Tanzania, Somalia zakubaliana haya sekta ya afya
2024-04-28
Tanzania na Somalia zimekubaliana mambo makuu matatu ya ushirikiano katika sekta ya afya ikiwemo matibabu ya kibingwa na ubingwa bobezi.Continue Reading
Floods leave trail of death and destruction as experts warn of looming food shortage
2024-04-27
The past two weeks have been disastrous in East Africa as heavy rains caused floods leading to the loss of hundreds of lives, displacement of thousands and damage to property. A spot check by The EastAfrican shows that Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Burundi have been worst hit by the storms, with highways and railways temporarily closed.
Experts warn that Tanzania, one of the sources of food to the region, will realise reduced yields by up to 30 percent due to the impact of the floods.
Government Spokesperson Mobhare Matinyi said 8,532 houses have been damaged in Morogoro and Coast regions and 76,698 hectares of farms destroyed.
The country’s Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa told Parliament flooding had left at least 236 injured, while more than 10,000 houses had been damaged and upwards of 200,000 people affected.
“The heavy El Nino rains, accompanied by strong winds and flooding and landslides in various parts of the country have caused adverse effects,” Mr Majaliwa said.
The rains cut off movement between Kenya and Tanzania on the Nairobi-Namanga highway for the better part of Wednesday, after the Athi River burst its banks flooding a large part of residential and industrial areas in Kajiado and Machakos counties.
Red Cross and other volunteers rescued 96 people marooned in Athi River.
Read: Heavy rains pound Kenya as people count property losses
The matter is a subject of discussion in the Council of Ministers meetings going on in Tanzania.
“Flooding caused by the Athi River led to the temporary closure of the Namanga road and we, as East African Community ministers, are going to meet to discuss how to deal with floods,” said Peninah Malonza, Kenya’s EAC Cabinet Secretary, who is in Arusha to discuss the EAC budget for the financial year 2024/25.
“We are going to Arusha and later Dar es Salaam and we hope to have a meeting over the matter.”
Residents of Supa Care Apartment block located in Ruaka Area which was flooded salvage what they could on April 23, 2024. PHOTO | FRANCIS NDERITU | NMG
The Kenya Meteorological Department issued a heavy rainfall advisory.
In Uganda, flash floods made movement on the Northern Corridor difficult.
Earlier this week, the Masaka-Mbarara highway – which is also Uganda’s main trade route to Rwanda and the DR Congo – was cut off by floods, paralysing traffic and trade.
A section of Kampala-Masaka highway between Busega and Kyengera, a few kilometres outside the city caved in on Sunday, according to the Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) spokesperson, Allan Ssempebwa.
“We are experiencing a failure at the section of the highway, the drainage systems have collapsed… What we are doing right now is mobilizing materials and other necessary equipment to intervene as quickly as possible,” Mr Ssempebwa said.
The Masaka-Mbarara highway is an economic lifeline for Uganda because it is the main trade route connecting Uganda to Rwanda and the DR Congo.
The highway is one of the busiest in the country, with an estimated average daily traffic of more than 30,000 vehicles.
The southwestern part of Uganda is also the source of much of the food consumed in Kampala. Many traders were stranded on the road and made huge losses because their foodstuffs, especially bananas, were spoilt before reaching the market. Vehicles snaked through the rugged, potholed and narrow marram roads to reach or get out of Kampala.
“During this rainy season we know that anything can happen so we have put together an emergency response team that’s now always on standby to respond to flooding across the country,” Mr Ssempebwa said.
The Uganda National Meteorological Authority had announced that the country would receive above-normal rainfall in April.
This week, the Kyambogo-Banda road was also cut off while in the Industrial Area traders were left counting losses as they kept their shops closed due to flooding.
A flooded section of Membley Estate in Ruiru on April 24, 2024. PHOTO | FRANCIS NDERITU | NMG
The National Meteorological Authority said on Friday that the country would continue to experience more rain and that the northern part of the country was at risk of floods.
