Dar 'honey pots' on high alert after Nairobi attack

           Security at shopping centres and big hotels in Dar es Salaam has been beefed up in the wake of Kenya’s Westgate mall terrorist attack in which 69 people were killed and 175 others were injured.

Business executives in Dar es Salaam told The Citizen on Sunday that they were ensuring security at the areas.

“We discussed how to intensify security,” said Sea Cliff Hotel operations director Nadine Atallah.

She said it was necessary to remain vigilant against terror attacks although no such threats had been reported.

“We have installed more surveillance cameras at places we did not have them before and added security officers at the hotel,” she said.

At Serena Hotel, visitors have to pass through screening machines before entering the hotel.

Management at Mlimani City Shopping Centre refused to give comments on what was being done to beef up security but said high security was a top priority.

Dar es Salaam Zonal Police chief Suleiman Kova said officers had intensified surveillance in all likely targets such as tourist hotels, government buildings and shopping malls.

He said police had been in constant consultations with owners of big hotels and shopping malls on how best security for customers could be guaranteed.

“What I remind them is that Nairobi and Dar es Salaam are close and have almost similar characteristics. We need not to be much worried but we have to take precautions.”

He insisted that the public had a key role in fighting terrorism by tipping off police about suspicious activities.

Did this woman take part in attack at Nairobi mall?

London. A Briton nicknamed the “White Widow” is in the spotlight after a Kenyan minister said a British woman was among the attackers who shot dead dozens of people at a Nairobi shopping mall.

Samantha Lewthwaite, a 29-year-old Muslim convert, was married to Germaine Lindsay, one of four suicide bombers who attacked the London transport network in July 2005, killing 52 people.

The mother-of-three has been on the run in East Africa for around two years and is wanted by Kenyan police for alleged involvement in a terror plot.

Kenyan officials have given contradictory statements about whether a British woman may have been involved in the attack on the Westgate mall which has left at least 62 people dead.

Foreign Minister Amina Mohamed told US public broadcaster PBS that a British woman was among those to blame, along with two or three American men.

“And she has, I think, done this many times before,” Mohamed said, without identifying her.

But Kenyan Interior Minister Joseph Ole Lenku earlier denied that any of the insurgents were women, saying some male attackers “had dressed like women.”

The British government refused to be drawn on suggestions one of its citizens was among the attackers.

The daughter of a British soldier, Lewthwaite professed herself appalled when her Jamaican-born husband detonated a rucksack full of explosives and blew himself up on a London Underground train on July 7, 2005, killing 26 people.

She was pregnant with their second child at the time.

“I totally condemn and am horrified by the atrocities which occurred in London,” she said, describing Lindsay as “a good and loving husband and a brilliant father, who showed absolutely no sign of doing this atrocious crime”.

Lewthwaite had met Lindsay in an Internet chat forum when she was 17, having converted to Islam two years earlier.

Described as a bubbly teenager, schoolfriends said she had an ordinary upbringing in the market town of Aylesbury, northwest of London.

“She was an average British, young ordinary girl,” said Raj Khan, a local councillor who knew the family.

“She didn’t have very good confidence,” he added.

Little is known about what happened to Lewthwaite in the years after the London bombings.

Kenyan police released wanted notices saying she was travelling on a false South African passport under the name Natalie Faye Webb, accompanied by her three children, a girl and two boys.

The children would be now roughly aged between seven and 12.

South African authorities said they were carrying out a “thorough investigation” into the passport issue.

Media reports have linked her to plotting or masterminding attacks across the Horn of Africa, though with little evidence of her role.

Raffaello Pantucci, a terror expert at Britain’s Royal United Services Institute, said Lewthwaite had acquired a “semi-mythical status”.

“I don’t think we’ve had any concrete evidence of her being involved in this incident,” he said.

“But the fact of her being mentioned in this context is not surprising because of her connections.”

Nairobi’s Daily Nation newspaper quoted security sources saying that extremists on the Kenyan coast call her “Dada Muzungu” - “white sister” in Swahili - and that she had slipped through a Kenyan dragnet in Mombasa in January 2012, when forces raided villas where she was believed to have been hiding.

