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African press review 6 May 2013

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The Liberian online newspaper, FrontPageAfrica, headlines with a story suggesting conflict of interests and betrayal of public trust.

The highly controversial acquisition of Block 13, an offshore Liberian oil exploitation, cost the American company Exxon a total of 120 million dollars. Of that amount, 3.1 million are said to have ended up in the pockets of shareholders of a company called Broadway/Peppercoat.

But the problem, according to FrontPageAfrica is that one these shareholders, David Jallah, has friends in high political places, including close links with former Lands, Mines and Energy Minister Jonathan Mason, as well as with two of his main deputies at the time.

With the deal now concluded with Exxon, says the paper, the group of chosen Liberian officials including Mason, are in line for a huge payday. The rest of the country, of course, gets the short end of the stick and sees millions of dollars, that could have helped alleviate rampant poverty, disappear.

Oil is also on the front page of the regional newspaper the East African, which focuses on a clash between Kenya’s sole oil refinery and oil marketers that has plunged the Mombasa-based refinery into a financial crisis and could trigger fuel shortages across the entire East African region.

According to the newspaper, Kenya Petroleum Refineries Ltd. on Friday warned that it could soon be unable to refine petroleum products because of severe financial constraints. Such an eventuality would diminish Kenya’s geostrategic role as the hub of the oil trading business in East Africa as Kenya is the dominant oil supply route to landlocked neighbours Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and eastern Congo.

Still in Kenya, police investigations into the Kenyan Senator Mutula Kilonzo’s death have ruled out a heart attack and are pursuing the likelihood of poisoning, reports the newspaper the Daily Nation.

Kilonzo was found dead at his farm in the Eastern Kenyan province of Machakos.

Initially the cause of death was thought to be a heart attack, but examination of the body showed signs of serious internal bleeding which are characteristic of poisoning, says the Nation.

The new developments emerged as fresh reports indicated the possible presence of a mysterious visitor at Kilonzo’s farm on the night of is death.

The East African also reports on Rwanda, as the fluctuating price of coffee on the international market has created a crisis for the country’s exporters.

According to the newspaper, the exporters ignored advice from both the financial institutions and the National Agricultural Export Board to sell old coffee stock at the current rates for fear of making massive losses.

Lenders now fear that the exporters, who have piled up at least 211.2 tonnes purchased last year, may default sending banks into difficulty, says the East African.

And finally, the financial South African business paper, BusinessDay, is looking forward to the upcoming talks between Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan and his South African counterpart Jacob Zuma planned to take place in Cape Town this week.

The leaders of Africa’s two biggest economies will discuss ways to boost trade between their countries, says the newspaper, and look at ways to speed up the diversification of their economies and to improve their infrastructures.

Mr Jonathan will also address the South African parliament and the two leaders will attend a meeting of the South Africa/Nigeria Business Forum, adds the paper.

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