Rwanda at centre of bad, broken and repaired relations

From L-R: Rwanda's President Paul Kagame, Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi, Denise Tshisekedi (DR Congo's First Lady) and Angolan President João Lourenço during a funeral mass for veteran opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi in Kinshasa on May 31,2019. PHOTO | URUGWIRO 

In Summary

• This year Rwanda’s diplomatic and security challenges with Uganda escalated to an unprecedented level.
• For the first time, the country came out clearly and strongly accused Uganda of supporting rebels seeking regime change in Kigali.
• Further, Rwanda accused Uganda of sabotaging shared infrastructure projects, trade and of torturing Rwandan citizens who travel to Uganda.

Zambia to raise electricity tariffs

Zesco Limited will be allowed to increase tariffs for household and commercial consumers by about 200 percent and 49 percent respectively. FILE PHOTO | NMG 

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By XINHUA
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Zambia's Energy Regulation Board has approved the state power utility's plan to raise electricity

Oranto and Armour get licences back in Uganda

An oil rig at Jobi 4field inside Murchison Fall National Park in Uganda. In 2017, the ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources issued exploration licenses and production sharing agreements (PSA) to Oranto Petroleum and Armour Energy Litd at the same time. PHOTO FILE | NATION  

In Summary

• The move allows the companies to progress with well drilling that will confirm the viability of the oil and gas deposits.
• Armour is doing exploration at Kanywataba block (344 square km).
• Oranto is exploring at Ngassa contract area covering 410 square km.

Merger wave hits Kenya’s banking industry

Kenya's CBA and NIC banks have merged to form NCBA. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP 

In Summary

• Nigeria’s largest retail lender, Access Bank Plc, acquired Kenya’s Transnational Bank associated with retired President Daniel arap Moi.
• Kenya’s largest bank by assets — KCB Group — this year acquired capital-starved National Bank of Kenya (NBK).
• Commercial Bank of Africa and NIC Bank are concluding a merger, expected to create the country’s third-largest bank by assets.

Japan to send military vessel, planes to Middle East

Japan's Defence Minister Taro Kono speaks during a press conference at the defence ministry in Tokyo on December 27, 2019. PHOTO | JIJI PRESS | AFP 

In Summary

• The move is "Japan's own measure aimed at peace and stability in the Middle East as well as ensuring safety of Japan-related vessels," Suga said, noting that 90 percent of crude oil Tokyo imports were from the region.
• Middle East tensions have soared since early this year, when Iran was accused of attaching mines to several tankers off Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, and then attacking or seizing others near the crucial Strait of Hormuz.
• The United States formed a naval coalition to protect vessels in the region, which is critical to global oil supplies.

Rwanda's grand vision for future leaves poor on the curb

A man with a crutch overlooks a slum on the outskirts of Kigali on October 17, 2019. PHOTO | AFP 

In Summary

• City authorities say the homes were built illegally on wetlands, or areas deemed at risk from landslides and flooding.
• Kigali has been the focus of a multi-billion-dollar infrastructure blitz in recent years, with futuristic convention centres, five-star hotels and modern flats altering the skyline.
• The city has earned a reputation among African capitals for its unusually ordered and clean streets, but the heavy-handed approach of local authorities has caused alarm.

Somali parliament approves a new election law

The Lower House of Somalia’s Parliament in a session in Mogadishu. PHOTO | COURTESY 

In Summary

• Somalia last held one-person, one-vote elections in March 1969 when the government was overthrown in a bloodless military coup, according to the UN.

Five wounded in stabbing at US rabbi's house

A man brandishing a machete went into the rabbi's property in Monsey, New York State, during a Hanukkah celebration. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP 

In Summary

• A suspect has been taken into custody and a vehicle safeguarded, a spokesman for the NYPD told AFP

Philippines Christmas typhoon death toll climbs to 41

In this file photo taken on December 25, 2019, residents walk past a house damaged during Typhoon Phanfone in Tacloban, Leyte province in the central Philippines. PHOTO | BOBBIE ALOTA | AFP 

In Summary

• Typhoon Phanfone left the Philippines on Saturday after devastating several islands in the central Visayas, including popular tourist destinations.
• The latest agency report showed over 1.6 million people were affected by the typhoon, which damaged over 260,000 houses and forced almost a hundred thousand people to flee to emergency shelters.
• Typhoon Phanfone, locally called Ursula, is the 21st cyclone to hit the storm-prone Philippines, which is the first major landmass facing the Pacific typhoon belt.

