Sauti Kuu which means powerful voices is a Non-profit organization that helps orphans and other young people struggling with poverty in East Africa. Its main goal is to create a platform for disadvantaged children and young people worldwide that allows them to uncover their strengths and realize their full potential to live independent successful lives. They deal particularly with children from rural communities and urban slums and help them to discover the strengths of their own voices and the power they have to positively change their lives. They make sure that children and young people realise that they do not have to be victims of their social backgrounds or their environments. This way they can become self-reliant –mentally, socially and financially.
Sauti Kuu Foundation was founded by Dr Rita Auma Obama, Sister of Former US president, Barrack Obama. Dr Auma is a community activist, sociologist, journalist and the author of the book and then life happens. Sauti Kuu is located in Alego Nyang’oma,Kisumu County, with many of its sponsors and partners from Germany. Sauti kuu foundation opened a sports and resource centre named Sauti Kuu Foundation Sports Resource and Vocational Training Centre in K’ogelo, Siaya County. Former Us President Barrack Obama presided over the official opening of the global standard sport facility on July 16 2018. The vocational Centre was aimed to provide educational and economic opportunities to help young people serve their communities. Sauti Kuu Foundation focuses on personality development, education training and sustainable economic growth.
Through Personality training, educational workshops, sports and creative activities, young people have built their self-confidence, self-esteem as well as help them build motivation and perseverance. It supports young people through tutoring, school sponsorship, vocational training projects and career guidance. One of the Core missions of Sauti Kuu is to promote sustainable economic development in the rural region of Kenya. Farming families learn to improve their financial situation and to become economically independent.
Auma Obama through her vision ‘young people should learn to take their lives into their own hands’ has transformed many lives as well as giving hem hope for a better future.
President Uhuru Kenyatta today in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, hosted a historic meeting of world leaders on African renaissance as part of celebrations to mark the 400th Anniversary of the Transatlantic Slave Trade.
The breakfast meeting held on the sidelines of the ongoing 32nd Summit of the African Union Heads of State and Government sought to inspire a global conversation geared towards reconciliation, re-engagement and re-connection of all Africans and their descendants across the world.
The conversation also aims at mobilizing African diaspora population in the world to reconnect with their heritage in recognition of its common ancestry.
President Kenyatta said the conversation, in the spirit of Pan-Africanism, aims at producing a new framework for engagement that brings together Africa and its descendants in the Americas, and across the world for the sake of inspiration, investment, collaboration and cooperation.
As the world marks the 400th anniversary of the Transatlantic Slave Trade, it is estimated that between twelve and fifteen million African slaves were trans-shipped to America of which over 4 million are reportedly to have died on the high seas.
In his remarks, President Kenyatta said the Afro-conversation is further aimed at renewing ties between Africa and its descendants across the world.
He said all Africans have a common cultural heritage and historical experience that all citizens of the continent must understand to have a clearer insight of our desired destination
Besides the brutal and hellish conditions that African slaves went through and the millions that lost their lives, President Kenyatta observed that slavery eventually laid the grounds for colonialism, discrimination and racism.
“It undermined families and nations, and introduced the damaging and false hierarchy of racial superiority and inferiority that continues to afflict mankind,” the President said.
President Kenyatta called for unity of purpose among Africans for the renaissance to succeed and ensure the continent retains its current status as a new frontier of global economic growth and prosperity.
“For this upward surge to be sustained for generations to come demands that we be united,” said President Kenyatta who called for the full participation of the diaspora population towards the new revival and revitalization of Africa
He said the diaspora, wherever they are in the world and irrespective of their citizenship and nationality, constitutes the sixth region of the AU
“This includes the descendants of Africa in the Carribbean , North and South America. We are one and must find paths to reconnect and reengage with one another,” he said
President Kenyatta called for practical steps and the full engagement of the AU Commission to ensure workable and clear programs are put in place to actualize the new initiative.
The Kenyan leader further called for the initiative to be embedded in the legal and institutional frameworks of respective African states and the AUC.
