>>Looking Beyond Athletics To Boost Medal Haul PG 66 November 2010
Volume 008
Door to Region, Window on World
Sudan’s Defining Moment
To sunder or not to sunder, that’s the question
President Omar Al Bashir
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•DIPLOMATIC LICENCE
T
Come Unity or Separation, Peace Must Prevail in Sudan
he great paradox of the Sudan is that Africa’s largest nation in terms of geographic size is simultaneously a land of milk and honey as well as torrents of blood and tears shed on an epic scale. Sudan is blessed with so many natural resources, including water and forests, particularly in the South, that it is truly a land of plenty, a possible paradise in earth. But it is also the land of the world’s longest civil war, the conflict between North and South which ended (some say merely halted) in 2005 with the Kenyan-brokered Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), arguably the most carefully crafted and loophole-resistant peace pact in the history of conflict resolution. Some of the most harmful yet intractable illwill, bad faith and sheer skulduggery in the public sphere in the world and in history are to be found in the North-South divide in Sudan. Consider but one instance. Sudan is an oil-producing nation, but, fully five years after the signing of the CPA, there is still no clarity (and therefore no transparency) regarding such a basic matter as the correct and true position on oil revenues data. As Minister for Petroleum Dr Lual Deng told Diplomat East Africa in a wide-ranging and highly informative interview, guidelines are still being developed to get to the bottom of the oil revenue figures and to address questions of transparency because this is a supremely sensitive sector, to say the least. Oil accounts for more than 90 per cent of Sudanese exports, 40 to 60 per cent of government national revenues and 98 per cent of gross revenues. Finding out what those figures are and how equitably (or not) they are disbursed should not be a matter of rocket science. But that is how deep the mistrust and bad faith run in Sudan. And the cheating is not merely a matter of the North outwitting the South or vice versa, it is also perpetrated by the oil
companiesthemselves,as Dr Deng notes, through maliciously falsified data. And yet the CPA, spells out how wealth sharing is to proceed in the most precise and unambiguous terms. This is but one of the many-too-many deeply flawed and potentially explosive backdrops againstwhichthenational self-determination referendum for the South scheduled for January 2011 will be held. Whichever way the referendum vote goes — separation and the creation of a brand-new neighbour in the East African neighbourhood and among the comity of nations, or union and the expansion of the EA catchment area all the way to Khartoum — it is vitally important that peace prevails and there is no return to conflict whatsoever. The simultaneous vote in the hotly contested oil district of Abyei on the border between North and South, whose residents are being given the stark choice of remaining with the North or joining an autonomous or completely independent South, remains a flashpoint of potential crisis and must be handled with the utmost care and restraint. The land of the two Niles, which meet in Khartoum, must no longer be the epicentre of conflict in our region — it must become the hub of peace, humming with all the prosperity that its great gifting in natural resources is capable of generating, and the bridge between the African and Arab parts of our continent. What happens next in Sudan will have immediate impacts on nations as far-flung as Egypt, Libya, Chad, Central Africa Republic, DRC, Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia and Eritrea. One way of guaranteeing that the next act in Sudan’s epic saga is peace, peace and yet more peace, is for all sides to heed former Kenyan President Daniel arap Moi’s sage advice, in his address to the Southern Sudan Parliament in Juba in October, calling for maximum focus on conclusion of the CPA process “without relenting or looking back”
November 2010
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•IMMUNITIES & IMPUNITIES
Heard and Quoted “If you are still as fired up and ready to go as you were two years ago, I know we can keep bringing about the change” Michelle Obama, US First Lady, at Ohio State University where her husband, President Barack Obama, addressed Republicans.
“There is no age limit for acquiring knowledge,”
Bholaram Das, 100 year old retired judge who has enrolled for a degree at a university at Guhawati, India. He retired 39 years ago from the judiciary.
“Nobody in Al Qaeda is living in a cave,” an unnamed Nato official
who was quoted as saying that wanted terror mastermind Osama Bin Laden is living comfortably in a house in Northwestern Pakistan.
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November 2010
“Instead of leading people towards a mature humanity and setting an example, they have caused, through their abuses, destruction for which we feel deep pain and deep regret,” Pope Benedict XIV on reported abuse of children by priests.
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•DIPLOSPEAK Have Your Say
The Poetry of Kenya's Anthem... ORIGINAL FORMAT RICH IN SYMBOLISM AND RHYTH I read with great interest the letter by Mr Joseph Mambili (DEA Vol 007) in which he purports to find fault with the Kiswahili version of the Kenyan National Anthem. In his quest to educate his readers, Mambili makes a few errors, not necessarily of either commission or omission but apparently misses a few erudite factors that would otherwise inform his sense of aesthetics. His trite statement that language grows every day is spot on, and so is his averment that this growth should be reflected in the form and content of the anthem. But to tell us that the Kiswahili version is absolutely distorted is to profer an inexactitude, at least in strictly intellectual terms. Which is to say he is being economical with the truth. Mambili posits that reference to God as “it” is wrong and defeats all logic. Contrary to his position, reference to God as “it” is not only alright and agreeable but elevates God to a level above the normal, at least in religious realms. In Gikuyu, for example, it is okay to refer to God, in his generous facet, as Ngai njega, which loosely means the good God. That reference was not only used in prayer, as in when bidding visitors good bye and wishing them blessings, it was also used in actual prayer and supplication! Indeed, reference to God as “it” was so esoteric that it was commonly used by the old and elderly, so I am not surprised that it remains unknown even to some adults. The latter think that Ngai mwega is the normal and perhaps the only correct version. What a fallacy!
4
RANT/RAVE
language and phonetics. And finally, in translation, meaning, especially the deeper aspect, is key rather than the focus and preoccupation with words as an end.
>>19th Edition of Club Games PG 57
In rules of poetry (and by extension music) it is perfectly normal to change the prefixes of certain key words and phrases so as to
achieve either rhyme or rhythm or both
hosea kamanu Nakuru, Kenya
Door to Region, Window on World
East AfricaIsrael Ties
Development Diplomacy Approach Istraeli Ambassador Jacob Keidar
AT HOME WITH >>: Malaysian First Lady in Kenya PG 18 SPECIAL REPORT >>: Amiran's Green Revolution PG 49
And may I add that it is something closely akin to psychological and intellectual brow-beating to suggest that for almost five decades, Kenyans, in their millions, yours truly included, have sung and immortalised an anthem that is inherently wrong in grammar, syntax, orientation and theme. Could it be true that not a soul saw these alleged flaws in the anthem? I beg to differ.
WE'D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU: Send your letters to, letters@ diplomateastafrica.com. Submission of a letter constitutes permission to publish it in any form or medium. Letters may be edited for reasons of space and clarity.
Again, in rules of poetry (and by extension music) it is perfectly normal to change the prefixes of certain key words and phrases so as to achieve either rhyme or rhythm or both. The overall effect is to acquire the sing-song residual net result that is memorable and can be rendered as a song any time to resonate as a national ethos.
DISCLAIMER: All letters submitted to Diplomat East Africa are presumed to be intended for publication. The editor reserves the right to edit all letters. Readers are advised to keep their letters short and to submit their names and addresses even when these are not to be published.
This is to say that the rules of grammar are at times bent (which happens widely in Shakespearian work, for instance) so as to achieve certain effects and to drive the theme home in a manner that rises above the everyday use of
November 2010
BEKELE, A REVOLUTIONARY I have been an avid follower of your magazine and I must confess DEA 7 just did it for me. Of particular interest was Jane Mwangi’s interview with Dotconnectafrica’s Sophia Bekele. As a woman, I was inspired and as an ICT enthusiast I was mesmerised. The beckoning of Africa’s own domain is indeed a platform for the continent to address the global internet community for the promotion of Africa’s interest. The direct benefit to ICT development is unquantifiable as it also heralds employment opportunities and expansion of businesses. Africa has long been relegated to the background and branded as the ‘dark continent’ where novel ideas cannot be birthed. We have and continue to produce exceptionally talented and pioneering minds across various generations, and I am glad to note that we have not even began to scratch the surface. Africa is set to turn the tides and shape its destiny. I salute Ms Bekele for standing up as a true child of Africa and showing the World the stuff we are made of. We must continue in that direction. The course has been charted. Bravo! Genevive Abeye Rwanda
>>Looking Beyond Athletics To Boost Medal Haul PG 66
Volume No 008 • November 2010
Door to Region, Window on World
Sudan’s Defining Moment
To sunder or not to sunder, that’s the question SPECIAL REPORT>>: Focus on Sudan PG 13 HIGH END LUXURY YATCH>>: English Point Marina PG 60
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Contents Table of
EDITORIAL Editorial Director: Kwendo Opanga Managing Editor: Bob Job Wekesa Consultant Editor: Matt K. Gathigira Chief Sub Editor: Patrick Wachira Culture Editor: Ngari Gituku Staff Writers: Wycliffe Muga, Jane Mwangi, Baron Khamadi, Kiishweko Orton, Carol Gachiengo,
MARKETING & SALES Marketing Director: Simon Mugo
SALES TEAM LEADER James Ombima
PG 41
BUSINESS EXECUTIVES
PG 60
Joseph Ngina, Derrick Wanjawa, Eunice Kiarie, Paul Mucheru
DESIGN TEAM Daniel Kihara Raphael Mokora
PHOTOGRAPHY Yahya Mohamed Anthony Njoroge
CONTRIBUTORS Biko Jackson, Nairobi Godwin Muhwezi, Arusha Edward Githae, Kigali Silvia Rugina, Kigali Godfrey Musila, Johannesburg John Gachie, Juba John Mulaa, Washington DC Julius Mbaluto, London Manoah Esipisu, London Kennedy Abwao, Addis Ababa Mishaeli Ondieki, Los Angeles Rodney Muhumuza, Kampala Peter Mwaura, Nairobi Robert Mugo, Alberta, Canada Wangari Maathai, Nairobi
CIRCULATION & SUBSCRIPTION Stephen Otieno
ADMINISTRATION
DIPLOMATIC LICENCE Come Unity or Separation, Peace Must Prevail in Sudan......................................... 1
IMMUNITIES AND IMPUNITIES................. 2 THE REGION
SPECIAL REPORT
English Point Marina ............................................ 60-61
Bashir: Why ICC Has No Writ in Sudan.................14-16 A Land of Burgeoning Potential............................ 17-19 Together We Stand, Devided We Fall.....................20-23 Blackening Khartoum's Image...............................24-25
DNA Reaching the Heart; China’s Approach to Diplomacy ........................... 37-38 Time Bomb that is Kenya’s Disaster Preparedness........................................... 39-40 Jerry Rawlings appointed AU Representative for Somalia ......................................... 41 Sea of Impunity: Piracy Rules the Waves............ 42-44
may not be copied and or transmitted or stored in any way or form, electronically or otherwise, without the prior and written consent of the publisher. Diplomat East Africa is published at Vision Plaza, Ground Floor, Suite 19, Mombasa Road, by Global Village Publishers (EA) Limited, Box 23399 – 0625, and Telephone 020-2525253/4/5. Registered at the GPO as a newspaper.
Culture Of the Seychelles, Sea Shells and a Magic Spell .................................. 56-57 Yes, Dead Men Do Tell Tales ...................................... 58 Library of the Year Award launched in Kenya......... 59
PRINTER
DISCLAIMER: Diplomat East Africa
With a Light Touch Drama in the land of Uncle Sam. ......................... 54-55
Kenya Flexes Soft Power Muscles to Push Regional Security Agenda ..........................................................6-7 Ministers, PS, and Mayor Exit Office as Graft Law Bites................................................ 8 Kagame Pleads for More Funds to Stem Shortage.......9 "I Will Remember Kenya" ............................................12
Josephine Wambui, Charles Kimakwa Ramco Printing Works
Economy When World Bank Boss Challenged Economists ........................................ 50-51
Green Agenda British Envoy leads Eco Campaign ............................ 45 The Greening of Environmental Diplomacy........ 46-47
DEA HOTELS PErspective The Judas Factor: An Open Letter to Dinesh D'Souza .......................................................... 62
Industry News Exit MJ, the Region’s CEO of the Century ................... 63
Global Stage Democrats Dread Mid-term Drubbing .............. 64-65
Envoys of Sport Looking Beyond Athletics to Boost Medal Haul ................................................. 66-67
Diary - 68
November 2010
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•THE REGION Eastern Africa Beat
HORN OF CRISIS
Kenya Flexes Soft-Power Muscles to Push Regional Security Agenda
By KENNEDY ABWAO
K
enya demonstrated its diplomatic prowess last month, using her leadership of a key continental security organ — the African Union’s Peace and Security Council (PSC) — to push for regional and international action aiming to stabilise the Horn of Africa. After leading a high-level campaign at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York in September for global action to save Somalia and Sudan, President Mwai Kibaki’s envoy appears to have taken Nairobi’s lead this month a notch higher. In his speech in New York in September, President Kibaki accused the world of turning a blind eye to the crisis in Somalia and deplored the tardy global response to the crisis. “While the scale and magnitude of this problem are greater than any other, it suffers benign neglect from the international community, leading to many lost opportunities to resolve it,” said Kibaki. “The capacity to inflict casualties on civilians and humanitarian actors as well as attack the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) is growing by the day.” Kenya’s newest ambassador to the African Union, Dr Monica Juma, is this month leading a series of high-profile international meetings to secure solid international commitments for action in Somalia and Sudan, also facing a fragile moment. Kenya will chair a ministerial meeting of the PSC, whose critical role would be to consider a stronger mandate for the Amisom, which has recently registered a series of
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November 2010
critical successes in Mogadishu. The series of talks, planned in Addis Ababa this month, includes discussions on the Prodi Report, whose panel examined options for fund-raising for peacekeeping operations in Somalia and Sudan. Detailed talks were due on October 8. “International partnerships will be a good follow-up on resource mobilisation in terms of the support we are seeking in turning around Somalia,” Dr Juma said, referring to another PSC session, planned for 22 October, to discuss working relations with the EU. AU officials argue that the peacekeeping operations in Somalia require stable funding. The forthcoming referendum in South Sudan, scheduled for January 9, has also sent diplomats looking at the possibility of an African Union-led force moving into the region to forestall any possible outbreak of hostilities. To set the ground for key action
in Somalia, Ambassador Juma, a respected expert on issues of international peacekeeping and security issues, says the PSC will be laying the groundwork for its work in Somalia by placing emphasis on partnerships. “Amisom is making good progress. They are engaging the rebels. This was not part of their original mandate,” Dr Juma told journalists. The review of the Amisom mandate comes a few months after the July 11 terrorist attack in Kampala, which served to push forward President Yoweri Museveni’s long-term plea for the strengthening of the mission’s mandate to allow it to attack. Kibaki reminded the world that the capacity of the Al-Shabaab to cause harm beyond the borders of Somalia was demonstrated by the Kampala bomb attacks. Mr Ping has several times downplayed the demand to strengthen the mandate, saying careful thought was needed if a robust mandate was to be handed over to peacekeepers, without a detailed and documented peace agreement to monitor the situation. In earlier interviews, Ping expressed fears a change of the Amisom mandate could result in atrocities in Somalia, for which responsibility have to be apportioned. The change of the mandate of the AU peacekeepers has been a key demand for West African power Nigeria, which has been willing to contribute troops, but has been holding back to demand a robust mandate for its troops and funding guarantees.
•THE REGION Eastern Africa Beat
Demands for a stronger mandate have often come from Uganda and Burundi. But the July attacks, 10 days before an AU Summit in Kampala, forced the need for a review. The PSC met in Kampala at ministerial level to discuss the issue, but no agreement was reached. Nigerian Ambassador Nkoyo Toyo told DEA her country’s biggest dilemma with Somalia was, apart from the weaknesses of the TFG, linked to the lack of proper funding mechanisms for the AU peacekeeping operations. “The conflict in Somalia is not transitional. It is destructive to the state and state institutions. The problem needs a wholly different approach,” she said. Diplomats have a variety of views regarding the situation in Somalia. They hint at a new strategy that does not focus entirely on defeating the
Shabaab militants alone, but offers a critical look at the role of the TFG. The problem appears to be beyond the visible forces, the diplomats agree. UN Special Envoy to Somalia Augustine Mahiga told the Security Council the disputes between Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Sharmarke — who resigned on September 21 — and President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed also embolden the militants against the TFG. The weak link in Somalia, he said, was the failure to check the free flow of foreign jihadists and failing to stop the thriving trade in weapons and materials used for explosives from the southern port of Kismayu which are being used to increase attacks against both Amisom and the TFG. Mahiga, a Tanzanian, has observed: “A military strategy should be constructed that takes care of the political environment. This
military strategy needs to be developed within the construct of an overall political strategy”. Diplomats agree institutions are complicit in the failure to stop Somalia’s political carnage. “The situation in Somalia is complex. Any protracted situation that moves into decades is bound to be difficult,” Ambassador Juma explained. Analysts also point at a simmering row within IGAD, whose key protagonists Kenya and Ethiopia are also divided on key policy issues regarding the crisis in Somalia
“The capacity to inflict casualties on civilians and humanitarian actors as well as attack the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) is growing by the day.” - KIBAKI
•THE REGION Eastern Africa Beat
ANTI-CORRUPTION
Ministers, PS and Mayor Exit Office as Graft Law Bites Former chief of Foreign Affairs steps aside following Tokyo embassy deal By JANE MWANGI
CONTROVERSY:
Mr Moses Wetangula who "stepped aside" last month over the purchase of Kenya's Tokyo embassy saga
K
enya’s new Constitution is already igniting hopes of a nation’s rebirth and, hopefully, an end to endemic corruption. The new law stipulates that anyone facing criminal charges should withdraw from holding public office. This has indeed become case, with two senior Cabinet ministers leaving office in October alone. The first was former Higher Education Minister William Ruto, followed by Foreign Affairs Minister Moses Wetang’ula and his Permanent Secretary Thuita Mwangi. Wetang’ula maintained he felt he was being hounded from office. “I have made a personal decision to step aside ... to give room and pleasure to those who have been haunting me. I can assure you I will be back to the Cabinet once the investigations are completed because I know I am innocent.” Wentang’ula went on: “I step aside purely as a matter of personal dignity and professional integrity, indeed the
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November 2010
very same dignity and integrity I have upheld in the performance of my duties for more than twenty-two years of public service at various levels in the Government”. Wetang’ula will remain on halfsalary until the investigation by the Kenya Anti Corruption Commission is completed. These events are the culmination of a probe into the Tokyo embassy saga, which revealed details that indicate that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs bought land to build an embassy against the advice of a valuer from the Lands Ministry, a lawyer, an architect and a real estate agent. The report now before Parliament states that the Coral Corporation, the real estate agent, had turned down the chance to evaluate the building on the land in Tokyo because it considered it too old. Subsequently, a Ministry of Lands valuer, Ms Teresia Kimondiu, told the foreign ministry that an access road on the plot would greatly reduce the area set out for construction. CLINCHER But the clincher was the report by Kijima International Legal Office in Tokyo. It cautioned that the price was higher than the true value of the property and, hence, the sale was considered “very unusual” in Japan. The damning report not only indicted Minister Wetang’ula and PS Mwangi, but also the deputy head of mission in Tokyo, Allan Mburu, and Kenya’s ambassador in Tripoli, Libya, A. M. Muchiri, who have recently been recalled to allow for investigations.
The Parliamentary Committee on Defence and Foreign Relations wanted appropriate action taken against the Foreign Affairs Minister, whom it accused of deliberately misrepresenting the facts of the case. Wetang’ula maintained that the ministry got value for money. This contradicted the report of the architect commissioned by the mission, who advised that the plot offered by the Government of Japan “allowed more floor space, a tall structure is possible which could also cater for other diplomats’ apartments and hence cut the monthly rent”. The dossier presented by Wajir West MP and Chairman of the Committee of Defence and Foreign Relations Adan Keynan cited that the Tokyo deal as an outright fraud, a rip-off and that those responsible should be held accountable. The land in question, which stands a concrete chancery on 698-square-metres and a wooden house of 402 square metres, is estimated at not more than KSh500 million, yet over Sh1.5 billion was paid for it. The Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission caught up with Nairobi mayor Geophrey Majiwa, who appeared before the Anti-Corruption Court in Nairobi on October 25 charged with conspiracy to defraud the Local Government Ministry of KSh283 million over the purchase of land for a cemetery at more than 10 times its value. The mayor was accused of four counts of conspiracy to defraud the government and intractable neglect to perform his duty. He was, however, freed on a cash bail
•THE REGION Eastern Africa Beat
FOOD SECURITY
Kagame Pleads for More Funds to Stem Shortages Says poverty eradication is key to the end of mass hunger By PATRICK WACHIRA
R
wanda President Paul Kagame has called for steady investment of more funds and other resources in agriculture to eliminate food shortages. Kagame warned of the dangers of channelling support through food aid, saying there was need for political will to follow up on commitments already made to curb global hunger. He was delivering the keynote address at the 30th World Food Day Ceremony in Rome in October. Speaking at the Food and Agriculture Organisation headquarters, President Kagame acknowledged FAO’s role as a supporter of country-led agricultural initiatives and a strong advocate for food security and expressed appreciation for the work done by IFAD, WFP and other agencies based in Rome to coordinate and support food security initiatives. President Kagame pointed out that it was unacceptable that hunger continues to kill large numbers of people and deprives sections of humanity of their dignity. He outlined several propositions for eliminating hunger, based on the experiences of developing countries, starting with sincere political will to deliver on commitments made. “Food aid has proved very useful in emergency situations and carries countries through times of crisis, but some places have created distortions in local markets, and become a disincentive to local food production and self-sufficiency,” he said.
