UK seeks investment opportunities in Kenya

By james anyanzwa

Foreign investors from the United Kingdom (UK) are seeking to build partnerships and increase investment in Kenya.

A delegation led by Birmingham Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI), one of Britain’s leading support organisations, is in the country to explore new investment opportunities.

The group include companies wanting to invest in key development sectors like water, roads and renewable energy and offering goods and services tailored to the Kenyan business and consumers.

The trade mission is also expected to travel to Uganda and Tanzania to look for other regional investment opportunities.

Mr Jonathan Webber, head of the delegation and director of the International Trade at BCCI, is also expected to push for the strengthening of local chambers of commerce in Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Burundi and Mauritius.

Amongst the companies representatives include solar experts (Daima Energy Solutions) and Octagon Europe Ltd.

clean energy

Daima’s plans to manufacturer solar energy products locally is expected to have real impact in Kenya by providing affordable clean energy, creating job opportunities particularly targeted at the youth and raising environmental awareness amongst consumers.

Octagon Europe, which offers sustainable and affordable housing solutions, hopes to work with agencies, Government and local business to ensure that slum dwellers, refugees and internally displaced people have access to decent and durable housing.

The British High Commission’s UK Trade and Investment team (UKTI), which facilitated the visit, have created targeted programme for each of the delegates in the mission, focusing on meetings with local businesses.

The move is part of UKTI’s efforts to encourage investments in Kenya and build on the strong commercial links that exists between the two countries.

The British High Commission said the current BCCI mission underlined the interest from UK companies in doing business in Kenya, and the East African region.

 

source.ke

Kenya’s options over

By Martin Mutua and David Ohito

It was the day Kenya’s options ran out, the interest of the international community triumphed, and the nation left in the hands of the International Criminal Court.

On Thursday marked a turning point in the upcoming trials of post-election offenders, as ICC got the entry card to Kenya because of its refusal to refer the case to The Hague.

It also marked a turning point as President Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga, by the default of inaction on ICC’s direct request for referral of Kenya’s case to The Hague, automatically left those who may have committed crimes in their names to ICC, and so sparing themselves accusations of betrayal. In front of Harambee House where last February they signed the life-saving power deal, Kibaki and Raila stood as ICC thunderbolt struck.

Elsewhere wananchi haggled over ‘what next?’ over lunch. Off the cameras Moreno-Ocampo is reported to have told Raila and Kibaki to show leadership in search of justice. He is also said to have also told them whereas he was only capable of handling about three or five cases of key perpetrators of the violence, the rest must be dealt with locally.

It may be the first time the President and PM are meeting Moreno-Ocampo but their faces do not say so

In February, last year, Chief Mediator Kofi Annan was our guest and his message was of hope. On Thursday, standing with them was ICC Chief Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo

Shook Kenya

His message could have been clear, but its ramifications shook Kenya, and the aftershock could last a long time. He announced he would next month ask ICC judges to open investigations on Kenya’s high profile personalities suspected to hold higher responsibility for post-election violence.

Last year before Annan, and an expectant nation, Kibaki and Raila shook hands and promised to share power and save the country. On Thursday, they may not have given Ocampo the formal letter of reference of Kenya’s case to ICC as he wanted, or even openly agreed or rejected the offer to have suspects tried and sentenced to serve in local prisons.

But they spoke in turns like last year and promised what they have twice lost because of a hostile Parliament: establishing a local tribunal to deal with lesser offenders.

The words that stood out in their joint statement, which Kibaki read in English and Raila paraphrased in Kiswahili, were that they had a “constructive meeting” with Ocampo, and the “discussions were candid and frank”.

But they were silent on Ocampo’s main request, a formal referral of the case to ICC. This let the case to progress along the line charted by the Roman Statute.

This is why Moreno-Ocampo’s announcement echoed his statement to Kibaki and Raila last week that if there were no referrals, he would exercise his powers and ask The Hague’s Bench for Pre-Trial Chamber hearings on Kenya.

As the evening set in, reality struck ICC will be swinging into action within days.

One of the post-election violence flashpoints in Kibera slum, last year. Photo: File /Standard

“Ocampo was categorical President Kibaki and PM Raila Odinga must lead from the front and ensure victims of the violence get justice locally,” our sources reported.

The prosecutor, who arrived yesterday morning, is also reported to have been told by Kibaki and Raila they would not be referring Kenya’s case to ICC, arguing it could jeopardise Agenda Four. These include the constitutional review by the Committee of Experts, constituency boundary review, and the Truth Justice and Reconciliation Commission.

The sources also revealed they opposed the prosecutions being held locally.

“The Government side was clear that since Ocampo has a case against some individuals as he told us, then the prosecution should be carried out at The Hague,” added other sources.

Agenda four

According sources Raila took the prosecutor through the Agenda Four items that were being implemented following the adoption of the reports by Justice Philip Waki and Justice Johann Kriegler commissions.

“We have had a constructive meeting with Mr Louis Moreno-Ocampo, Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court. The discussions were candid and frank,” said Kibaki and Raila in their statement.

