Kioo17 Journal

Kigali, RWANDA: Drawing cartoons or producing writing that "humiliates" a government official is now a crime in Rwanda. Journalists say the law that took effect on Thursday will greatly affect work that is meant to hold public officials, including Cabinet members to account. Defaming Rwanda's head of state, President Paul Kagame, already was illegal, bringing five to seven years in prison and a $11,000 fine. It was not immediately clear if the law affects people who post such writings on social media. A cartoonist who breaks the law faces up to two years in prison and a fine of up to $1500. If the cartoon targets a member of parliament or top-ranking official, the penalty doubles. " Any person who, verbally, by gestures or threats, in writings or cartoons, humiliates a member of parliament when exercising his/her mandate, a member of the Cabinet, security officers or any other person in charge of a public service in the performance or in conn

Lusaka, ZAMBIA: A Kenyan law professor and former director of his country’s anti-corruption commission was on Saturday refused entry to Zambia due to “security considerations”, authorities said. Professor Patrick Loch Otieno Lumumba (born 17 July 1962) is a Kenyan who served as the Director of Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission from September 2010 to August 2011 and is currently the Director of The Kenya School of Laws since the year 2014. An eloquent lawyer , he holds PhD in Laws of the sea from the University of Ghent in Belgium. He is also a staunch Pan-Africanist and has delivered several powerful speeches to all about African solutions to African problems. Patrick Loch Otieno Lumumba, director of the Kenya School of Laws, had been due to deliver a talk on Chinese influence in Africa on Sunday. On arrival at Kenneth Kaunda International airport in Lusaka, however, he was refused entry before being deported back to Kenya. “(The) government through (the) immigr

New York, UNITED STATES: Kenya President Uhuru Kenyatta has called for urgent reforms at the United Nations to ensure Africa is allocated two permanent seats at the Security Council complete with all attendant rights and prerogatives. Speaking when he delivered Kenya’s country statement at the UN General Assembly on Wednesday afternoon, the Head of State said, besides the two permanent seats being demanded by the continent, Africa deserves more non-permanent seats. Kenya President Uhuru Kenyatta has called for urgent reforms at the United Nations to ensure Africa is allocated two permanent seats at the Security Council complete with all attendant rights and prerogatives. Speaking when he delivered Kenya’s country statement at the UN General Assembly on Wednesday afternoon, the Head of State said, besides the two permanent seats being demanded by the continent, Africa deserves more non-permanent seats. Currently, Africa has three non-permanent seats at the UN

Jose Filomeno dos Santos. Luanda, ANGOLA: The son of Angola's former president Jose Eduardo dos Santos was taken into custody in connection with a US$1.5 billion corruption case, a state prosecutor told the AFP. Jose Filomeno dos Santos, nicknamed Zenu, the former head of Angola’s sovereign wealth fund, Fundo Soberano de Angola (FSDEA) was in March charged with fraud over an alleged illegal transfer of $500 million while in his former position. Another former fund manager, Angolan-Swiss businessman Jean-Claude Bastos de Morais, is also under investigation. Jean-Claude Bastos de Morais is a Swiss-Angolan entrepreneur who has founded and led several businesses over the course of his career. Among these are Quantum Global Group, an international investment group with a particular focus on Africa and Banco Kwanza Invest, Angola’s first investment bank.  “Given the complexity and seriousness of the deeds and in order to guarantee an effective enquiry...the state

New York, UNITED STATES: Members of the United Nations‘ General Assembly have laughed at Donald Trump after he told them his administration had “accomplished more than almost any ... in the history of our country”. Mr Trump on Tuesday began his address by noting that this is the second time he has spoken to the UNGeneral Assembly, and then began to tout the progress his administration has made since he took office. “One year ago I stood before you for the first time in this grand hall. I addressed the threats facing our world, and I presented a vision to achieve a brighter future for all of humanity,”  Mr Trump, who has frequently claimed the US is laughed at internationally for weak international policies, said. “Today I stand before the United Nations General Assembly to share the extraordinary progress we’ve made”. In less than two years, my administration has accomplished more than almost any administration in the history of our country,”  Mr Trump continued,