“The country is experiencing isolated thundershowers. These conditions will continue with a few regions like West Nile, Midwestern, central North, Kyoga, and Kigezi getting sunny intervals. Eyes on the North which may get floods in lowlands,” the Authority said on X.
In Tanzania, by Wednesday this week, the government had announced the deaths of 63 people. The Coastal areas are particularly at risk, with the potential of flooding and disruptions to key economic activities such as fishing and maritime transport. The agency’s acting director-general Ladislaus Chang’a cited Dar es Salaam, Tanga, Morogoro, Mtwara and Lindi, including Mafia Island, as well as Pemba and Zanzibar as high-risk regions. Others are Mwanza, Masra, Simiyu, Kagera, Kigoma and Shinyanga.
Around the Rufiji River Basin, thousands of people residing in valleys and close to big rivers have been forcibly moved. The rains have caused landslides in Arusha and Manyara, where houses and road have been damaged.
In Dar es Salaam city, roads such as Morogoro Road near Jangwani and Mkwajuni in Kinondono suburb were temporarily closed.
Eight camps have been established in the Coast region to accommodate 1,529 flood survivors and one in Morogoro.
The government has provided 40,000 tonnes of foodstuffs such as maize and rice and medicines and medical equipment worth $83,588 were donated to the people in the camps.
Read: From killer droughts to devastating floods
In Burundi, Lake Tanganyika’s rising waters invaded the port of Bujumbura, disrupting business and making movement difficult for people and goods. Intense rainfall has affected various regions in Kenya, especially the Coast, Nairobi, Central, Western Highlands, Rift Valley, Lake Victoria Basin, Southeastern lowlands and the Northeastern region.
The rising waters of Lake Tanganyika have caused the Kanyosha River to overflow, damaging homes and other property in Bujumbura. Burundi’s Interior Minister Martin Niteretse called for support in managing the crisis.
“We ask our development partners to combine efforts with the state of Burundi to help all people affected by these disasters,” Mr Niteretse said.
In neighbouring Rwanda, 4,800 families, from 326 identified disaster high-risk zones have been moved to safety, as the country braced for floods.
Although no large-scale flooding has been reported so far, the authorities are not taking chances, especially as memories of the more than 130 lives lost a year ago still linger.
Motorists drive through a flooded section of the Thika Superhighway at the Kahawa Sukari Exit on April 24, 2024. PHOTO | FRANCIS NDERITU | NMG
“We informed the people in disaster hot-spot areas beforehand, more than 4,800 families have been moved from these areas from 326 identified disaster high-risk zones,” said Adalbert Rukebanuka, director-general of risk reduction, planning, and mainstreaming at the Ministry of Emergency Management.
“At the moment we haven’t yet got many cases of disaster-induced deaths or destruction, we are getting few reports in different parts of the country, but we believe the worst is yet to come,” said the official.
Tanzania: Mbumba Leaves for Tanzania
2024-04-26
President Nangolo Mbumba yesterday morning travelled to attend the 60th anniversary celebration of the Union Day of the Republic of Tanzania.
The event marks the historic merger of Tanganyika and Zanzibar into the United Republic of Tanzania on 26 April 1964.
In his message of felicitation availed to Nampa yesterday, Mbumba said Namibia and Tanzania share historic ties, dating to the liberation struggle of Namibia when the Swapo movement decided to pursue the fight for freedom and resistance against apartheid colonialism, Tanzania was one of the first and foremost countries that opened its doors to Namibian freedom fighters.
He indicated that Tanzania further facilitated training for soldiers who were to participate in the armed liberation struggle.
“Tanzania was not only the hotbed of political organisation for Swapo by hosting the Consultative Congress in 1969 at Tanga, it was equally a key transit point for Namibians en route to different destinations in pursuit of education,” he noted.
The Head of State said Tanzania provided its best talents to train Namibians at the United Nations Institute for Namibia (UNIN) in
Lusaka, Zambia, adding that Tanzania agitated at the United Nations in support of Namibia’s cause for freedom.