Libya parliament speaker urges rejection of UN-recognised govt

Libya's Parliament speaker Aguila Saleh Issa chairs the first session for the assembly at its new headquarters in the second city of Benghazi on April 13, 2019. PHOTO | ABDULLAH DOMA | AFP 

In Summary

• Libya has been beset by chaos since a NATO-backed uprising toppled and killed dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, with rival administrations in the east and the west vying for power.
• Libya's parliament has itself been weakened by the departure of several dozen anti-Haftar lawmakers for Tripoli.
• Turkey in November signed a deal with the GNA in Tripoli in which the two parties lay claim to much of the Mediterranean, conflicting with rival claims by Greece and Cyprus.

Zimbabwe journalists suffer as regime tightens grip

Zimbabwe's President Emmerson Mnangagwa. Rights groups have accused him of persistently violating human rights since he took office in 2018. PHOTO | FABRICE COFFRINI | AFP 

In Summary

• Rights groups have accused Zimbabwe's President Emmerson Mnangagwa of persistently violating human rights since he took office in 2018.
• In August last year six people died after the army used force against civilians protesting a delay in the announcement of election results.
• In January, the army attacked protesters marching against a hefty fuel price hike, leaving 17 dead.

Africa steps into 2020 with eyes on open borders, deeper trade and integration

Cyanika border post. AU member countries will in the next seven months be expected to open their borders for trade in ways never seen before, allowing free movement of people and goods and putting to test the continent’s air, railway and road infrastructure. PHOTO | MORGAN MBABAZI | NMG 

In Summary

• The free trade zone comes into effect in July, allowing the continent’s 1.2 billion people to sell and buy goods with minimal tariff and non-tariff barriers.
• AfCFTA has the potential to foster the development of robust regional value chains, triggering exponential economic growth.
• Africa’s population is expected to hit 2.5 billion by 2050, offering a huge, ready market for its goods and services.

Disputes push countries into bilateral deals to ensure seamless flow of trade

Kenya and Uganda have has a trade dispute over milk imports. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP 

In Summary

• Kenya and Uganda last week reached a deal on taxation of pharmaceuticals, juices, and milk products, which had threatened to push the two neighbouring countries into a collision course.

Deficit between imports, exports grows by 45.1%

Imports. Uganda has seen a spike in imports in the 12 months to October thus leading to an increase in the current account deficit as the country continues to spend more foreign exchange than it earns. FILE PHOTO  

In Summary

Servicing imports. The widening of the current account deficit implies there were more outflow of

Ngamba Island: Winding away the wild with chimpanzees

Meal hours are perhaps some of the most awaited and exciting activities at Ngamba Island.  

By Eronie Kamukama

The captain cast off, heading out into the noon.
The boat glides over the waves as Godfrey Okwayimungu severs a path through the blue waters of

Uganda suffers Shs3 trillion trade decline

Finance Minister Matia Kasaija FILE PHOTO 

In Summary

• Losses. On February 28, Rwanda closed its borders with Uganda at Gatuna and Cyanika in Kabale and Kisoro districts, respectively.
• Hundreds of cargo trucks destined for Rwanda got stranded at the border points.
• In 2016, more 40 districts were added to the original 15 and by June this year, there were 61 districts captured in the program.

