


Kenya: Statement by Hon. Peter Munya of Councils of Governors on the Health Care situation in the country (09.03.2017)









WASHINGTON, March 8, 2017—World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim today issued the following statement on the devastating levels of food insecurity in sub-Saharan Africa and Yemen:
“Famine is a stain on our collective conscience. Millions of lives are at risk and more will die if we do not act quickly and decisively.
We at the World Bank Group stand in solidarity with the people now threatened by famine. We are mobilizing an immediate response for Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, and Yemen. Our first priority is to work with partners to make sure that families have access to food and water. We are working toward a financial package of more than $1.6 billion to build social protection systems, strengthen community resilience, and maintain service delivery to the most vulnerable. This includes existing operations of over $870 million that will help communities threatened by famine. I am also working with our Board of Directors to secure the approval of new operations amounting to $770 million, funded substantially through IDA’s Crisis Response Window.
The World Bank Group will help respond to the immediate needs of the current famine, but we must recognize that famine will have lasting impacts on people’s health, ability to learn, and earn a living. So we will also continue to work with communities to reclaim their livelihoods and build resilience to future shocks.
We are coordinating closely with the UN and other partners in all areas of our response. We know that resolution to this acute crisis will not be possible without all humanitarian and development actors working together. We call on the international community to respond robustly and quickly to the UN global appeal for resources for the famine.
To prevent crises in the future, we must invest in addressing the root causes and drivers of fragility today and help countries build institutional and societal resilience.”
Background
A famine means that a significant part of the population has no access to basic food, suffers from severe malnutrition, and death from hunger reaches unprecedented levels. Children under five are disproportionately affected. A famine can affect the well-being of a whole generation. Famine was officially declared on February 20 in South Sudan, impacting approximately 100,000 people, and there is a credible risk of other famines in Yemen, Northeast Nigeria, and other countries. Ongoing conflicts and civil insecurity are further intensifying the food insecurity of millions of people across the region, and there is already widespread displacement and other cross-border spillovers. For instance, food insecurity in Somalia and famine in South Sudan are accelerating the flow of refugees into Ethiopia and Uganda. The UN estimates that about 20 million people in Nigeria, South Sudan, Somalia and Yemen are on the “tipping point” of famine. Drought conditions also extend to Uganda and parts of Tanzania. The last famine was declared in 2011 in Somalia during which 260,000 people died.