Kagame pointed out that food security must be seen by all as a national issue which required action from policy and strategy formulation to project design and implementation and which must be country-initiated and countrydriven. This, he said, would facilitate productive cooperation with partners based on national goals and priorities. The alternative was to bypass government systems, which would compromise national efforts to address hunger. Kagame said that becoming self-sufficient in food production could not be separated from good governance and that it was the re-
President Kagame pointed out that it was unacceptable that hunger continues to kill large
numbers of people and deprives sections of humanity
of their dignity
sponsibility of governments to create the right climate for farmers. “It is these farmers, not governments, who actually produce and must therefore be involved in finding solutions for food security. This presupposes educating and empowering farmers, particularly women who produce the bulk of the food consumed in developing countries, yet have limited access to basic means of production,” he said. Kagame observed that more needed to be done to increase access to agricultural inputs, more investment in research and technological development, and the creation of appropriate conditions to render inputs more affordable for the average farmer. Regarding the damaging effects of climate change, President Kagame called for improvement of early warning systems by investing in meteorological capabilities in developing countries. Pointing out that sustainable food security will be attained within the overall framework of poverty eradication, President Kagame also highlighted the importance of land tenure and appropriate land management systems; investment in infrastructure such as roads, markets, irrigation, and storage systems. Kagame visited the World Food Programme headquarters where he met with WFP executive board members who briefed him on the organisation’s global priorities. He later addressed WFP staff and African ambassadors based in Rome and held discussions on innovative approaches to food security. He thanked WFP for assistance to Rwanda during the emergency phase following the Genocide and pointed out that the time was right to partner on more sustainable actions with the organisation, including working jointly to create vital assets such as terraced land, dams, tree plantations and improved roads and housing
November 2010
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•THE REGION Eastern Africa Beat
NEW LEAF
Kenya-born Lawyer Re-Appointed to European Union Advisory Body By DEA STAFF CORRESPONDENT
K
enyan-born expert on European and international law Dr Rose D’Sa has been nominated by the British Government to be a UK Member of the Brussels-based advisory body, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) for a further five-year term of office, until 2015. The EESC is a unique EU consultative body, established in 1957 by the EEC Treaty, to involve civil society representatives from the Member States of the EU in the decision-making process. Dr D’Sa’s re-appointment to the European Economic and Social Committee is seen as recognition of her wide contribution to law and to civil society in Europe, Africa and the wider Commonwealth. Her specialist knowledge includes the areas of freedom, security and justice, as well as legislative barriers to the completion of the EU internal market, public procurement, employment, and competition law, particularly aid. Within the EESC she has especially contributed to over 100 Study Groups, to the External Relations Section, the Single Market Observatory and the Internal Market Section of the Committee. This has given her the reputation of a well-informed and articulate commentator on EU institutional, constitutional and commercial issues. Dr D’Sa was born in Kenya and educated at Loreto Convent, Nairobi and at Millfield School, England. Her parents were from Goa, India, and she is the only child of Annie and the
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late Alex D’Sa of Nairobi. She has had a distinguished law career, graduating with First Class Honours from the University of Birmingham (UK) where she also gained a PhD in Public International Law. After qualifying as a barrister in London in 1981, she held a visiting lectureship at the Kenya School of Law, and lectureships in Law at Cardiff and Bristol universities, before being appointed to work in the Commonwealth Secretariat in London, where she provided legal specialist support and training to Commonwealth ministers, other public officials and senior judges on compliance with International Human Rights Law, including the training of African Chief Justices on the African Charter of Human and People’s Rights. She was also appointed legal consultant to the 1990 Commonwealth Law Ministers meeting in New Zealand.
Dr Rose D’Sa: Fresh mandate
SLOVAKIA
D’Sa was subsequently appointed the first Professor of European Law at the University of Glamorgan, in Wales (UK), where she has resided since 1982. A major initiative was a new Masters degree (LL.M) in EC Law by distance learning, launched in 1997, which was the first of its kind in this subject worldwide. The European Commission awarded her the Jean Monnet Chair in EC Law in recognition of this contribution. Among her achievements, D’Sa has also undertaken many consultancy assignments, notably under the European Commission’s PHARE programme in Central and Eastern
November 2010
Her numerous publications include two law books. One of these, European Community Law on State Aid, was published
in London in 1998 by Sweet and Maxwell
European candidate countries, preceding their membership of the EU. These include the monitoring of human rights institutions set up under the Dayton Peace Agreement in Bosnia and Herzegovina, charged with providing legal remedies for ethnic violence, reporting on corruption issues in Slovakia, and monitoring and assessment of the Justice sectors in Latvia, Estonia, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Turkey. TENNIS
Her numerous publications include two law books. One of these, European Community Law on State Aid, was published in London in 1998 by Sweet and Maxwell. As an authority on European Law, she has worked for Cardiff law firms Edwards Geldard and Morgan Cole. She also won the Welsh Woman into Europe Prize for 1995 and was honoured by an invitation from the Queen to a State Banquet at Buckingham Palace a decade later, together with her husband, John Matthews, Emeritus Professor of Physical Geography at Swansea University. Rose is well-known in Kenya tennis circles, as a past holder of numerous titles and also achieved the Kenyan Ladies No. 3 ranking in 1975. She has more recently played veterans international tennis for Wales, where she now lives. She continues to play for the ladies first team at the David Lloyd Tennis Club in Cardiff, in the top division of the South Wales tennis league, and for Crickhowell Lawn Tennis Club in ladies and mixed doubles
11 11
•THE REGION Eastern Africa Beat
TRANSITION
‘I Will Remember Kenya’ Sudanese Ambassador Majok Guandong has been appointed Chief of Protocol, Government of Southern Sudan. He takes home fond memories as told to DEA’s JANE MWANGI
D
iplomat East Africa: The newly-incepted position of Chief of Protocol is a first in your country. What are your feelings about this new development? Majok Guandong: To be the first ever Chief of Protocol, Government of Southern Sudan, is a great honour for me. I am delighted to be accorded this chance to serve my country. President Al Bashir and first Vice-President Salva Kirr have unwavering confidence in me as I was not even consulted before being appointed. Q: What responsibilities will you be required to execute and when do you officially report for duty? A: I will perform all the diplomatic work within the Government, making sure all the necessary protocol is carried out as well as handling all the appointments, arranging for and travel alongside the President. Indeed, it will be a challenging post as I will be required to be vigilant 24/7, but I am up to the challenge. I am required to take over the new position in exactly three months. Q: Your most defining moment since being appointed Ambassador in 2007? A: It has been a great honour, especially since I was the first envoy to be appointed after the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in Nairobi. Being the first ambassador here was a major fulfilment for me. Every day has been a privilege to be able to bolster and expand relations between Sudan and Kenya.
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November 2010
Q: Looking forward, expound on the improved relations that have been forged during your tour of duty? Do you feel you have adequately fulfilled the objectives? A: The work of a diplomat is to strengthen relations between two countries. I have improved the relations to a very large extent in economic, political and social ties. I believe I have fully represented the interests of my country; and, above all, I am proud of the fact that I have transformed the image of Sudan into that of a country that is now enjoying peace. Q: What are your impressions of Kenya and her people? As an outsider looking in, what have you been able to learn about Kenya? A: Kenya has always been a great ally of Sudan. Since the war, Kenya has been hosting our people. Many are studying here. I am glad to have had full access to the key figures in authority anytime I wanted to discuss pertinent issues concerning Sudan. President Kibaki and his administration have accorded us very cordial
relations. I have met my objectives and will continue working to improve relations between Kenya and Sudan even in my new capacity so that our relations become the best in this region of Africa. The Government of Kenya has made it easier for Sudanese nationals to obtain visas at the port of entry; we are reciprocating by giving Kenyans visas on the same day of application. The people of Kenya are among the best in the world. I extend my gratitude for their friendship and hospitality. I feel at home here and there is no one time when I ever felt like a stranger. Q: What diplomatic challenges have you encountered since being accredited to Kenya? A: The biggest has to be the indictment of President Bashir by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in March 2008. We had to work towards defending the image of the President and campaign against ICC’s verdict. We have been able to persevere throughout this entire process, despite the challenges. Q: What positive notes are you taking away and what would you like to borrow from your illustrious career as a diplomat? A: My new job is an extension of my work as a diplomat. I have gained great experience as an envoy, which I will use to strengthen and complement my new position. I have been privileged to serve in Kenya and am more than glad to go back to my country and offer service in the best way I can.
SUDAN SPECIAL REPORT
Sudan’s Defining Moment To sunder or not to sunder, that’s the question...
SUDAN SPECIAL REPORT
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Bashir: DEA PRESIDENTIAL INTERVIEW
Why ICC Has No Writ in Sudan In the second of DIPLOMAT EAST AFRICA’s Presidential Interviews, Sudanese President OMAR BASHIR spoke with Managing Editor BOB WEKESA. The following are excerpts of their wide-ranging conversation ahead of the historic selfdetermination referendum for South Sudan, photographed by YAHYA MOHAMED in the President’s o ce at Friendship Hall, Khartoum
D
iplomat East Africa: Reflecting on your leadership since you came to power in 1989, what have been the strides made by The Sudan towards political tolerance and entrenchment of democracy? President Omar Hassan Ahmad Al-Bashir: The Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) of 2005 clearly stands out as one of the major achievements in our pursuit for political tolerance and peace as the foundations of our progress. However, looking back, the CPA did not just happen. Between 1989 and 2005, we initiated and held many discussions and deliberations through various forums with the opposition aimed at creating understanding and making peace rather than war attractive. The CPA ensured that the civil war with the opposition based in the South came to an end. We have honoured the Agreement on elections, which were successfully held in April this year. Plans are going on for the referendum as stipulated in the Agreement. Those who appreciate
the historical contexts and perspectives under which we have been able to do all this should also understand why we are proud of these milestones. DEA: You decided to run for the presidency early this year and won. Share with us the reasons that motivated you to stand for election after 21 years in power? President Bashir: The elections that we held were not about me as an individual but about very important national issues that strike at the very survival of Sudan as a nation and a member of the world community. During the elections, political parties presented candidates. My party, the National Congress Party, chose me as the presidential candidate and I could not have let down the party. I believe my party and all those who voted me in nationally wanted to see the progress we have made on many fronts continuing rather than stalling, particularly the peace process. The progress we have made has been under difficult circumstances and we
have to continue. DEA: What is your vision for Sudan? President Bashir: I believe that, at the right time, I will hand over a united nation that will be enjoying unparalleled peace and tranquillity, one where all the peoples of Sudan live side-by-side in brotherhood, a Sudan where tribes do not count. I look forward to a Sudan where there is peace within and without its borders; that is peaceful coexistence among the 540 tribes as well as with our neighbours. I dream of a Sudan that will have overcome its internal challenges to be able to exploit its great natural endowments that will in turn spur her into a great nation in the region, on the continent and globally. My long-term aim is for a progressive nation, but I am also aware that this will not come to pass suddenly; a lot of work and sacrifice by the people of Sudan from all parts of the country will have to be put in. I am confident that our rich heritage dating back many years will bear us out in the long run.
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DEA: One of the major tests of this vision and the achievements made so far is the forthcoming referendum on whether Sudan should remain a unitary nation or split into South and North. How are you handling this potentially explosive issue? President Bashir: The referendum is a key component of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. As I have already stated, we have not only demonstrated our commitment to the CPA but we have done this by action. Those who doubted this commitment said we would not facilitate the holding of a free and fair election. We proved them wrong when we did that in April this year. Even earlier, some had doubted if we would share the oil revenues equitably with the South but we again proved them wrong. We shall again prove our enemies who always criticise us and express reservations about our commitment to engendering peace wrong by holding a peaceful referendum and abiding by its results. I agree that the referendum is one big test for the patriotism of all the people to one single nation. I however believe our people will understand and appreciate that there is unity in diversity, that there is strength in remaining a united nation than dividing ourselves to suit the self-serving interests of outsiders whose campaign for the division of the nation is motivated by their interests in our resources. Let me also add that the CPA has statutes that call for the making of unity attractive. The onus is on both parties of the CPA to pursue unity rather than go for divergent and splintering agendas. Five years down the road, we have implemented most of the agreements in the CPA and this should make unity attractive. I agree that there are many challenges as we go towards the referendum, not least because outside forces, particularly from the West, are determined to create division among the people. DEA: Comment on the indictment by the International Criminal Court over allegations of genocide in Darfur and the warrant of arrest against you.
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President Bashir: Many people in the West have agreed with us that the charge of genocide against us cannot stand. This includes the US Special Envoy to Darfur, General Scott Gration. Those who have independently analysed the Darfur problem, including the UN and the African Union, know that the trigger for the violence in the Darfur region was differences between communities there. The conflict pitted pastoralists over nomads over scarce resources and this provided an opportunity for people with criminal intentions to get involved. As a nation, we only intervened in line with our responsibility to ensure that the people of Darfur live in peace. When rebels took advantage of the situation and started attacking national installations, we had to intervene. Or should we have looked the other way as part of the Sudan deteriorated? When the international community got interested in the matter, we obliged by allowing their involvement, believing that the policy of engagement would help resolve the problems there. However, some of the international players came in with ulterior motives that have only complicated matters. The indictment is clearly meant to serve political purposes and has no basis in law. Indeed, we (Sudan) are not signatories to the ICC, [like] many nations of the world who are opposed to the ICC approach. The Rome Statutes can therefore not apply to us, given that we do not recognise that body. The warrant of arrest against me can therefore not stand. Indeed, it is because of this that most
FOR YOU:
Bob Wekesa presenting a copy of DEA to President Al Bashir
Many people in the West have agreed with us that the charge of genocide against us cannot stand. This
includes the US Special Envoy to Darfur, General Scott Gration
if not all countries on the continent remain engaged with my Government. The African Union has also declared its solidarity with us vis a vis the misplaced and self-serving ICC actions.What demonstrates our commitment more than the signing of an agreement with rebels in 2006, one that was mediated by the US and the UK? Why is it that when some of the rebels refused to sign this Agreement in Abuja they were not condemned and they are still accommodated by some of the Western nations? However, we shall overcome. I am certain that ongoing initiatives in which we are working with the AU, UN, Arab League and the Organisation of the Islamic Conference will bear fruit. Some important strides have been made in the Doha Round of Negotiations. The AU initiative led by former President of South Africa Thabo Mbeki is also underway. The hybrid initiative of the AU and the UN is also helping with the stabilisation of the situation. If you look at the ICC approach, you can easily conclude that it is not only selective but is aimed at escalating the problems not only in Darfur but the whole of Sudan. We shall not allow this to happen. DEA: In August you visited Nairobi at the invitation of the Kenyan Government. Does this indicate how you are being embraced by neighbours? President Bashir: I applaud the Government and the people of Kenya for successfully promulgating a new Constitution. We have a lot to learn from Kenya, which, as you know, is the guarantor of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement which was negotiated there under the auspices of the Inter-Governmental Authority for Development (IGAD) member countries. It is on this basis that we accepted the invitation to attend the important event in Kenya, a country all Sudanese people, be it from the south, north, east or west, have a very high regard for. It is in this context that we honoured the invitation by Kenya and we think the so-called controversy is uncalled for
SUDAN SPECIAL REPORT
SUDAN ECONOMY
A Land of Burgeoning Potential On top of vast oil wealth and sanctions-defying 8 per cent growth 40 million cattle, 50 million sheep, 40 million goats, and 4 million camels By BOB WEKESA
T
he Sudan is an enigmatic country in more respects than one. Africa’s largest nation, the country stretches the whole of 2.5 million square kilometres with one of the continent’s widest and richest variety of resources — human and natural, economic and social — within its borders. Perhaps because of its vastness, Sudan sits at the crossroads of Africa. To understand the pivotal location of Sudan, one needs to consider her nine neighbours — Egypt and Libya to the north provide the link to Arabia, Mediterranean North Africa, Chad and the Central Africa Republic to the west, and the southwest brings in the African hinterland connection of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and Kenya, making the
country very much part of the Great Lakes and eastern Africa region; Ethiopia and Eritrea to the east are reason enough for Sudan to be considered a Horn of Africa country while Saudi Arabia, across the Red Sea (in addition to Egypt and Libya) justifies consideration as a veritable Middle East nation. What’s more, the country not only straddles the River Nile but its two main tributaries — the Blue and White Nile meet in Khartoum, the capital city. Despite the instability witnessed in the past, the country’s economic growth has been averaging 8 per cent in the past decade, the main source of its economic prosperity being the vast oil resources. This economic growth, as the Minister for Information, Dr Kamal Mohammed, says, “is proof of
the resilience of the economy against Western sanctions”. Indeed, revenues from oil exploration and exploitation explain the economic growth despite economic sanctions by the West. Intriguingly, Sudan only attained self-sufficiency in oil recently before commencing export. This was after the completion of a pipeline stretching from the oil fields and refineries to Port Sudan in 1999. It is anticipated that with largely untapped oil fields, Sudan will in future become a major oil exporter, perhaps the most important oil producer in Africa. Further to the oil revenues, Sudan is emerging as a key player in the petrochemicals sector as refineries are set up. It is predicted that Sudan will account for about 4 per cent of
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HIGHER LEARNING:
Part of the Khartoum University
Africa’s oil by 2014. In 2008, the country attracted US$20 billion of direct and indirect investments mainly from her Arabic allies and oriental countries, particularly China and India. President Bashir says when Western countries decided to enforce sanctions on his country Khartoum opted for “a look East policy”. Indeed, he says, his country’s economic inclination is what has eventually been emulated by a good number of countries in Africa who detest the trade and economic conditions often imposed by Western countries in lieu of trade and economic engagements. “Despite allegations to the contrary, we have a legal and business framework that is backed by international standards. This is why isolation has not led to stagnation,” says the President about the thriving economy. Over and
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above mineral endowments, Sudan’s economy reclines on agriculture, which is described as the backbone of the economy. The Kenana Sugar Company on the banks of the White Nile, for instance, is an internationally recognised agricultural firm boasting production of over 400,000 tonnes of white sugar annually. The Kenana story is also illustrative of Sudan’s intent to bring on board multiple partners to its virtually unexploited agricultural sector. The ownership of the company traverses the Government of Sudan, Kuwaiti investors, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and various Arabic investors while deploying Western technology. To understand why Sudan is a sleeping giant in terms of agriculture, consider that of its 2.5 million square kilometres of arable land, only a paltry 20 per cent is under production. Access to the Nile as well as very
fertile and well-watered lands in the south mean that once tranquillity is achieved, Sudan will become the breadbasket of Africa and beyond. Already, Sudan is a major contributor to the global livestock market, with mind boggling statistics of 40 millionplus cattle, over 50 million sheep, over 40 million goats, and over 4 million camels. Livestock products find their way to the Middle East mostly through Port Sudan on the Red Sea, an area that also remains underutilised as a tourist destination. Combined, agriculture and livestock account for nearly 40 per cent of the GDP. Cognisant of the country’s great agricultural potential, the Government, through the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, pumped in US$6.5 billion in a strategy calculated at enhancing infrastructure, particularly in the hinterland,
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improving research and upping irrigation works. Currently under implementation with a review set for 2011, the strategy has an inbuilt credit scheme for farmers. One of the most unique agricultural products of the Sudan is Gum Arabic, an extract from a variety of Acacia trees that are in abundance in Sudan. Used as a binding agent industrially and a food preservative, Sudan accounts for 80 per cent of world production, making it a key export. Like other natural products of the Sudan, Gum Arabic is not yet fully exploited. The gum is internationally marketed by the Gum Arabic Company. For eons, Sudan has been a notable producer of cotton, with the crop reaching 200,000 bales production in 2009. The cotton production is done mainly along the Nile River and it is estimated that, with investment
in better technology in future, the country will become a world beater in production of the crop. The catchphrase of Sudan’s economy is “unexploited” or “underexploited” natural resources. Besides the irrigation potentialities of the Nile, the river has a huge potential for power generation. This was recently demonstrated by the construction of a power generating plant at Merowe Dam adding a significant 1250 Megawatts of electricity to the national grid. The Merowe Dam was constructed with funding from China, Sudan’s most significant investor.The Roseires Dam on the Blue Nile, which is nearing completion, will also significantly add to the Sudan’s power generation and it is envisaged that, in the near future, the country will start earning foreign currency from power generation. According to the Central Bank of
LUXURY:
Burj Al feteh Hotel towering high (centre) and The petroleum headquatres
STATS &FACTS Combined, agriculture and livestock account for
nearly 40 per cent of the GDP.