“Police have received hundreds of calls from people offering clues and have interviewed dozens who might have met her” in connection with the mall attack, Nairobi’s The Standard newspaper said yesterday.

But it added: “Very few individuals have ever testified to meeting Samantha face-to-face.”

Lewthwaite has also been linked to Jermaine Grant, an alleged British Islamist currently on trial in Kenya’s port city Mombasa for possessing explosives. (AFP)

Rumours abound that Lewthwaite is behind the Twitter handle @MYC_Press -- Kenya’s radical Muslim Youth Centre -- which regularly comments on Kenyan extremism, as well as entering into a war of words with rival Islamists.

American Islamist Omar Hammami -- who fought in Somalia but was killed by former Shehab comrades this month -- in April scoffed via Twitter that she was just “a girl in Kenya”.

MYC_Press in turn replied: “Sam Lewthwaite thinks ur (you are) a irritating obnoxious contemptible little Muj (mujahedeen) PRAT.”

MYC_Press -- which has been notably silent since the attack began on Saturday -- also told AFP in April that Lewthwaite had “returned to Luton”, a town outside London and close to where she grew up. (AFP)

TWO MORE BANKS ANNOUNCE LONGER OPENING HOURS...

National Bank of Kenya and Family Bank are the latest banks to announce extended operating hours in certain localities in Nairobi, a move that many other banks could soon emulate.

Banks are increasingly extending operating hours in what could eventually see them operate round the clock.

As the economy continues to grow and the lifestyles of more people changing and the middle class growing, the customer is the new king, pushing banks to adjust their operating hours.

DEMANDING CLIENTELE

“This is an issue of consumer demand. Customers are now becoming more and more demanding.

They want to do banking at their own convenience and banks have had to adjust,” says Kenyan Bankers Association chief executive officer Habil Olaka.

National Bank of Kenya and Family Bank are the latest to announce extended operating hours in certain localities in Nairobi, a move that many other banks could soon emulate.

“We now offer extended banking hours (8am to 8pm, Monday to Friday and 8am to 4pm on Saturday in Kilimani, Kenyatta Avenue and Family Bank Towers Retail,” Family Bank announced last Friday.

Many banks including Barclays, Standard Chartered, Diamond Trust, NIC, Bank of Africa, African Banking Corporation and NIC now operate from between 7am and 8pm. They also operate at extended hours during weekends and holidays.

In the 1990s, many commercial banks operated within a limited timeframe of the day, opening their doors to the banking public at 9 am and closing at 2 pm.

EXTENDED BANKING HOURS

Operating time later evolved to between 9 am to 4 pm as competition gathered steam over the last decade. Then, the lenders began operating from 8 pm to 5 pm in a bid to woo more customers into the banking halls.

The hours of operation later increased from 8 am to 6 pm, and later to 8 pm to cater to the changing banking trends in the country amid intensive competition and growing economy.

Mr Olaka noted that the level of economic activity is changing rapidly with more and more people not only working late into the night but also shopping at night, a trend that banks, pharmacies and even supermarkets are keen to follow.

Many banks including Barclays, Standard Chartered, Diamond Trust, NIC, Bank of Africa, African Banking Corporation and NIC now operate from between 7a.m and 8.pm. They also operate at extended hours during weekends and holidays in line with working, business and shopping trends of customers.

Barclays Bank’s chief executive officer Jeremy Awori argues that in extending its hours of operation, the bank is responding to the needs of its customers in a changing environment, which has seen economic trends changing and new malls coming up pushing them to operate at late into the night.

“We are realigning our operations in line with the changing business environment in particular areas, namely, the ports which operate for 24 hours and in shopping malls,” Mr. Awori said in an interview.

This is however, notwithstanding increased cases of insecurity at night and additional operating costs that banks have to navigate.

SUICIDE BOMBER KILLS 12 AT SUNNI FUNERAL IN BAGHDAD...

