Showing posts with label Politics and policy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Politics and policy. Show all posts
Monday, 17 June 2013
Obama to spend 8 billion shillings on Africa visit.
China to build Africa’s largest Hydro Power Plant in DR Congo.
The contours of a new set of agreements to build the long-shelved 40,000MW
Grand Inga dam have emerged.
More than 90 politicians, businesspeople and international financiers gathered in Paris, the French capital to discuss the African infrastructure deal of the century in Paris on 17 May.
Finance and power ministers from several African countries, including South Africa and the Democratic Republic of Congo, sat down with the African Development Bank and World Bank, alongside lawyers, bankers and the representatives of several business consortia.
Key amongst those are China's Sinohydro and the China Three Gorges corporation, which built the world's largest hydropower project across the Yangtze river, first delivering 22,500MW in 2008.
More than 90 politicians, businesspeople and international financiers gathered in Paris, the French capital to discuss the African infrastructure deal of the century in Paris on 17 May.
Finance and power ministers from several African countries, including South Africa and the Democratic Republic of Congo, sat down with the African Development Bank and World Bank, alongside lawyers, bankers and the representatives of several business consortia.
Key amongst those are China's Sinohydro and the China Three Gorges corporation, which built the world's largest hydropower project across the Yangtze river, first delivering 22,500MW in 2008.
Saturday, 15 June 2013
Doing Business in Africa, Critical to Global Growth - U.S.
The United States
government yesterday stressed the need and importance for foreign investors in
the country and across the world to do businesses in the African continent.
Speaking at ongoing African-US Trade Exhibition held at the Baltimore Convention Center, the Governor of Maryland State, Mr. Martin O'Malley, maintained that doing businesses with Africa was
Speaking at ongoing African-US Trade Exhibition held at the Baltimore Convention Center, the Governor of Maryland State, Mr. Martin O'Malley, maintained that doing businesses with Africa was
Friday, 14 June 2013
Budget: Interns to be hired in new scheme.
The government will enter into partnerships with private
companies so that experienced graduates can be hired to gain skills and
experience. In the budget estimates read on Thursday by The cabinet secretary
for Treasury, Henry Rotich, private companies that take in fresh university
graduates and
Budget: Elearning to take center Stage.
The government will purchase nearly 1.5 million laptops for
the elearning program, Cabinet Secretary Henry Rotich read out in the budget.
The Kenyatta administration had made the one laptop per child a critical cornerstone
of their campaign agenda, something that the President intends to begin rolling
out next year. However, concerns remain whether the move is a right one, given
that many teachers have
South Africa to return stolen Gaddaffi wealth to Libya.
South Africa
will return the stolen wealth of Muammar Gaddaffi back to Libya, state
officials said. Muammar Gaddafi, the deposed Libyan leader, operated many
overseas accounts, that it was difficult to separate family wealth from the
country’s wealth. The amount to be expatriated is a billion dollars,
Budget: Economy to grow by 7 percent.
The economy is expected to grow by about 7 percent in the
2013/14 financial year, far below the double digit growth that the Jubilee
government had promised. If you factor in inflation and the growth in
population, then such growth is merely for maintaining the same standards of
living, and not for lifting 'millions out of poverty' that had been envisioned
under a double digit growth.
Budget: Northern Kenya to gain from equalization fund.
Northern Kenya is among the
winners of this years’ budget. An equalization fund for the region has been extended, and new developments are expected to take place in the region. Even
though the region sits on vast natural resources, it remains the poorest part
of Kenya.
Oil was discovered in Turkana early last year, but full exploitation will only
be realized in the next three years or so. Similarly, a Chinese company will be setting up
a solar power plant in Garissa, one of the largest in Africa.
Budget: Public debt to sky rocket.
The government is expected to borrow up to 328 billion
shillings to plug the budget deficit in the 2013/2014 budget, Treasury cabinet secretary Henry Rotich
said in his budget estimates on Thursday. The government could adopt a raft
measures as it seeks to raise more money. It could tax us more, either through
the introduction of the VAT Bill that will see prices of basic goods like milk
and bread shoot up by as much as 16 percent
Thursday, 13 June 2013
Is China the new Imperialist in Africa?
It happened in Zambia
like it could happen elsewhere in Africa.
Chinese investors made deals with the government to mine its natural resources,
filling federal coffers with billions of dollars. Chinese immigrants moved into
cities and rural towns. They started construction companies; opened copper,
coal, and gem mines; and built hotels and restaurants, all providing new jobs.
They set up schools and hospitals. But then instances of corruption, labor
abuse, and criminal coverups began to set the relationship between the Chinese
and the Africans aflame.
The Chinese have managed to accomplish at least one impressive thing in Africa—they have made everyone else uncomfortable. The Americans are uneasy, worried about (and perhaps jealous of) China’s rapid and profitable investments throughout the continent, and the developmental assistance
The Chinese have managed to accomplish at least one impressive thing in Africa—they have made everyone else uncomfortable. The Americans are uneasy, worried about (and perhaps jealous of) China’s rapid and profitable investments throughout the continent, and the developmental assistance
Wednesday, 12 June 2013
Teachers, farmers and small businesses biggest losers in budget.