Sudan, there are 31 banks operating in the country in addition to the vibrant Khartoum Stock Exchange which have recently undergone regulatory transformations to bring them in line with international practices. Most interestingly, as Western companies are discouraged from getting involved in Sudan principally due to political considerations, oriental companies have been welcomed with open arms and these include the China National Petroleum Corporation, the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation of India and Malaysian companies. Companies and state corporations from the Middle East countries United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar as well as North African countries such as Libya and Egypt have also taken advantage of the absence of Western competitors to invest in Sudan
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VERDICT
Together we Stand, Divided we Fall
The unity option is more attractive than secession, Sudan Minister for Petroleum Dr Lual Deng tells DEA’s BOB WEKESA
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D
IPLOMAT EAST AFRICA: Comment on the difference of opinion as to whether Kenya should have invited President al Bashir to Nairobi or not, in view of the warrant of arrest by the International Criminal Court. DR LUAL DENG: My views as minister in the Government of the Republic of Sudan are that we are supportive of the sisterly relations between Sudan and Kenya. All protocols require that I support the activities of my President. What Kenya did was to adhere to the decision of the Africa Union (AU), which has called upon member states to ignore the warrant of arrest against President al Bashir. Within the African value system, you cannot arrest a guest whom you have invited and the Kenyan leadership followed this. Above all, each country has its own interests which are known to that particular country as a sovereign entity. So Kenya in my view acted within its own interests and as long as it is consistent with its sovereignty, nobody should question its decisions. Q: As a federal minister as well as one of the negotiators of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), what is your assessment of the implementation of the agreement? A: I was part of the wealth-sharing team during the negotiations, leading to the creation of the Wealth- sharing Protocol. I served as State Minister for Finance after the formation of the Government of Nation Unity in September 2005. Among my responsibilities was the implementation of the Wealth-sharing Protocol. I did develop, with the help of the IMF, a spreadsheet which enabled the two parties to monitor the distribution of wealth (including oil). It is a simple spreadsheet with most of the variables revolving around calculation of production figures.
In the 1970s there was an attempt by the Africans in the South to take over the country. This was not a viable model. The best model is
Dr Garang’s unity with new parameters
There have been some delays here and there in terms of payments, but, on the whole, the Wealthsharing Protocol has been on course (in respect of oil revenues). There are still some problems with the actual production figures and the two parties have agreed to initiate a comprehensive audit of the whole oil sector. From 2005 through December 2009, my predecessor, presently the Minister for Energy and Mining, was in the process of developing modalities such as the terms of reference of the audit. Among the tasks that were given to me as a nominee of the SPLM to this ministry is to develop guidelines to get to the bottom of the [oil revenue] figures and to address questions of transparency because this is a sensitive sector. There was a report by the London-based Global Witness issued in September 2009, which suggested contradictions in figures. So, we reached consensus within the ministry to invite Global Witness to make a presentation because it is in the interest of the country that there should be no discrepancies in data. Secondly, it is not just the concern of the South but the whole country might be cheated by the oil companies if the data is falsified. Global Witness presented to us at a seminar in August in which it was clarified that the issue was not the claim of a loss of an alleged USD 6 Billion but concerns about transparency and sealing of holes. The audit of the oil sector will be done by an independent international player and the Norwegian Government is providing support for the two parties to develop a framework. We hope this exercise can be concluded before the referendum so that both sides are convinced that the data is correct and the revenues have been shared as stipulated in the CPA. There were problems with the monetary side, particularly as relates to foreign reserves. Let me explain. We have two banking systems —
an Islamic banking system in the North and conventional banking in the South. It’s complicated in a way because it’s one monetary policy but when you apply it, you use different instruments, Islamic instruments in the North and conventional instruments in the South to achieve the same objectives. Foreign reserves or foreign exchange generated in an economy are made available to economic actors in that economy such as government, creditors, individuals who want to go on holiday, schooling, medical, traders and others. They use their local currency in order to buy foreign exchange. Now, the Central Bank in Khartoum was arguing that whatever is generated in the South belongs to the South, but those of us who participated in the writing of the CPA said no, whatever is generated in the whole system should be used throughout the country in order to meet the demands of foreign exchange. This is an area where there have been problems, but, on the whole, according to the Settlement and Evaluation Commission, the Wealth-sharing Protocol, compared to the other protocols, has been successful to, say, 90 per cent. Q: What are your views on the on the forthcoming self determination referendum for the South? A: I am a follower of Dr John Garang’s philosophy of unity on a new basis. Dr Garang conceptualised a new Sudan where there is good governance, all the Sudanese participate in the nation irrespective of ethnicity, social and economic status, religion and regional affiliations. Being an academic with an immense capacity to analyse, he developed a framework. Even during the war in the bush of southern Sudan and liberated areas, Dr Garang would use equations to prepare for battle. This intellectual endowment he applied to the concept of a new Sudan through Venn diagrams
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SUDAN SPECIAL REPORT
showing five options. He concluded that unity was the best option. In the 1970s there was an attempt by the Africans in the South to take over the country. This was not a viable model. The best model is Dr Garang’s unity with new parameters. We have some element of this in place now — for instance the opening up of the presidency for the South and the passing of freedom-of-the-Press laws. However, efforts must be made to make unity attractive. Development in the South is not the only means of making unity attractive as you need to make a southern Sudanese feel like he is part and parcel of the whole However, even in case of separation, peace and tranquillity between the South and the North should prevail. Any outcome should not take us back to war. Those who are advocating for separation should make it attractive in the sense that the outcome engenders peace. Q: What would be the economic ramifications of either separation or unity in the Sudan? A: An attractive separation means new economic ties between the two new states along the lines of the East African Community (EAC) model. Indeed, the South may pull the North to join the East Africa Common Market, which has been praised the world over as a model, why not? During the time of Dr Garang and US President Bill Clinton’s leadership, there was talk of a Greater Horn of Africa bringing together southern Sudan, the IGAD states and DRC. It was thought this could have reduced conflicts in these countries and served as a bulwark against conflict in neighbouring states. I am for unity, but if the separatists carry the day, we must make it attractive such that the northerners accept it. In the long run, whether separately or as a unified country, the most important relationship we can have is one that is anchored in economic prosperity.
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MY POINT:
Dr Lual Deng(left) explains a point and (Right) going through a copy of DEA
Q: As Minister in charge of oil resources, tell us about how you are exploiting this abundant natural resource. A: We have initiated studies looking at the transportation of the oil for export. Oil from the South can be transported through Port Sudan to the export markets. Kenyans are also looking for oil and I understand work has started on the new port of Lamu [on the Indian Ocean] with a view to linking to Sudan with a pipeline. The third option is through Ethiopia and Djibouti and the fourth option is via Cameroon to the Atlantic Ocean. When we reach a production capacity of 1 to 2 million barrels a days, it will be strategic to have more than one pipeline and this will be possible in parts of the South where there is great oil potential. For instance, Block B (about 118 square kilometres) in the Jonglei area is considered the biggest reservoir, with the concession having been given to Total. Here, it is possible to have two pipelines, one through Djibouti and another through Port Sudan; in fact, the former is more
attractive because it’s shorter than the latter at 1,353 kilometres. At most of the oil fields, we shall need to pump 85,000 barrels per day to make economic sense and viability and to cover costs between eight-to-ten years at an average of US$50 per barrel. With our great potential, we shall probably use all the four pipeline options. Q: What is the contribution of the Sudan to regional and world economies? A: Over the last five years, oil has accounted for more than 90 per cent of the Sudanese exports, sometimes reaching 95 per cent. It constitutes between 40 to 60 per cent of government national revenues. It constitutes 98 per cent of gross revenues. Because of this, oil is very important, but, as Dr Garang put it, agriculture is the engine of growth and we shall use our oil as the fuel to accelerate that engine. When you look at the world economies and crises from time to time, they usually revolve around the three Fs — food, fuel, finance.
SUDAN SPECIAL REPORT
are always rocky at the beginning. Some of the challenges resulted from what Dr Francis Deng calls the war of two visions. But fortunately we had responsibilities and we went down to work.
learned that Ethiopia will become a middle-income economy in the next five years and this, coupled with its huge population of 70 million people, will be a boon in many ways to Sudan. Kenya on the other hand has small industries which will serve Sudan and the region. Our contribution to the region will be through oil, a major source of energy for burgeoning industries. Also, some of the raw materials, particularly petrochemicals, needed for industries in the region, can be sourced here. In the long run, Sudan’s stability will spur growth not only internally but regionally.
Sudan can help the world and the region in addressing two Fs — fuel and food — but if we are fragmented we shall not meet this. Under President Nimeiry in the 1970s, Sudan was considered the food basket for Africa and the Arab world. At that time we were looking at the three factors of production and saw that Sudan had land, Libya had capital and Egypt had labour. Now, capital through oil revenues in addition to oil and can attract labour from anywhere. For instance, in the South, most of the labour is from East Africa. If there is stability there would be more investment in the country and we would attract more Arab foreign direct investment as well as from China and India, which are huge economies. The Chinese talk of entering Africa through Sudan because they have been here for long but also because they want to use the experience gained here to replicate in other African countries. Countries like Kenya and Ethiopia will be important economic allies of Sudan. For instance, I have just
Q: What role do you think Sudan can play in the region in the coming years? A: Sudan can pull the region together, many countries, naturally beginning with our nine neighbours; Egypt, Libya, Chad, Central Africa Republic, DRC, Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia and Eritrea. Sudan can also serve as a bridge between Africa and the Arab world given that we not only neighbour Arab countries to the north but also have access to the Middle East through the Red Sea. Sudan is an important country because the two Niles not only pass through it but meet in its capital city. As you know the Nile is an important economic factor not only for Africa, but the whole world. By sheer size, any instability in the Sudan will affect stability in the whole region, but, God forbid, the leadership is aware of this. However, the population is something you cannot control; it has a mind of its own. We hope for stability for Africa to enjoy the fruits of our resources. Q: How have you as SPLM, related with the National Congress Party? A: We have witnessed ups and downs but this was expected because for us humans, relations
Over the last five years, oil has accounted for more than 90 per cent of the Sudanese exports, sometimes reaching 95 per cent. It
constitutes between 40 to 60 per cent of government national revenues.
Q: What are your reasons for supporting the unity option as opposed to secession? A: Many. Africans are the majority in the whole of Sudan including to the far north where we have the Nubi communities. As SPLM, you have some communities in the north that fought with you and then you want to leave them because it’s not geographically possible for them to be part of the south. From a moral point of view you have cheated them; you have left them in the cold. Indeed, some of us believe that should President Salva Kiir run for the presidency of the whole country in April, with proper organisation, he would have won. This is something that the younger generation can achieve. The world is moving towards consolidation of countries into viable economic and political units. Africa is moving towards unity through the Africa Union; look at East African Common Market, look at Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), look at Southern Africa Development Community (SADC). While countries are looking to merge, we are looking to separate, we are in essence undermining the African project. I was a separatist until Dr. Garang convinced me about the unity option and I further appreciated the unity option through studies in the US, travel in Africa, working experience at the ADB and World Bank. As an economist, I believe in the economic strength of bigger entities instead of creation of small countries each looking at small interests. It’s also human nature to expand than to shrink
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NATION & BRAND
Blackening Khartoum’s Image
R
ead a newspaper, watch television or listen to a radio bulletin and you will get the impression that Sudan is one of the worst countries on earth. This is the viewpoint one gets from Western media. So why does Sudan, specifically northern Sudan, gets such a negative portrayal in world media? Is there veracity in the criticism levelled at Sudan on all fronts? “Western media are distorting our image as a result of global trends. After the end of the Cold War, the US and her allies have been trying to design the world in a Western model. In this scheme of things, Islam and Muslim societies are the stumbling blocks to achieving a completely Western worldview”, says Dr. Kamal Mohammed, Minister for Information. PROPAGANDA
“Because Sudan enjoys both a Muslim and Christian heritage, it has been the target of propaganda with a view to creating a uniform Western society. Accordingly, everything Islamic in this country is criticised and denigrated as backward and evil”, Dr Mohammed argues, adding that Islamic symbols, including dress codes and way of life, have been depicted in the West as negative. He reckons that Western media have either knowingly or inadvertently been co-opted into the campaign. According to Dr Mohammed, the negative depiction of the Sudan is but part of a wider global scheme
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TRANSPORT:
Public taxis in Khartoum painting the town yellow
by the West to re-colonise the world, “using September 11 as an excuse”. Dr Mohammed’s evidence of the attempts at political control of the Muslim world is that: “as everything Muslim is critiqued, sometimes directly, Western mannerisms are applauded as the basis for freedom and democracy by drawing very slanted parallels”.
Says Abdulgafi Al Khateeb, the Under Secretary in the Ministry of Information: “When you visit and live with people here in Khartoum and other parts of the Sudan, you realise that the biases of the West are based on an agenda. Islam is not tantamount to violence as the West would like everybody to believe”. He adds: “If the media is sup-
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posed to be objective and treat all news stories in a fair, accurate and balanced way, then Western media have failed the professional test on every score”. The two top officials at the entity charged with the responsibility of information dissemination within and without the government pose the questions: Why is it that you
never hear of anything positive about President Al Bashir and the Sudanese Government? How possible is it that everything we do is only wicked? Well, how about Darfur? Aren’t Western media covering the conflict as it is rather than slanting its reportage? No, says Khateeb, “Granted that the Darfur conflict happened! But how come we see very little or nothing as relates to efforts to end the conflict? How come the cameras only focus on areas where people are living in makeshift tents without the same cameras also turning to areas where people are now living in peace?” Dr Mohammed adds that the negative portrayal is not limited to Sudan but to all countries where there is a large Muslim population and he cites Afghanistan, Libya, Iran and others. “You will realise that when organisations such as the African Union take positions that are favourable to our position on some matters, they are also targeted for negative criticism. When countries like Kenya and Ethiopia decide to engage with us, they suddenly become enemies of the West”, says Mohammed.
MAJESTIC:
The pyramids of Sudan
“In Darfur, for example, some of the NGOs purporting to be delivering foreign aid actually have a different agenda of furthering the Westernisation ideology. When we stop them from inciting communities or acting as agents of confusion, they cry foul and reach out to their media allies. Mohammed laments apparent double standards as he wonders aloud if the US would allow any foreign organisation into its territory without vetting and if the US would turn a blind eye to the espionage operations of the said alien organisations. “One of the policies of the West is to ensure that Sudan splinters into the so-called Muslim North and Christian South. There is no such division in this country as people of both religions can be found all over Sudan”, Mohammed says. He reckons one of the objectives of the propaganda war by the West is to cast people in the North of Sudan as non-African. “This is not right as we are Africans, to the extent that we live on the African continent. Indeed, the solidarity of the African Union with the people of Sudan over various issues in the recent past is an affirmation of our being African despite the evil attempt to separate us from the rest of the continent”. Besides religion as the springboard of the hate media, Mohammed says the vast natural resources in Sudan are another motivation for the bashing from the West. “When oil reserves were discovered in Sudan in the 1950s, the Western powers decreed that it should be reserved for future generations. When the Sudan government started exploration in the early 1980s, war erupted exactly because the West wanted to benefit from these resources”, he explains. The propaganda war is an extension of the predatory interest in the Sudanese resources, Mohammed concludes.
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TURNING POINT
Which Way Forward?
Plebiscite may merely stamp seal of approval on a foregone conclusion even as some in the South say it is not for secession, writes SHITEMI BARON KHAMADI
T
he South Sudan referendum, just two months away, is virtually a ceteris paribus. Of critical importance, however, is the issue of recognition or otherwise. There is, of course, no universal agreement on the diplomatic recognition of South Sudan should it opt for independence. AccordingtoAmbassadorDavidKikaya,
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a former diplomat, bilateral relations between states are not imperative, but this does not mean that they do not recognize or treat one another as states. “A state is not required to accord formal recognition to any other state, but it is required to treat as a state an entity that meets the requirements. A state has a responsibility not to recognize as a state any entity that
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has attained the qualifications for statehood in violation of the prohibition against the threat or use of force contained in the UN Charter.” Somaliland, which recently held peaceful polls, is not internationally recognized. Many argue that accepting her status may easily lead to total isolation of mainland Somalia. This is obviously no cup of tea for nations fighting terrorism. Puntland may also seek to be independent. KOSOVO
A few parallels are in order: the newest member of the world of nations, Kosovo, unilaterally declared its independence on Sunday, 17 February 2008, by a unanimous quorum of the National Assembly, with 109 in favour, zero opposition and with all 11 representatives of the Serb minority boycotting the vote. International reaction was mixed and the world community continues to be divided on the international recognition of Kosovo. The Western powers embraced it promptly and fully. Former German Foreign Minister Frank Walter Steinmeier said that the failure of talks between the Serbs and KosovoAlbanians had made the declaration inevitable: “A negotiated solution was not possible. That is why we cannot now escape this event”. Many of the countries which opposed the creation of an independent state of Kosovo have at least one separatist movement working towards autonomy within their own borders. Serbia, which Kosovo formed part of, is one such example. Spain is experiencing a period of unease as its northern Basque Country and its wealthy region of Catalonia have stepped up demands for more autonomy. Russia, which leads the opposition, has problems with separatists in Chechnya and the Caucasus region. But the decision by the International
Court of Justice (ICJ) that “Kosovo’s 2008 declaration of independence from Serbia did not violate general international law,” was telling. The UN wanted an interpretation of the declaration and although it was a non-binding opinion, it is very weighty in international relations. Gideon Maina, an international lawyer and lecturer, affirms that recognition in international relations largely depends on whether powerful countries recognise a state, with others likely to follow. At the height of the World War II, Hans Kelsen, one of the world’s leading proponents of the view that there exists a sharp distinction between politics and law, published an essay “Recognition in International Law: Theoretical Observations”, in The American Journal of International Law. In classic Kelsenian fashion, he argued that the term ‘recognition’ may comprise two quite distinct acts: a political act and a legal act. Political recognition, such as the establishment of diplomatic relations, means that the recognizing state is willing to enter into a political relationship with the recognized community. But this willingness, even if reciprocal, does not turn the community in question into a state in international law. In contrast, legal recognition constitutes statehood. It is a legal conclusion. Kelsen calls it “the establishment of a fact”, that a community meets international legal requirements of statehood. SUICIDE
According to Kelsen, “by the legal act of recognition the recognised community is brought into legal existence in relation to the recognising State, and thereby international law becomes applicable to the relations between these states”. The four main characteristics of a state are that it must have a territory, population,
RELIEF:
Locals get food rations from donors
a government and is sovereign. Objection toKosovo’s independence was expected, especially from Serbia and its allies. Serbia’s Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic expressed disappointment with ICJ’s decision, saying Belgrade had hoped for a “peaceful compromise solution” that did not create “dangerous secessionist precedents”. These remarks are vital as the world watches unfolding events in South Sudan. Sudan’s ruling party, says the southerners will commit “suicide” should they declare themselves independent. This emanates from the southern authority the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement’s (SPLM) assertion to opt for “alternative options” if the January referendum is delayed. Truth is, the referendum formed part of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA). As US envoy Scott Gration tries to break the ice, the possibility of a crisis must be underlined. And the clock is ticking...
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PITFALLS OF SEPARATION
Factors that Make a Unitary Nation the Better Option By BOB WEKESA
S
hould the southern Sudanese secede or should they elect to remain part of the larger Republic of Sudan? This is the single most important question engaging Africa’s largest country, now facing a defining moment. At a self-determination referendum scheduled for January 9, 2011, and in which only southerners will vote, two clear-cut options are on the cards; Yes for secession and No
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to unity and vice versa. Itself the result of the historic Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) signed in 2005 in Kenya, the referendum poll will be one of the last pillars of the peace deal to be implemented. Equally historic multiparty elections, endorsed by international observers as circumstantially free and fair, barring logistical challenges, were held for the first time in April 2010 after a two-decade electoral hiatus.