An Iraqi boy inspects a burnt out vehicle the day after a bombing attack near a funeral tent in the Sadr City district of Baghdad on September 22, 2103. Two bombings targeted mourners in a Shiite area of the Iraqi capital, killing at least 56 people and pushing the monthly death toll past 500, officials said, the latest in the worst violence to hit Iraq since 2008. 

A suicide bomber attacked a Sunni funeral in Baghdad on Sunday, killing at least 12 people, Iraqi officials said, a day after bombings targeting Shiite mourners killed more than 70.

Medical and security sources said the bomber, who detonated explosives at a funeral tent in the Dura area of south Baghdad, also wounded at least 30 people.

The attack came a day after bombings against mourners in Sadr City, a Shiite area of north Baghdad, killed at least 73 people and wounded more than 200.

The United Nations on Sunday warned against revenge attacks for the Sadr City blasts.

"Retaliation can only bring more violence and it is the responsibility of all leaders to take strong action not to let violence escalate further," Gyorgy Busztin, the UN secretary general's deputy special representative for Iraq, said in a statement.

"Violence in all forms must be condemned, but I am particularly appalled by the increasing number of vicious attacks against those already bereaved," he said.

The Sadr City and Sunday's bombings were not the first targeting mourners in recent months.

They came after two bombs exploded on Friday at a Sunni mosque near Samarra north of Baghdad, killing 18 people.

Iraq was ravaged by a bloody Sunni-Shiite conflict that peaked in 2006-2007 and killed thousands of people.

There are persistent fears, bolstered by sectarian attacks this year, that Iraq may return to all-out conflict between its Shiite majority and Sunni minority.

NOW POLICE MONITORING movements of AGNESS MASOGANGE AND Melisa ...!!

Division of Anti- Drug Abuse In , kimewataja Agnes Gerald , famous Masogange , and Melissa Edward their movements to be monitored carefully .
The move announced by the Commissioner General of the unit , Geofrey Nzowa , came one day after the Tanzanians , and Melissa Masogange acquittal by the Court of Kempton Park South Africa.
Nzowa spoke yesterday with the author of this information by phone , that they will be viewed seriously when they travel abroad.
Also , he said they will strengthen inspections for other Tanzanians , with a history of drug loaded to traveling abroad.
" Masogange and Melissa will look more seriously for the eye of the people, but not them alone until other Tanzanians because umdhaniaye is not yet , " said Nzowa .
Nzowa said Tanzanians who are caught with drugs in or out and will be punished according to the law as Masogange was punished .
However, recently demonstrated Nzowa surprised and judgments were given Masogange and Melissa saying that is small compared to the large amounts of chemicals were zobeba .
Here in Johannesburg , yesterday Masogange and Melissa were seen visiting various parts of the city including shopping and doing shopping in the beauty salon.
Someone close to them said, Tanzanians are not afraid to do anything because the court finds that they are not guilty.
" Be afraid to walk the streets because they did when they released ? Court has done it and they have a right , " said the man , who did not want his name made ​​in writing newspaper .
July 5 this year, Masogange and Melissa were arrested at the Stadium of Oliver Tambo International South Africa carrying 150 kilograms of drugs kind of crystal methamphetamine ( Tik ) .
However, after spending mahubusu for approximately three months , the court dealing with criminal Kempton , noted that Tanzanians were not carrying drugs but chemicals used to manufacture drugs kind of ephedrine .

MARIKANA: SOUTH AFRICA POLICE 'LIED OVER MINE SHOOTINGS'...

South African police lied about the Marikana shootings last year, in which 34 striking miners were killed, a commission of inquiry has said.

Police falsified or withheld documents, and gave false accounts of events, it said.

The police shooting of the miners at the Lonmin-owned platinum mine in August 2012 shocked the nation.

The police said they were acting in self-defence, days after two officers had been hacked to death by protesters.

The commission was appointed by President Jacob Zuma to investigate the deaths of the 34 miners - the most deadly police action since the end of white minority rule in 1994.