Johannesburg, SOUTH AFRICA: This coming after the mr Mbeki warn his own party of towing the part of racialism. Former president Thabo Mbeki’s comments on land have caused a stir, with the EFF slamming him for criticising the party’s approach on the matter. In a leaked document, Mbeki criticised the ANC’s approach to land reform, which he said was not in line with the governing party’s non-racial character. Mbeki was responding to the ANC’s push for the expropriation of land without compensation, which the party adopted as a resolution at its 54th national conference last year. Independent Media has reliably established the authenticity of the document. The former president said the position the ANC had taken on the contentious land issue raised important questions about the strategic definition of the ANC as a representative of all the people of South Africa, as envisioned by the “people’s document”, the Freedom Charter. He said the party had been asserting

Harare,ZIMBABWE: Lesbian‚ gay‚ bisexual‚ and transgender activists in Zimbabwe have commended the bravery of a top private school deputy headmaster for openly declaring his sexual orientation during assembly. Dr Neal Hovelmeier teaches at St John's College‚ one of the country's elite schools. He made the announcement to pupils at the school last week. Dr. Neal Hovelmeier. Hovelmeier said in a statement that he had decided to lead by example because of some of his former students' experiences.  "I have become increasingly aware that a number of former students who gain the confidence after school to pursue their chosen orientation‚ have reported back to me experiencing an environment of intolerance‚ intimidation and homophobia while they were at school‚"   He said . In a statement out 21 September 2018, attached to the show of support by the Headmaster Cav Trinci and his deputy A Sakala, Dr Hovelmeier said: "I have always

A demonstration against ethnic violence in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, this month. Image: AP. Addis Ababa, ETHIOPIA: The Ethiopian government has arrested thousands of people around the capital, Addis Ababa, over the last week and sent many of them to military camps for “rehabilitation,” the authorities said on Monday, as the government sought to respond to mounting criticism from Ethiopians who say it has done little as ethnic violence has flared. Ethiopia, to a degree unusual in Africa, has long exercised a degree of surveillance and control over its citizens. But earlier this year it embarked on a whirlwind series of reforms, mainly guided by the country’s new prime minister, Abiy Ahmed, 42, a former army officer. Ethiopia has sought peace with its longtime adversary, Eritrea; it has freed prisoners; opened access to websites and television channels that it had blocked for political reasons; and it invited banned political organizations and their leaders to return from

Lilongwe, MALAWI:    Malawi’s bishops have urged the country’s politicians to keep Pope Francis out of “petty politics.” The statement from the bishops’ conference came after Hophmally Makande, an official of the ruling Democratic Progressive Part, said those urging 79 -year-old President Peter Mutharika to resign should also ask Pope Francis, who is 81, to step down. Arthur Peter Mutharika born 18 July 1939  is a Malawian politician, educator and lawyer who has been President of Malawisince 31 May 2014. Image: AP. “Some of you are criticizing and speaking bad that President Peter Mutharika is old… is the pope a ten-year-old… is the pope a ten-year-old? Between the pope and Peter who is older? Isn’t it the pope … why does he not resign then? I am not despising the Church. But leave our president alone,”  Makande told a campaign rally in Blantyre. In a Sept. 13 statement the bishops said: “We call upon all political leaders, those governing and those in the o

Freetown, SIERRA LEONE: Air travellers to Sierra Leone and Liberia have been hit by report from KLM that it is cutting its services to both countries.  The Dutch carrier has made this decision in order to add new flight service to the American city of Las Vegas. This news comes as the government of Sierra Leone and the mayor of Freetown are making plans to improve tourism in the country. Sierra Leone is one of the least favoured destinations for tourism on the continent, comparing very poorly to the Gambia and Senegal. Fewer than 200 passengers arrive every day at Sierra Leone’s Lungi International Airport, and this is bad business for international flight carriers. But carriers such as Air France, Air Maroc, Turkish Airlines, and Brussels Airlines will continue their services to the West African cities. According to a report by Air Transport World (ATW), the Dutch SkyTeam carrier KLM will stop services to Freetown in Sierra Leone and Monrovia in Liberia fr

