
IGAD: Statement from IGAD Special Envoy to South Sudan on Violations of Ceasefire (31.01.2019)







Vaccination began in Yambio, Gbudue State, but health workers in Tombura, Yei and Nimule as well as the capital city, Juba, will also be offered the vaccine.
YAMBIO, South Sudan, January 28, 2019 – The Ministry of Health of South Sudan, with support from the World Health Organization (WHO), Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, UNICEF and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other partners, today started vaccinating health workers and other front-line responders against Ebola as part of preparedness measures to fight the spread of the disease.
Vaccination began in Yambio, Gbudue State, but health workers in Tombura, Yei and Nimule as well as the capital city, Juba, will also be offered the vaccine. These are high-risk areas bordering the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), now experiencing its tenth outbreak of Ebola. The outbreak began 1 August 2018. Neighbouring countries have not reported any cases of Ebola, but preparedness is crucial.
As part of these preparedness activities, South Sudan received 2 160 doses of the Ebola vaccine (rVSV-ZEBOV) from Merck, the vaccine developer. The vaccine offers protection against the Zaire strain of the virus, which is the one affecting DRC at present.
“It is absolutely vital that we are prepared for any potential case of Ebola spreading beyond the Democratic Republic of the Congo,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa. “WHO is investing a huge amount of resources into preventing Ebola from spreading outside DRC and helping governments ramp up their readiness to respond should any country have a positive case of Ebola.”
Vaccination is one of a raft of preparedness measures South Sudan is putting into place. WHO has deployed more than 30 staff members to support these activities.
In particular, WHO has helped train 60 health workers in good clinical practice principles and protocol procedures to administer the yet-to-be-licensed Ebola vaccine. To detect any travellers entering the country who may be infected with the virus, the Ministry of Health, with the support of its partners, has established 17 screening points. Nearly 1 million people have been screened to date.
WHO is also supporting engagement with communities, active surveillance for the disease at the community and health facility levels, strengthening capacity for infection prevention and control and case management, and supporting dissemination of Ebola information through the media. Local laboratory capacity to test samples taken from people suspected of having Ebola is also being strengthened. Protective gear for responders has been stockpiled in a dedicated warehouse.
Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, in addition to its work making the Ebola vaccine stockpile available, is providing US$2 million to support the WHO’s vaccination efforts in countries neighbouring the DRC, including South Sudan.
“Although research is ongoing, the evidence so far suggests the Ebola vaccine is a highly effective tool to help stop epidemics and can be used to prevent this national outbreak from becoming a regional one,” said Dr Seth Berkley, CEO of Gavi. “Vaccinating front-line workers and health workers in South Sudan border regions will be crucial: an outbreak in South Sudan would be deeply concerning.”
Uganda began vaccinating its front-line workers in November 2018. So far, more than 2 600 health workers in eight high-risk districts have been immunized. In DRC, more than 66 000 people have been vaccinated – more than 21,000 of them are health and other front-line workers. Rwanda also plans to vaccinate its front-line responders.
The yet-to-be-licensed rVSV-ZEBOV vaccine has been shown to be highly protective against the Zaire strain of the Ebola virus in a major trial. Though not yet commercially licensed, the vaccine is being provided under what is known as “compassionate use” in the ongoing Ebola outbreak in North Kivu province of DRC as part of recommendations from the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization. This vaccine was also used in the Ebola outbreak in Equateur province of DRC in May–July 2018.



