African press review 27 July 2017

Kenya's economy has slowed down on fears of disruption during next month's election period. And are the international partners losing patience with South Sudan?

The East African also reports that the cost of the 8 August general election on Kenya’s economy has started to emerge, with firms scaling down on production, investors holding on to their cash and neighbouring countries redirecting their cargo to Tanzanian ports away from Mombasa.

Foreign governments, especially in the West, have stepped up travel advisories to their citizens in the country and those intending to visit, warning that “in the past, some political protests, rallies and demonstrations have turned violent”.

International organisations and foreign firms have given their staff permission to leave for neighbouring countries a week before and stay until a week after the elections, citing uncertainty over the poll, whose main contenders are Jubilee’s President Uhuru Kenyatta and National Super Alliance’s Raila Odinga.

Sources in the business community say a majority of companies have scaled down production, while investors are holding onto cash and awaiting the outcome of the elections.

Kenyan electoral body defends decision on results

Kenya's Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission has meanwhile defended its decision to scrap periodic announcements of results in the presidential race. Only the final result will be announced.

The commission says that the Court of Appeal has ruled that presidential election results announced at individual polling stations are final and not subject to any alteration by the commission. Therefore there is no reason to suspect that the move to abolish the announcement of partial results is dishonest.

Raila Odinga's opposition National Super Alliance has described the move as a “mechanism for manipulation and mischief”, demanding transparency in the tallying of presidential candidates’ results.

Congolese war crimes suspect surrenders to UN

One of the Democratic Republic of Congo's most notorious warlords, Ntabo Ntaberi Sheka, wanted for alleged crimes against humanity, surrendered to UN peacekeepers yesterday, according to the UN mission in the Congo.

Sheka's militia, Mai-Mai Sheka, is one of a patchwork of armed groups in eastern Congo regularly accused by the United Nations and rights groups of using rape as a weapon of war.

After six years on the run, Sheka surrendered to UN forces in the town of Mutongo and was transferred to the eastern city of Goma, according to a UN spokeswoman.

It was not immediately clear why he had turned himself in.

International partners losing patience with South Sudan

The so-called "Troika countries" (USA, UK and Norway) and the European Union have threatened to stop their support for various bodies working for peace in South Sudan.

Following a meeting held in Juba earlier this month, the Intergovernmental Authority for Development (Igad) foreign ministers welcomed the support of the Troika and EU to their revitalisation plan for the South Sudan peace process and called on the government to ensure the implementation of the ceasefire and urged the armed opposition to reciprocate.

The ministers also welcomed the commitment of President Salva Kiir to fully collaborate and implement the Igad revitalisation forum for the implementation of the peace agreement.

However, in a confidential note to the Igad countries seen by the Sudan Tribune, the Troika and EU express their frustration with the implementation of the peace agreement and call for concrete steps to amend the deal and to consolidate the bodies entrusted with the monitoring process.

The international partners have warned that they will not continue to support institutions which fail to cointribute to peace.