At issue right now, is not so much what happened at Marikana last year, as the way the police have presented their version of events to the inquiry, says BBC Africa correspondent Andrew Harding.

To put it crudely - as with former US President Nixon's Watergate scandal - it's not the crime, it's the cover-up, our correspondent says.

The commission's statement comes just 10 days after gaining access to police computer hard drives and previously unseen police documents.

"We have obtained documents which the SAPS [South African Police Services] previously said were not in existence...

"We have obtained documents which in our opinion demonstrate that the [police] version of the events at Marikana... is in material respects not the truth," the commission said.

It said the material which had come to light had "serious consequences" for its future work.

The hearing was adjourned until Wednesday, while the commission reviewed the "thousands of pages" of documents, and sought to obtain access to additional hard drives and electronic records.

Our correspondent says that the commission is clearly so outraged by what has already been uncovered that it has taken the extraordinary step of calling the police liars and forgers, and implicitly questioning whether the Marikana inquiry - beset by delays and funding controversies - can continue.

The inquiry has been delayed several times over the question of who should pay the legal fees for hundreds of injured and arrested miners. The new information may jeopardise its October deadline.

Demonstrations were held in Pretoria last week over the government's refusal to pay legal fees for miners appearing at the inquiry.

In the immediate aftermath of the police killings, the authorities sought to portray the miners, who were striking illegally, as responsible for the bloodshed.

Some 270 of the striking miners were arrested and charged with murder, though the charges were later provisionally dropped.

The government has been criticised for its handling of the crisis, and some of the Marikana miners remain angry that not a single policeman has yet been arrested over the shootings.

GADDAFI SON APPEARS IN COURT...

A lawyer said that Seif al-Islam, charged with undermining state security, appeared in the dock in Zintan west of the capital in a trial that was then adjourned.

“Seif al-Islam Gaddafi appeared before the Zintan court that decided to adjourn the trial until December 12 to allow the attendance of other accused in the case,” the lawyer who was present in court told AFP.

Gaddafi’s son had also been due at a pre-trial hearing in Tripoli on charges related to the 2011 uprising, but there were doubts that his captors in Zintan would allow this.

Prosecutor general Abdulqader Radwan said Wednesday he had ordered Seif transferred to the Tripoli court from Zintan, 180 kilometres (110 miles) to the southwest.

Gaddafi’s former heir apparent and others including ex-intelligence supremo Abdullah al-Senussi are accused of crimes during the revolt in which he was ousted and killed.

Baghdadi al-Mahmudi, Gaddafi’s last prime minister, and Mansur Daw, who headed the People’s Guard, are also among the accused in one of the most important legal cases in Libyan history.

“We have sent a transfer order to the penal authorities concerned to send those persons implicated in Case Number 630, including Seif al-Islam,” the prosecutor general told a Tripoli news conference.

Talks were reported late on Wednesday for Seif’s transfer to Tripoli for a period of several hours, but there was no indication Thursday that this would happen.

The main charges against the suspects in Tripoli include murders committed during the regime’s battle against the revolt that erupted in the eastern city of Benghazi.

Gaddafi was captured and killed by rebels in his hometown of Sirte in October 2011.

Seif was captured the following month by a group of former rebels from the mountainous region of Zintan, and has been held there ever since.

The North African country’s interim authorities have tried several times to negotiate his transfer to Tripoli, but still insist that Seif is in state custody.

Deputy prosecutor general Siddiq al-Sur said Wednesday that all prisons come under the authority of the justice ministry.

“If the director of any such establishment refuses to obey orders, he will be pursued by the judiciary,” he told reporters.

Asked about the coincidental court appearances, Sur said only that “the prosecutor general’s office was not officially informed about the date of the trial” in Zintan.

Amnesty International has urged the “immediate” handover of both Seif al-Islam and Senussi to the International Criminal Court.

“The referral of these cases to the Indictment Chamber (in Tripoli) brings us one step closer to the start of national trial proceedings… in violation of Libya’s legal obligation to surrender him to the ICC,” it said.