They also said they were committed to co-operating with the ICC within the framework of the Rome Statute and the International Crimes Act.

They added they were fast tracking the necessary reforms to ensure election-related violence does not recur.

“We will co-operate with the International Criminal Court to ensure that those who bear the responsibility for crimes committed during the post-election conflict are brought to justice,” the leaders said.

Execute mandate

Moreno-Ocampo said he was impressed by the Government’s efforts to prevent a recurrence of post-election violence. He said that during the meeting he explained how he intended to execute his mandate.

“According to the explanations that he was offering, he seems to have built a case around five persons whom he wants to arrest for trials at The Hague,” revealed a source.

Other sources further said Kibaki and Raila seemed to have been briefed about the prosecutor’s mandate, and that was the reason the meeting did not take long.

The stage is set for Kibaki and Raila to spearhead the formation of a local tribunal, or reforms that would bring justice to other post-election violence victims.

Parliament reconvenes on Tuesday, and one of the businesses on the agenda is a proposed Bill by Imenti Central MP Gitobu Imanyara.

The Bill seeks to establish a special tribunal that meets international standards.

 

source.standard.ke

Ocampo’s sword of justice sneaked in discreetly

by Cyrus Ombati

If his arrival had been trumpeted like that of a king come to dispense justice to his subjects, then the International Criminal Court (ICC) Chief Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo sneaked in like a thief in the night.

The arrival of Moreno-Ocampo was shrouded in secrecy that side-stepped media teams and government officials who had camped overnight at the JKIA for the visit.

Moreno-Ocampo’s handlers had kept his arrival details, itinerary of his arrival and engagements in Nairobi a tight secret. They succeeded in throwing media corps off his trail and sneaking him into town undetected.

Private jet

Reports, which later turned out to be a decoy enhancer, had first been circulated that Moreno-Ocampo would arrive by private jet at 3am.

Security men escort the limo carrying Luis Moreno-Ocampo from Harambee House. Photos: Tabitha Otwori/Standard

Journalists who had braved a chilly night at JKIA later learnt that he would be on a commercial airliner.

The man who is said to hold the secret to big names fingered for prosecution over post-election violence, later landed aboard Kenya Airways Flight 117 from Amsterdam.

One of the security men at the airport confided: “He travels first-class on commercial airlines since the ICC has no private jet and has never hired one for the chief prosecutor.”

There was notable heavy security detail at the airport shortly before his 7am arrival, similar to the scenario that prevails before a presidential appearance at the airport.

However, the media teams craning their necks both at the international arrivals lobby and the direction of the VIP lounge for the Argentinean prosecutor were disappointed.

They learnt a shade too late that Moreno-Ocampo was sneaked out with a Government Mercedes Benz limousine, GK A344M, through the airport’s cargo wing and driven to his hotel under heavy security.

Even after his arrival, security people at the airport threw media teams off his trail, some ‘confiding’ that the Chief prosecutor was headed for the Serena Hotel while others said Norfolk Hotel.

Moreno-Ocampo’s car, shadowed by unmarked police vehicles, used Mombasa Road, then Uhuru Highway, Westlands and made its way to the Windsor Golf and Country Club.

Two police cars led Moreno-Ocampo’s vehicle, clearing the way for him with four others in hot pursuit. Coincidentally, former Tanzania President Benjamin Mkapa who arrived few minutes after Moreno-Ocampo used the normal route to leave the airport.

Even some senior police officers at the airport did not seem privy to the details of where the ICC boss would be.

Whereas Mkapa’s engagement in Nairobi was unclear, there was word by security people that he was here to meet Moreno-Ocampo by virtue of his being a member of the Eminent Persons committee that partly negotiated the post-election settlement.

Police sources said Moreno-Ocampo has been assigned a security team of uniformed and plainclothes officers, the size that is assigned a visiting president.

“There are more than 10 local police officers joining a United Nations security team assigned to his motorcade and his hotel and about 20 more plainclothes officers shadowing his functions and movement,” said the source.

A senior police officer explained that Moreno-Ocampo’s security detail was above the normal accorded to senior UN emis saries due the sensitivity of his assignment which may ruin top politicians’ careers.

“He is here to announce his programme of investigating the perpetrators of post-election violence some of whom are powerful people. We do not take anything for granted,” said the officer who asked not to be named.

Those believed to be in the list that Moreno-Ocampo has include business and political elites who may want to frustrate his efforts to haul them before the international court for trial.

Security detail

His security detail went into action at Harambee House as he arrived and as he left. When he left together with the Presidential and PM’s motorcade, there was a brief traffic jam at the exit point.

This forced four security officers who had communication gadgets tagged to their ears to alight from their cars and make an exit for the prosecutor.

A press conference that was organised at the Serena Hotel was cancelled as the motorcade headed for Windsor where he was scheduled to have lunch.

Police Spokesman Eric Kiraithe explained that Moreno-Ocampo is a VIP State guest and would get the kind of protection that such a person deserves.

“It is prudent that such measures are taken to ensure his safety at all times while he is here. No one would want to see something bad happen to him,” he said.

 

source.standard.ke