METROPOLIS:
Aerial view of Khartoum's Central Business District
Opinion is sharply divided along the traditional fault lines as to whether the South should part ways with the North some 54 years after independence from the British. From the outside world, it is nearly a foregone conclusion that the mainly Christian and animist South will vote for separation on the back of a raft of historical factors, marginalisation being the most outstanding. A closer examination indicates viewpoints in support of
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the unity option by southern scholars and politicians. Indeed, there is a pervading feeling of frustration over the writing into the CPA of the referendum clauses and some have even suggested the amending of the accord to allow room for further rapprochement between South and North. However, the horse seems to have already bolted from the stable as it is inconceivable that the southern authority, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), led by President Salva Kiir Mayardit, will renegotiate with President Hassan Ahmed Omar al Bashir’s ruling National Congress Party (NCP). On paper, the CPA calls for the SPLM and NCP to make voluntary South-North unity attractive. The reality on the ground is that politicians from the South have been campaigning subtly and actively for the separation. Dr Rabie Abdul Athi, Advisor to the Federal Ministry of Information, criticises the lobbying and mobilisation of southerners to vote for secession thus: “The agreement between NCP and SPLM was to make unity attractive and any party that goes contrary to this is violating the agreement by influencing the people”. While the relevant clauses are clear on non-campaigning either way, it’s hard to enforce these statutes, thus the frustration, particularly in the North. Nonetheless, there are those, such as former Chancellor of Khartoum University and NCP Secretary Prof Ibrahim Ghaudour, who are determined to “work for unity till the last day”. Former Prime Minister and leader of the opposition Umma party Sadiq al Mahdi reckons the South is keen to secede on the wrong premise — that of ethnic and religious marginalisation by the North. “The main reasons being advanced for secession are emotional. Whatever grievances the people of the South have, they should not be the cause of separation because diversity is the glue of nationhood.
Even black people in South Africa and the US were marginalised but struggled until they attained equality. This is possible if we have unity on a new basis”, he told Diplomat East Africa. In the recent past, the southerners have secured rights throughout the country that they should seek to consolidate in a new unitary dispensation, Mahdi said. Abdul Athi finds no reason why the South should seek secession, given that wealth-sharing with the North, as stipulated in the CPA, has been smoothened; the South political elite have control over the region through the Government of South Sudan (GoSS), while at the same time having a share in the federal government. Critics of the southern leadership have also pointed out that the 50 per cent oil revenue share to the South has not been utilised accountably and this might not change after separation. This viewpoint resonates with that of Minister for Petroleum Dr Lual Deng (see the DEA Interview
on pages 20-23), who vouches for former SPLM leader Dr John Garang’s ideology of ‘unity on a new basis’. Arguing from the perspective of economies of scale, Deng considers the North and the South as complementary units that would spur economic growth as opposed to separation and its fragmentation of the country’s resources. “We should make unity attractive because the North is the market for southern products and the gateway to the vast markets of the Arab world while the South is the market for the northern products and access path to eastern and central Africa. This is a predisposing factor for rapid economic growth in the future”, Mahdi, whose party is pursuing various strategies for unity, says. Over and above complaints about civil and democratic rights, underdevelopment in the South has been cited as a major reason why the natural resource-endowed region should secede. A corollary to the secession ethic is that with all the resources at its beck and call,
WORSHIP:
Alneelain mosque in Omdurman town, Sudan
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an independent South will witness fast-paced development with none of the encumbrances implicit in partnership. This point of view is contested by Dr Wani Tombi, a lecturer at Juba University in the South, who posits that the peace dividend required for prosperity might not be achieved in an independent South Sudan. “The South is not homogenous. It does not consist of a people but peoples. On separation, the communities in the South that have been traditionally antagonistic might end up fighting each other, leading to crises rather than development”, he says adding that self-determination might engender marginalisation and subjugation in the South by the southerners themselves. Whether an escalation of interethnic wars in the South will come to pass or not is a wait-and-see matter. What is for sure is that warning shots have already been fired as the case of skirmishes between southern communities’ shows. For instance, the Wonduruba people who live in Yei and Juba have lately been witnessing hostilities with their neighbours in the Lainya and Bereka areas in the South. With 10 states, the South has over 10 tribes, among them the Dinka, Nuer, Shuluk, Tabosa, Mendari, Mandi and Zand; the South would be a chaotic theatre of combat if communities took upon each other on separation. Traditionally, skirmishes among these communities have revolved around resources such as agricultural and pasture lands, this often fuelled by the fact that most of the areas remain reliant on primary means of existence. Observers of the situation reckon that with the discovery of high-value resources such as oil and minerals said to be in abundance, the inter-tribal clashes might increase, drawing in the elite and might not be helped by the fact that many of the communities still hold illegal guns, a legacy of the world’s longest civil war.
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Tombi expresses fear that the birth of the new nation might lead to further splintering of the South along tribal lines, creating new states while others might want to unite with the North. Dr Mohamed Mahjoub Haroon, Director of the Peace Research Institute at the University of Khartoum, says research points to the digging in of tribal armies as they challenge the wouldbe new administration through unruliness. “If you ask me, the period between the signing of the peace agreement and today is too short for a self- determination referendum to be held. We should have provided room for more meaningful engagement of the two regions for a longer period first. If the tribal armies in the South become unmanageable, not only will the whole country be at risk but also the eastern, northern and Horn of Africa region and therefore the world”, explains Dr Haroon. Mahdi says: “Separation is not the better option because we have never really been stable since independence [in 1956]. Now that we are finding common ground,
PATIENT:
Members of the public fishing along River Nile in Khartoum
we should have experimented with unity for a longer period so that if we decide to separate down the line, we shall have known each other long enough to remain good neighbours”. Tombi and Haroon concur that the international border between South and North might become the most volatile in the world should separation hold sway, in reference to the disputed Abyei region which not only sits at the probable boundary but also sits on vast hydrocarbons that are much-sought-after by both Juba and Khartoum. “The South might become a magnet of international espionage, money laundering and gunrunning, endangering peace and security in central and eastern Africa. The region might never know peace again”, Tombi ominously states, adding that the delimitation of the South-North border will be a precedent that could create an appetite for revisiting of the borders within and without Sudan. A unitary Sudan remains a microcosm of humanity, what with the African Kush civilisation and the contribution of Arab civilisations.
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ORIGINS & CULTURE
The Mother of Civilisation BOB WEKESA and photojournalist YAHYA MOHAMMED visited Sudan’s immense historical-cultural heritage in museums and sites and discovered a rich but little-known antiquity
HERITAGE:
Front view of the Sudan National Museum
J
ust as Sudan is Africa’s largest country, it is also a country with perhaps the wealthiest history. Indeed, the name Sudan emanates from an ancient description of a vast land stretching from present-day Somalia to Senegal. In its ancient definition, Sudan literally means the Land of Black People. A visit to Sudan is a walk back in time and space to ancient, historical times. Several museums, historic sites and other material culture spanning the pre-historic period or Stone Age period bear witness to the depth of Sudanese historical heritage. To appreciate the Sudan as home to early civilisations consider the fact by 3000 BC to 2500 BC, humanity was making and using stone
tools as displayed at the Sudan National Museum on the banks of the Blue Nile. The principal early civilisation on display includes the Kerma Nubian kingdom, which has been referred to as the Nile Valley Civilisation. Described as the Kush Kingdom, this is perhaps one of the most commanding of human civilisations. The Sudan National Museum was built with the support of UNESCO in 1964 and artefacts moved to Khartoum when Egypt built the Aswan High Dam, leading to the flooding and submerging of some of the antiques. One display in the Museum is the skull of Zinjanthropan man similar to the southern African bushman of yore. Pottery for various uses with patterns emblazoned, bone tools
such as fishing hooks, hoeing and defence tools and other material culture indicate that Sudan was thriving at a time when Europe was still primitive. Jewellery dating back to 3500 to 1500 BC, mirrors made from bronze and alabaster tools and instruments for warfare and livelihood are a reminder of Sudan’s pre-eminence as the basis upon which modern ways of life have been developed. Material culture excavated and preserved also indicates that bronze was first in vogue in the Sudan as evidenced by ornamental artefacts such as necklaces, bracelets, amulets and beads. In the Meroetic period (300 BC), glass tools such as jars were in use with the glass probably imported from the Romans, among other
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uses. Archaeological sites abound throughout the country. In the Kerma area in the north, for instance, there are ruins of different civilisations from the earliest period (2400 to 1500 BC) to the Islamic period in the 19th Century. Religion was a key indicator of the early civilisations, and one sees sacrificial chambers where the gods were celebrated or appeased in our ancient forerunners’ pursuit of favours. The museum also has worship temples such as the one built by King Imhotep, an Egyptian Pharaoh who had influence across the modern borders. How did ancient Sudanese view life and death? The answers are to be found at museums and what comes to mind is the display of
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an excavated tomb with a wooden bed with a head-rest and flip flops besides the bones indicating that the owners were buried with these items for use in the hereafter. During the Egyptian period, when Sudanese civilisations ruled over Egypt, one finds coffins, both made from stone, sandstone and wood, covered or open, showing the seriousness with which early humanity approached death. An interesting item at the Sudan National Museum is a small weighing scale and the explanation is that when one died, a high priest of some sort would write the CV of the deceased to determine his character and arrive at the conclusion of whether the deceased was a good or bad person and therefore determined
his judgement. On the coffins and tombs in excavated historical sites, inscriptions in hieroglyphic, the language of ancient Sudan, can be seen, detailing for instance a king’s or queen’s life and times in some form of eulogy or biography. This included his or her lineage, belongings and deeds when he or she was alive. A reading or viewing of ancient history depicts the rivalry between
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nation states in those olden days. Relations between the kings were not always upbeat, as evident from a description of the Egyptian King, Sehusort III, who built a wall preventing southerners (Sudanese) from accessing the north (Egypt). Such was the fear of Sudanese civilisations by the Egyptians. Kings played a commanding role in the life of the ancient civilisations. In reference to their power and
influence, ordinary mortals and subjects created many stone and wooden sculptures as a sign of the kings’ assumed immortality. At the Sudan National Museum, there is a two-faced sculpture of a king made out of clay, the two faces depicting his invincibility. Queens shared in their husband’s power and glory and an interesting feature of some of the statues is that queens wore beards as testimony to their royal lineage.
ARTEFACTS:
Some of the historical items on display
Conquest was in vogue throughout the vast history of ancient Sudan. King Thraga, immortalised through a huge stone statue, for instance spread his rule from the banks of the Nile, through Egypt and Palestine from between 669 to 664 BC. The statue, on display at the Museum, is 150 metres high and his exploits are mentioned the Bible, Isaiah 37:9, particularly his warfare prowess. CONTINUED ON PG 36 >>
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1. TETE-A-TETE: Sudan Minister for Petroleum Dr Lual A Deng, (right) chats with the Managing Editor of the Diplomat East Africa Mr Bob Wekesa, when he paid a courtesy call on him at his office in Khartoum Sudan 2. CONFIDENT: Abdul Dafi al Khateeb, Under Secretary Ministry of Information 3. OFFICIAL: Dr Faroug Al Bushara, Secretary General Sudan InterReligions Council (SIRC)
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4. MY POINT: Bakri Awad Alkarim-Secretary General at the External Information Council 5. LOOKING UP: Dr Kamal Mohammed Alubeid, Sudan Minister for Information 6. GUIDED: The General Manager Burj Al-Fateh Hotel Khartoum, Mr. Mandlowsky Volker, (centre) looking at copies of Diplomat East Africa presented him by the Managing Editor Mr Bob Wekesa, (left) while Mr Hamza, Head of the Hotel Security looks on
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1. EXHIBITS: Mr Amin Wadie, Curator of the Sudan National Museum, explains some points to the Diplomat East Africa Editor Mr Bob Wekesa, during visit to Khartoum National Museum 2. ARTEFACT: Queen head, at the Khartoum National Museum 3. LOFTY HEIGHTS: Mr Bob Wekesa, on a camel during a visit to pyramid site in Khartoum 4. BREAK: Mr Yahya Mohamed, Diplomat East Africa photographer enjoys a camel ride at the pyramid site in Khartoum
5. RARE: Parts of the display at the Museum 6. HORIZON: A section of the white Nile between Khartoum and Omdurman 7. THIS IS IT: Mr Amin Wadie, of the Museum explains a point about the war drum displays
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CONTINUED FROM PG 33 >>
ARTEFACTS:
Some of the historical items on display
Are pyramids, those humongous stone structures of Nile Valley civilisations, relics of Egypt alone? Nay, Sudan has no less than 300 pyramids still standing and its only a matter of time before the country starts attracting tourists wowed and awed by this feat of ancient architecture. A distinction as described by captions to artefacts at the Sudan National Museum is that on the Egyptian side of the civilisation, the pyramids were built during the life of the kings buried there, while the pyramids in Sudan indicate that the king died first and then the pyramids were built for them to be interred there. Basically therefore, the pyramids were built over the deceased kings. In the museums or at archaeological sites, Sudan is a major source of knowledge and
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information on humanity’s past. Historically important relics such as the temples of Amon, Augustus, Isis, Sun and Apedemak, all of them historically significant, are dotted across the nation. The Christian period rose after the decline of the Merowe kingdom and is dominated by paintings depicting biblical ideology, theology and history. This was around 550 AD. In one painting is seen the Madonna holding the Christ child. The Christian period also has displays of worship chambers. It is during this period that wooden hair combs, some of them in use to date in parts of Sudan, were made. The Christian era paintings in Museums are dominated by Jesus’ birth and crucifixion symbols made out of stone and clay materials. The Islamic period took over from the Christian period and lasted
from 1805 to 1821 and prominent antiques marking this era are wooden boards for memorising the Quran as well as a war drum used for mobilising communities in war situations. One of the most prominent of the Islamic era material culture and relics is the Khalifa House Museum and on display there are the Mahdist exploits and contributions. Besides the building that houses the Museum is a domed tomb where one of the earliest Mahdi, a family that played a major role in the fight against colonialism, is entombed. In a nutshell, the Sudan is literally one vast historical site, important for the unlocking of the sojourn of humanity on mother earth. With the anticipated peace and tranquilly in the country, Sudan is poised to reap from the tourism that will come with the marketing of the country as the Mother of Civilisation
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Diplomacy•News•Analysis
ATTENTION:
HEALTHCARE
T
Reaching for the Heart; China’s Approach to Diplomacy
he sweltering weather at Mbaraki Wharf in Mombasa was literally sickening that early afternoon of October 13, 2010. However, the choreography of gentle hand waving by crew on board, the majority of them clad in sparkling white was a sight to behold. Then in a slow premeditated pace, the much-awaited giant Chinese Navy Hospital ship christened Peace Ark waded its way to the wharf on its second leg of what is dubbed
‘Harmonious Mission 2010’. The first leg in a series of five destinations took the vessel to Djibouti. On dry land all the way from the scenic Mama Ngina Drive along the shores of the Indian Ocean right up to the wharf flapped tens of Kenyan and Chinese flags interposed, one after the other. As the flags wiggled to a happy rhythm dictated by a mollifying sea-side wind, excited individuals milled back and forth looking for vantage points from where to catch the best glimpse of an extraordinary sea vessel-cum-hospital with a 178
VP Kalonzo inspecting a guard of honour inside the Peace Ark
metre-long, 300-hundred patient bed capacity. The ardor of the crowd waving miniature flags to welcome the ‘floating hospital’ was palpable. As the vessel anchored to stillness, the Chinese Navy band on board Peace Ark belted out several soothing pieces that momentarily shifted the attention from the sultry air that pervaded Mombasa to the colour and pomp the vessel brought with it. Among the melee comprising a riot of races, ages, persuasions and creeds was a battery of eager journalists, both local and correspondents of
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international positioned strategically to capture the ship’s grand entry. As the crew disembarked, a Lion Dance by University of Nairobi’s Confucius Institute welcomed Admiral Bao Yuping and his team. A little further from the ‘lions’ were elegant Maasai Morans dancing and singing airily routines, draped in their resplendent and archetypal adornments. In the background Chuka Drummers and Miji-Kenya dancers spiced the event with a blend of strumming cooing and drumming that evidently enthralled Chinese guests who bid for photo sessions with them in turns. To receive the crew aboard Peace Ark, was His Excellency Ambassador Liu Guangyaun and his entourage from the Embassy of China in Nairobi. Flanking the team from the embassy were representatives of Chinese companies based in Kenya and Chinese business people and several media corps among them from Xinhua News Agency, China Radio International BBC and AFP. Notably, the embassy staff left nothing to chance, itself a clear testimony that the vessel’s mission was hugely significant to the Chinese government. POVERTY
Meanwhile, Kenyans in their hundreds, some with old envelopes carefully stashed under their armpits (perhaps containing medical documents for cross-referencing) and others simply soaking in the grandeur of the gigantic vessel watched keenly as the programme of the day unfolded. The chief guest welcoming the Peace Ark was the Speaker of Kenya’s National Assembly, Honorable Kenneth Marende. Other Kenyan dignitaries who visited the ship include the Defense Minister Hon Husuf Hajji, Health Assistant Minister
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Hon Kazungu Kambi, Member of Parliament for Kimilili Hon Dr Simiyu Eseli, Mombasa Mayor, His Worship Ahmed Mohdhar among others. The highlight of State representation came on the third day of the vessel’s detour to Kenya when the Vice President, Hon Kalonzo Musyoka toured the ship extensively and addressed crew, patients and media corps. In his address, Kalonzo while welcoming the gesture of benevolence extended in free medical care to patients by Chinese Navy doctors decried dwindling compassion evident in the runaway neglect of patients abandoned in hospitals across Kenya for non-settlement of bills. The VP noted that given Kenya’s new and recently promulgated constitution, a more favourable health regime was underway but only if measures to create wealth and counter poverty were first put in place. By the time of departure on October 16, 2010,
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I GREET YOU:
Speaker Marende wecomes Peace Ark’s Admiral Bao Yuping at Mbaraki Wharf, Mombasa
Peace Ark’s medical team treated 2682 patients in total. The medical team performed 16 operations, 322 physical examinations, 377 dental check-ups, 124 CT scans, 595 DR examinations, 694 ultra sound cases and 466 check-ups of the heart in four day. Outside the ship the medical team visited the Ziwani School for the Deaf, Tom Mboya School for Cerebral Palsy and the Mji wa Salama Children’s Home. Besides, the visiting team donated computers, sports goods and medicine to the schools and the orphanage. Finally, the ship left for Tanzania on the morning of October 18, 2010 to a farewell ceremony marked with send-off dances from local residents. After Dar es Salaam, the floating ship head to Seychelles, Bangladesh then back to China. Seemingly, another level of diplomatic relationship between Kenya and China has just begun
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Diplomacy•News•Analysis
SITTING DUCK
Time Bomb that is Kenya’s Disaster Preparedness National policy drafted eight years ago but has yet to make it to Parliament for debate and approval
K
By RABURA KAMAU
enya does not have and has never had a Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) policy. For a country falling within the tropics and subject to the ravages of Mother Nature and man-made calamities, the situation is akin to dire. This scenario explains why most disaster response initiatives in the country tend to be ad-hoc and shortterm, at best lacking in coordination and, at worst, having to rely on foreign interventions. This is despite a national policy having been reviewed and redrafted since 2002, but which has never reached Parliament for debate and approval. A case in point is when terrorists bombed the US embassy in Nairobi in 1998, killing 214 people and injuring another 5,000. Israeli and American rescue teams had to be called in. And when a five-storey building under construction collapsed in downtown Nairobi in January 2006, leaving 14 dead and more than 100 injured, the country had to turn again to the Israelis as rescue teams both civilian and military appeared to be apparently overwhelmed by what otherwise seemed an easy task to handle. OBSOLETE
The dramatic and successful Chilean miners’ rescue operation last month helped to save the lives of all the 33 miners trapped over 700 metres below ground for 68 days. Whereas coordination and
professionalism were the hallmarks of the operation, it would have been a different story altogether had this happened in Kenya. “Equipment is one of the main problems we face here. In most City and Municipal councils, lack of adequate funds means that most of the equipment is obsolete or is broken down and therefore cannot handle tasks at hand efficiently,” says Jackton Mboya, the Assistant Chief Fire Officer at the Nairobi City Council (NCC). “Funding should come from the central government as is the case
FLAMES:
Firefighters battle a raging inferno
in most of the developed countries since most of this equipment is very expensive, and councils alone may not be able to finance for it adequately,” adds Mboya. However, a report by the Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN), a non-profit project of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), released in February under the heading, “Kenya: Plugging the Gaps in Disaster Preparedness”, says failure to put in place a comprehensive disaster preparedness policy means that response to high-risk events
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such as droughts, floods, epidemics and major accidents tend to be slow, poorlycoordinatedandunnecessarily expensive. Quoting a study done in 2002 titled “The Cost of Delayed Response: Lessons from the 1999-2001 Drought in Kenya” by disaster management experts Hellen Bushell and Mike Wekesa, the report says the cost of this drought on the Kenyan Government in food and non-food emergency aid was US$343 million. However, had there been an effective disaster management system in place, the aid required would have cost US$171 million, almost half of what was spent. DELAY
The extra amount was attributed to poor preparedness and delayed response. “Lack of a policy to guide the strategy and the process leads to increased mitigation costs,” a source at the Disaster Risk Reduction Department (DRRD) in the Ministry of State for Special Programmes who declined to be named says. On the issue of the National Disaster Management (NDM) Draft Policy which was expected to be presented to the Cabinet for approval late last year, the source indicated that voting on the new Constitution meant a further delay in presenting the draft for debate. “After the passing of the new Constitution, another review was necessary to put the draft contents in line with the Bill of Rights, the introduction of the counties and other clauses that directly affect the earlier drafts. Harmonising the draft to the new Constitution means yet another consultative meeting of stakeholders before a final document can be agreed upon,” adds the source. Among the highlights of the draft include setting up a national disaster
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strategy, stockpiles of food to add to grain reserves, disaster trust funds, county contingency plans and assurance initiatives. “Even though the draft has not been passed into law, the Ministry has already started setting up District Disaster Management Committees whose aim is to decentralise disaster management and establish specific disaster plans and contingencies, depending on the vulnerabilities of the areas in consideration. The training of these committees, which will have to be changed into County Committees, is being done in conjunction with Moi University. Already, Western, Nyanza, parts of Rift Valley and Upper Eastern have benefitted,” adds the source. While droughts, political violence and floods were identified in the IRIN report as the most challenging disasters that often face Kenya, fire continues to be the most recurrent disaster, especially in urban areas. This is because municipal councils in major towns in the country continue to experience a myriad challenges in fire-fighting, leading to enormous losses when fire strikes. In fact, a report carried by one of the local dailies last year indicated that the country was living in a fire time bomb. A quick review shows that while the city of Nairobi has about 18 fire engines in place, lack of funds for maintenance means that only about 10 are operational in all the three fire stations in the city — namely the NCC Fire Headquarters, Industrial Area and Ruaraka Fire Stations. Mombasa, Kenya’s tourist haven and the second largest city in the country, had the only fire engine available set ablaze last year during a hawkers’ riot. The behemoth, which had cost the council close to KSh50 million, has not been replaced yet. The council has to rely on the Kenya
