Ugandan opposition leader Bobi Wine filed a challenge Monday in the country’s Supreme Court seeking the cancellation of presidential election results declaring incumbent President Yoweri Museveni the winner.
Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulani, asked the International Criminal Court last month to investigate Museveni, Security Minister Elly Tumwine and eight other senior officials for sanctioning human rights abuses.
Wine ran against Museveni in the January 14 presidential election. Museveni, who has served as president since 1986, was declared the winner of the 2021 presidential election with 59 percent of votes, while Wine had 35 percent. Wine was placed on house arrest following the election. On January 25, a Ugandan court ordered security forces to stop surrounding his home and blocking him from leaving.
Wine has asked the court to overturn the results on several grounds, including the widespread use of violence.
There have been challenges to the past four elections that Museveni won, all of which were dismissed by the Supreme Court. - Cassie Maas, JURIST
Newly -appointed interim chairperson of South Sudan students association in Kenya Ms. Kuei Mawien Dhor [Photo via Facebook]
NAIROBI – South Sudan students’ association in Kenyan Universities and higher institutes have replaced the body’s interim chairman and replaced him with a female leader after the former chairman refused to conduct elections and embezzling the body’s funds, according to a statement extended to Sudans Post.
“Simon Nhial Changkuoth, the Councilor from Kisii University moved a motion to impeach Mr. Ayuel Taupiny Malek (the chairman) and Tom Gadel Malowa (deputy chairperson) pursuant to Article 48 of the Reviewed Constitution of SSSAK, 2016 for financial misappropriation, gross misconduct, abuse of office and executive authority, violation of the constitution and obstruction of the progress of the Association, soliciting money from top government ministers in the name of the Association, and finally interference with and obstruction of the electoral process,” the statement reads in part.
“Ayuel Taupiny was indicted, stands accused for stealing students’ money, arbitrarily arresting students, weakening the institutions of governance, using his SSSAK office to manipulate and swindle elders and fellow students, failing to conduct elections for three years, politicizing the mandate of the Association and obstruction of the elections,” it further added.
It further said “Tom Gadel was indicted, accused for stealing students’ money, Graduating and refusing to hand over the office, using SSSAK office as a conduit to solicit money from elders, and obstruction of the elections.”
“In consequent and to avert power vacuum, the Council devised a legal remedy by passing the Interim Executive Act, 2021 appointing Ms. Kuei Mawien Dhor, former President of the South Sudan Students’ Association at the University of Nairobi (SSSANU) and former Clerk of the Council, as the Interim President mandated to redeem the lost glory of SSSAK and to organize free and fair elections that will create precedent for the smooth transition of leadership.” - Sudans Post
Donald Trump's trial is due to start on Feb 8 - AFP
Former President Donald Trump has parted ways with his lead impeachment lawyers just over a week before his Senate trial is set to begin, two people familiar with the situation said on Saturday.
Butch Bowers and Deborah Barbier, both South Carolina lawyers, are no longer with Mr Trump's defence team. One of the people described the parting as a "mutual decision" that reflected a difference of opinion on the direction of the case. Both insisted on anonymity to discuss private conversations.
Three other lawyers associated with the team, Josh Howard of North Carolina and Johnny Gasser and Greg Harris of South Carolina, also parted ways with Mr Trump, another source said.
The upheaval injects fresh uncertainty into the makeup and strategy of Mr Trump's defence team as he prepares to face charges that he incited the insurrection at the USÂ Capitol on Jan. 6. However, all but five Senate Republicans this week voted in favour of an effort to dismiss the trial before it even started, making clear a conviction of the former president is unlikely regardless of his defense team.
Greg Harris and Johnny Gasser, two former federal prosecutors from South Carolina, are also off the team, one of the people said.
Mr Trump has struggled to find attorneys willing to defend him after becoming the first president in history to be impeached twice. He is set to stand trial the week of Feb. 8 on a charge that he incited his supporters to storm Congress before President Joe Biden's inauguration in an attempt to halt the peaceful transition of power.
After numerous attorneys who defended him previously declined to take on the case, Mr Trump was introduced to Mr Bowers by one of his closest allies in the Senate, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham.