“Libya’s justice system is in desperate need of an overhaul. There are serious concerns about the authorities’ ability to ensure fair trials compounded by the precarious security situation in the country.”

The whole trial is seen by some Western observers as an act of defiance against the international court.

A total of 40,000 documents and 4,000 pages of interrogation transcripts will be considered by the court at a secret location in Tripoli.

The defendants face a string of charges, including the “formation of armed bands to carry out crimes that undermine state security” and “incitation to rape”.

AFP

ARREST THOSE SELLING ALCOHOL TO MINORS – MANDY

“There are bars which open early and close late without operating licenses and are selling alcohol to the underage. Government should arrest people selling alcoholic drinks to teenagers below the age of 18,” Mandy said.

“Security agencies should play their part in order to have a sober population and if we don’t we are creating a fallen people.”

Mandy, who was speaking as a chief guest during the launch of a campaign dubbed “Zero tolerance to under- age drinking,” at Nakumatt Oasis in Kampala said security agencies should crack down on bar owners and operators.

The campaign was initiated by Uganda Breweries Limited and Nakumatt Holdings Limited.

“If the Police don’t crack down people selling alcohol to under-age, we are losing young people,” he said.

“I have never seen security operatives checking bars to hunt down those who are selling alcohol to young ones,” he stated.

He asked Government legislate on breweries manufacturers and sells operators to ensure that alcohol is not sold and served to the under –age.

The law in Uganda doesn’t permit young people below the age of 18 to take alcohol.

The UNEB boss also appealed to parents especially the rich ones to take care of their children not to give them freedom which he termed as ‘enjoy life’ because it is a result of ‘enjoying life’ the youngsters indulge in alcoholism, drug abuse and sex before marriage.

“We have parents who consent their children to drink. They begin giving them little by little, this is very dangerous. It is foolishness. They are killing their own children,” he said.

Raymond Van Der Salm, the sales director of Uganda Breweries Limited urged the regulators to put law in place that isn’t deterrent to breweries players.

He also asked Government to fast track Identity cards so as to combat under -age drinking.

He argued that with IDs in place each holder’s age would be known and those involved in alcohol selling can easily identify the young ones.

The Nakumatt Holdings Limited regional director strategy and operations, Thigarajan Ramamurthy implored parents, religious leaders and educationists to join hands to fight under- age drinking.

The deputy Police spokesman, Patrick Onyango told guests that in Kampala alone over five road accidents are recorded during holidays and more especially over weekends and the culprits are teenagers below 18-years- of age.

“Either the under-age steal their parents’ cars on they are willingly given and end up causing road accidents,” Onyango said.

By Francis Emorut, The New Vision

UGANDA: FOUR TORTURE VICTIMS TO BE PAID SH39.5M..

In its judgements in cases of abuse meted out on the victims in different incidents in 2008, commissioner Joseph Etima, who presided over the tribunal, upheld all the complaints basing on the evidence produced by the complainants and lack of effective government defence.

The highest awarded complainant was Albert Komakech, the brother of the late Moses Olwormungu who was murdered by a UPDF soldier, in what the tribunal said was a deliberate, intentional and unlawful violation of his right to life.

The tribunal ordered the Government to pay sh20m as general and exemplary damages for the crime that was committed in Zeu sub-county, Zombo district.

Saidi Abubakar was awarded sh10m after security operatives unlawfully tortured him in Yumbe district on allegations that he was in possession of a gun.

“His liberty to live free of torture, inhumane or cruel treatment was violated, leaving him permanently disabled,” Etima said.

The tribunal also awarded sh6.5m to a former UNRF II combatant, WOII Rajab Ayile, whom Police and army intelligence officers tortured after failing to recover a gun he was falsely accused of possessing.

Ayile said the torture was so severe that he is still unable to dig or do any productive work as a result of the physical impairments.

Another complainant who left the committee with a smile was Ismail Ogama, who was awarded sh3m.

Most of the victims, however, said the compensation was less than the money they spent on medical treatment and transport to attend court hearings.