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Navy and Kenya Airports Authority fire engines whenever there is fire in the town. Hydrants in the cities and towns are not adequate or reliable either, adding to the litany of woes. “In Nairobi, the hydrants are categorised under City Water management and the council has no control over them. The current road construction works have led to many of them being removed without replacement. This has greatly hampered the fire-fighting capabilities of the council in many parts of the city,” says Mboya. COLLEGE
Quoting a study done in 2002 titled “The Cost
of Delayed Response: Lessons from the 19992001 Drought in Kenya” by disaster management experts Hellen Bushell and Mike Wekesa, the report says the cost of this drought on the Kenyan Government in food and nonfood emergency aid was US$343 million
Despite these setbacks, however, all is not lost. At the time this report was being compiled, stakeholders were meeting at Naivasha to deliberate on the final NDM draft to be presented to the Cabinet. “Hopefully, the draft will get to Parliament early next year for approval. The proposed coordinated involvement of the corporate, external agencies such as United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and World Vision, the county governments, Municipal councils and the general public in undertaking disaster risks reduction will greatly improve preparedness and response in the country,” added the source at DRRD. The NCC is also planning a fire fighting training college before the end of the year besides adding another fire station in the city. “This college is in the Industrial Area and will be open for all people. It is already complete and we are waiting for the contractor to hand it over, where the first batch of students is expected early next year,” said Mboya, adding that funds for another fire station have already been released from the Local Authority Trasfer Fund (LATF). However, the location is yet to be identified
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Diplomacy•News•Analysis
al tasks, and building the capacity of the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) to enable it to assume its responsibilities, including the provision of basic services to the civilian population, is yet another task that is deemed crucial. MILITARY
NEW MANDATE
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Jerry Rawlings appointed AU Representative for Somalia By PATRICK WACHIRA
he African Union has appointed two-time Ghana President Jerry John Rawlings as the AU High Representative for
Somalia. The Chairperson of the Commission of the AU), Mr Jean Ping, said the Mr Rawlings’s appointment is a follow‐up to the decision on the Report of the Peace and Security Council of the AU on its activities and the State of Peace and Security in Africa, adopted by the Assembly of the Union at its 15th Ordinary Session held in Kampala, Uganda, from 25 to 27 July 2010. The AU endorsed the communiqué of the 15th Extraordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development
(IGAD), held in Addis Ababa in July, which requested Dr Ping to appoint a high‐level personality to mobilise increased support for efforts to promote peace and reconciliation in Somalia and generate greater attention from the international community. The Rawlings appointment bears testimony to the renewed commitment of the AU, in close coordination with IGAD, to work towards the successful conclusion of the peace and reconciliation process in Somalia. The approach is through a multi-pronged offensive, including strengthening the AU Mission in Somalia (Amisom), broadening the political base of the Transitional Federal Institutions (TFIs) and enhancing their legitimacy. The acceleration of the implementation of the pending transition-
As the AU High Representative, Mr Rawlings will undertake advocacy work to further mobilise the continent and the rest of the international community to fully assume its responsibilities and contribute more actively to the quest for peace, security and reconciliation in Somalia. He will work in close coordination with the countries of the region, the United Nations, including the Security Council and its members, the European Union, the League of Arab States, the Organization of the Islamic Conference and other bilateral and multilateral partners. Mr Rawlings served in the Ghanaian military for decades, and presided over the affairs of Ghana in 1979 and from 1981 to 2001. He was twice elected President of the Republic, following multiparty presidential elections in 1992 and 1996. Mr Rawlings left office in 2001, in accordance with the Constitution, which limits the number of terms to a maximum of two. Dr Ping urged the Somali parties to extend their full cooperation to Mr Rawlings, and appealed to the AU partners to lend him their full support in the accomplishment of his mission. “I take this opportunity to, once again, urge the UN Security Council to play a role commensurate with the gravity of the situation in Somalia and the threat it poses to regional peace and stability, as well as to international security” said he.“In this respect, nowhere else in the world has the urgency to translate into reality the responsibility to protect presented itself more acutely than in Somalia”, said the Chair
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TRANSNATIONAL CRIME
Sea of Impunity: Piracy Rules the Waves Buccaneering a major threat to international shipping as more vessels hijacked by Somali sea gangs, reports JANE MWANGI
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s the war on piracy off the Somali coast gathers momentum, so does the vice itself, spiralling almost out of control and acquiring a life of its own. Piracy has been a threat to international shipping since the second phase of the Somali Civil War begun in the early 21st Cen-
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tury. This year alone, some 160 incidents have been recorded around the Horn of Africa, with the pirates spreading their insidious trade beyond the Gulf of Aden to the far-flung north-western Indian Ocean. A common target of the Somali pirates is the world’s busiest maritime trade routes, accruing an estimated $60m in ransom paid last year alone.
According to Globalsecurity. org, there are four main groups operating off the Somali coast. The first is commanded by Garaad Mohamed, and specialises in intercepting small boats and fishing vessels around Kismayo on the southern coast.
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EGYPTIAN NATIONAL DAY 1. COMPANY: Egyptian Ambassador Kadri Fadhi Abdel Mottaleb with defence attache Col Mamdouh Mounir and head of the Coptic Church, Bishop Paul 2. LISTEN: Ambassador of Mozambique HE Manuel Goncalves in conversation with diplomatic colleagues 3. SMILE: Coptic Hospital staff Rania Zari (left), Amira Sarr and Susan Halin 4. RESPLENDENT: Egyptian ladies in elaborate Egyptian costume 5. MY VIEW: Ambassador Kadri Fadhi Abdel Mottaleb with defence attache Col Mamdouh Mounir and his wife Cecil Mamdouh
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Diplomacy•News•Analysis
Then there is the Marka group, under the command of Yusuf Mohammed Siad Inda’ade, made up of several scattered and less organised groups operating, like the name suggests, around the town of Marka. MARINES
The third significant pirate group is composed of traditional Somali fishermen operating around Puntland and referred to as the Puntland Group. The last set are the Somali Marines, reputed to be the most powerful and sophisticated of the pirate groups, complete with a military structure, a fleet admiral, admiral, vice-admiral and a head of financial operations. Making attacks in small speedboats, they use some captured vessels as floating bases. The recent attack involving a South Korean fishing vessel hijacked by Somali pirates off the coast of Kenya has raised concern for the umpteenth time. The Keummi trawling vessel, weighing 305 tons, with a crew of 241 South Koreans, two Chinese and 39 Kenyans was hijacked in Kenya on October 9 while fishing in waters about 10 miles off the coast of Lamu. Speaking to Xinhua, Andrew Mwangura, the East Africa Coordinator of the Seafarers Assistance Programme (SAP), said, “The ship is flying a Kenyan flag with 39 Kenyans, two Koreans and two Chinese”. The vessel is currently in Harardhere, north of Mogadishu. Ecoterra International, a nature protection and human rights organisation, whose Africa offices in Somalia, Kenya and Tanzania also monitor the marine and maritime situation along the East African Indian Ocean coasts as well as
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the Gulf of Aden, has been working in Somalia since 1986, focusing its work against piracy mainly on coastal development and pacification. It has released a report on the offshore Somali piracy situation. According to Ecoterra, at least 25 foreign vessels and a barge are in Somali hands against their owners’ wishes, while at least 448 hostages — including an elderly British yachting couple and the five new hostages from Somaliland — await release. The sea-jacked British couple, Paul and Rachel Chandler, were abducted from their 38-ft yacht the Lynn Rival, seized on October 22, 2009, en route to Tanzania and are still being held in Somalia. The pirates had demanded a $7 million ransom for the couple, but reduced the figure to less than $1 m. Reports indicate the couple’s yacht was recovered by the crew of the Royal Navy vessel Waveknight and is now held close to Adado. According to Eccotera, the hijacked vessels include the FV AlShura, seized after February 20, 2010, with one of nine Yemeni sailors being killed by the Somali pirate-attackers. Reportedly, the pirates left the vessel and the dhow was returned to her owner, but independent confirmation is still awaited from Yemen. SPIRAL
The UAE-owned MV Iceberg I, seized on March 29, 2010, with 24 multinational crew members (9 Yemenis, 6 Indians, 4 from Ghana, 2 Sudanese, 2 Pakistani and 1 Filipino) is yet to be released. Another vessel, the FV NN, an Iranian fishing vessel, was seized before April 2, 2010. Two Yemeni fishing vessels were seized by presumed Somali sea gangs during the month of
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The third significant pirate group is composed of traditional Somali fishermen operating around Puntland and referred to as the Puntland Group.
The last set are the Somali Marines, reputed to be the most powerful and sophisticated of the pirate groups, complete with a military structure
April in the Gulf of Aden. The Yemeni coastguard did not specify the name of the vessels and only reported in one case the crew as comprising three Yemeni nationals. A Thai fishing fleet was seized on April 18, 2010, with a total crew of 77 sailors, of which 12 are Thai and the others of different nationalities. The fleet is now held off the coast at Kulub near Garacad on the north-eastern Indian Ocean coast of Somalia. The MT Marida Marguerite was seized on May 8, 2010, south of the Omani port of Salalah in the protected shipping corridor. The crew comprised of Indians, two Bangladeshi and one Ukrainian. The vessel is said to be flying a flag of convenience (FoC) from the Marshall Islands. The tanker was held on the north-eastern Somali Indian Ocean coast near Garacad but then changed position to a location off the Gulf of Aden Coast near Habo. Negotiations have not been started and the vessel was midAugust commandeered southwards to Hobyo in a possible move to provide cover for the release of the Korean super-tanker held there, but has been commandeered back northwards too, when the oil-tanker left from Hobyo. The FV Feng Guo was seized October 4, 2010, off Mauritius, along with its 14 crew members. A ransom is reported to have been demanded for its release, although in the meantime the ship may also be used as a mother-ship for use in other sea-jacking attempts. The spiral of sea-jackings continues, building up on the element of impunity emboldened by the millions in convertible currency paid as ransom paid so far
•GREEN AGENDA Planet Earth
GOING GREEN
British Envoy Leads Eco Campaign
Coca-Cola, Sony, IBM, Nokia, National Geographic and WWF set ambitious targets to reduce greenhouse emissions by 50 million tons by the end of 2010, reports JANE MWANGI
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he much-hyped Global 10:10 Campaign aimed at convincing the world to cut carbon emissions ten per cent per year in the next 10 years continues to gather momentum, with the British High Commission Nairobi office joining the worthy bandwagon. The High Commission has pledged its commitment to managing its estate as sustainably as possible. This will contribute to reducing the organisation’s global carbon footprint, make financial savings and enable it to achieve the 10:10 commitments. The 10:10 Campaign is a UK initiative which involves schools, businesses and organisations cutting their carbon by 10 per cent in a year worldwide. The British mission has signed up to support the campaign and, as part of creating awareness, it has been involved in various activities to raise awareness on environmental concerns. The British High Commissioner to Kenya, Mr Rob Macaire, was in the forefront in leading his chancery staff in this green initiative: “In diplomacy it’s really important to practice what you preach. So there’s no point in us engaging on climate change and green energy issues with the government and NGOs in Kenya, if we are setting a bad example in our own carbon footprint. That’s even more true in the city that hosts the UN Environment Programme.”
The envoy was categorical that the High Commission should not be left behind. He said: “So we, along with other British Embassies and High Commissions around the world, are making an intensive effort to be more efficient in our whole approach to energy use, water, recycling, travel and other issues. The High Commission recently conducted an Energy Audit which provided information on consumption over the last two years .The audit served as a baseline on targets the organisation has set to reduce their carbon output. These targets include reducing the use of the following: the amount of paper in offices, landfill waste produced, use of electricity, water and flights. Others are raising awareness and increasing efficiency of use of official vehicles. The first cities to pledge to cut their carbon emissions by 10 per cent in the next year are Amsterdam, Zagreb, Paris and Mexico City. British Prime Minister David Cameron, in a move aimed at supporting the Green movement, said he wanted the new coalition administration to be “the greenest government ever”. In a four-minute address at the Department of Energy and Climate Change, Cameron formally announced the coalition’s pledge to cut carbon emissions by 10 per cent in the first 12 months. “Nowhere are long-term decisions more needed than
ZERO emission:
British High Commissioner Rob Macaire (in black jacket) with Commission staff during the Green day
actually in the fields of energy and climate change and environment,” Cameron said, pointing out the need for paying special attention to the green economy, climate change and energy security.The 10:10 Campaign was founded as a British campaign in September 2009 by filmmaker Franny Armstrong, director of The Age of Stupid, designed to answer the call for immediate action, and forging a meaningful way of tackling the effects of climate change. The Age of Stupid is a powerful docudrama about failure to tackle climate change. The campaign comes against the backdrop of findings by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) which calculated that people are using 50 per cent more carbon, water and other natural resources than the Earth can realistically sustain
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•GREEN AGENDA Planet Earth
NATURAL RESOURCES
The Greening of Environmental Diplomacy Mediating challenges and opportunities for a sustainable world has come of age, writes WANJOHI KABUKURU
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r Achim Steiner, the Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), is on record as asserting: “Environmental diplomacy may seem to some a new concept. But it is as old as the Entoto hills, near Addis Ababa. Communities and countries on continents including Africa have developed intricate ways and social responses to manage disputes and for diffusing tensions in order to cooperate, rather than enter into conflict, over shared natural resources.” He knows whereof he speaks — being the boss of UNEP and with a long track record in environmental conservation, Steiner is well versed with the conservation movement worldwide. Indeed, he has been involved in the environmental movement for decades. He was formerly the Director General of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Steiner told DEA: “The first recorded water treaty between ‘nations’ was agreed as far back as 2500 BC between the two Sumerian city-states of Lagash and Umma. It was brokered to end a water dispute along the Tigris River.” We are in Addis Ababa for the VII Biennial African Development Forum (ADF), the brain child of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), co-organised by the African Development Bank (ADB) and the
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African Union Commission (AU). The ADF was first held in 1999 as an African-driven process to steer development on the continent by “initiating dialogue, building consensus, and mobilising partnerships on emerging issues among Africa’s stakeholders”. CALAMITIES
Chyrsantus Ache, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Representative to the AU and UNECA, chips in: “Immigration induced by climate change is affecting diplomacy a lot. When you talk about displacement as a result of climatic conditions such as floods, drought and other natural calamities, you are essentially talking about
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“Some of the poorest and most vulnerable including those on the African continent, can become victims as a result of
pollution generated not by them but by others
diplomacy influenced by the environment. You cannot deal with climate change in isolation. When you mention environmental refugees you are actually talking about environmental diplomacy between the states affected and other bilateral partners involved in assisting those affected.” “With the theme hinged on the environment and particularly the most controversial issue at the moment — climate change — UNEP had to have a stake in ADF. Eyes firmly fixed on Cancun’s COP16 later in the year, UNEP, AU and UNECA organised a highlevel conference targeting the African diplomatic community under the theme “Environmental Diplomacy in the 21st Century:
Challenges and Opportunities for a Sustainable World”. Ache adds: “The escalating importance of environmental diplomacy is linked with a fundamental change in the scale and reach of humanity’s footprint; pollution can travel across continents via the jet stream or in ocean currents from those who have generated it for economic development to those who are impacted, but who have not reaped any benefits from its production”. VULNERABLE
His views are shared by Ms Jennifer Kargbo, UNECA’s Deputy Executive Secretary, who notes about eco diplomacy from an African perspective: “African environmental diplomacy must be geared to maintaining peace and economic integration. African representatives must have a full understanding of issues to be able to effectively contribute to the global debate and also grasp the issues at hand”. AU Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Economy Rhoda Tumusiime of Uganda also lends her voice to the great debate: “The linkages between environmental diplomacy and climate change and their effects on Africa’s rural economy are real. As we prepare for Cancun — and being fully aware that we will move heaven and earth in Cancun — it is important to note that we are the ones charged with the task of driving our own agenda. No one will negotiate on our behalf.” In the run-up to Cancun, Africa is leaving nothing to chance, and is deploying some of its best brains to negotiate a better deal from the Conference of Parties in Cancun. A day after the UNEP meeting, Mr Abdoulie Janneh, UN UnderSecretary General and UNECA’s Executive Secretary, sheds more light on the issue: “Given the scale of the problem and its impact on the continent UNECA, AU
and ADB felt that it would be appropriate to devote the theme of this ADF to climate change in order to address the challenge that it poses to development in Africa and establish a consensual African-driven development agenda. Thus our theme “Acting on Climate Change for Sustainable Development in Africa.” Janneh is also of the view that this forum affords Africa the chance to exchange information, knowledge and experience on how best it can and should cope with climate change through effective adaptation and mitigation strategies. Why is environmental diplomacy so important for Africa? And why now? Steiner: “Some of the poorest and most vulnerable including those on the African continent, can become victims as a result of pollution generated not by them but by others, environmental diplomacy is about finding fair and equitable solutions to such realities. And, perhaps more importantly, of finding cooperative and forwardlooking agreements between over 190 nations for managing-down impacts en-route to sustainable development agreements that recognise the historical responsibilities of some countries and increasingly the rights of generations yet unborn.” With such perspectives in mind eco diplomacy is not an issue to be relegated to the back burner. Steiner cites the example of the Inuit people of Canada, who have filed a legal action against a number of developed nations alleging their emissions are linked to the loss of Arctic sea ice that endangers the health, food security and future of civilizations in the far North. “The need for environmental diplomacy in the 21st Century is however rising sharply and across multiple issues — some of which remain local or regional, but others are linked with global impacts,” Steiner concluded
GREEN AMBASSADORS Young Kenyan Attends Japan Youth Forum A young El Molo “ambassador” from Kenya represented Lake Turkana at the International Youth Forum in Japan. The Lake is a natural World Heritage Site. The forum took place in parallel to the Conference of the Parties (CoP) for the Convention on Biological Diversity in Nagoya, Japan, last month. In order to get involved in the international environmental decision-making process and present their experience in the protection of biodiversity, Mikelita Lenapir Ngilipian met other young conservationists from natural World Heritage sites all over the globe at Mt Fuji and Nagoya. The forum, held parallel to the Convention for Biological Diversity’s 10th Conference of Parties, in Japan, was organised by the German Technical Corporation, GTZ, together with the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (SCBD) and Tsukuba University (Japan). Ngilipian’s participation was made possible through the support of GTZ and the German Embassy in Nairobi. The young adults gather under the theme “Our Treasures at Risk”. The International Youth Forum 2010 offers young participants the opportunity to exchange views on and creatively engage with natural World Heritage sites as the emblematic and visible flagships of nature conservation, and the effects climate change has on these sites. Lake Turkana is a rich ecosystem with rare species of birds and other animals. The livelihood of 500,000 people living around Lake Turkana depends on this World Heritage site. It is their source of water, food and employment. The Lake plays an important role in cultural life and is a major tourist attraction
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LIBYAN NATIONAL DAY 1. HEAR ME OUT: The Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka, the Libyan Ambassador to Kenya Mr Hisham Ali Sharif, (left) and Minister for Foreign Affairs Mr Moses Watangula, in discussion during the country’s 41st National Revolution Day celebrations, (30th Sept 2010) 2.HAPPY: The vice-President, Kalonzo Musyoka and Libyan Ambassador to Kenya Mr. Hisham Ali Sharif, cuts the cake to mark the country’s 41st National Revolution Day celebrations in Nairobi, looking on are Miniters Moses Wetangula, (centre) Ali Mwakwere, Samuel Bhogisio, and officials from the Libyan Embassy 3.PLEASED: The Ambassador of the Libyan People’s Bureau to Kenya Mr. Hisham Ali Sharif, chats with the National Chairman of the traditional Elders in Kenya, Mr. Paul Kamlesh, during a reception to mark 41st Anniversary of great Al-fateh revolution in Nairobi 4. ATTENTIVE: The House of Traditional Elders in Kanya National Chairman , Mr Paul Kamlesh, (left) Minister for Trade Ali Chirau Mwakwere, and Mr Vincent Mwachiro, Miji Kenda Kaya Elder, (right) listen to speeches 5. RAPT: A section of the guest listen to Kenyan Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka during the 41st Anniversary of the great Al-fateh Revolution
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ASHTON PLEADS FOR AID TO SOMALIA
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to Kenya, Mr Ricardo Garcia, Mr Titus Gitau, counselor Malawi, and Ms Samira Furper, Consul of Gabon, at the Nigerian 50th Anniversary of Indepence Celebrations 2. CHIC: Nigerian Nollywood Cultural Ambassador Rita Dominic, (right) presents the Nigerian High Commissioner award to a Nigeria Fashion Designer Ms Paulina George, (centre) during the same occasion, while the Nigerian High Commissioner to Kenya Dr Chijioke W Wigwe (left) looks on 3. LISTEN: The Pope Representative to Kenya Archbishop Alan Paul Lebeaupin and the Colombian Ambassador to Kenya Ms Maria Victoria Diaz enjoy a chat 4. CHEERS: A section of the diplomatic corps at the occasion of the 50th Anniversary of Independence (Golden Jubilee) hosted by the Nigerian High Commissioner to Kenya Dr. Chijioke W. Wigwe and Mrs. Tess Wigwe, at their residence, Loresho Ridge, Nairobi,( Friday 1st October 2020
The European Union has appealed to the international community to assist Somalia to re-establish peace, security and the rule of law. The EU said it was crucial that Somalia be assisted to get back on its feet and to create the conditions for economic growth for the population. The plea was made by the European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Catherine Ashton, at the highlevel Ministerial Regional Conference on Piracy in Mauritius in October. Piracy, she said, was an international scourge affecting all “our shipping and aid efforts in the region. We are partners in finding a solution to this problem — the conference here today is testament to that. We are already doing a lot at sea and today taking important step, launching a regional maritime strategy”. It was evident, she said, that the root causes of piracy “lie on land, in the continued instability of Somalia”. The EU is the top donor for development and reconstruction assistance to Somalia with some 87 projects with funding worth about €200 million in place. The EU rule of law and security programme showed commitment to contribute to efforts tackling the root causes of piracy on land, she told the conference, adding that the Union would continue to provide strong support to Somalia, including in Somaliland and Puntland. She continued: “We cannot ignore the serious problems piracy is causing to stability, security and economic and social development of the region and we must take determined action against it”. But prevention was not enough: “Impunity only encourages criminal activity. We are therefore also closely cooperating with a number of countries in the region on prosecution and detention of captured pirates. We are also reaching out to more countries, asking them to share the burden in these efforts.” Noting that the region had come together in an unprecedented way to develop a joint approach to tackle piracy and the EU, Ashton concluded, “attaches great importance to this initiative and will assist you”.