Well, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni is apparently controlling the weather and steering the sun. However, the President doesn’t have those powers; he could have already built in systems that took care of water in the raining seasons and other irrigation schemes. This is special to hear, since he has been running the Republic for thirty years. That should be well known in the humid climate of Uganda. Well, here are parts of his speech in Dokolo on the International Woman’s Day!
“We cannot have famine in Uganda; that will not happen, even if it means diverting resources from other departments. We will do so although this will stop progress of key projects.” (…) “This little scare is good because it has waked us up to look at irrigation” (…) “As of now I have directed government departments to start working on solar powered pumps for irrigation and we have already experimented in some areas” (AYFAP, 2017).
Because the President Museveni cannot have listen well to Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS Net) who in their February 2017 edition wrote this about Uganda:
“During the February to June lean season, very poor households in Moroto and Napak are expected to face food consumption gaps and be in Crisis (IPC Phase 3). In these areas, poorly distributed rainfall led to below-average production and very poor households depleted food stocks three months earlier than normal. Many are facing increasing difficulty purchasing sufficient food to meet their basic needs, as food prices are 30-40 percent above average. Food security is expected to improve to Stressed (IPC Phase 2) in July with the green harvest” (…) “Pasture conditions and water resources in the cattle corridor are expected to remain below average through March due to above-average land surface temperatures. Conditions are likely to improve to near normal levels in April, alongside average seasonal rainfall. Conditions will then seasonally decline from June through September. Livestock body conditions and milk productivity are expected to follow the same trend” (FEWS Net, February 2017).
So the international body that follows the possible outbreaks of famine and early warnings is saying continued struggles in Karamoja and the cattle corridor of Isingiro. Even if the President is claiming there shouldn’t be trouble or a crisis. Because Museveni himself saying there cannot be famine in Uganda, still, it is not much his government of three decades has done to curb the problem. His government has not thought of technics of keeping water and irrigate the soil. Not too long ago he spent time and used jerry-cans and bicycle to irrigate the soil, which cannot be the solution for the lack of water in Karamoja or in Isingiro.
Back in 2011 to international media the President seemed to have a plan:
“The Ugandan government, according to Museveni, now plans to “exploit the potential of Karamoja”, a move which is expected to involve offering large tracts of Karamoja land to foreign corporations to grow biofuels, as well as designating more “conservation” and mining areas. This, say critics, will only increase conflict and hunger, force more young people to move into cities, and will destroy a rich way of life that has proved resilient and economically viable” (Vidal, 2011).
So 6 years later and new famine in the Karamoja, the plans of 2011 seems like they are hurting like the critics did say. So, the new plans might cause more havoc on the embattled people of Northern Uganda.
Therefore in his own making he has destroyed the livelihood and other issues in these volatile areas. The ones in Isingiro is different, as the pastoral and the cattle corridor, Seemingly, the Ugandan Republican can have famine, it is just President Museveni and his regime who cannot control or having the mechanism to contain it. They do not have the means or efforts to help the ones in need more than a few PR scoops of trucks and meals.
So President Museveni needs guidance and needs an incentive to earn on it. If so than this problems would be fixed, if there we’re some sort of scam or program that could be used so the people could get something and he could eat of their plate. If so, the irrigation scheme would be in place and the people wouldn’t starve. So please, conning people who cares about the famine in Uganda give a way for the petty thief to steal little some and people can get some. Peace.
Reference:
African Youth Forum against Poverty (AYFAP) – ‘Famine Scare is Good, Says Museveni’ (08.03.2017) link: http://www.ayfapuc.org/index.php/2017/03/08/famine-scare-is-good-says-museveni/
FEWS NET – ‘Stressed (IPC Phase 2) outcomes likely to persist in bimodal areas until June harvest’ (February 2017) link: http://www.fews.net/east-africa/uganda/food-security-outlook/february-2017
Vidal, John – ‘Uganda: nomads face an attack on their way of life’ (27.11.2011) link: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2011/nov/27/uganda-nomad-farmers-climate-change


Today thanks to some people leaking to Chinese Gazette documents for a serious Industrial and Commerce Authority, I today found a little scoop on the ways Trump Organization does business, as they are clearly active in China. That might be reason why one of the most mentioned nations during campaign was China from the now President Trump. Therefore, take a look at this!
On the 27th February 2017, the Trademark Office of the State Administration for Industry and Commerce of the People’s Republic of China gazetted new trademarks that prove the use of Chinese Industry in production of labels for the United States President Donald J. Trump. Still, as he claims “America First” his companies continue to produce and licence their production abroad.
The Gazette from the Chinese Authorities of Industrial and Commerce Trade Marks for dozens of Donald Trump products, alone 10 Trade Marks in his name and owned by businesses to the Fifth Avenue headquarters of the Trump Organization.
The second batch of Trump Trade Marks we’re gazetted on the 6th March 2017 was issued about 24 more Trade Marks through the authority. Since my Chinese isn’t that fluent, I don’t know on what sort of products or what industrial trade mark these are put on. Still, this shows the ways of using the cheap workforce and possible export to the United States the Trump Organization does. When I could find in the documentation with address and in the name of the Trump or where the Trump Tower is.

Therefore, the will of putting ‘America First’ is only in the words and not in action of his own businesses or trading. That is just for the citizens, not for the business and corporate world. Since Trump Organization has by these gazetted Trade Marks initially started or secured production of 24 products in the Republic of China. That cannot be seen as policy of his own government, who wants to punish other businesses for importing instead of producing their products abroad.
Certainly, the sons and daughters don’t care about the impression or even President Trump shows careless acts of tact by doing this. They are not following the same protectionist ways that he preaches and he wants to achieve. Therefore, the double standard are proven with this and how easily the Trump Organization can get licences in China, but the President expect big-business to stay in the United States. Peace.