“The support rendered by the people and the government of Tanzania to Namibians is immeasurable, and played a pivotal role in our
path towards independence. Namibians owe Tanzanians a huge debt of gratitude for the support and friendship during the liberation struggle,” said Mbumba.
He indicated the Diamond Jubilee of independence of Tanzania is a reminder of the remarkable victories that can be achieved through
unity, determination and solidarity, noting that in the common fight during the second phase of the struggle, that of economic emancipation, there should be continuous efforts to strengthen the bonds of friendship and cooperation between Namibia and Tanzania. “Let us collectively strive for the prosperity and well-being of our people, and harness the potential of our bilateral partnership to address the myriad of challenges facing our continent, including poverty, inequality and climate change,” he said.
The President will return on Saturday.
– Nampa
Source: allafrica.com
Deadly Rains and Floods Sweep Cities Across East Africa
2024-04-26
Downpours have killed at least 200 people and submerged homes and farms in Tanzania, Kenya and Burundi.
At least 200 people were killed and dozens more were injured across East Africa in recent days, officials and aid groups said, as torrential rains, floods and landslides pummeled towns and cities in a region already grappling with the devastating effects of the climate change crisis and dilapidated infrastructure in poor areas.
The extreme rains unleashed a wave of destruction across Tanzania, Kenya and Burundi, flooding homes, demolishing businesses and leaving many people stranded on rooftops.
The downpours exposed yet again the bad roads and poor drainage systems in some of the region’s biggest cities, which residents have persistently complained about. They also revealed how poor people, who live in sprawling shantytowns without access to proper roads, water or power, bear the biggest brunt of destructive floods.
On Thursday, activists and opposition figures across the region called on governments to do more than respond to the extensive destruction wrought by floods, by improving infrastructure to lessen or prevent such flooding in the first place.
Raila Odinga, a longtime opposition figure in Kenya, said authorities should learn from the ongoing devastation and take long-term measures to save lives.
“Preparedness is key to forestalling a crisis of larger proportions,” Mr. Odinga said in a news conference. “We can do better than crying for help when the rains come and crying for help again when the rains fail.”
Source: nytimes.com
AUC Chief Moussa Faki alarms over escalating terror threats in Africa
2024-04-23
African Union (AU) Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat has expressed serious concern about the escalating challenges of terrorism and violent extremism affecting the African continent.
“Terrorism and violent extremism are the biggest evils of our time — spreading to all the five regions of Africa,” the AU Commission chief told a high-level meeting on counter-terrorism in the Nigerian capital of Abuja on Monday, according to an AU statement.
Faki referred to the scourge of terrorism in Africa as “a form of metastasis”, as he highlighted the concerning situations in the Horn of Africa, the Great Lakes Region, the Sahel, and parts of Northern Africa.
Read: Africa must not become ‘geostrategic battleground’, AU warns
Data from the African Center for the Study and Research on Terrorism at the AU indicated a substantial increase in both the frequency and lethal nature of terrorist attacks in 2023.
According to the center, an average of eight terrorism incidents and 44 fatalities occurred daily in Africa during the course of 2023, compared to a lower average of four attacks and 18 victims per day between 2017 and 2021.
Faki said the stark situation “underscores our collective and urgent need to re-evaluate our counter-terrorism strategies to effectively address our vulnerabilities and shortcomings in the face of this growing phenomenon.”
He further stressed that AU members must translate their anti-terrorism commitments into actions so as to fully realize the continental vision articulated at the Malabo Summit on terrorism back in 2022.
Faki called on African countries to introduce innovative approaches and concerted efforts in the fight against terrorism.
Read: EA security chiefs plan to end arms trade with technology
“However, we cannot understand that elsewhere in the world, coalitions to fight against terrorism were established and that similar efforts are not made in, at least, one of the five regions in Africa, where the destructive phenomenon is ravaging human lives, infrastructures and institutions,” he said.
