost and guarantee of receipt of funds by commercial banks and their being able to translate this to their customers doing cross-border transactions.

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Wednesday August 10 2022

By The EastAfrican

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A total of 983 ballots were cast in favour of Dr Ruto of Kenya Kwanza while Mr Odinga of Azimio la Umoja got 464 votes.

President Kenyatta was backing the veteran opposition leader Mr Odinga, much to the chagrin of his deputy.

The polling station, where Mr Kenyatta voted, has a total of 2,164 registered voters and only 1,460 turned up to vote. Three of the votes cast were rejected.

Agano presidential candidate Waihiga Mwaure garnered four votes, while his Roots party counterpart George Wajackoyah garnered nine.

Read: Kenya polls: The four men seeking to succeed Uhuru

Raila’s running mate

Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition party presidential running mate, Martha Karua casts her vote at Mugumo Primary School in Gichugu on August 8, 2022. PHOTO | NMG

In Kirinyaga County, DP Ruto pulled an upset in Mr Odinga’s running mate Martha Karua's own polling station through a clear win, with Ms Karua only delivering less than a third of the votes.

In the headlines

No presidential results today, says IEBC chief

Chebukati also encouraged candidates who have lost elections to concede.

Burundi allows sugar, cement imports to tame black market

Cabinet says efforts to enforce official prices amid commodities shortage have been in vain.

Fuel prices rise in Rwanda despite subsidy

Lift arms embargo on Somalia, Museveni, Mohamud urge UN

Kenya awaits vote results in close race for Ruto and Raila

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Kenya awaits vote results in close race for William Ruto and Raila Odinga

Wednesday August 10 2022

By AFP

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Despite the early show of enthusiasm, however, turnout in some areas appeared to be weak, suggesting that for some Kenyans at least, patience with years of unfulfilled promises was running out.

Even those who showed up early to vote said they were tired of electing political leaders who had done little to improve their lives.

"All along we have been doing elections, getting promises but we see no change," said George Otieno Henry, a 56-year-old artisan.

"I hope this time it will be better," he told AFP in Kibra, one of Nairobi's largest slums.

By 4 pm (1300 GMT), 10 hours after polling began, turnout was at just over 56 percent of the 22 million registered voters, according to the IEBC.

Read: Kenya voter turnout at 56pc an hour to polls closing

Comparable figures for the August 2017 election were not immediately available but overall turnout reached 78 percent in that vote.

Cost-of-living crisis

Deputy President Ruto and Odinga, a veteran opposition leader now backed by the ruling party, have both pledged to tackle the cost-of-living crisis and ease the lives of ordinary Kenyans.

But many are bracing for the pair to spar over the results, reflecting earlier polls in the East African nation where no presidential election outcome has gone uncontested since 2002.

With a third of Kenya's population living in poverty, economic pressures weighed on voters even before the war in Ukraine sent the prices of essential goods soaring.

'Calm and peaceful'

Analysts have suggested that Odinga, a onetime political prisoner and former prime minister who is making his fifth stab at the presidency, could edge past his younger rival.

If neither wins more than 50 percent, Kenya will stage a run-off for the first time in its history.

Kenya's international partners are closely watching the election in a country deemed a beacon of regional stability.

Read: Kenya’s change of guard: Why neighbours watch every step

Security was tight, with a view to preventing a repeat of the post-election violence that has hit Kenya in the past.

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Burundi allows sugar, cement imports to tame black market

Cabinet says efforts to enforce official prices amid commodities shortage have been in vain.

Fuel prices rise in Rwanda despite subsidy

Lift arms embargo on Somalia, Museveni, Mohamud urge UN

Uhuru, Karua fail to give Raila win in own polling stations

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Kenya election: What are these Kiems kits?

Tuesday August 09 2022

An IEBC official holds a KIEMS gadget during tallying at Nyeri Technical in Nyeri town on August 9, 2017. FILE PHOTO | NMG

By ONYANGO K’ONYANGO

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Kenya’s elections on Tuesday witnessed sporadic failures of kits used to manage voters’ roll and transmission.

In some stations, the polling clerks were forced to identify voters using the manual registers after the gadgets failed.

What does the law say?

Under the law, the electoral agency is permitted to use the Kenya Integrated Elections Management System (Kiems) kits to identify voters at the polling station.