Fresh cattle raids threaten Uganda, Kenya peace pact

Renewed cross-border cattle theft is a setback to recent efforts by Uganda and Kenya to take the development of pastoralist communities beyond the two countries. NATION MEDIA GROUP PHOTO 

By JULIUS BARIGABA

Fresh cross-border cattle raids in Karamoja are threatening to tear apart a memorandum of

Assessment: Time telcos competition got checked

Telcos agents wait for subscribers seeking to use mobile money services or other telecommunication related services. The new assessment has proposed for establishment of rules to control unfair competition. PHOTO | FILE 

In Summary

The assessment was conducted in accordance with the criteria provided under section 14 (a)-(f) of the Electronic and Postal Communications (Competition) Regulations, 2018

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By The Citizen Reporter @TheCitizenTZ news@tz.nationmedia.com

2019: Notable year for human rights record in Tanzania

Dar police boss Lazaro Mambosasa (left) was put on the spotlight over the arrest of activist Tito Magoti. (right) Tito Magoti, a rights activist whose forceful arrest sparked huge criticism from right activists. 

In Summary

Should the country’s human rights defenders have any New Year resolutions of ensuring some notable rights violations are brought to an end, they must brace to encounter setbacks and frustrations from what is happening on the ground.

By Khalifa Said @ThatBoyKhalifax ksaid@tz.nationmedia.com

Rhino believed to be 'world's oldest' dies aged 57 in Tanzania

Dar es Salaam. A black rhino believed to be the oldest in the world has died in Tanzania at the

SPECIAL REPORT: Shock as more boys quit schools, pregnancy-related dropout surge

 

By Halili Letea @hletea hletea@tz.nationmedia.com

Rhino Fausta dies: Scientists gather to investigate cause(s) of her death

 

In Summary

The Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority says one of the causes of Fausta’s death was old age; at 57 years of age, she is considered to be the oldest rhino in the world.

By Mussa Juma @TheCitizenTZ news@tz.nationmedia.com

Ngorongoro. A team of scientists and veterinary experts from different research institutions have arrived here to investigate the cause(s) of the death of what is believed to be the world’s oldest

Tanzania: Eyakuze - How Time Flies! It Is a Brave New World, Again

Who knew that 2019 would turn out to be much more harrowing than anticipated all over the world? FILE PHOTO | NMG 

opinion By Elsie Eyakuze

How did 2019 simultaneously manage to be the longest year in living history, and the shortest? Is it

Bank of Kigali provides health insurance to 1,400 needy people

L-R: Bonaventure Ntabwoba, the Head of Branch Business at Bank of Kigali, Rwamurangwa Stephen, Gasabo Mayor, Nadine Umutoni, Vice Mayor of City of Kigali and Edda Mukabagwiza, the Deputy Speaker of Chamber of Deputies during Umuganda yesterday. Craish Bahizi

ByBank of Kigali has provided Rwf4.4 million to 1,470 needy people in Gasabo district so as to

Year in review: The 10 stories that made headlines in 2019

Kigali Arena that has been built next to Amahoro National Stadium in Remera. The indoor stadium, which has a sitting capacity of about 10,000 people is among Africa’s top 10 indoor sports venues and the biggest in East Africa. It was one of the major highlights of the year 2019. Photo: Emmanuel Kwizera

By

Julius Bizimungu

The year 2019 presented multiple challenges but also recorded big wins for Rwanda.
Despite having to deal with heavy rains and terror attacks, Rwanda’s economy continued to expand with a couple of quarters registering double-digit growth.
Here are the top 10 stories that dominated the news in 2019:
New airport in the horizon
Rwanda signed a mega deal worth USD 1.3 billion with Qatar for the new international airport located in the Eastern Province. The airport, whose first phase scheduled for completion in 2022, will have a capacity of 7 million passengers.

An artistic impression of Bugesera International Airport. The first phase of the airport is expected to be complete by 2022. / Photo: Courtesy
Subsequent phases will see the passenger capacity increase.
As part of the deal, Qatar will own a 60 per cent stake in the airport.
New dawn for Rwanda-DRC ties
The Democratic Republic of Congo President Félix Tshisekedi visited Rwanda in March highlighting

PATA VICHWA VYA HABARI KUTOKA MAGAZETI YA LEO JUMATATU DISEMBA 30, 2019