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••ECONOMY ECONOMY
Investment•Technology•Prosperity Investment•Technology•Prosperity Investment•Technology•Prosperity
NEW WORLD
When World Bank Boss Challenged Economists
Exponents of the “dismal science” get reality-check advise from Robert B Zoellick, reports JOHN MULAA in Washington DC
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t was the 19th Century British historian Thomas Carlyle who described economics as “the dismal science”, thus giving it a derogatory tag it has never quite shaken off. No less a personage than World Bank President Robert B. Zoellick recently challenged economists to rethink their development paradigms in the light of their discipline’s real-life record of failures and inaccuracies. “I am not an economist,” he told his audience at Georgetown University in North East Washington DC on September 29. Zoellick’s longish speech dwelt on the pitfalls of certainties floated by economists. He urged them to be humbler instead, and then maybe, just maybe, their pontificating, infused with elegant mathematical models, would have some bearing on reality as it is lived in the far-flung places of the
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world. Zoellick hammered away at economists in a manner that suggested he had been thinking about their conduct and prescriptions for a long time —- he opened his speech with a quotation from George Bernard Shaw: “If all economists were laid end-to-end, they would not reach a conclusion”. Zoellick continued: “This is no longer about the Washington Consensus. One cannot have a consensus about political economy from one city applying to all”. Many read this as perhaps a final repudiation by the head of the institution that promulgated and enforced a doctrine that caused so much rancour in the developing world not too long ago. To date sub-Saharan Africa, despite some notable recent gains, still lags in poverty reduction. Why have Bank elixirs not worked, he seemed
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to asking. “The big questions facing policymakers are extremely complex. But is our present-day research too narrowly focused — and too weak on external validity and scalability — to provide the kinds of insights policymakers need? I believe we need a more practical approach —- one that is firmly grounded in the key knowledge gaps for development policy.” PROSPECTS
Zoellick’s speech was significant as it came barely a week before the start of the World Bank/ International Monetary Fund Annual Meetings held in the second week of October. The meetings attract virtually all finance ministers from member states. Finance Minister Uhuru Kenyatta represented Kenya. One would have expected Zoellick’s sentiments to reflect in
•ECONOMY
Investment•Technology•Prosperity
proceedings at the meetings, especially about Africa, and perhaps they did but it was not that evident. “The World Bank is bullish on Africa,” enthused the Bank Vice-President for the Africa Region Obiageli K. Ezekwesili. At a gathering sponsored by Africa Investor magazine on the first day of the meetings, Ezekwesili expressed her bullishness about the continent’s prospects, prophesying that the next big thing on the continent will be agriculture and agribusiness. That and many other changes taking place on the continent should usher in a period of fundamental economic transformation. “We can now boldly say with confidence that Africa has awakened. Her time has not only come but the continent is actually the future. Africa is on the cusp of an economic transformation,” she said. Ezekwesili’s enthusiasm is certainly informed by the projections of economists working under her in the Africa Region. Lately, they have been gung-ho in their projections, but, given development economics track record, it is perhaps prudent to take these gushing forecasts with more than a pinch of salt. What is the true picture of the Bank Africa relations? Notably absent in this year’s Annual Meetings was the touting of “star performers” unlike the case in the past, when, at various times, Uganda, Mozambique, Ghana, and Rwanda were elevated to a pedestal as good pupils with whom the class master, the World Bank, in this case, was pleased with. WISDOM
The narrative has not turned out as the class master expected, which leads us back to Zoellick’s musings about the state of development economics and its purveyors. The World Bank in fiscal year 2009 committed approximately US$8 billion to Africa, over 95 per cent of
AIR UGANDA LAUNCHES 3RD FLIGHT ON NAIROBI - ENTEBBE ROUTE Air Uganda has announced the launch of a third flight from Nairobi to Entebbe. CEO, Hugh Fraser said the move highlights the airline’s commitment to added choice for customers, “especially those who prefer to travel in the afternoon, when the roads and airports are less crowded”. The new afternoon flight departs Nairobi at 16.15hrs and arrives in Entebbe at 17.20hrs. It departs Entebbe at 14.30hrs and arrives in Nairobi at 15.35hrs.
ZOELLICK: World Bank President which were loans and grants from the International Development Association (IDA), the “soft” loan arm of the Bank. This constituted 17 per cent of the World Bank’s lending, a $2.5 billion increase compared to the previous year. Africa’s total population is a billion. In 2008, Africa’s GNI per capita was a princely $1,082, the lowest of any region. Still it is possible to be sanguine about Africa’s prospects, but only as long as the role of aid, including loans and grants from the World Bank, is placed in the proper context. As Zoellick asked, “Have we become trapped by our received wisdoms? We need a deeper understanding of the process of how an economy’s structure evolves. This is not just about the shift from agriculture to industry and services over time”. Which makes suspect all the well-intentioned prognostications about the next big thing in Africa, be it agriculture or agri-business. The prognosticators are as clueless as anybody else is, but they are unlikely to admit it. The African ministers of finance at the Annual Meetings as if on cue called for “robust” replenishment of the IDA fund, which provides succour to 39 African countries out of
“Our passengers can now enjoy a more convenient schedule that offers them a greater choice of airline connections in Nairobi,” said Mr Fraser. Air Uganda will now offer 38 flights a week to and from Entebbe. The airline has just taken delivery of its second Bombardier CRJ -200 50 seater jet which joins the fleet of two 99 Seater MD87s. “Air Uganda is well positioned to serve the travelling needs of the East African Community by offering a superior quality service that is reliable, punctual and affordable”, said the CEO. “Although the airline is increasing flights and routes, our ontime performance was 89% in August, well above most for our local competitors.” Air Uganda is an affiliate of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) and a member of the Celestair Group with sister airlines, Air Mali and Air Burkina, in West Africa
a worldwide 79. “I do hope larger players will realise the need not just to replenish the funding for IDA, but to increase it,” Kenyatta said at a press conference. He and finance ministers from the Central African Republic, the Comoros, and Sierra Leone spoke on behalf of their African brethren who have acquired a third seat on the Bank’s executive board. In the end, Zoellick’s words just floated in the air. “Aid and loans, whether stemming from public or private sources, are not the main drivers of development. The dominant role has to be played by the populations and governments in the countries concerned,” he advised a few days before the meetings. Was anybody listening — apart from Dambisa Moyo of Dead Aid Fame?
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•ECONOMY
Investment•Technology•Prosperity
INFRASTRUCTURE
Lamu Port: The Dilemma of Heritage By WANJOHI KABUKURU
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etired teacher Mohammed Ali Baddi is not happy. His anger stems from what he calls “government exclusivity and open disenfranchisement of my people”. Well-known and highly respected among his community, the Bajuni of Kenya’s northern coastal historic island of Lamu, Baddi is leading his community in demanding a say and inclusion in a mega project that will ultimately affect their lives. Since he left teaching Baddi has organised his community under the aegis of the Lamu Environmental Protection and Conservation Group (LEPAC), a community-based environmental conservation entity, to promote sound environmental practices in the pristine islands of Lamu, Manda, Faza, Siu and Pate. We are seated in the Lamu Post Office’s courtyard, a few steps from the seafront. The 65year-old Baddi is regaling me with
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the history of the Lamu Archipelago and what progress means. “Let it be known, we are not scared of the mega Lamu project which will completely transform our islands and help spur the economies of the region — far from it. All we are asking the Government is to hear us out as indigenous people and include us in the project every step of the way. Progress by any name is about people, their identity, lifestyle and orientation,” Baddi says. The grand Kenya Government initiative that Baddi is referring to is the Lamu Port-Southern SudanEthiopia Transport (LAPSSET) Corridor, a key flagship project of the Kenya Vision 2030 endeavour. RAILWAY
Envisaged in the LAPPSET is a modern port at Lamu, an oil refinery, a railway line to Juba in southern Sudan with a branch line to Ethiopia, an oil pipeline linking Lamu with the
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STATS &FACTS Three airports are to be constructed in Lamu,
Isiolo and Lokichoggio.
These three towns are planned to become pure hedonistic havens (resort cities) to cater for a tourism boom
oil fields of southern Sudan, a super highway connecting to Ethiopia and Sudan, an international airport and several resort cities and towns within Kenya. When complete the Lamu port will be the largest port on the African continent. Apart from the port’s development, a standard gauge railway line that will start from Lamu to Sudan onwards to the Central Africa Republic, and finally Cameroon, is also in the works. This won’t be all for the railway, as within the laid-down plans is a proposal to lay down a rail line to Uganda, Rwanda, DRC and Congo Brazzaville, with a branch line into Ethiopia. In other words Kenya is looking at building the largest and most ambitious modern railway investment in Sub-Saharan Africa. “This is a major project and, to many of us here in Lamu, it will completely redefine our lifestyles. We are not opposed to this. Change is good and it should be encouraged,” Baddi explains, “But our question is simple — why is the Government afraid of involving us? As residents of Lamu we have on occasion demanded the full Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) but no one in government wants to show us. What will happen to the rich marine life of dugongs, turtles, dolphins and mangroves?” Baddi asks. I have no answers. HERITAGE
Three airports are to be constructed in Lamu, Isiolo and Lokichoggio. These three towns are planned to become pure hedonistic havens (resort cities) to cater for a tourism boom. Coupled with these is a fibre-optic cable snaking its way from Lamu to Juba with tentacles carrying bandwidth across the entire corridor, ensuring that the Kenya Internet Exchange Point (KIXP) will attain a new strategic relevance. Apparently everyone in the resort island is aware of the project. Young kids in the narrow alleyways,
•ECONOMY
Investment•Technology•Prosperity
fishermen, boat operators, women clad in bui bui and the cheeky donkey riders are all well-informed about the mega project and the prospects it portends for them. “Ningependelea mradi huo wa serikali uje maanake sasa nitaacha uvuvi na nijinunulie gari” (I would love that government project to come as I will stop fishing and buy myself a car), says 14-year-old Jamili Daudi, whom I met at the Fisheries jetty with his hook and line. He is well aware of the LAPSSET corridor project and the prospects it will bring. Lamu is classified by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) as a World Heritage Site. In 2005 UNESCO termed Lamu the “oldest and best preserved Swahili settlement in East Africa”. In 1980 Lamu was declared a UNESCO Man and Biosphere Reserve. Lamu has unmatched archaeological sites and boasts inimitable indigenous communities, namely the Boni, Sanye and Bajuni. Others include Somali, Orma, Pokomo and Miji Kenda, all of whom have made these islands their home. “Our heritage will be forever lost if this project is implemented without the due diligence required to protect cultural identities, environmental biodiversity, archaeological history and the basic rights of the local people. We don’t want Lamu to be removed from the UNESCO World Heritage Site as they did to Dresden Elbe Valley in Germany and Oman’s Arabian Oryx Antelope Sanctuary,” says Baddi. With a rich history dating to the 8th Century and globally acknowledged as East Africa’s Islamic capital complete with Islamic festivities observed, Lamu boasts of a rich intercultural diversity in its history. The Omani Arabs, Portuguese, Germans and British have all had their flags flown here at one time in history. My community, the Bajunis have lived here for generations. Our main source of livelihood is artisanal
STATS &FACTS Lamu is classified by the United
Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) as a World Heritage Site
fishing. What will happen to us when the port becomes fully operational? The port will mean we have to shift to other areas for fish, it will annihilate the mangroves which are the best fish breeding and spawning grounds and of course deny us a livelihood. It will affect the sand dunes which have supplied our islands with fresh water for generations. Tourism will definitely affect our culture. These are the issues we have petitioned the Government on but it seems no one is listening to us,” Baddi laments. Dr Farah Idle, Director General of the National Museums of Kenya (NMK), echoes Baddi’s concerns: “We are sending an appeal that the project should not change Lamu’s image as a World Heritage Site. Definitely, the influx of foreign investors will change the face of Lamu and erode its uniqueness.” Though LAPSSET seems to be a novel idea, it is not new. The project was first conceptualised exactly 38 years ago in 1972 by the then Kenyan Minister for Transport and Communications, Ronald Ngala. He commissioned a French engineering consulting firm, Renardet SA (now based in Switzerland), to undertake a viability study. Owing to the costs involved the then nine-year-old independent country could not actualise the dream. The plans were thus shelved. Come 2010 and the project, estimated to conservatively cost some US$16 billion, is now on course. TRANSPARENCY
Baddi is not the lone voice raising queries on the LAPSSET Corridor project.Indeed,theformerteacherhas a well- coordinated legion of activists and community opinion shapers who support him. Mohammed Sheikh of the Shungwaya Welfare Association is one of them. “All we want is transparency in this project. The Government has initiated many projects in the coastal region, but none of them has been successful.
Look at the Ramisi Sugar and the Kenya Cashewnut projects and many others,” says Sheikh. “They all turned out to be nothing but white elephants benefiting a few. For the Lamu Port project, we want it to be done right and with all concerns addressed fully.” Lamu was chosen due to its almost perfect natural location ideal for a port. Boasting depth of more than 18 metres as opposed to Mombasa’s 13 metres, Lamu accords developers minimal dredging for the construction of a port. Whilst Mombasa’s narrow entry can only allow one ship at a time, Lamu’s wide entry will accommodate multiple ships to approach the port at the same time. The port phase construction alone is expected to gobble up some US$3.5billion. Once complete, Lamu Port will have a quay length of 3,500m, 22 berths and handle cargo capacity of 35 million tonnes per year, joining the few global ports that can handle Super Port Panamax vessels. “We welcome the project, but it should be tailored to be conducive to us, blend in with our unique lifestyle and it should take into consideration our fragile marine ecosystems,” Athman Bakar, the chairman of the Kenya Marine Environmental Organisation, says. He adds: “It would be ideal if the master plan of the entire project is openly and transparently discussed here at our Town Hall. Adequate preparations and sensitisation of the people should also be a key priority.” The proposed Lamu refinery is projected to process some 120,000 barrels of oil each day so as to be able to meet the region’s rapacious demand. Much of the oil refined will be from South Sudan. This essentially means value addition, a key gain for both Kenya and South Sudan. Jaffer Shemanga, who has participated in several oil and gas surveys in the Lamu Archipelago, is wary of LAPSSET
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•WITH A LIGHT TOUCH Seriously Lighthearted
HUMOUR
Drama in the Land of Uncle Sam By BALOZI DIPLOMACIA
‘I
ntense’ and ‘extensive’ do not even begin to describe the lobbying and horse trading for the attendance of the UN General Assembly in New York in September, what with the hefty per diems that come with the long haul trip to Uncle Sam’s, not forgetting the prestige attendant to the brushing of shoulders with the highest and mightiest of global geopolitics. Backstabbing, undercutting, deceit and loads of dirty tricks characterised the lobbying for the General Assembly attendance throughout August and early September, which Asumpta kept referring to as the ‘assembly of the main men’. To cut a long story short, I managed to beat a determined group of some 15 competitors including fourth, third, second and first secretaries. On the wayside fell Asumpta, the secretary, who had proposed that she would help H.E. with typing duties. Bogus Crankshaft, the multilingual translator was seen walking dejectedly in the corridors of the office when it was decided that translation services would be sought in the US. Economia Enunciated lost the bid on the understanding that H E and Chief, the office head were well versed with economic diplomacy and needed no aid in that
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regard. Yours truly was informed about being on the trip as usual by H E himself in a one line telephone conversation. “Pack your bags and make sure I have everything I need for the UN General Assembly next week”. Before H E finished his statement, I was, of course, standing at alert and saluting to every word he said. Asumpta, was all ears, mouth agape when I told her that I was on the trip despite and in spite of the cheap rumours she had been circulating to the effect that I would miss the trip. The connection through Schiphol Airport was incident free as H E and I sauntered into the VIP lounge where we enjoyed first rate treatment and class A TV viewing in between naps on the cosy couches. I couldn’t help imagining the rest of the team scrounging on hardwood benches if not on the floors of the passageways as I (and H E of course) lounged. Our flight across the pool from Europe to North America was equally without incident. It was when the flight approached New York that I got the first jolt of nausea. I had been avoiding looking outside the window as the aeroplane nosed towards John F. Kennedy airport. When curiosity got the better of me, I ventured to peep through the window and the
glistening lights stretching beyond the eye’s limit gave me the impression that the aeroplane was flying upside down. It was all I could do before I reached for the sickness bag where I released all my fears as the airhostess rushed to my aid. After disembarking and going through the scanner, I found that my protocol job was going to be fair game. A US state agent talking in that distinctively nasal and inquisitive way welcomed us: “This is H E the Minister. No?” Peter Long as, I have come to call him on account on his nose and height, then led us to a Jaguar and off we drove to the hotel. It was at the assembly that drama unfolded. I was not keen to listen to all speeches. However, when President Kagame criticised the UN for having become a two-tier organisation; the haves and have nots, I nodded enthusiastically from the gallery. When President Robert Mugabe aka Uncle Bob rose to speak, I was the only one in the gallery to applaud even before he had uttered a word. Of course, for my pre-Mugabe applause, the mostly Mzungu-dominated gallery stared at me daggers. Within minutes, my main guy from the former Salisbury suburb was not disappointing, launching into the privileged West with gusto. Say, what? I like a David Vs Goli-
ath battle and this was drama of the kind you see on television unfolding before my own eyes. “You have maintained sanctions against the people of Zimbabwe for the most flimsy reasons yet you fault us for not achieving MDGs. You will not succeed because the voice of the people of Zimbabwe is the voice of God”, he peaked, delivering heavy broadsides that made some delegation members in the gallery fidget. I saw British Premier David Cameron break into a sweat and I knew it was not because he was a first timer at the assembly but because Mugabe had blasted colonialism and its legacy. When President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad rose to take the podium, I not only clapped in anticipation but did so on my feet, a sort of pre-speech standing ovation. And true to his character, he shot off like a canon and continued to blast throughout his address that was more off an undressing. “The discriminatory order of capitalism and the hegemonic approaches are facing defeat and are getting close to their end,” he said as some of delegates started walking out in protest. Meanwhile, I was on my feet applauding with all my might. Such was my immersion in the speech that even as I was dragged out of the assembly hall, I continued applauding oblivious of being ejected from that venue. Only later, much much later, would I realise the gravity of turning a UN assembly into a football stadium and cheering like a mad Man U fan. (To be continued next month)
Arrested Development If a job was advertised, you stand to inherit a staff of 13 (of all numbers!), the previous holder was beheaded and you are just 20, would you take it up? Well, someone just did. A female, actually. Marisol Valles, a handsome, stern-looking, round-faced, petite 20-year-old college student, is the newest police boss in Mexico’s drug war district. It is possible, even probable she is the youngest person in such a job in the world. The town of Praxedis Guadalupe Guerrero on the Texas border has appointed Valles to head a police force in the virtual spine of narcotics drug-dealing, taking the war of the sexes a notch higher. Or has she lowered the bar? The criminology student must rank as Mexico’s most valiant woman for taking such a job in Juarez valley, a strip of about a dozen towns and villages where outlaw groups slaughter and assault police officers and civilians with something closely akin to reckless abandon. “The situation can improve if we believe in ourselves and believe there is hope,” Valles was quoted as saying. “I want to carry this through and show that we can do this”. The town’s mayor, Jose
Spirited Ghost
For many of us, ghosts would scare the hell (where they come from?) out of us and make our lives a living nightmare. So, when you spot one, what do you do? Flee like the wind or like the devil is after you? Well, not so for a resident of Florida. Local police said a motorist called to report a “ghost” walking alongside the road in Brevard County. The Titusville Police Department said officers
Luis Guerrero, said she was the most qualified of a handful of applicants for a job which, in many parts of Mexico, is deemed to be the equivalent to a death sentence. The new police chief heads a force of just 13 agents, nine of them women, with one working patrol car, three automatic rifles and a pistol. Gunmen killed a local official and his son in mid-October as Valles prepared to start her job. “We are doing this for a new generation of people who don’t want to be afraid anymore. Everyone is frightened - it is very natural,” she told Mexican media. “My motive for being here is that one can do a lot for the town ... we are going to make changes and get rid of a little of the fear in every person.” Her force would focus on a non-violent role of promoting values and principles and preventing crime, she added. Juarez valley is famous for cartels transporting cocaine, cannabis and other drugs to the US, a stone’s throw across the Rio Bravo. As she works to bring down crime statistics, one would like to hope and pray she does not become another statistic.