Leaders who spoke at the meeting among them Presidents Yoweri Museveni (Uganda), Cyril Ramaphosa (South Africa), Filipe Nyusi (Mozambique) Hage Geingob (Namibia) and newly elected DRC Congo leader Felix Tshisekedi termed the initiative as historic and thanked President Kenyatta for bringing the matter back to the table after it was first mooted by the founding fathers of African states in the 1950s and 1960s.
Other speakers were former US Assistant Secretary for African Affairs Dr Jendayi Frazer and AU Special Envoy for Infrastructure Development Raila Odinga.
The leaders shared their perspectives on African renaissance and pledged their support for the new initiative.
African rennaissance is a concept born in mid 1940’s and is premised on an understanding that for the continent to overcome challenges facing it, its people must come together in unity of purpose.
President Uhuru Kenyatta was among world leaders who today vowed never to allow terrorist elements to distabilise any country in Africa.
The leaders attending the ongoing 32nd African Union (AU) Heads of State and Government Summit in Addis Ababa discussed and strongly condemned the recent terrorist attack at the DusitD2 complex in Nairobi that led to the death of 21 people.
Newly elected AU chairman, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and the President of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), Mahmoud Abbas said terrorism should be eradicated and its sponsors identified and shamed.
The Egyptian leader described the scourge of terrorism as a cancer that continues to affect African nations and destroying important structures.
“There is need to identify the sponsors of terrorism and address its root causes while putting counter terrorism measures in place,” said the new chairman during his acceptance speech that also marked the official opening of the AU Summit, also attended by First Lady Margaret Kenyatta.
The PLO leader on his part called on the world to reject all forms of terrorism, including religious extremism.
“We are ready to fight terrorism and extremism in all our capitals. We should all abhor all forms of terrorism and extremism,” said Abbas adding that Kenya was the latest victim of the scourge.
Over 700 people were safely evacuated by a multi-agency security team during the DusitD2 attack that authorities termed as a successful operation.
Other key issues discussed at the Summit included a commitment by African leaders to silence all guns in the continent by 2020, an acknowledgement of a new Africa where democratic elections and peaceful transitions have replaced political takeovers and resultant turmoil.
Several countries including Somalia, South Sudan, Ethiopia and Eritrea, DRC Congo, Central African Republic and Libya were recognized for choosing peace and initiating dialogue to resolve conflicts in their countries.
Progress made towards the ratification of the African continental Free Trade Area (ACFTA) was also praised as a major step forward and more countries were encouraged to sign up to the pact.
Outgoing AU chairman President Kagame who chaired the session said the ACFTA protocol, signed less than one year ago, stands only a few weeks to enter into full force
The theme of the summit is:“The year of refugees, returnees and Internally Displaced Persons”.
Among other objectives, the summit is exploring durable solutions over the issue of refugees in Africa, including Kenya.
President Kagame said the agenda of the summit reflects the capacity of AU to address an increasingly complex range of challenges and priorities.
While calling on African countries to increase domestic funding for health programmes, the Rwandan President acknowledged the tremendous progress made by individual states among them Kenya which is rolling out the Universal Health Coverage besides other health initiatives like the Managed Equipment Services for expanded healthcare.
United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres said Africa hosts a third of the world’s refugees and internally displaced persons.
He said despite the continent’s own social, economic and security challenges, African governments and people have kept their borders, doors and hearts open to millions in need.
“Africa has set the gold standard for solidarity. Its generosity is unmatched,” the UN chief observed.
World Health Organization Director General Dr. Tedros Adhanom, the first African to head the world body, said the continent can achieve much more if it unites for a common purpose.
For the continent to thrive, Dr Tedros said, it must take its rightful position in the world by initiating smart investments in areas of health and education.
He called for increased investment especially in primary healthcare.
The WHO boss said the establishment of the proposed African Medicines Agency will ensure reliable and safe supply of medicines to the continent and stop the proliferation of falsified medicines.
Microsoft boss Bill Gates, whose Bill and Melinda Gates has invested heavily in Africa’s health, education and Agriculture sectors said the AU can achieve its ambitions by investing in human capital.
He said every dollar invested in Africa by his foundation has a major social impact adding that he will continue investing on the continent.