“The court process has been disturbing and dragging for a long time but God will be the final judge,” Abubakar said.

By Richard Drasimaku, The New Vision

MEMBERS OF THE EMBU COUNTY ASSEMBLY IN BOYCOTT OVER RAISE....

Members of the Embu county assembly yesterday downed their tools demanding an increase in their salary and allowances.

They vowed to suspend sittings until the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) increases their basic salary to Sh350,000 and be accorded better sitting and car allowances.

In a motion of adjournment debated morning, the members said the Sh79,000 salary they are receiving is too little and urged the SRC honour a promise to increase it.

In the motion moved by the leader of majority Andrew Mbithi, the members said they would boycott sittings until the Sarah Serem led commission accepts to pay them Sh350 000 as basic salary in addition to other allowances.

The Mwea county representative said the Sh79 000 amounted to slightly over Sh47 000 after tax.

“We resigned from very high earning jobs to come and serve the community where we come from, we even moved our families from Nairobi to Embu, only to be slapped with a salary that cannot even sustain us,” he said.

RESPECT US TOO

Runyenjes central ward Representative Steve Simba who seconded the motion said the members play a similar role to that of MPs and urged SRC to respect them.

Mr Simba also complained that the assembly had approved a Sh66 million budget where each member was to receive a Sh2 million car grant but SRC had declined to approve.

He said most members were now using matatus and boda boda to get to the assembly.

Mr Simba also appealed to the government to set aside a ward development fund to steer development at the grassroots.

Kiambere ward representative Martin Mwangi said the assembly has already passed over 20 motions within six months and deserved better pay.

“Mr Speaker I want you to call us back here when there is a Sh350 000 salary in our accounts, we will not negotiate when working because it seems going on strike is the language that Sarah Serem understands best,” he said.

Mr Mwangi said some of the members commute daily from their wards to the assembly more than 150 kilometers.

STUDENT IMPREGNATES, KILLS 17-YEAR-OLD GIRL IN ZAMFARA...

26-year-old student of health technology has been arrested by the police in Zamfara State for allegedly abducting, impregnating and killing a 17-year-old girl, Bela’u.

The suspect, Bello was arrested following the death of the girl after he took her to the  Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Gusau, in an effort to stop  excess bleeding by the victim, resulting from alleged attempt to abort a five-month-old pregnancy.

Bello,who is a student of the state School of Health Technology, Tsafe, admitted that he had sexual relationship with the deceased for more than two years and she became pregnant for him.

It was gathered that the suspect  bought  some drugs from a patent medicine store, which he wrongly administered  on the girl in order to abort the pregnancy. It was further revealed that shortly after the administration of the drugs, she started bleeding and vomiting in Bello’s room and was later taken to hospital.

“I abducted her from her house in Samaru area and took her to my room  where she became pregnant for me; so, I tried to abort it and she started bleeding and vomiting.

“I noticed that the bleeding would not stop, so I quickly rushed her to the Federal Medical Centre, Gusau and she was admitted but unfortunately for me, she died few minutes after the admission.

“I called my uncle to inform him of what had happened and he too called her (Bela’u) uncle and told him about the incident.”

It was gathered that the suspect initially declared his intention to marry the girl in question but his parents frowned at the decision, warning him to avoid any relationship with her.

When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, DSP Lawal Abdullahi said they received the information on the death of the girl and  immediately swung into action.

DSP Abdullahi  said the girl’s body has been  deposited at the Federal Medical Centre for post mortem examination, adding that the suspect would be charged to court after proper investigation.

AUSTRIA: BODY OF MAN SUSPECTED OF SHOOTING FOUR DEAD IS FOUND....

Emergency vehicles at the house near Melk, Austria, where the body was found. Photograph: Robert Jaeger/EPA

Police searching a farm for a gunman who killed four people in centralAustria said that they have found the charred body of what they believed was the suspect.

Regional police spokesman Roland Scherscher said the body was discovered early on Wednesday in a compartment behind a double wall of one of the buildings on the farm grounds.