President Uhuru Kenyatta is continuing his rants and promises to go against the ones who are corrupt in Kenya. That is become so old, that I think personally, that its only trick he has up his sleeve, except for a few PR Stunt any rare moment to look golden.
A One Trick Pony is defined by Merriam-Webster as: “one that is skilled in only one area, also : one that has success only once” (Merriam-Webster – One Trick Pony’). With that in mind, we can see that it fits Kenyatta well, because it seems like the only thing he has.
Not like it seems like he has the capacity or ability to do anything else. That is why CS Fred Matiang’i becomes his Mr. Fix-It and Mr. Clean. So, that he can ensure some parts of the Big Four Programme actually get done.
What is the legacy and salvage of this man, who every month and twice a week. Not far fetched, are ranting about fighting corruption, stopping corrupt behaviour, but not seeing any significant results. By all means, the chicken thieves are getting caught, but the ones selling chicken at the IEBC took their G-Walk and resigned. They got their deals and earned, but at a later date appointed elsewhere in the government system. That is just the way it is.
The President can speak ill of the practice, of the acts of illusion and the acts of supposed government activity. However, the reality is that his elite, his cronies and the ones associated with him. Usually his Cabinet Secretaries and other have been implicated, but not touched. The ones running State Owned Enterprises are also misusing their position to bag the public money. Same with the Commissioners and others doing it too. Therefore, the President does this, but only let people go, but after a suspension he cave and give them a new position.
That is why, it is boring reading the same-old, same-old story, that is on repeat. It has been said and ranted about for so long. The tale of battle against the corrupt officials, the appointed officials and the close associates of the President. The President are not going against them, but has issues with Local Government and Civil Servants, but they are eating small-fry, which is bad enough. However, when they look at the people around the Executive they seems like untouchable.
That is why certain can skate away, even some who has eaten for instance with the Eurobonds and the National Youth Service (NYS) funds.
This has continued, there are new proof, now it is the Weston Hotel and the ownership of Deputy President William Ruto, who grabbed the public land to build a luxury hotel. That is the capacity and ability of the people around the President.
Still, with that in mind. He still rants like there is no tomorrow. Everyone will meet the fires of hell, if they are even thinking of acting ill and do a fraud or cheat the state of funds from some government entity.
However, the rants are just empty talk. The threats and the warnings has been so many. That it has more discs than Michael Jackson. It has more tunes than any Mixtape Rapper out there. Because, Kenyatta does it on the regular.
It is time to stop the talk, because this is the one trick that he has. It is time for him to change and act real. Apparently, that is to much to ask. Since with all the years as Head of State. Kenyatta could have acted, but at this point it doesn’t seem real. Peace.









Clearly, today’s gazetted news are saying that Kenyatta have the new powers, the new mandate and only answers to President Uhuru Kenyatta directly. That means, by default CS Fred Matiang’i, the CS for the Interior by the new roles in Government. He has the mission and mandate to supervise the government until the President doesn’t see it fit. In that picture, the Deputy President William Ruto is a ship lost at sea with less rudder to steer in the midst of ocean.
Kenyatta has directed by Executive Order, that CS Matiang’i is in charge of the National Development Implementation and also the Coordination of the Government Ministries. So, that the CS will in this role focus on “The Big Four Agenda”. This is directly ensuring the control of the ministries and the resources, so that the new CS has oversight to another level than before. This is really surpassing the DP and securing the loyalty amongst the ones dealing directly with the Handshake.
They are clearly sidestepping Ruto here. They are manoeuvring and toying around him, as the President is offering excessive power and initially delivering him the powers of a Prime Minister. Therefore, making Ruto the token figurehead, but powerless. Sort of like the Vice-President in Uganda, Edward Ssekandi, who only attends funerals and exhibits. Not really governing or running government, but a figurehead and breathing person on behest of the government needed be.
After the handshake, the role of Raila Odinga has already been put in question with the Building Bridges Initiative and how he configures in the shadow of the government. The difference here, is that CS Matiang’i is directly mandated and has a supervision role. Which by default gives him massive powers. That in the end, also makes Ruto less viable. The loser today is Ruto and his people.
We can wonder if Matiang’i has more power than the Building Bridges Initiative. As the Taskforce are put in place, we can wonder how that will be put in play with the new Communication Cabinet Commission (CCC). Therefore, the BBI versus CCC might be a thing, who knows right?
But at this point, Kenyatta and Odinga is best-buddies showing up at functions like they have been friends from day-one. However, the play of changes today can really show that Kenyatta are showing his force towards the Hustler. That Kenyatta trust someone else more and wants him to reign in the Cabinet. Also get the Cabinet more functioning in his regard. That is what you can get out of this move.
We now have Super-CS, a Special, Limited Edition Cabinet Secretary with Ultimate Extended Mandate, which looks like super-seed the Deputy President. Kenyatta has served by the newly minted gazette. CS Matang’i really has laid the golden goose. He gotten a big plate and should be ready eat. While Ruto has to configure how he should manoeuvrer and find his way.
The President should really soon explain his DP how this goes. While I wonder, how Odinga are playing into this too? Kenyatta are really playing them both and I am starting to wonder if this is a prequel to draft for the upcoming elections. Peace.