Shule iliyosababisha mkandarasi kutimuliwa Zanzibar yafunguliwa
2024-04-23
Hata hivyo, alipotembelea ujenzi wa shule hiyo Julai 17, 2022, Rais wa Zanzibar, Dk Hussein Mwinyi alikasirishwa kutokana na kusuasua kwa ujenzi uliokuwa ukitekelezwa na kampuni ya Associated Investiments Ltd ya Dar Salaam.Continue Reading
Meli iliyozama bandarini Dar TPA yaambulia fidia Sh100 milioni
2024-04-21
Mamlaka ya Bandari Tanzania (TPA) imekwama kupata fidia iliyoomba na kuambulia kiduchu kwenye kesi ya meli iliyozama bandarini Dar es Salaam mwaka 1999.Continue Reading
Wataalamu wa maabara wapaza sauti Zanzibar
2024-04-21
Utaratibu ulioanzishwa na Serikali wa kuendesha huduma za maabara za afya kwa utaratibu wa ubia kupitia kampuni na mashirika binafsi kwenye hospitali, umeendelea kuibua wasiwasi kwa wataalamu na wameshauri uangaliwe upya.Continue Reading
Real estate investors turn to Africa on Mideast conflicts
2024-04-21
A few years ago, many institutional investors regarded destinations in the Middle East such as Dubai as some of the best places to acquire real estate assets.
However, due to the recent conflicts involving countries such as Israel, Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen and Jordan, investors are reporting how expensive it is to acquire property in the once lucrative stations.
As a result, international investors have begun to look towards markets they once overlooked such as Africa, that have demonstrated more stability and potential for growth over the long term.
“There isn’t a lot going on in the developed markets of the world given the turmoil both in terms of macroeconomic and political instability, so investors are seeing Africa as an interesting return opportunity for them,” says Mark Dunford, CEO of Knight Frank Kenya.
The lack of scalable projects has been a challenge that has previously kept these investors from tapping into the African market, but this is changing.
More aware of the investment risks on the continent, institutional investors are now partnering with local real estate developers to boost their capacity to put up large-scale, higher-grade projects that are likely to generate more revenue than today.
“We are witnessing this in rapidly growing regions such as Nairobi, where investors are driving the development of major projects in special economic zones such as Tatu City that are attracting foreign companies as tenants,” says Dunford.
Unlike individual investors who may purchase real estate just to keep their money safe, Dunford says these institutions are investing in real estate for profit.
These institutions will, therefore, generally tend to take into account the quality of the real estate assets before investing in them, as this will give them an indication of how the assets could perform.
“International money will not come in here and buy go-downs that are sublet to tenants who have short lease lengths, and who are paying their rent in shillings, considering what has been happening with the volatility of the currency,” poses Dunford.
If the warehouse, however, is of a quality that will attract global tenants who can pay their rent in international currencies such as the US dollar, then that is something that institutional investors would be willing to put their money in.
Dunford adds that institutional investors are often drawn to properties that can accommodate very large enterprises.
That is because these organisations are the ones that can afford to lease property for an extended period, which makes them the ideal clients for investors, who tend to have a long-term view.
“When you engage some of these investors, what they will tell you is that we don’t want to go and own one supermarket in Nairobi, we want to own a supermarket chain with 50 branches across Africa, that is a sizable portfolio,” states Dunford.
Alex Njage, head of commercial property at Bowmans Kenya, says the positive thing about having more institutional investors coming into Africa is local developers are having to put up buildings of international standards for them to remain competitive.
“If an investor can find the same quality of buildings in Nairobi as they would in Dubai at a lower price, then they have no reason to go to Dubai. We are seeing more grade A offices come up in Nairobi, as well as world-class hotels, among other high-quality assets,” posed Mr Njage.
Developers are also incorporating sustainability in their projects to remain attractive to investors who tend to assess whether a building has factored in the health and well-being of its occupants, as well as whether it has factored in measures to reduce the impacts of climate change.