Other speakers included African Union Commission (AUC) chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat and FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
Earlier, President Kenyatta and First Lady Margaret Kenyatta joined other leaders during the inauguration of former Emperor Haile Selassie Statue outside the AU headquarters.
The only other statue at the AU is that of Ghana’s founding father Kwameh Nkrumah who is recognised for his instrumental role in the establishment of the AU predeccessor, the Organization of African Unity (OAU).
First Lady Margaret Kenyatta has voiced her support for the total ban on the use of plastics, saying it will help reduce environmental pollution.
The First Lady noted that environmental pollution caused by plastics place a disproportionate burden on women and children, particularly those from poor and vulnerable communities.
“To this end, I make a personal pledge to add my voice to a total ban on the use of plastics,” the First Lady said.
“I will continue to support local communities, especially women and children in advancing their conservation programmes including recycling of waste, tree planting and production of biodegradable bags,” she added.
The First Lady made the remarks on Sunday in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, when she delivered a keynote address during a High-Level Working Session on Banning of Plastics in Africa held on the margins of the 32nd Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union. The meeting saw the launch of a campaign towards a pollution free planet.
She emphasized that she will support advocacy for lifestyle behavioural change that promotes the use of biodegradable materials and waste management initiatives, saying the threat posed to the environment by plastics is real.
“I look forward to serving as a champion for this campaign, together with you, towards the banning of plastics on the African continent,” she told other First Ladies who attended the meeting.
The Kenyan First Lady informed the meeting that Kenya recognizes the adverse effects of plastics on the environment as a pollutant and its contribution to climate change, and has joined the global call towards a pollution free world.
“Kenya has taken a lead in this effort. We banned the manufacture, sale and use of plastic carrier bags in August 2017. We have in place clear legal guidelines on use of plastics which place stiff penalties on those who contravene the law,” First Lady Margaret Kenyatta said.
Acknowledging that the push against the use of plastics requires strong legislation as well as capacity building, the First Lady called for the collective application of sustainable and innovative measures.
The Kenyan First Lady is one of the ten high profile continental champions selected to spearhead the campaign to ban plastics and thus reduce their negative impacts on the environment in Africa. First Lady Margaret Kenyatta and her Rwandan counterpart Jeannette Kagame represent the Eastern Africa region.
Central Africa is represented by Congo and Gabon, North Africa by Egypt and Mauritania, West Africa by the Gambia and Ghana while Southern Africa is represented by Angola and Botswana.
Other speakers included First Ladies Neo Masisi of Botswana and Fatoumata Bah Barrow of the Gambia as well as the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) acting Executive Director Joyce Msuya.
Earlier, First Lady Margaret Kenyatta, in her capacity as the Vice President of the Organization of African First Ladies Against HIV/AIDS (OAFLA), co-chaired a session of the 22nd OAFLA General Assembly with OAFLA President Madam Adjoavi Sika Kabore, the First Lady of Burkina Faso.
Ahead of the meeting held at the African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the Kenyan First Lady interacted with her counterparts from across the continent, sharing her vision on improving the welfare of Kenyans, especially on health through the Beyond Zero initiative.
During the session, minutes of the 21st Ordinary General Assembly were adopted, and the OAFLA Steering Committee report was presented and discussed.
The OAFLA President, Madam Adjoavi Sika Kabore, congratulated First Lady Margaret Kenyatta on her election to the position of Vice President of the not-for-profit organization founded in 2002 by 37 First Ladies to steer the fight against HIV/AIDS on the continent.
First Lady Margaret Kenyatta and her counterparts also attended the official opening of the 32nd Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union.
President Uhuru Kenyatta has called for increased partnerships between national governments and the private sector in the provision of health services in Africa.
While acknowledging that health is critical to the continent’s economic growth, President Kenyatta said the partnerships between the private sector and national governments should be determined by specific country initiatives and not by loose arrangements where local efforts are not put into consideration.
“Plug into existing country initiatives because if you do that then you will benefit from government commitments,” President Kenyatta urged the private sector and development partners.
He commended the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and other donors who have plugged into the Kenyan health system and are actively working to manage the HIV/AIDS scourge.
“They have ensured that virtually every affected Kenyan today has access to anti-retroviral drugs. That is because of the partnerships that we have cultivated,” the President said.