Ex-Tottenham full-back Benoit Assou-Ekotto has reignited his spat with Kylian Mbappe. The 34-year-old Metz player called out the Paris Saint-Germain star earlier this year on social media by suggesting the French World Cup winner does not care that much about his African heritage. Mbappe was born in France to parents of Cameroonian and Algerian descent, but opted to play for France and the former Spurs defender has questioned how bothered the forward is about his African roots. Image: Betty/ Contributor. Benoît Pierre David Assou-Ekotto (born 24 March 1984) is a professional footballer who plays as a left back. Ekotto began his career at Lens and in 2006 was signed by Tottenham Hotspur. He became a first-team regular for the Premier League side, totalling 200 appearances across all competitions. He was loaned to Queens Park Rangers in 2013 and released in 2015, after which he joined Saint-Étienne. Despite being born in France, Assou-Ekotto represented Cameroon at in

Chinese President Xi Jinping meetings the visiting Zimbabwean Counterpart Emmerson Mnangagwa in Beijing. Image: China News Service Harare, ZIMBABWE: President Emmerson Mnangagwa has allayed fears that Zimbabwean authorities are auctioning the country’s resources and surrendering its sovereignty to China in exchange of loans running into billions of dollars being sourced from the Asian nation. Responding to a question from a Zimbabwean concerned by what is happening in Zambia where citizens claim that the nation is being colonized by China through loans amounting to billions of dollars, Mnangagwa said Zimbabwe is focusing on capital projects that generate funds for repaying Chinese loans. Mnangagwa, who is in USA for the United Nations General Assembly and was addressing a gathering attended by Zimbabweans, said there is no need to abandon friends in good times. “You have some fear emanating from our relations with the People’s Republic of China and fear is on wha

Monrovia, LIBERIA: Liberia banned 15 officials including a former central bank governor from leaving the country as it searches for about $100 million in cash, or the equivalent of almost one-fifth of its budget, that was printed abroad and disappeared after arriving at the port. Liberia's Former Central Bank Governor Milton Weeks. Image: GNN. Former Governor Milton Weeks and a deputy governor for operations, Charles Sirleaf, a son of ex-President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, are persons of interest in the probe into the missing bank notes, as well as several police officers, according to a statement from the communications ministry. Weeks resigned in March after holding the position for about two years. Liberia's former deputy governor for operations, Charles Sirleaf, a son of ex-President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. Elected as president in January, retired soccer star George Weah has pledged to fight corruption in the West African nation that was hit by the

Poachers linked to South African drug gangs are threatening the existence of a species of abalone, a sea snail that is highly prized by restaurants in China, a new report says. Stocks of abalone are declining at an unprecedented rate, according to research by conservation group Traffic. The affected abalone species, Haliotis midae, is only found in the waters off the coast of South Africa. Traffic wants it to be put on the global list of endangered species. About 96 million abalone are thought to have been poached since 2000. Abalone are large and round, and cling to rocks in the shallow, shark-infested waters off Cape Town. Every year some 2,000 tonnes of abalone flesh are dried, and smuggled abroad, mostly by air to Hong Kong and beyond, where they are re-hydrated and served as a gastronomic treat. South African police have managed to seize some of the illegally sourced abalone. Image: TRAFFIC. South Africa has a number of measures in place to pro

Lusaka, ZAMBIA: The UK government has frozen direct financial aid to the Zambian government over concerns about corruption. President Edgar Lungu's government has been accused of diverting millions of dollars of funds. The alleged multi-million fraud involves the creation of shell companies and the diversion of money meant for poorer families, the journal Africa Confidential reports. Ireland, Finland and Sweden have also suspended aid. The freeze comes at a time when President Edgar Lungu's government is under increasing financial pressure. The British High Commissioner to Zambia, Fergus Cochrane-Dyet, confirmed the aid freeze in a tweet. saying that the UK government has a "zero-tolerance approach to fraud & corruption". The British High Commissioner to Zambia, Fergus Cochrane-Dyet. Image: Twitter. He also indicated that there is an investigation into the alleged corruption and the government will decide on its next move