from MARIA MACHARIA in Nairobi, Kenya
Kenya Bureau
NAIROBI, (CAJ News) – THE killing of at least six people during renewed protests in Kenya indicates no end in sight to the standoff between infuriated citizens and the besieged government.
Trigger-happy state security personnel are again accused of resorting to live ammunition to quell protests which, while initially in demonstration against the Finance Bill, have now morphed into demands for President William Ruto to step down.
The president has made some concessions, including the rejection of the divisive bill last week, and firing his entire cabinet.
The police chief has also resigned.
This has done nothing to appease the agitated movement of youngsters called Gen Z, the youth movement enraged by the economic hardships, particularly the issue of alleged over taxation compounded by the Finance Bill.
Protests on Tuesday were predictably the fiercest since Ruto’s government capitulated to pressure from youth and he refused to sign the Finance Bill into law.
There was bloodshed in the streets again during the Gen Z’s so-called “Tuesday is Tuesday” protests as police and demonstrators again engaged in running battles in the major towns, including the capital Nairobi and Nakuru, with a journalist among those shot in the latter.
In Nakuru, journalist Catherine Wanjeri Kariuki lay on the ground writhing in agony after she was shot at with rubber bullets. The shots seemed to have been fired from inside a moving police car, directly into a group of journalists clad in attire to identify them as members of the press.
Kariuki’s employer said she was shot three times to the thigh and was in a stable condition in hospital.
On the eve of the protests, the crisis in the politically-fragile and economically-troubled country took a new twist after Ruto appeared to accuse the prominent United States-headquartered non-governmental organisation – Ford Foundation of sponsoring the protests against his government.
“Those sponsoring them to cause violence and mayhem must be ashamed of themselves,” the under-pressure president said.
“We ask the Ford Foundation to explain to Kenyans its role in the recent protests. We will call out all those who are bent on rolling back our hard-won democracy,” Ruto said.
The Ford Foundation has responded to the accusations.
“We did not fund or sponsor the recent protests against the finance bill and have a strictly non-partisan policy for all of our grantmaking,” it stated.
Initially, the government had said criminals had hijacked the protests by the youthful Gen Z to engage in an orgy of looting and vandalism.
The Ministry of the Interior and Kenya Police Service retained that version on Tuesday prior to the deadly clashes between protesters and law enforcement.
In a message, perhaps ill-timed, Ruto inflamed tensions by condemning “on behalf of the people and government of Kenya” the recent attempted assassination of former United States president, Donald Trump.
Critics found this distasteful considering the deaths and abduction of Kenyans at the hands of law enforcers in recent weeks, when law enforcers have allegedly killed around 50 people.
“I extend my deepest sympathies to Kenyans who have to wake up every day knowing at the helm of the nation’s top leadership sits incompetence, corruption and tyranny,” Lenny Papito responded.
It would be farfetched to envisage Ruto resigning but his reputation has spectacularly collapsed since he came to power in 2022 after an election marred by vote rigging claims and led to anti-government protests.
Things could worsen on Thursday, now for the past six weeks that alongside Tuesday, Gen Z has reserved for protests to pile the pressure on Ruto to quit.
– CAJ News
China expands health, digital services for African children
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TAZ
from ADANE BIKILA in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
CAJ News Agency
Ethiopia Bureau
17/07/2024
ADDIS ABABA, (CAJ News) – CHINA and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) have expanded their cooperation on health services and digital education for children worldwide.
UNICEF and the Chinese Ministry of Education have signed a memorandum of understanding for China to become a Champion Country in the Gateways to Public Digital Learning Initiative.
Gateways is a global initiative, collaboratively managed by UNICEF and UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) to work with governments and partners on establishing digital education as a public good through high quality, inclusive national digital learning platforms and content.
As a Champion Country of Gateways, China will provide technical and financial support to the initiative.
“China’s advancements in digital education and its technical expertise position it well to harness the power of technology and address global learning challenges,” said UNICEF Deputy Executive Director, Ted Chaiban.
Chaiban has signed a memorandum of understanding on behalf of UNICEF with the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Under the agreement, both parties will leverage their resources to strengthen the primary health care system in Africa.
Further, under the agreement, UNICEF, China CDC and Africa CDC will collaborate to improve the surveillance, prevention and control of infectious diseases in African countries, as well the evaluation and validation of public health products and services.
“This agreement is an exciting opportunity to bring improved health services to more children in African countries, through the power of collaboration,” Chaiban said.
– CAJ News