surrounded a sheet-covered man walking along state Road 405 at 8:45 a.m. one recent morning and asked about his mode of dress. Police said the man said he was wearing the “ghost costume” to avoid a sunburn and was allowed to continue on his way. Apparently, the law is silent on whether it is illegal to pretend to be a ghost. Or to dress like one.
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•CULTURE
REVIEWS•RAVES•REVUES•REPASTS
RARE SOJOURN ON PLEASURE ISLAND
Of the Seychelles, Sea Shells and a Magic Spell
The tropical sunshine is uniquely cordoned off and festooned by the ocean, making it an amazing slice of exotic delight, enthuses WANJOHI KABUKURU
L
ike everyone else, I also believed all the alluring images I had seen on colourful brochures at the tourist offices. I was also entranced with the idea of visiting these much- celebrated Western Indian Ocean islands of the Seychelles. I had also bought the fanciful hype created over the years of paradise, unequalled romance, undisturbed beauty, extreme pleasure, ecstatic bliss and unparalleled hedonism. Actually, many of these mind games are all too real. The pictures don’t lie. There are many reasons for such perceptions. The hidden gnawing wants of waltzing adults craving some tranquil hideaway for some naughty kick are what the brochures sell. They are sure-fire testimonies of the islands in the sun. The Seychelles Tourism Board latest campaign for the island has surfed on these perceptions and come up with the
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alluring brand: “The Seychelles islands: Another world”. And it truly is. The Seychelles is the only home to the incomparable erotic seed, the coco de mer, whose legend with matters of the loins and fertility tales is unsurpassed worldwide. This “royal coconut of the sea” is nothing but voyeuristic enthrallment and perhaps the main reason for such perceptions. The Seychelles archipelago is a constellation of some 115 islands. Of the 115 islands development is only found in the three islands of Mahe, Praslin and La Digue. The other islands are private hotels, chateaux, conservation and aqua-culture sites. Many Seychellois take pride in their 115-island paradise. Like many other island states, the Seychelles belong to the little-known league of nations referred to as Small Island Developing States (SIDS). Island nations have peculiar cultures and norms uncommon to large land masses. A sojourn in the Seychelles
November 2010
It is said that to know the direction of a country, its evolution and its psyche look no further than the arts
opened my eyes to the reality of the Creole speakers’ life and common everyday perceptions. At the Mahe International Airport every Thursday and Sunday, whenever the Kenyan Airways flight (KQ 450) from Nairobi to Mahe lands, there is some sense of déjà vu for the small Kenyan community residing in the Seychelles. There are other airlines which serve the route, namely Air Seychelles, Emirates, Air Austral, Condor, Air France, Aeroflot, Air Mauritius and Qatar among others. That there is more to the Seychelles than the heavenly images in glossy travel magazines is not in doubt if one is lucky to stay long enough and watch sundowners at The Pirates Arms restaurant munching a pizza right in the heart of Victoria, or at the Boat House in Beau Vallon, or Black Pearl. An interisland cruise starting at the Marina in Victoria for those who don’t suffer sea-sickness is something worth a try. For 30 years the Seychelles has enjoyed the lifestyle of many middleincome countries. The Seychellois could proudly compare themselves to such other island states as Reunion, Mauritius, Tonga, St Kitts and Nevis, Trinidad and Tobago, Belize and the Cayman Islands. The Seychelles Government makes sure the world knows this and accepts it as fact while attributing such a feat to tourism and good governance. In other words, the Seychelles primes herself as the holiday destination for the world. It is said that to know the direction of a country, its evolution and its psyche look no further than the arts. The Seychellois music artistes don’t disappoint and their ebullient night life is a beguiling and hard-to-resist temptation. The mellow crooning of celebrated artistes Marie-Antoinette Dodin
•CULTURE REVIEWS•RAVES•REVUES•REPASTS
and the ballads of love maestro Patrick Victor with their captive sega and moutia music illustrates the sheer intensity of Seychelles day-to-day living, an artistic golden pot in itself. Victor is a well- known passionate crooner whose fame transcends the entire Indian Ocean islands of the Comoros, Mauritius, Madagascar, Re-Union, Rodrigues and far-off Creole speaking nations. It is not difficult to understand why Victor is an icon in the Seychelles. His songs, notably Premye Sesel, Touzour Sesel (Seychelles first, always Seychelles), O mon pei cheri (Oh my beloved country) and O Seselwa (Oh Seychellois) have become instant “national anthems” in their own right. MELODRAMA
Globetrotting painters Nigel Henri, with his expansive studio on Beau Vallon and Colbert Nourrice illustrate surreal chiaroscuros of island life and the melodrama that comes with it. Through the works of these artists one can sense the vim of island life. The happy-golucky Henri, who resides on Beau Vallon overlooking the famous Beau Vallon beach, is a gifted acrylic artist and his latest works were on display in Germany early this year. His hues depicting undersea life and common Seychellois folk has a touch of sentimentality accompanying him. The Seychelles media scene too is not left behind and it’s a neat description of the Seychellois set-up andabarometerofthesocialtensions and pulse of the archipelago. When one flips through the opposition publications, notably Regar, edited by veteran journalist Roger Mancienne, Le Nouveau Seychelles weekly under the penmanship of Ralph Volcere, Seychelles Nation (the only daily paper in the islands), Rising Sun and The People together with the Seychelles Broadcasting Corporation (SBC), SBC Radio
and Paradise FM, you get a broad understanding of this Indian Ocean island nation. Former Presidents France Albert Rene and Sir James Mancham are still alive enjoying their sunset years in these tranquil islands. Interestingly, Rene overthrew Mancham exactly one year after the country had gained her independence from Britain. Creole, the national language, has heavy French leanings. The culture and social set up within the islands has all the trappings and influences of the French. Over time this has however been watered down as oriental and other Far Eastern cultures have also had a dip in the cauldron that is the Seychelles, enhancing the recipe that is modernday Seychellois culture. Rene, the architect of the modernday Seychelles, gives thanks to the 1977 coup which saw him deposing Sir Mancham and introducing his socialism ideology. Rene stayed in power until 2004, when he stood down after 27 years. President James Michel recently reshuffled
his Cabinet and brought in youthful Seychellois technocrats with the aim of revitalizing the country’s two main economic backbones — tourism and fisheries. Owing to her Exclusive Economic Zone, which covers an area of 1.4 million square kilometres, the Seychelles is richly endowed with tuna and accounts for over 25% of all the tuna caught in the Western Indian Ocean. Indeed, Port Victoria is the largest tuna trans-shipment port in the world, transacting 80% of the catch of purse seiners in the region. Her fisheries exports are valued at $200 million annually. On hot humid days, wisps of fish smell will always pummel Victoria City (the world’s sixth smallest capital city). Acknowledging that tourism is a fickle market, President Michel has moved fast to strengthen the fisheries sector. Indeed, fish has a sacred place in the country’s survival, small wonder it is the key feature of the Seychelles Coat of Arms. The multi-million-dollar fish industry is a major driver of the Seychelles economy. These are some of the hidden secrets of Seychelles that I got to sample: much of its magnetism of course cannot find its way into print and remains in the recesses of memory. As our plane taxied on the Mahe International Airport’s runway I couldn’t help reminiscing on the good times I had and tried to find the charm the islands had had on me before I arrived in this country, ranked as one of the smallest nations in world with a population of some 84,000 people. I guess I will miss the unhurried pace of life, their strong and beautiful damsels, the unforgettable beachcombing moments, the ambience and tantalising beats of Creole music, cuisine, culture, architecture and social norm and the constant reminder “this is the Seychelles” November 2010
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•CULTURE
Reviews•Raves•Revues•Repasts
STRANGER THAN FICTION
Yes, Dead Men Do Tell Tales! Consternation as bizarre sale of body parts comes to light in Nairobi
A
By NGARI GITUKU
few weeks ago, a young Kenyan entrepreneur — I guess with the instinct of a primeval witch — led, nay, lured, his “merchandise” to Tanzania for sale. The sale item was — hold your breath — an unsuspecting friend born to albinism. The victim’s bait was a plum job in a neighbouring country. Price? US$250,000! The sale ‘item’ apparently was for deployment in necromancy, conjuration and allied sciences. Or are they arts? Up until that point, I thought the move to carve a business around human body parts was informed by a streak of solitary visitations of sheer madness: the kind of dementia that ends up providing eerie comic relief to dull societies. It defies imagination that anyone (let’s leave morticians and funeral parlours out of this one) could carve a living from the dead, in a manner of speaking! This tongue-in-cheek sounding tale is the type that can fuel sassy gossip for weeks in parts of the world where half of whole populations find themselves trapped below the poverty line. But clearly this attempted sale was no laughing matter. Had it succeeded, nothing would have stopped the beneficiary from dreaming of becoming a county governor or even senator— given the provisions in Kenya’s new constitution—come 2012. And who knows, the failed sale of the albino may have been intended to boost the candidature of some aspiring member of parliament in Tanzania
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in next month’s general elections! There seems to be more to crossborder trade in body parts than the lure that drives ordinary investors and entrepreneurs. Whatever the motivation could be, nothing makes more nonsense of, say, East African Community’s Common Market protocol and Millennium Development Goals as does the trade in human accessories. ALCHEIMIST But back to Kenya. The whole cross-border human body parts trade story turned totally ghoulish a few weeks ago when a morgue attendant and a hearse driver in Nairobi were cornered in possession of some suspicious hand luggage within hospital precincts. The contents? A curious harvest of private parts from a human being. Destination? Tanzania! Walking through Nairobi’s suburbs, one easily notices scruffylooking notice-boards—nailed haphazardly to some unfortunate tree round a corner—proclaiming the credentials of some alchemist healing a wide range of health and para-medical afflictions. In most cases these tree-ward consultants will claim to have expertise in settling conflicts related to land adjudication and consolidation, ‘tethering’ wayward husbands to their lawfully married wives and providing cross-gender affection solutions where erotic triggers have failed. Most of these consultants claim to be expatriates from Tanzania, whatever the reason. Talk of health tourism of the distinctly unhealthy kind! Clearly, there seems to be
November 2010
a lot of knowledge and goods transferred below radar detection within the region. And the story goes beyond just contraband goods and services. However, this dark and outright Jurassic diplomacy must not be allowed to mar the advances achieved so far in integrating the region into a solid economic bloc first and, soon thereafter, a political federation. But not before we rectify our ways and stop caveman practices that apparently run deep and wider than the latest stories have revealed.
Walking through Nairobi’s suburbs,
one easily notices scruffylooking noticeboards—nailed haphazardly to some unfortunate tree round a corner
HORRENDOUS Recently, for instance, a friend told me that in Somalia young boys and girls are prime targets of bodypart harvesters whose markets straddle as far afield as Europe and the Middle East. If it is true that this trade is indeed rampant, one would say that the cases affecting albinos are but a drop in an ocean. I think so because whatever else is going on with regard to human body-part sale sounds deeper, creepier and more horrendous than what has come to the fore so far. The visibility brought about by lack or deficiency of keratin in the body may highlight the fate of some victims but, as they say, dead men do not tell tales. It is for those who cannot tell tales that goodwill ambassadors must be found to shout help and stop for them. Apparently, the same ambassadors for the dead will be good envoys for East Africa with respect to integration and in the eyes of the rest of the world. The moral of the story? Stop it!
•CULTURE
Reviews•Raves•Revues•Repasts
NOVEL SCHEME
Library of the Year Award Launched in Kenya
Accolade aims to inject more professionalism, creativity and innovation into reading and reference sector By PATRICK WACHIRA
A
frica’s first-ever Library of the Year Award has been launched. The Goethe-Institute, the Jomo Kenyatta Foundation and the Kenya Library Association have partnered to set up the Maktaba Award in Kenya. The Award aims to recognize excellence in the provision of library and information services. The Institute’s Cultural Programmes Coordinator and Film Officer, Barbara Reich, said information played a key role in the modern world and Kenya “is part of the global information society”. The Library of the Year Award will be an annual event in which all libraries compete in different categories and excellence, innovation and creativity will be recognized and rewarded. “We believe that the development of Kenya will only be realized if access to knowledge for all is given top priority. We also believe that librarians and information managers must play a central role in providing information services,” Reich said. The prerequisite for this is to have modern, well-equipped and user-friendly libraries manned by trained librarians and information professionals. A call for entries was sent out in May, inviting all libraries in Kenya interested in participating to send their profiles, highlighting the unique services they provide and
the special services that are outstanding. About 50 entries from libraries in all categories (academic, public, government, community, school, research and corporate) from all over Kenya were received. Participatinglibrarieswereassessed in the following areas among others: Quality and innovation in provision of library and information services Integration of modern technologies in service provision Promotion of local contentRelevance of the services provided to the local community. Sustainability of the services and programmes A panel of judges has gone through the library profiles and visited all
the libraries for verification. A decision has also been made on who the winners in the different categories of inaugural Library of the Year awards in Africa will be. The project is modelled on the German Library of the Year Award. “It is for this reason that all the libraries that participate in the inaugural Library of the Year Award have every right to be proud of their achievement,” said Reich. The winning libraries in the various categories have even more reason to be proud because their achievement will go down in history as the event is the first of its kind in Africa
About 50 entries from libraries in all categories (academic, public, government, community, school, research and corporate) from all over Kenya were received
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July 2010
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•DEA HOTELS Lifestyles & Hospitality
HIGH LIFE
English Point Marina
The East African coastline comes alive with the region’s first world-class marina for the high-end luxury boating market, writes JANE MWANGI
T
he multi-billion-dollar luxury yacht industry is all set to dock at the coastal city of Mombasa, becoming the first of its kind along the East Coast of Africa. This puts Kenya in the league of luxury boat markets in the Mediterranean region, the Far East, Dubai and South Africa. This operation promises countless opportunities for the region, especially at a time when the Kenyan Government hopes to attract five million tourists per annum. The quivering palm fronds and rippling ocean tides along the East African Coast will be the scenic setting for a new category of high-end leisure equipment and activities. And the credit goes to a master plan aimed at setting up an iconic multi-use development that promises to attract an investment of approximately US$50 million. The development — English Point Marina — is the brainchild of Kenyan brothers Alnoor and Amyn Kanji whose vision is to put up an international luxury marina offering the very best lifestyle on the Kenyan coast. Kenya fell short during the recent voyage by Microsoft Co-founder Paul Allen whose 100 metre super yacht had to be moored midstream for lack of the requisite service facilities. The English Marina will make all such lapses a thing of the past. This masterpiece will add oomph and zest to historically significant Mombasa, which was continuously fought over by various trading nations for centuries. The Marina, scheduled for completion in 2012, looks to
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revolutionise the paradise that is the Old Town of Mombasa. In all its endearing Swahili architectural splendour and remarkable skyline overlooking the historic 16th Century Fort Jesus, this development is sure to take the East Coast of Africa by storm. The Marina will offer comfortable, luxurious and secure apartments, a hotel, restaurant, spa and gym, a water sports centre, a boardwalk with retail shops and underground parking located on a four-acre beachfront site. It will also offer a shuttle ferry service for residents and guests across the creek to Mombasa town. English Point Marina codeveloper Alnoor says the investment has the ability to open up the highend international investment market for Kenya as well as the high-end tourist market. English Point will be designed to cater for yachts between six and 30 metres long, with the idea that the destination attracts cruising yachts from the Seychelles, Mauritius and South Africa and luxury charter services capable of private cruises to Lamu, Zanzibar and other coastal destinations. LIFESTYLE
As soon as he bought it, Alnoor knew it was an iconic piece of property. “It has been somewhat of a spiritual journey, a dream project set to leave a lasting legacy,” he says of the development that will be managed by the award-winning team of the Pinewood Village Beach Resort, also owned by the Kanjis.