How is the kit used?

The Kiems kit digitally identifies voters at polling stations, unlike before, when clerks used a manual register to recognise a voter in the commission’s roll.

When a voter arrives at the polling station, they present their national identity card or passport used at registration.

The polling clerk then uses the Kiems kit to identify and authenticate the voter. They do so by assisting the voter in placing their fingers on the kit for fingerprint identification.

Once identified, the voter is issued with six stamped ballot papers for president, governor, senate, woman representative, MP and member of County Assembly (MCA).

How are results transmitted?

Apart from identifying the voters, the Kiems kits will also be used to transmit results from the polling stations to the national and constituency tallying centres.

The Form 34A picture is then transmitted through the Kiems kit to the constituency and national tally centres and the IEBC public portal.

Who made the kits?

The IEBC awarded the tender to Smartmatic International BV in November 2021.

He said this brings “the total number of the kits that are in good working condition to 55,100.”

Are there disputes over the gadgets?

Yes. Overreliance on Kiems kits has been at the centre of push and pull between political players and the electoral agency.

The electoral agency said it had six extra Kiems kits in each ward across the country to act as a backup.

In the headlines

No presidential results today, says IEBC chief

Chebukati also encouraged candidates who have lost elections to concede.

Burundi allows sugar, cement imports to tame black market

Cabinet says efforts to enforce official prices amid commodities shortage have been in vain.

Fuel prices rise in Rwanda despite subsidy

Lift arms embargo on Somalia, Museveni, Mohamud urge UN

Kenya awaits vote results in close race for Ruto and Raila

Uhuru, Karua fail to give Raila win in own polling stations

Kenya polls: Tea pluckers, henna-stained fingers and elderly problems

Regulators want reforms to make NSE attractive

Tuesday August 09 2022

Nairobi Stock Exchange (NSE) Chief Executive Geoffrey Odundo makes his remarks during a media briefing on the NSE Quarterly Barometer overview report of the stock market on April 26, 2022. PHOTO | FRANCIS NDERITU | NMG

By JAMES ANYANZWA

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Kenya’s capital market regulators are pushing for policy and legislative reforms to break the dominance of big firms at the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE).

The bourse is largely controlled by five listed firms, with foreign investors controlling close to 60 percent of the activities.

Attempts to attract new listings through issuer engagements, introduction of new investment products and easing of listing requirements have failed to attract new companies to the exchange. It is feared that leaving activities on the stock market in the hands of a few companies and foreign investors exposes it to the risk of collapsing.

Read: Regulator dangles electronic IPOs at Nairobi bourse

Central Bank of Kenya, in its annual supervision report dated September 2019 warned that leaving NSE in the hands of foreign investors and only five large firms exposes the stockmarket to risk of crashing in the event of domestic or foreign shocks.

According to CBK, the dominance of treasury bonds in the fixed income market has also made the market more vulnerable. Data from the Capital Markets Authority shows that foreign investor activity on the bourse increased during the three months to June 30 this year stood at 61.54 percent with a paltry five companies controlling 77.23 percent of the market.

The Capital Markets Authority (CMA) and the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) are eyeing policy and legislative reforms, which could compel state-owned corporations to offload shares on the Nairobi bourse to the public.

According to CMA, the market concentration risk that the Kenyan capital markets continue to face remains a key policy discussion among regulators and parliament

“To minimise this risk, more strategic initiatives aimed at growing other sectors of the economy are needed to increase the range of sectors represented by listed firms at the bourse,” CMA said through its Capital Markets Soundness report for quarter two.

“The Authority, in the review of its Public Offers and Listing Regulations sought to provide favorable listing requirements to attract more companies to list.” According to CMA’s chief executive Wycliffe Shamiah, market concentration is a collective effort and a wider approach is required to break the big firm dominance.

“CMA is reviewing its legal frameworks to address gaps that we noted sometimes,” said Mr. Shamiah

According to the NSE chief executive Geoffrey Odundo, several initiatives are underway to address market concentration concerns. During the three months to June 2022 only 10 companies — Safaricom, Equity, KCB, EABL, Co-operative Bank, Absa Bank, Standard Chartered Bank Kenya, BAT Kenya, NCBA and Stanbic Bank) controlled 87.89 percent of the market value and 95.89 percent of the market in terms of turnover.

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