President Kenyatta was speaking in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, when he addressed an Africa leadership meeting on increasing commitments for health and accelerating the path towards Universal Healthcare Coverage.
“To me, the critical thing is partnership. The critical thing is working with national governments to ensure that we achieve this objective of Universal Healthcare for all,” President Kenyatta said.
He urged African governments to strive to end the vicious political cycles and embrace long term commitments that give the private sector the confidence and trust to invest in the health sector.
“We will not be able to achieve our social economic agenda if we do not invest in health. It is critical that as governments, we pool our resources together, working in partnerships with development partners as well as the private sector to ensure that we achieve this ultimate objective of universal health coverage for all,” the President said.
President Kenyatta also expressed the need for African countries to come up with policies that support private sector investment in the health sector
First Lady Margaret Kenyatta was today unanimously elected as the Vice Chairperson to the Organization of African First Ladies Against HIV/AIDS (OAFLA) The Kenyan First Lady will deputise the Burkina Faso First Lady Mrs Sika Bella Kabore who is the current chairperson of the continental First Ladies Organization. The elections of OAFLA’s Vice Chair position were held at the AU Commission Old Buildings during the Steering Committee meeting of OAFLA ahead of the organization’s 22nd Ordinary General Assembly set for tomorrow , Sunday 10th, February 2019. The OAFLA General Assembly is taking place on the side-lines of AU Heads of State and Government which is being attended by President Uhuru Kenyatta.
The elevation of Kenya to the vice chair of OAFLA comes only a day after AU members unanimously reelected Kenya as a member of the AU security council for another three years. OAFLA is a non-governmental, not-for-profit organization founded in 2002 by 37 African first ladies. The organization works to cultivate a spirit of solidarity and the exchange of experiences among African first ladies to increase their capacity and that of other women leaders to advocate for effective solutions to respond to the ongoing HIV/Aids pandemic in Africa. The continental body seeks to proactively campaign against stigma and discrimination of those infected and affected by the scourge besides developing partnerships with international, regional and local donors to raise awareness, support and resources towards prevention, treatment and care programs. First Lady Margaret Kenyatta has been key supporter and an outstanding member of OAFLA where she has initiated several programs aimed at addressing the HIV/AIDS challenges in Africa using the platform of her Beyond Zero initiative.
– For those born after the year 2001, Kencell Communications Limited rings no bell. This however was the first privately owned telecommunications giant ever licensed in Kenya. It is this company that has mutated four times from Kencell to Celtel, Airtel and now Airtel Telkom.
Kencell was a joint venture between then Vivendi, a French telecommunications giant and Naushad Merali, then a filthy rich, blue eyed President Moi era businessman. The firm was launched with pomp at Intercontinent Hotel by President Moi himself in 2001. It’s sole mandate was to provide competition to the then Government owned Safaricom, which before partnering with Vodafone was a department at Telkom Kenya housed at Extlecoms house along Haileselasie Avenue.
The public face of Kencell was Phillipe Vanderbrouck; a polished French technocrat who lost the plot before he even started. Once the two telecos were up and running, a vicious pricing war set on, based on billing mode, cost per minute and the price of mobile sets required for market penetration. Kencell made two fatal mistakes. The fist was to market the lowest airtime top up card at 300. The other was to deduct a Sh.25 tax and their not so smart insistence on charging customers a flat rate per minute, even if the call lasted one second.
From the beginning, Kencell was targeting the upper middle class….CEOs, parastatal fat cats, the international community and other mortals domiciled in the leafy neighbourhoods of Karen, Spring Valley, Lavington, Valley Arcade and their corresponding peers in other estates. Of course Merali and his French friends appeared to have engaged in futile and defeatist business idea that Safaricom fully exploited to run away with a critical market niche. First the super rich never call. They only wait to be called. They considers call a bother and ts kept Kencell numbers at their lowest ebb. When they finally appeared to penetrate the market, Safaricom introduced other innovative and value adding products such as Bamba 10, Okoa Jahazi, Please Call Me thank….all which kept then hooked. Kencell was doomed. But trust Merali, the Sameer group chairman to pool a fast one on competition. Merali approached panafricanist Mohammed Amin and hawked his shareholding in Kencell…making a tidy some. This gave birth to Celtel. Nothing much can be written about this company, for it never destabilized the market until Airtel came calling and snapped the company. Now Airtel and Telkom have merged to cumulatively control 30 per cent of the market. The 0733 prefix has been quite a journey. Is it over? Keep it Uzalendo.