Mr Bowers, a familiar figure in Republican legal circles, had years of experience representing elected officials and political candidates, including then-South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford against a failed impeachment effort that morphed into an ethics probe.
Mr Bowers and Ms Barbier did not immediately return messages seeking comment on Saturday evening.
Republicans and Mr Trump aides have made clear that they intend to make a simple argument in the trial: Mr Trump's trial is unconstitutional because he is no longer office.
While Republicans in Washington had seemed eager to part ways with Mr Trump after the deadly events of Jan. 6, they have since eased off of their criticism, weary of angering the former president's loyal voter base.
CNN was first to report the departure of the lawyers. Telegraph/Yahoo News
An ongoing project in Kenya to issue a biometrics-backed digital ID known as the Huduma Namba to citizens continues to suffer criticism as rights activists are raising concerns that millions of citizens will be excluded from the scheme. Nubian Rights Forum (NRF) told Biometric Update in an email that it believes the government is flouting court orders on Huduma Namba.
The issuance of Huduma cards is a project of the Kenyan government initiated back in 2005 within the framework of the National Integrated Identity Management System (NIIMS).
Authorities say the biometric digital ID cards, to be issued to citizens of age 18 and above, will be a precondition for Kenyans, refugees or foreigners on Kenyan soil to enjoy certain key government services such as obtaining passports and registering SIM cards and land titles. It will also be an important tool for the delivery of a wide range of public services to Kenyans by the government.
According to reports in the Kenyan press, more than 38 million people had already registered for the cards and enrolled their biometrics as of May, but the issuance process has since been mired in controversy and characterized by legal wrangles. The government however looks poised to continue with the issuance, per local reports.
Apart from the Human Rights Commission of Kenya which has expressed deep concerns about the situation, other associations have also been fronting campaigns, which they say, seek to ensure that the scheme is executed for the benefit of all Kenyans.
One of such associations is the NRF which has been advocating for a more inclusive approach to the project. It is now also accusing the Kenyan government of violating a January 2020 High Court order on the digital ID issuance, which asked that all issues related to risks of exclusion of some components of the citizenry from the project be addressed before the government can go ahead with delivering the cards.
The Nubian Rights Forum, which has also raised issues about data usage and privacy concerns in the past, says up to five million Kenyans risk being excluded from the Huduma Namba ID system – a thing the Forum says is a travesty against certain constitutional provisions regarding the subject.
The Forum told Biometric Update that some of their concerns also include a lack of active public participation in the process as provided for by the country’s constitution, data privacy fears that still linger, as well as the fact that the government in Nairobi is making the digital ID cards a prerequisite for access to critical public services.
“The Kenyan constitution protects the right to privacy, and inhibits any forceful coercion for private information without reasonable backing. There was a lack of privacy and data protection legislation. The government later introduced a data protection bill, but Kenya is yet to have a law that regulates data in general, and for an integrated system, and therefore there is risk of loss of sensitive data or access by third parties,” the NRF said.
Existing discriminatory practices Expounding on fears that the project will exclude millions of citizens, NRF said there are existing discriminatory practices in acquiring the national identification cards especially for communities discriminated against because of their ethnicity and a lack of foundational ID documents.
“Due to lack of documentation, these communities are at risk of statelessness especially when the government ties identification and government services to NIIMS. There are also other factors that affect acquiring of ID cards even for normal citizens such as distance and costs. Moving forward with a new system without addressing current issues risks further marginalising these communities,” an NRF representative explained.
“It is unfortunate that people in remote areas have no idea on what the Huduma Namba is. They have no say in the process and will likely be shocked once issuance of cards commences…” NRF said.
What should authorities do, moving forward? Like many other concerned advocacy groups, NRF says it has made a number of proposals to the Kenyan government, which if followed, will significantly help in better handling some of the problems besetting the Huduma Namba digital ID project.
For NRF, the first thing to do is for the authorities to respect court orders staying the ID issuance process until major issues are sufficiently addressed.
“The Kenyan government has been extremely adamant on not following court orders to stay the implementation until the concerns raised are addressed. This sets a bad precedent and the government needs to set aside selfish interests, follow court orders and the constitution for a properly functioning system,” NRF told Biometric Update.
Apart from active public participation which the group is calling for, it is also asking for the putting in place of an inclusive policy for legitimate citizens who are discriminated against because of their ethnicity.