After a 12-hour standoff, police stormed the building with body armour and assault weapons. The body was found more than a day after the gunman barricaded himself in a farm building near Melk, a town 40 miles west of Vienna.

Scherscher told reporters that forensic experts still had to identify the body but police believe it was that of the gunman, who apparently set himself on fire.

The killings began about 24 hours earlier, when police stopped the man on a road near a wilderness area west of Vienna where there has been frequent poaching. Austrian media said the man was a suspected poacher. Police named the suspect as 55-year-old Alois Huber.

Interior ministry spokesman Karl-Heinz Grundboeck said the gunman fled in his car, which landed in a ditch in the nearby town of Annaberg, then shot and wounded a member of Austria's Cobra Swat team at a police checkpoint. The police officer later died. An ambulance arrived, but the gunman shot and killed its driver as he tried to give first aid to the wounded policeman. The gunman also shot and wounded another officer at the scene.

Later on Tuesday, another officer who had been missing was found shot dead in his patrol car, said Grundboeck. Scherscher said that officer was apparently killed after the suspect carjacked the police vehicle and took him hostage.

The attacker then fatally shot another police officer at a roadblock before barricading himself in the farm building.

The provincial government of Lower Austria ordered black flags flown from all public buildings in honour of the gunman's victims.

CHILD MARRIAGE AND CONSTITUTION REVIEW...

Following the resolution of the National Assembly with respect to section 29 (4) (b) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended),  I have carefully examined the provision once more to enable me understand the real issue in controversy and then make my own contribution.

It is important to state here that the bone of contention is section 29 (4)(b) of the Constitution. This section is not new and has been an existing provision in the 1999 Constitution before the amendments. The relevant provision for the purposes of this write up is Section 29(1) & (4) (a) & (b). These provide as follows:
(1)   “Any citizen of Nigeria of full age who wishes to renounce his Nigerian citizenship shall make a declaration in the prescribed manner for renunciation.
(4)   For the purposes of subsection (1) of this section :
(a)   ‘Full age’ means the age of eighteen years and above
(b)   Any woman who is married shall be deemed to be of full age.”
The basic question that calls for consideration here is: what is the import of Section 29(4)(b) of the  Constitution?
Before considering the above question, it is necessary to consider the Child Rights Act (CRA) 2003. Note that the CRA was a domestication of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. The relevant sections here are sections 21, 23 and 277 which provide as follows:
Section 21 – no person under the age of eighteen years is capable of contracting a valid marriage, and accordingly a marriage so contracted is null and void and of no effect whatsoever.

Section 23 – a person (a). who marries a child (b). to whom a child is betrothed; or  (c).who promotes the marriage of a child ; or  (d). who betroths a child commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine of N500,000; or imprisonment    for a term of five years or to both such fine and imprisonment.

Having seen the above provisions, we will then go back to the issue for consideration in this article which is the import of section 29 (4) (b) of the Constitution.

This issue will be considered in two dimensions, the first is whether the provision of section 29(4) (b) of the 1999 Constitution allows child marriage. In my view the operative words in that section are “woman” and “married”.
Neither the Constitution nor the Interpretation Act defined these words. However, Black’s Law Dictionary defines “Marriage” as “the civil status of one man and one woman united in law for life, for the discharge to each other and the community of the duties legally incumbent on those whose association is founded on the distinction of sex”.

It is important to note that the particular word used in the section of the Constitution in question is woman and not GIRL.
It is my humble view that the use of the word woman by the makers of the Constitution was deliberate.

Section 277 of the Child Rights Act defines a child as a person who is under the age of 18 years while the age of majority is prescribed in the same section as the age of 18. The Constitution itself, under subsection 4(a) of the same Section described a person of full age to be a person who has attained the age of maturity. Simply put, a woman, that is, an adult female is one who has attained the age of majority. Conclusively, the ordinary and natural meaning of woman as used in section 29(4)(b) of the Constitution is one  who has attained the age of 18 years.
I do not think that the said provision admits of child marriage as a girl child is not a woman and as such is incapable of contracting a valid marriage under Nigerian law.