President Uhuru Kenyatta called on the board to support the Studio Mashinani Initiative, a national government project aimed at ensuring availability of high quality multimedia studio production facilities and equipment to young talented Kenyans across the country.
The President asked the board to ensure that the Studio Mashinani Initiative, which is growing very fast as a platform for talent development and source of livelihood for thousands of young Kenyans, is adequately resourced and expanded to cover the entire country within the shortest time possible.
President Kenyatta further pointed out that the board should do all in its power to attract many more youths to utilize their talents in sports and the arts by renovating existing national facilities and by constructing new modern sports infrastructure including stadia.
He observed that many young people get disillusioned when individuals who are mandated to facilitate them achieve their goals fail and frustrate their efforts, a vice that the Head of State said should end.
“You should refurbish existing sports infrastructure and develop new ones throughout the country. This will be one of the ways of attracting and enabling young Kenyans to explore and utilize their talents to earn a living,” President Kenyatta said.
The President asked the board to partner with the private sector in resourcing and in the running of the National Drama and Music Festival activities which is one of the major platforms used by most children in Kenya to discover their talents and gifts in the arts.
“We appreciate the role played by the private sector in supporting the growth of sports and the arts in the country. Although we appreciate their support, as government, we need to take up our responsibility by participating fully in these noble activities,” he said.
The Sports, Arts and Social Development Fund Oversight Board was gazetted in December last year and its members include former Vice President Moody Awori and Athletics Kenya President Lieutenant General (RTD) Jackson Tuwei. Other members of the board include National Treasury Cabinet Secretary Henry Rotich, Principal Secretaries for Sports Amb. Kirimi Kaberia, and his Education and National Treasury counterparts Belio Kipsang and Kamau Thugge respectively.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa addresses a media conference at the end of the BRICS Summit in Johannesburg on July 27, 2018, as the heads of the BRICS group -- Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa -- met in Johannesburg for an annual summit dominated by the risk of a US-led trade war.
Five of the biggest emerging economies on July 26, stood by the multilateral system and vowed to strengthen economic cooperation in the face of US tariff threats and unilateralism. / AFP PHOTO / POOL / Themba Hadebe
South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa putting final touches to his state of the nation address in which he took a hard stance on corruption.
GCIS
South Africans have been shocked by the tidal wave of corruption testimony emerging from the commission tasked with probing allegations of state capture by private business interests.
Claims of systematic and widespread corruption involving patronage networks built around former President Jacob Zuma are testing the public’s faith in the country’s Constitution, democratic system and public representatives. Government ministers, senior civil servants and politicians from the governing African National Congress’s (ANC) have also been implicated.
It is clear from the 2019 state of the nation address delivered by President Cyril Ramaphosa that the penny has dropped and that the government will finally take a hard stance against corruption. Speaking at length about state capture, Ramaphosa described the commission’s revelations as “deeply disturbing”.
He called for swift action to be taken, saying prosecutions against those accused must proceed and state funds must be recovered. He then announced that an investigating directorate would be established in the office of the National Directorate of Public Prosecutions. The investigator would report directly to the head of prosecutions, taking action without fear, favour or prejudice.
The new directorate resembles the old Scorpions, which was disbanded under President Zuma. It has the potential to make a real difference in fighting corruption.
Taking into consideration expert and public opinion – and based on our own analysis of 15 years of data about corruption – it’s our view that Ramaphosa’s apparently decisive actions should be welcomed. Corruption has, over the past decade and a half, become one of South Africans’ biggest concerns.
A growing problem
Recently, Transparency International ranked South Africa 73 out of the 180 countries surveyed in its Corruption Perceptions Index for 2018, based on a score of 43 out of 100 provided by local experts. An index score below 50 reflects a tendency towards the “highly corrupt” end of the scale; it classifies the country as a “flawed democracy”. These critical evaluations are increasingly being mirrored in mass opinion.