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The Marina will offer comfortable, luxurious and secure apartments, a hotel, restaurant, spa and gym, a water sports centre, a boardwalk with retail shops
Kenyans are international citizens, he enthuses, so there is a real hunger for international standards and marina apartments are among the mostsought-after worldwide. Speaking during the launch of the development plan, Tourism Minister Najib Balala said the project tied in well with the national economic takeoff blueprint, Vision 2030. He emphasised that the Government plans to make Kenya one of the top 10 long-haul tourist destinations by 2012, attracting a record five million tourists annually. The developers project a workforce of 400 during the two-year construction phase and another 200 when the development is complete in August 2012. The apartments will offer a wonderful opportunity for
fresh water by 50-to-60 per cent. Methane gas, a by-product, will be used in the hotel kitchens, wind turbines and solar shading to eliminate the effects of direct sunlight on apartments as well as solar reflective glass on doors and windows. About the developers
both international and local investors to own a piece of this development and lifestyle that feature 107 serviced units. The cost of a Marina apartment will range from KSh38 million to KSh50 million, while penthouses will go for KSh150 million each. RECYCLE
The designers of the Marina project are Broadway Malyan, a multiaward-winning major international architectural practice in the UK. Broadway Malyan lead architect Ian Apsely said they first saw the site in 2007 and were utterly blown away by its potential. “This is our first African assignment as we have done a lot of projects across the globe and hence it is a very important scheme for me. The design reflects a lot of the Swahili
architecture”. Ian has spent most of his career working in London and has also worked in China, Singapore and his Abu Dhabi base in Dubai. The Marina development has incorporated only the most superlative best-practice standards of sustainability currently available. Energy Consultant John Farrell of XCo2 Energy of Britain told DEA about the green initiatives employed for the project. One of the most outstanding features is the central air-conditioning unit per apartment, which will give a 15-to- 20 per cent saving on energy consumption, solar hot water and grey water treatment and recycling. After treatment, grey water will be pumped through a special circuit to all toilets for flushing, therefore reducing the demand on
LUXURIOUS LIVING:
Aspects, faces and facets of the Marina
Mombasa-born brothers Alnoor and Amyn Kanji had the vision when they acquired the property at English Point to recognise its unique location and untapped potential. Alnoor and Amyn both acquired degrees in the UK, with Alnoor gaining a BSc in Pharmacy from Leicester and Amyn a BA Hons and MBBS in Medicine from Oxford and London. Alnoor spent time in the UK and Canada in the pharmacy sector before returning to Kenya to become the Managing Director of Jubilee Hardwares Ltd in Mombasa and undertaking the development and management of Pinewood Village Beach Resort. The main development kicked off in mid-2010. The brothers bring with them the experience of building and managing the awardwinning Pinewood Village Beach Resort in Galu Beach, south of Mombasa
November 2010 November 2010
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•PERSPECTIVES People & Places
RIGHT OF REPLY
The Judas Factor: An Open Letter to Dinesh D’Souza
W
By DR INDIATSI NASIBI
hen a pastor in the State of Arizona said that he wished Barack Obama, the President of the United States of America, dead, I saw the return of the “Judas Factor” in American politics. It was reminiscent of the paranoid politics of the 1960s, when John F. Kennedy was fought left and right because he was a Catholic. Before he became President, all former American Presidents were White Anglo Saxon Protestants (WASPs). Obama is another US President who is not a WASP. That he is a black whose father is a Kenyan shook the foundations of Obama birthers, the neocons in Washington DC, and all other anti-black vestiges and paradigms of racism in America. These hate groups go back to 1798, to the Illuminati scare in New England states where a secret society of European Intellectuals feared that the Illuminati group was set to destroy Christianity and overthrow the American government. Similar groups have persisted since. By the time we arrived in the US in the late 1950s as students, fears about remnants of McCarthyism and the John Birch Society were immediately followed by the assassination of John F. Kennedy, whose assassin Lee Harvey Oswald was gunned down the following day by Jack Ruby. Given the pathological past in American politics, I am not surprised that an African-American President with high sounding Muslim names
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is constantly under attack by birthers and neocons. However, I am surprised D’Souza would have been selected and recruited by the conservative republicans to play the role of the Judas Factor. Surprised because D’Souza seems to know very little about the 1960s when Obama’s father and I were students in the USA. We witnessed the suffering that the black man went through. You were an advisor to Bill Clinton because the black man won the civil rights struggle using Satyagraha the very principle Mahatma Gandhi lived and died for.
whose legacy led to the creation of the Non-Aligned Movement, where Nkrumah and other co-founding members are seen together rejecting the forces of the Cold War era. I remember highlighting the importance of non-alignment, positive neutralism and selfdetermination theories expressed by our leaders in an informal Student Union Panel discussion during my senior year at the University of Redlands in California in 1966. Neither Dr George Kimble nor Prof William Rodman could agree with me. The branding of Obama senior as a “dirty socialist and anti-colonial diehard” is a cheap accolade and propaganda designed by you. He was not the one who wrote Britain’s Gulag, a book by Caroline Elkins which documents the ills and torture chambers the British government used in Kenya during the Mau Mau struggle.
DREAM
DIE HARD
As a native of India, can you tell the world where the American native Indians are? To correct some of the hate and misconceptions you have about Kenya, Obama’s father did not die poor. He was not sacked from the government job because he was an alcoholic. He lost the job because, when Tom Mboya was assassinated, he questioned the government’s integrity. By the way, Mboya was not a socialist. You have in America today Prof Ngugi Wa Thiong’o and Prof Wole Soyinka, a Nobel laureate who left his country, Nigeria, fearing for his life. The thinking of the Luo tribesmen of the 1950s was that of all Africans after the Manchester Conference of 1945, chaired by WEB Du Bois, that father of Pan-Africanism, is the African dream is to become united as one. It is this dream which they carried to the Afro-Asian Conference in Bandung, Indonesia, in 1955,
You have continued to dislike Obama due to the caste system that regarded blacks as untouchables. you see a black man born in 1961, the same year you were born, who went to an Ivy League college, like you, yet is now holding the most powerful office in the world. Is this your beef? If your claims are real, the money that you raised for George Obama ought to have been given to one of the many NGOs fighting for the destitute. Why did you tear up the cheque when Obama’s brother could not be found? Is he the only destitute person in Kenya or in the Third World? There are destitute people in other parts of the world. Neither your group nor President Obama alone can mitigate their suffering. A prima facie look at your attacks shows that you were compromised by your group and lacked objectivity. Little wonder the best books about the US are works of non-Americans!
November 2010
Obama is another US President who is not a WASP. That he is a black whose father is a Kenyan shook the foundations of Obama birthers, the neocons in Washington DC, and all other anti-black vestiges and paradigms of racism in America
•INDUSTRY NEWS Products & Services
MOBILE ECONOMY
Exit MJ, the Region’s CEO of the Century
T
he man at the helm of the most successful company in East and Central Africa is finally calling it a day. As he exits, he leaves behind a story of many firsts, a veritable cavalcade of achievements never before registered in the region’s corporate sector. Michael Joseph, outgoing Chief Executive Officer of Safaricom has cast a larger-than-life shadow over his competitors. Safaricom’s subscriber base has leapt from a low of 16,000 in 2000 to an all-time high of over 16 million subscribers last month. Safaricom is a leading provider of converged communication solutions in Kenya, offering a broad range of first-class products and services for mobile telephony, EDGE, broadband Internet, M-Pesa, M-Kesho banking and fax. Pre-tax profits peaked KSh20.9 billion last year, and revenue grew to KSh81 billion, making Safaricom easily the jewel in the crown of the corporate sector in the region. Its mobile telephony penetration and reach in Kenya and the region are unmatched. Occupying the perch of the 8th largest publicly listed telephone company in Africa, Safaricom is headed for even rosier times, buttressed by the catchwords of integrity, hard work and dedication as espoused by Joseph. The man who has replaced Joseph, Bob Collymore, inherits a company which now commands over 75 per cent of the mobile telephone market in Kenya. Riding
on the wave of success of the MPesa concept, the first of its kind in the world, Safaricom is poised to roll out other new services in the market, which Joseph says will give it even more of a head start and give the competition a hard time. M-Pesa is itself a pioneering concept that allows telephone subscribers to have “money in their phones”, and to pay for goods and services. Now, anyone with a cell-phone and an account can operate from anywhere in the world and send or receive money within seconds. The concept has won the company awards and accolades. Joseph is certain that the focus on the ordinary person has paid dividends heavily: “There are lots of reasons why we have succeeded. One is because we concentrate on the customer needs. The man in the matatu, you know...that is our customer. Our entire orientation was moulded by that”. Joseph attributes the M-Pesa concept’s success to the fact that “we went out of our way to cover what was not covered before”. The result was a resounding success. “Many money products are trying to copy us, but nothing beats M-Pesa. Nothing even comes close”. Of all the awards they have won, Safaricom employees hold The Most Respected Company of The Year Award dearest. They have won three times in a row. The immediate focus of the company is to assist the youth, especially musicians, to make a start in life. “The future belongs to them and we want
HIGH ACHIEVER:
Mr Michael Joseph has made Safaricom a blue chip company
to be associated with them. Ours is not a one-off with artistes. We want to help them grow, support them. That is the segment of the market we are targeting”. On the price wars that hit the ceiling as the year drew to a close, Joseph is emphatic that when competitors brought down the cost of calling, Safaricom, too, had to as dictated by the situation. He says that Safaricom was justified to charge what they were charging, up to KSh8 per minute on some tariffs. “This is a business, not charity. We had to pass the benefits to our subscribers and shareholders who want returns on their investments. When we started, the costs were higher and there were reasons to charge what we did”. When the competitors brought down calling charges, “we had to because we could not allow our customers not to benefit from the charges”. In any case, he says, Airtell did not trigger the price wars. “The Communications Commission of Kenya lowered the interconnectivity charges and we responded. Everybody else responded”. Joseph feels the prices may stabilise just where they are and neither move down nor up. And he rules out further price reductions, saying “if we went down further, we would be accused of using our dominance in the market”. The man who has replaced Joseph is a former Chief Officer in Charge of Corporate Affairs at Vodaphone South Africa. He has the huge task of filling Joseph’s shoes and keep the 737, 000 shareholders happy. He has his plate full. As he makes his exit, Joseph says: “Kenyans have been very welcoming...they are hospitable people. This is a great country and I have nothing but fond memories of those ten years”
November 2010
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•GLOBAL STAGE Window on World
ELECTIONEERING
Democrats Dread Mid-term Drubbing
With the electorate unhappy with virtually everything around it, JOHN MULAA reports from Washington that pollsters are predicting a hiding for Obama’s party in mid-term polls
I
t’s like 1994 all over again. The United States of America appears to be waiting for a political earthquake. In that year the US electorate hammered the Democrats under Bill Clinton and handed Congress to the Republicans. Clinton was called a lame duck president and then the Republicans shut down government and the Come-back Kid of the campaign roared back into life and went on to win a second term. Now, for most of the past halfyear, the political narrative, discussion and plain noise has focused on the impending pounding that the fed-up American voters are preparing to inflict on the party in power, the Democrats, come Election Day, November 2. The drumbeat of poll after poll results suggests that indeed the Democrats are in for a hiding, the only question being how harsh or severe it is likely to be, and who might be spared. Indeed, some have begun to ask loudly whether President Obama will get another term. He stands at the top of the Democratic Party as the first African-American President of the US. He is a man who led a movement that propelled his unlikely candidacy to heights
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undreamed of only a few years or months before, eventually capturing the White House amid cacophonous chants of hope and change. At the inauguration, President Obama reminded the audience and the country of the tough road ahead. He laid out the big-ticket items on his agenda and he implored leaders of all political stripes, especially Republicans, to join the bandwagon to right what he and his party considered the trouble with America. VISION Briefly, Obama optimism was infectious in his base and its penumbra. It all seemed possible. The slogan “Yes, We Can” appeared to portend much. Multitudes who gathered in Washington DC to share in the inauguration had no idea what forces were about to be unleashed in opposition to President Obama’s vision. It soon became apparent that there was a deeply resentful antiObama undertow within the American body politic. It manifested itself shortly after Obama took office and as he started pushing his agenda. The Bush-constructed Wall Street financial bailout quickly shed the Bush moniker and acquired the prefix Obama.
November 2010
The drumbeat of poll after poll results suggests that indeed the Democrats are in for a hiding, the only question being
how harsh or severe it is likely to be, and who might be spared
Special animus and opposition was however reserved for the Obama- championed healthcare reform. Overnight bands and groups of disaffected sprouted all over the country spouting anti-healthcare reform sentiments. Welcome to the birth, rise and growth of the Tea (Taxed Enough Already) Party. It’s a medley of conservatives, mostly white, mostly rural and peri-urban, mostly religious, and mostly other things, which volubly agitated against what they described as the growth of government and the attendant loss of “fundamental American liberties”. They accused the “Perpetrator-inChief”, President Obama, of being a closet socialist bent on transforming America into some version of leftistinfested Europe. How dare he? The egotistical left ideologue! OBAMA CARE The noisy anti-Obama opposition was dubbed grassroots by proponents abetted by friendly conservative media such as the rabidly anti-Obama Rupert Murdoch-owned Fox News and other likeminded outlets. And, of course, it is pooh-poohed by opponents who saw the agitation as an assortment of Astroturf groups
•GLOBAL STAGE Window on World
guided, directed and financed by well-heeled anti-reform forces that stood to have their wings clipped were the reform to succeed. In the event, opposition to what opponents call Obamacare became the defining image of President Obama’s first few months in office. Tea Party enthusiasts held rally after rally reiterating their opposition, egged on by names on the political right such as former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. Within no time, the mainstream Republican Party locked its step with its more conservative and shriller fellow travellers. The capture of the Massachusetts Senate seat previously held by liberal emblem Edward Kennedy by Republican Scott Brown was the first national trophy in the skirmish. The Tea Party was on the march! Obamacare was dead, declared some exuberant conservative news outlets. However, perhaps the conservatives had, to use a Bushism, misunderestimated the Democrats — and President Obama in particular. Employing a parliamentary manoeuvre, President Obama, the Democratic Party Congressional Leadership, Harry Reid in the Senate and Nancy Pelosi in the House of Representatives went around Republican obstacles and passed healthcare freeform. The Right went apoplectic. Shouts of “Repeal” by Republicans rent the air. Although the decibel level has decreased somewhat, repeal of healthcare forms the cornerstone of the Republican midterm campaign message. A poorly performing economy provides a backdrop to the message that government spending and an ever-increasing national debt are twin ropes that could strangle America as the Republicans know it. President Obama and his party are portrayed as spendthrifts bent
on bankrupting America. The motive for Obama’s “nefarious” policies? The man is not even American and his religion is suspect. In other words, a foreigner has wormed his way into the heart of American institutions to better destroy it from within! Many Americans buy this piffle and, if the polls are to be believed, they intend to express their disapproval come November 2 by handing over the two chambers of Congress to a reliably and authentically American Republican party.
Obama’s favourite analogy is a car in a ditch. He frequently reminds voters that the
Republican Party was at the wheel when the car that is America landed in the ditch that was the economic meltdown of 2008
DITCH Obama and the Democrats in general have done a poor job of countering this onslaught. Perhaps the difficulty lies in arguing with opponents steeped in fantastical thinking. To be sure, Obama has lately taken to the campaign trail reminding the electorate of where the country was when he took office and what his administration has done and continues to do to set things right for the betterment of the American people. Obama’s favourite analogy is a car in a ditch. He frequently reminds voters that the Republican Party was at the wheel when the car that is America landed in the ditch that was the economic meltdown of 2008. “Joe Biden and I and the Democrats in general have laboured to push the car out of the ditch,” he tells crowds. “While we were labouring hard to right the car, the Republicans pulled out lawn chairs, got some drinks and gawked from a distance, interrupting their leisure by exhorting us to push the car this way or that way, without offering a hand,” Obama continues to the roar of disgust from friendly campaign audiences. “We got the car out of the ditch, dents and all. And guess who is asking for the keys to the car?” Obama concludes his telling. “The Republicans,” he proffers the answer to audi-
ence chuckles and sneering. Then he launches into his trademark riff about what the “other side” is intent on inflicting on Americans should they let it happen: the same reckless driving that will inevitably land the car into the next available ditch. Is the message getting through and will enough Democrats become enthused to troop to the polls to counter what is an expected Republican and conservative numbers onslaught? Currently, the Republicans are riding a wave of not only enthusiasm but resources as well. The United States Chamber of Commerce is crowing that it will ramp up expenditure to unseat Democrats who it accuses of championing anti-business policies (read healthcare reform). So far, the group has spent US$10 million in support of Republicans in key battleground states. The beauty of the current campaign finance laws, thanks to a recent ruling by the Supreme Court, is that donors can remain anonymous. The political and financial interests on whose toes Obama may have stepped have the perfect cover to express their displeasure to his polices by funneling funds to groups opposed to the President and his party. So far, they are effective and they might just turn the political tables with all that this entails. The potential outcome prompted New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd to ponder how it is that America seems to be afflicted by severe memory loss a short few years after enduring what a Republican administration put them through. Maybe be it is time to summon Dinesh D’Souza, the “famed” inventor of a paradigm purporting to explain President Obama’s policies, to investigate this matter. Who knows, his fertile imagination might produce something — or not
November 2010
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•ENVOYS OF SPORT EXPANDING HORIZONS
Looking Beyond Athletics To Boost Medal Haul Region excels in track events and boxing but must explore latent talents and cast net wider By DEA REPORTER
badminton, weight-lifting, squash, rugby, wrestling, shooting, lawn bowls, table tennis, cycling and para-sports hit a brick wall. The Kenyan Government spent Sh100 million on 200-strong contingent to the quadrennial games. That translates to Sh3, 125,000 per person to win a medal. STRIDES
K
enya once again demonstrated her prowess as a sporting powerhouse at the just concluded 19th edition of Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, India. Kenya finished a respectable sixth with 32 medals behind Australia, India, England, Canada and South Africa. The medal-haul 12 of which were gold, 11 silver and nine bronze is the best performance ever for Kenya on the global scene. Other East African nations paled in comparison, with Uganda winning only two gold medals, men’s 5000m and 10000 courtesy of
66
Moses Kipsiro, both snatched from the jaws of victory of their Eastern neighbours. Be that as may, sports administrators from the East African nation will be left wondering what it would have been had they put more effort in harnessing latent talent in various disciplines. Of the 21 disciplines and 272 events, Kenya fielded competitors in 14 disciplines. The medals, however, were harvested from three; athletics, swimming (gold, 50m butterfly through Jason Dunford), boxing (silver Benson Gicharu, Flyweight) and bronze Joshua Ndere, Light Heavyweight). Efforts in tennis,
November 2010
VICTORY:
Jason Dunford savours his moment of glory
Commissioner for Sport Gordon Oluoch told DEA the Government will sit with respective federations for a post-mortem. One of the conditions the Government would lay down is the need for detailed youth programmes to ensure continuity. “We need to know what each federation is doing for the under 20s, 18 all the way down to 14,” he said. While Kenya has made strides in athletics with David Rudisha recapturing the World Record in 800m and winning the punishing men’s Olympic Marathon crown for instance, there has been retrogression in hockey, which the country was famed for in the 60s and 70s. No team took part in the 2010 edition of Club Games. In the 60s, Kenya ranked alongside Egypt in Africa, but has since been overtaken by South Africa and Ghana. Diversifying into other sports disciplines according to Oluoch is not really the problem, but how well the competitors are prepared from
•ENVOYS OF SPORT a young age. “One of the problems has been lack of visionary leadership in almost all federations including those perceived to be doing well. Sometimesitisindividualsportsmen and women who have carried the day,” he argues. For the first time in the history of Kenya, Jason Dunford won gold in swimming in the 50mbutterfly category when he beat Australia’s Geoff Huegill. Australia, a powerhouse in swimming, won 22 gold medals against Kenya’s one. South Africa, which beat Kenya by a silver medal when they garnered 33 against 32, won 7 of their 12 gold medals in swimming. National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOCK) Secretary General, FK Paul, said Dunford’s gold is an indicator of potential in swimming. “There are others, who if developed from a young age would even do better,” said Paul. With the 20th edition of Commonwealth Games coming up in four years in Scotland and 2012 Olympic Games in London, there is need for Kenya to step out of the traditional realm if they have compete favourably again. TALENT
“We at NOCK have always encouraged federations by funding them and insist that they go out there to search for talent. Apart from that we encourage them and when possible facilitate them to host other countries so as to give exposure to athletes. That, we believe, would help them whenever they go to major international events,” Paul said. South Africa entered competitors in Wrestling,Greco-Roman and Gymnastics-Artistic and won medals. Such disciplines, however, are alien to Kenya. But Oluoch maintains the Government is willing to work with federations. “In order to raise teams that can participate competitively, there is need to have infrastructure in place. And that, the Government is willing to do, but the
SUCCESS:
16-year-old Achieng Ajulu-Bushell displays her medal
federations should first demonstrate good leadership,” Oluoch said. The laying of artificial turf on City Park Stadium in Parklands is part of the efforts to help Kenyan hockey regain its hallowed status on the world stage. “The Government gave Sh5 million in cash and tax waivers during the importation of the turf and other materials. But even as local officials continue to roll out their ambitions, Kenya will have herself to blame by letting go of talent, such as cyclist Chris Froome, who though born in Kenya, is now racing for Britain and showed a lot of promise at the Commonwealth Games. Froome raced for Kenya at the 2007 All Africa Games in Algeria but has since switched allegiance to Britain where he is currently racing for Team Sky. Early this year, 16-year-old Achieng Ajulu-Bushell ‘defected’ to England. Ajulu-Bushell was born in England to Rok Ajulu and Helen Bushell. At 12, she was in the Kenyan swimming team at the African Youth Championships in Senegal. She also represented Kenya at the 2009 World Championships in Rome
COMMONWEALTH GAMES TOP 10 NATIONS
Gold
Silver
Bronze
Total
1 . Australia
74
55
49
178
2. India
38
27
36
101
3 . England
37
59
46
142
4 . Canada
26
17
32
75
5 . South Africa
12
11
10
33
6 . Kenya
12
11
9
32
7 . Malaysia
12
10
13
35
8 . Singapore
11
11
9
31
9 .Nigeria
11
10
14
35
10 .Scotland
9
10
7
26
November 2010
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•DIARY
INTERNATIONAL DAYS NOVEMBER
Update your contacts
November 6
International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in Armed Conflict
November 20
Universal Children's Day
November 25
International Day For Elimination of Violence Against Women
habari@diplomateastafrica.com
+254 20 2525253/4/5
•DEA CLASSIFIEDS
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November 2010