Mwinyi to Focus on Manifesto Promises
They had come from as far as Mwanakwerekwe, Bweju, Paje, Nungwi, and many other places to welcome him home.
But as the beauty of fireworks lit the night skies in Kikwajuni, shortly before Diamond Platnumz got the crowd dancing, one thing was on President Mwinyi’s mind: he has to deliver on the election manifesto.
Speaking at the Kisiwandui party headquarters, Dr Mwinyi told party faithfuls that it was time to go back to work and deliver to the electorate what they promised in 2020.
“I am indebted to you for all that you have done in electing me as the new party vice chairperson, and the only way I can repay you is through service delivery,” he told hundreds who had gained access to the Kisiwandui headquarters.
There were four issues that he says his administration will dwell on in the next two years before the General Election in 2025.
These include peace and security, breaking the factions within the party’s hierarchy, building a united party, and implementing the CCM manifesto.
According to President Mwinyi, there are signs of deteriorating peace in the isles though he did not exactly mention what exactly prompted him to say so. Analysts have cited the different meetings that point towards a fractious relationship in the government of National Unity.
“Peace and security in our country are critical elements; though people say I keep repeating this, there is no alternative to peace because without it there is no economy. I call upon you to continue preaching peace,” said President Mwinyi.
As they headed for the elections right from the primaries, in his own words, CCM was a divided party with different factions that rooted for different candidates, something that he said there’s no room for now because the elections are over.
“The party’s leadership is now complete, and we can only expect elections in 2027. All we have to do is break the factions and join hands with the elected leaders. The team that we have elected is the winning team,” he said.
He added: “In Dodoma, I was not elected by 100 percent of the vote; some three people said no, but I now extend my hand to them and say let’s work together.”
He also decried the current state of the party’s infrastructure, saying it does not suit its status given the number of members and number of years it has been in existence.
“We need to rebuild the party’s infrastructure: we need to build modern offices that fit the profile of a party like CCM, we need to train party officials on how to deal with modernity, and we need to digitize our operations to keep up with the times,” Dr Mwinyi said.
He added: “To run this party, we must look for alternative revenue streams that can support our operations as opposed to what the situation is today.”
But key to it all, according to Mwinyi, is that they have to deliver on CCM’s election manifesto, which they campaigned on in 2020.
“Our contract with the citizens is the manifesto because that is what we sold them two years ago. Though there are certain areas where we have surpassed the targets, like in education; there are certain key areas that we have to focus on in the next two years,” he said.
According to Mwinyi, infrastructure projects such as the roads, the construction of Terminal 4 at the airport, the Mangapwani port, and the delivery of services such as electricity, medical care, and water have to be achieved in the next couple of years.
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Britam half-year net profit hits Sh2bn on higher investment income
Insurer and financial services provider Britam posted a 22.5 percent jump in net earnings for the half-year ended June 2024, to Sh2 billion, buoyed by increased investment income.
The rise in half-year net profit from Sh1.64 billion posted in a similar period last year came on the back of net investment income rising 2.5 times to Sh13.27 billion from Sh5.3 billion.
“We are confident in the growth and performance trend that Britam has achieved, supported by its subsidiaries in Kenya and the region. Our business is expanding its revenue base while effectively managing costs,” Britam Chief Executive Officer Tom Gitogo said.
“Our customer-centric approach is fueling growth in our customer base and product uptake, particularly through micro-insurance, partnerships, and digital channels.”
The investment income growth was fueled by interest and dividend income rising 34 percent to Sh9.1 billion, which the insurer attributed to growth in revenue and the gains from the realignment of the group’s investment portfolio.
Britam also booked a Sh3.79 billion gain on financial assets at a fair value, compared with a Sh1.8 billion loss posted in a similar period last year.
The increased investment income helped offset the 12.7 percent decline in net insurance service result to Sh2.13 billion in the wake of claims paid out rising at a faster pace than that of premiums received.
Britam said insurance revenue, which is money from written premiums, increased to Sh17.8 billion from Sh16.6 billion, primarily driven by growth in the Kenya insurance business and regional general insurance businesses, which contributed 30 percent of the revenue.
The group has a presence in seven countries in Africa namely Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, South Sudan, Mozambique, and Malawi.
Britam’s insurance service expense hit Sh13.6 billion from Sh11.3 billion, while net insurance finance expenses rose 2.6 times to Sh12.3 billion during the same period.
“Net insurance finance expenses increased mainly due to growth in interest cost for the deposit administration business driven by better investment performance. This has also been impacted by a decline in the yield curve, which has led to an increase in the insurance contract liabilities. The increase has been offset by a matching increase in fair value gain on assets,” said Britam.
Britam’s growth in profit is in line with that of other Nairobi Securities Exchange-listed insurers, which have seen a rise in profits.
Jubilee Holdings net profit in the six months increased by 22.7 percent to Sh2.5 billion on increased income from insurance, helping the insurer maintain Sh2 per share interim dividend.
CIC Insurance Group posted a 0.64 percent rise in net profit to Sh709.99 million in the same period as net earnings of Liberty Kenya nearly tripled to Sh632 million from Sh213 million, while Sanlam Kenya emerged from a loss to post a Sh282.2 million net profit.
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Africa: Rwanda Gets a Grip Of Marburg, But Mpox ‘Not Yet Under Control’
Monrovia — The Rwanda Minister of State responsible for Health, Dr. Yvan Butera, cautioned that while the country is beginning to see positive signals in its fight against the Marburg virus, the outbreak is “not yet over”. He, however, expressed hope that “we are headed in that direction”. The minister said the epidemiology trend, since the disease was first discovered in the country more than a month ago, is moving towards fewer cases.
Dr. Butera, who was giving updates during an online briefing yesterday, said in the past two weeks, only two deaths were recorded while 14 people recovered from the disease. He said Rwanda was expanding its testing capacity with 16,000 people already inoculated against the disease.
The priority right now, Butera said, is “rapid testing and detection”.
Marburg is a highly virulent disease transmitted through human-to-human contact or contact with an infected animal. The fatality rate of cases, which has varied over the period, is more than 50%, according to the World Health Organization. WHO said the highest number of new confirmed cases in Rwanda were reported in the first two weeks of the outbreak. There’s been a “sharp decline” in the last few weeks, with the country now tackling over 60 cases.
At Thursday’s briefing, a senior official of the Africa Centers for Disease Control, Dr. Ngashi Ngongo, said mpox – the other infectious disease outbreak that countries in the region are fighting – was been reported in 19 countries, with Mauritius being the latest country to confirm a case. He said although no new cases have been recorded in recent weeks in several countries where outbreaks occurred previously – including Cameroon, South Africa, Guinea, and Gabon – Uganda confirmed its first Mpox death. This, he said, is one of two fatalities reported outside Central Africa.
Dr. Ngashi revealed that there was an increase in cases in Liberia and Uganda. He said mpox cases were still on an upward trend.
“The situation is not yet under control.”
Source: allafrica.com