“The government needs to conduct adequate participation and ensure at least a majority of citizens are aware of the Huduma Namba, the necessity of the Huduma Namba and the penalties,” they proposed.
“One requirement for the registration of Huduma Namba is presentation of one’s national identification card, and birth certificate for minors. There needs to be policies in place that ensure Kenyans can first get the recognized documents of registration and identification before moving to the centralized system – the NIIMS. Otherwise, anyone without an identification card or birth certificate, in spite of legally being born in Kenya risks being declared stateless,” the Forum added.
Another issue the Forum is pushing for is that the Huduma Namba shouldn’t be mandatory for citizens to get government services. “Government services and basic human rights must not be linked to Huduma Namba unless all issues submitted are addressed,” according to the NRF representative.
Government’s assurances Comment was requested from an official of the ICT Authority of Kenya on the latest concerns voiced by the NRF about possible exclusion from the project for millions of citizens, but had not been received at the time of writing this report.
However, amid these concerns, Kenyan officials have spoken out in the past to assure citizens of the importance of the cards, and say they have been taking steps to ensure that the project is executed within a legal framework that factors in some of the concerns being raised by rights activists. - Biometric Update
Photo The Standard
President Uhuru Kenyatta (pictured) today met thousands of delegates at the Sagana State Lodge in Nyeri where leaders from Mt Kenya region voiced their unanimous support for the Building Bridges Initiative.
While praising the BBI report, the leaders led by Nyeri Governor Mutahi Kahiga told Uhuru they will not allow divisive politics and external influence to disrupt the peace and unity of the region.
The leaders who included representatives of the youth, women, politicians and other grassroots formations made the assurance during the consultative meeting at Sagana.
Speaking during the meeting, the leaders said their region stands to benefit from the constitutional reform process.
The 7000 plus delegates turned up at Sagana as the President toured his home turf amid political undertone.
All eyes are set on him on whether he would tame the vote-rich Mount Kenya bloc that seems to be slipping away.
The attendants were drawn from the 10 counties as the President completed day two of his Central region tour.
This comes as 10 county assemblies on Friday assured Uhuru they will pass the BBI legislation within the required legal timeline.
The assurance by Meru, Tharaka Nithi, Embu, Kirinyaga, Nyeri, Murang'a, Nyandarua, Kiambu, Laikipia and Nakuru County Assemblies was made on Friday at Sagana during a meeting between the Head of State and 550 MCAs and their respective leadership teams.
Led by their County Assembly Speakers and House Leaders, the MCAs said they back the BBI process because it will allocate more development resources to the grassroots.
With the 2022 general election already in the horizon and the Building Bridges Initiative debate hotting up, Uhuru met leaders to discuss the region's development as well as other pertinent national agenda including the BBI.
Uhuru on Friday started his four-day pitch for the BBI by offering a sweetener that could change the tide for the constitutional reform moment.
The President acceded to demands by MCAs to be given car grants, adding that the same would be given to all ward representatives across the country.
Uhuru also stated that although he would be retiring, he would still have a say in the political scene.
“I will still sit in the negotiation table to ensure that our region is not taken lightly,” he said during a meeting with the leaders at Sagana State Lodge.
At the same time, Uhuru pleaded with Mt Kenya leaders to delink his succession politics from the BBI process, saying, “I have never said I will support or not support someone (to succeed me) so I wonder why all the hullaballoo.”
“I never said we shall elect so and so. I only said we shall support whoever was more popular than the others and I said we should widen our circle of friends so that we are safe, whoever is in power,” he said.
Unlike before when the president read the riot act to the local leaders, yesterday he appeared reconciliatory, telling his allies “not to bother answering what the other people are saying”. - Jael Mboga, The Standard
Informer East Africa is a UK based diaspora Newspaper. It is a unique platform connecting East Africans at home and abroad through news dissemination. It is a forum to learn together, grow together and get entertained at the same time.
To advertise events or products, get in touch by info [at] informereastafrica [dot] com or call +447957636854. If you have an issue or a story, get in touch with the editor through editor[at] informereastafrica [dot] com or call +447886544135.
We also accept donations from our supporters. Please click on "donate". Your donations will go along way in supporting the newspaper.