Our analysis of trend data from the Human Sciences Research Council’s South African Social Attitudes Survey, shows that public concern with corruption has grown appreciably over the last 15 years.
Table 1: Percentage mentioning corruption as a national priority for the country, by party identification (2003-2017, cell %)
In late 2003, only 9% of the adult population cited corruption as a pressing challenge facing the country. This figure rose to 18% in 2009, 24% in 2014 and 30% by the end of 2017. This means that over the period between 2003 and 2017, corruption moved from being the eighth ranked societal concern among South Africans to the third highest ranked concern (after unemployment, crime and safety).
Concerns with corruption cut across political parties (Fig 1). In late 2017, 27% of those supporting the ANC cited corruption as a national priority. This compared with 38% of supporters of the Democratic Alliance (DA), the main opposition party. The figure among supporters of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), the country’s third largest political party, was 35%. Concern with corruption among supporters of other parties was 23%. The share of ANC supporters mentioning corruption as a priority rose from 6% in 2003 to 15% in 2009 and 27% in 2017.
Given this groundswell of concern with corruption, it is unsurprising that only a modest share of citizens are satisfied with the government’s efforts to fight corruption.
Percentage satisfied with government efforts to address corruption, by party identification (2017,%)
Source: HSRC SASAS 2017.
In 2017, only 10% of South Africans were content with measures to curb corruption. There is, again, a broad consensus in this regard across party support lines. Only 9% of ANC supporters, 12% of DA supporters and 13% of EFF supporters believed the government was performing commendably in fighting graft.
Calling for ethical government
Alongside their general unhappiness with government efforts to address corruption, South Africans are strongly opposed to corruption. About 90% of adults want politicians found guilty of bribery or other corrupt practices to immediately step down – voluntarily.
This is a resounding message that South Africans want accountability to characterise the country’s politics and governance. ANC supporters were shown to hold some of the strongest anti-corruption opinions. It remains to be seen whether trust in government will improve over the next few years if Ramaphosa’s promises are kept.
It is clear from this data that South Africans across the board strongly favour urgent measures being taken to combat the scourge of corruption. This points to high expectations that the evidence before the state capture commission – and its final recommendations – should result in decisive action being taken against those implicated.
Action at last?
Ramaphosa committed in his state of the nation speech to strengthening the capacity of institutions and government to deal with corruption. While not making a direct link, his focus in the speech on investment, coupled with measures against corruption seem to be an long overdue acknowledgement that perceptions of corruption are bad for investment and economic growth.
Finally, the nation has been assured of action. A failure to swiftly and effectively address corruption will not only have far-reaching consequences for the well-being of citizens, especially the poor and vulnerable. It is also likely to strain democratic legitimacy in the country and scare off investors who could make a real difference.
Advocate Gary Pienaar, research manager at the HSRC, contributed to this article.
President Uhuru Kenyatta today at State House, Nairobi, challenged the Sports, Arts and Social Development Fund Oversight Board, to utilize resources at its disposal to restore the country’s sporting glory, promote the arts, and preserve Kenya’s rich national heritage.
Speaking after being briefed on the progress made by the board in achieving its broad mandate, President Kenyatta said sports and the arts has the potential of being a major source of jobs for Kenya’s youth if well resourced and managed.
“We need to revive sports and the arts in the country. One way of doing that is to motivate our young people through adequate resourcing,” the President said.
He said that as part of fulfilling its mandate, the board should be able to facilitate all national teams participating in international games not only by funding them but also by branding them with national colours through provision of uniforms and other supplies necessary for the teams to succeed.
“You need to be in the forefront of building strong national sporting teams through provision of adequate funding as well as through branding and provision of the necessary supplies they need to excel,” said the President.
President Kenyatta asked the sports oversight board to ensure that activities under its mandate which include national heritage, culture and the arts are fully catered for, saying preservation of the country’s heritage and culture will help in building a strong reference point for future generations.
He tasked the board to ensure that Kenya’s heritage sites and resources including museums, monuments and artefacts are properly mapped, secured, resourced and managed.