Teachers, small farmers, and small businesses are the
biggest losers in the 2013/14 budget that is to be unveiled tomorrow. This is
after the government slashed kshs.100 billion for social programmes. For
instance, 1.3 billion shillings that had been set aside for training of small
scale businessmen, as well as to facilitate start of small businesses has been
slashed from the budget.
Evans Kidero: Scrap metal dealers’ days are numbered.
Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero will soon ban the trade in
scrap metals, unless the businesses are properly registered. Whole parts of
guard rails in the newly built Thika road have been vandalized by scrap metal
dealers, who want a quick profit. Curiously, most of the scrap metal is
exported to China,
which has a large appetite for scrap metal to fuel its fledging manufacturing
economy.
Governors to meet over President Kenyatta’s ascent to bill.
Governors will meet shortly after President Kenyatta
assented to a bill reducing the counties allocation fund from258 billion
shillings to 210 billion shillings. The 48 billion shillings shortfall is being
seen by some as attempts to scuttle the devolution process, something that the
President has denied.
Senators, who represent the counties interest at the
national level, had sought 258 billion shillings, but
Sudan freezes oil imports from South Sudan.
Sudan
will freeze all oil imports from South Sudan
beginning this month. Sudan
alleges that South Sudan is supporting rebels in the north, something that South Sudan disputes. South Sudan o its part also alleges
that Khartoum
is sponsoring rebels in the South. Relations between the two Sudans’ have been frosty ever since South Sudan became the world’s newest nation in 2011.
Devolution: Counties short of 48 billion shillings.
Counties will have to make do with 48 billion shillings
less, after President Uhuru Kenyatta assented to a bill which puts the county
revenue allocation to 210 billion shillings, instead of the 258 billion
shillings requested by the county governments through the senate. President
Kenyatta termed the bill as ‘time barred’, and cited that not signing the bill
would have led to a ‘lengthy complication’ for the budget preparation process.
However, skeptics see the signing of the bill as an indication that the
Kenyatta administration is not intent on implementing full devolution.
Tuesday, 11 June 2013
Opinion: Are land Grabs good for Africa?
One of the stated purposes of the G8 conference, hosted by David Cameron
next week, is to save the people of Africa
from starvation. To discharge this grave responsibility, the global powers have
discovered, to their undoubted distress, that their corporations must extend
their control and ownership of large parts of Africa.
As a result, they will find themselves in astonished possession of Africa's land, seed and markets.
David Cameron's purpose at the G8, as he put it last month, is to advance "the good of people around the world". Who could doubt that the best means of doing this is to cajole African countries into a new set of agreements that allow foreign companies to grab their land, patent their seeds and monopolise their food markets?
The New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition, which bears only a passing relationship to the agreements arising from the Conference of Berlin, will, according to the US agency promoting it, "lift 50 million people out of poverty over the next 10 years through inclusive and sustained agricultural growth". This "inclusive and sustained agricultural growth" will no longer be in the hands of the people
David Cameron's purpose at the G8, as he put it last month, is to advance "the good of people around the world". Who could doubt that the best means of doing this is to cajole African countries into a new set of agreements that allow foreign companies to grab their land, patent their seeds and monopolise their food markets?
The New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition, which bears only a passing relationship to the agreements arising from the Conference of Berlin, will, according to the US agency promoting it, "lift 50 million people out of poverty over the next 10 years through inclusive and sustained agricultural growth". This "inclusive and sustained agricultural growth" will no longer be in the hands of the people
Seven Expected Highlights of the 2013/2014 budget.
The 2013/2014 budget is expected to be read on Thursday by
Treasury Secretary Henry Rotich. Some of the expected highlights will be:
1. Containing the
budget deficit.
Will the government balance its books? Will it have to
result to extra borrowing from the markets and donors? The Kenya revenue
Authority- KRA, has been falling short of its targets for some time now, and
will collect just under a trillion shillings for the fiscal year. However, the
budget expenditure is expected to be about 1.6 trillion shillings. Where will
the extra money come from?
2. County funds
allocation.
How much will the national government allocate to the
counties. The allocation amount will likely point to government’s commitment to
the realization of devolution. If the counties are not allocated enough money,
the failure at the grassroots level could be catastrophic.
3. Reviving the
agricultural sector.
Even though ICT is touted as a great enabler, farming and
agriculture still remains the major contributor to Kenya’s economy, and one likely to
contribute the most in lifting millions of Kenyans
Ruto to meet County bosses over funds allocation.
Deputy president William Ruto will meet county bosses over
the row on county funds allocation. County governors are demanding more
revenues from the national government, in order for effective devolution to
take place. The county bosses accuse the national government of attempts to
scuttle
CIC and SRC to discuss MPs Pay.
The constitution Implementation Commission- CIC, and the
Salaries Review Commission- SRC, will meet to discuss MPs pay. Kenyan Mps want their
salaries to be adjusted upwards to be the same as the MPs of the previous
August House. They argue that under the International Labor Organization-ILO
rules, a workers’ salary cannot be adjusted downwards. If their arguments are
Monday, 10 June 2013
Narc disowns Mutula's widow.
Narc has disowned Mutula Kilonzo's widow, Nduta Kilonzo, party official Kiema Kilonzo told Easy Fm in an interview.On Sunday, Nduta had announced that she would vie for the senate seat against her step daughter, Kethi Kilonzo, who is expected to vie on a Wiper ticket, a move that is likely to further divide the Kilonzo family.