The Economic Freedom Fighter (EFF) founder and former African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) chairman Julius Malema is continuing to pound on the Presidency of Mugabe and his overstaying in power. It is from the same man that sought to learn from Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) Youth in 2010 to learn how to make Africa better. So with the lingering years in power and his loss of power inside the ruling party ANC have given way for Malema to address Zanu-PF and ANC differently, than in the past; in the recent year or so he has called Mugabe a lot and asked him to leave power. Still, as a foreigner Mugabe has asked who he really is, therefore the criticism hasn’t really broken the old man, who by some of his biggest supporters claims that he is in the bible.
Let’s see what Julius Malema said about Mugabe:
“The African Union (AU) need courageous leadership which will tell their own peers this is not right, you know like they did, like ECOWAS did. So we need more ECOWAS, we need SADC to say no to President Mugabe don’t you think it’s time to say Goodbye” (…) “We have a problem with him (Mugabe) wanting to stay until death. We believe there are so many young people who were inspired by him in his own country. If he inspires us here in South Africa, there must surely a lot of them who were inspired him in Zimbabwe who can take over from him and continue the legacy” (ZimbabweToday, 2017).
Well, if South African government and other nations inside the SADC community weren’t afraid for their own reign and their internal battles, than they would have interfered in republics and states that had big-men who wouldn’t leave in peace. The man who was a freedom fighter and got rid of oppressive minority government has himself become a repressive leader. So that the RSA politician to tell the President of Zimbabwe is a fresh breath of air, still it would be more possible if the South African government wasn’t it biggest ally. Even Thabo Mbeki as President didn’t give a hard enough nudge and put the ZANU-PF rigging machine into the dust. Instead he gave way and made it possible for Mugabe to linger.
It is a fresh one that an opposition leader from South Africa blasts Mugabe; it makes sense of the character and the will of Malema. Still, his former friendliness towards the Zanu-PF makes me wonder how real the will of change the man has. Since when he was an ANCYL leader he could learn from Zanu-PF Youth, now he wants the Mugabe administration and Zanu-PF to leave, as much as Malema wants President Zuma and the ANC to stop ruling as well. However, he will not as SADC to overthrow Jacob Zuma, as he asks them to act upon Mugabe.
Well, nobody explain the problem with Mugabe better than Mutsa Murenje:
“There is absolutely no justification for Mugabe or any other Zimbabwean to seek medical attention outside the country. We have enough resources to make our health services work for us. The millions spent by a single man (Mugabe) on foreign trips could be saved to fund areas that are lacking in our country. The best we can do is to find Mugabe a place in an old people’s home. That’s where he belongs instead of depriving us of the future we badly need” (…) “The Mugabe regime abuses State resources and international aid. Food is distributed on a partisan basis. Opposition parties need to be more visible and have a felt presence nationwide. We need to stay abreast on key issues affecting us. The role of the media on this cannot be overstated. Both the traditional and the social media have key roles to play in consolidating democracy” (Murenje, 2017).
So the Zimbabwean sees the issues themselves, the Malema paradigm is different from Murenje, both want Mugabe gone away and other to lead, Malema from South Africa wants the SADC together to bring Mugabe away from the throne, while Murenje wants social justice and freedom through political takeover. That is different ways, as the MDC-T and other parties are now questioned, as the other parties are also created on fallouts from the Zanu-PF instead of built on their own merit.
There are dozens of questions and needed strong civil society together with political will to bring the Mugabe era to an end. However, there are more who wish him gone as the #ThisFlag and other social activists that are detained for their will to question the power of Mugabe. The President and his rule of law, is that the justice is only for the given elite, the rest should be silent.
The time should have been up a long time ago, Julius Malema and others should address the man and show the illegitimate rule in Zimbabwe. True, Mugabe was once a hero, but now he is not. Peace.
Reference:
Murenje, Mutsa – ‘Of crocodilian leaders, passive citizens’ (08.03.2017) link:
https://www.newsday.co.zw/2017/03/08/crocodilian-leaders-passive-citizens/
ZimbabweToday – ‘Malema Urges African Leaders to Gather Courage And Tell #Zimbabwe President Mugabe To Go’ (08.03.2017) link: http://zimbabwe-today.com/malema-urges-african-leaders-gather-courage-tell-zimbabwe-president-mugabe-go/