ESG considerations
“There is a growing pool of climate finance and accessing this finance requires that developers have a very clear outline of ESG considerations in their projects,” notes Mr Njage.
The use of modern building concepts such as biophilic design and nudge architecture has thus become common.
These designs connect buildings and their occupants to the nature around them, thus ensuring that the biodiversity is maintained and if it is lost, then it is restored.
Power efficiency, waste and water management are elements that have also become critical, and therefore some developers are leveraging the use of smart building technology to incorporate features such as automated lighting to reduce energy consumption.
“Big brands coming to look for space expect to have green-certified spaces because they know the benefits that come with such spaces. They are even willing to pay higher rent,” notes Mr Njage.
Modern projects that incorporate sustainability are not only attracting international firms as tenants but also some local companies such as those that are eyeing the export markets.
“Before a buyer in Europe decides to purchase goods from a supplier in Kenya, they would want to be sure that the goods are being processed in a clean space. So, tenants are moving to better spaces to satisfy their clients.”
The downside of this is that the older buildings are starting to perform poorly, with local owners having to contend with lower rents.
Co-op wealth management assets hit Sh218bn
2024-04-21
Co-operative Bank of Kenya’s wealth management subsidiary grew its assets under management by 11.15 percent to a new record of Sh218.38 billion in the year ended December, a move that resulted in a substantial increase in fee income.
The subsidiary, Co-op Trust Investment Services Limited, had managed assets of Sh196.47 billion in the prior year.
Part of the assets represent the wealth of Co-op Bank’s employees, with the Nairobi Securities Exchange-listed firm contributing hundreds of millions of shillings each year in its defined contribution staff retirement plan.
“The group, through Co-op Trust Investment Services Limited manages securities with a value of Sh218.38 billion (2022: Sh196.47 billion) on behalf of customers,” the bank’s major shareholder, Co-op Holdings Co-operative Society Limited, says in its latest annual report covering the performance of the lender and its subsidiaries.
“The total income for the period from fund management was Sh392.05 million (2022: Sh343.08 million), with total expenses amounting to Sh209.06 million (Sh2022: Sh182.51 million).”
The growth of the assets represents the increase in returns as well as new capital inflows, including pension contributions received from Co-op Bank for its employees.
These pension contributions rose to Sh970.7 million last year from Sh910.6 million in 2022, according to the Co-op Holdings report.
“Under the terms of their appointment, Co-op Trust Investment Services Limited, a subsidiary of the bank, is responsible for the investment of funds,” Co-op Bank said of the pension fund management in its 2022 annual report.
Wealth management has high profit margins compared to other financial services though it still contributes a relatively smaller portion of profits for banks in this space.
Standard Chartered Bank Kenya is the other institution that has been offering wealth management services for decades, earning fees and contributing to the growth of non-interest income.
StanChart reported that the assets of its wealth management division rose 25 percent to Sh185.5 billion in the year ended December, overtaking retail deposits.
Other banks that have recently entered the wealth management business include I&M Group.
Fund managers with large and growing assets are best placed to grow their profits as they benefit from economies of scale characterised by fees growing faster than fixed expenses.
Most asset managers take their fees in the form of a percentage of assets, benefiting from the expansion of the business.
Co-op Trust more than quadrupled its assets from Sh52.5 billion in 2014, representing a compounded annual growth rate of 15.34 percent over the 10 years.
The annual income earned from managing the assets has more than doubled from Sh140.6 million in 2014, amounting to a compounded growth rate of 10.79 percent over the same period.
Besides generating fees, banks see their wealth management units as part of their strategy to offer comprehensive financial services to customers in need of several solutions including loans, insurance and retirement planning.
“Diversification into other financial services such as advisory, bancassurance, cross-border payments solutions, wealth management solutions, fintech partnerships among others gained momentum as banks broadened their value propositions,” Co-op Bank said in the 2022 report.
“Thus, bank solidification of value for existing clients while offering excellent customer experience will be a key pillar to retain and attract new customers.”