If anything, the sub-section is merely repetitive of sub-section 4(a) of the same section and to that extent, it is a superfluous, totally irrelevant and inconsequential and ought to be expunged from the Constitution.

Another dimension to determine the issue as postulated above is to consider the effect of the combined reading of section 29 (1) & (4) holistically. In the case of the erudite jurists of the Court of Appeal dwelt heavily on the question of the interpretation of the Constitution and held that in interpreting a section of the Constitution, the entire section should be read as a whole for the purpose of understanding the necessary intendment of the Constitution.

The Constitution must be construed in such a way that it protects what it sets out to protect and guides what it sets out to guide.
A subsection of the Constitution shall not be construed in such a way that it makes nonsense of other provisions of the same section.
I therefore submit that construing subsection 4(b) of Section 29 to include a girl child is to make nonsense of subsection 4(a) which is gender insensitive and thus includes both men and women.

It is also important to note that section 29(4) was made for the purposes of section 29(1) which provides for renunciation of citizenship by a Nigerian of full age.

It is not an avenue for any person who has breached the provisions of the CRA to legalize his criminal actions. The Constitution upholds the moral value of the people.

From the forgoing therefore, I will like to say that the provisions of Section 29(4) (b) of the Constitution is not inconsistent with the Child Rights Act 2003, and whether the said sub section is expunged from the Constitution or not it does not in any way admit of or support child marriage.

However, since the said sub section is found to be completely irrelevant, it is better that it is expunged so that it will not be misconstrued by some pedophiles who will want to hide under the Constitution to perpetrate their illicit act.
The C RA was passed into law by the National Assembly and it remains a god law. It is a shame that the same people who pass laws breach it with impunity and walk freely around the country.

Acid attacks: is anybody safe???

 It is just a matter of time before some acid attackers claim their next victim, if the current trend is anything to go by, what with the police forces’ apparent incapacity to put in check or arrest the villains.

This is the view of a cross-section of Tanzanians who have been nervously taking note of the trend as one innocent victim after another gets splashed with the corrosive liquid and culprits vanishing to safety.

A lecturer at the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM), Mr Bashiru Ally, said yesterday that the police force is overwhelmed and can no longer prevent the attacks. Everyone must be on alert, Mr Ally cautioned yesterday.

“I think it has to do with the nature of attacks. And it could be practically impossible for the police to contain all the acid attacks,” Mr Ally said.

However, something is lacking with the capacity of the police to investigate such cases, Mr Ally observed, calling for a boost of that capacity and much engagement with the public for disclosure of information that could lead to arrests.

This year alone, at least six acid attacks on religious leaders, businessmen and foreigners have been reported, with the last victim being a Catholic priest, Fr Anselm Mwang’amba, who was badly injured on Friday in Zanzibar.

A week ago, a Dar es Salaam trader was attacked with acid by unknown people. And last month, two British nationals got badly burned with acid thrown at them in Zanzibar as they took a walk on the historical Stone Town streets.

Come July and prominent businessman tasted same cruelty when he was likewise assaulted in Dar es Salaam.

In the list of acid victims are also three Muslim clerics including Sheikh Fadhil Suleiman Soraga who was badly injured last year after a yet to be known attacker threw acid on his face in November last year.

The government seems to have run out of options on how to contain the cowardly attacks, commentators say, as the action taken in the wake of the assault on British girls, Katie Gee and Kirstie Trup, both aged 18, seem to have failed to stop acid thuggery.

Immediately after the attack on the teenagers, the government took measures to control the importation and sale of acid, requiring that a list of people importing and buying acid at both retail and wholesale points be kept and sent to the police.

The government also banned selling acid to motorists, requiring that mechanics handle the filling of acid on car batteries.

For her part, executive director of the Tanzania Media Women Association (Tamwa), Ms Valerie Msoka, said the public is now under state of dilemma because police have remained silent on previous incidents, and in the meantime the attacks continue.

She said the police were supposed to give updates to the public on investigations on past incidents.

The chairman of the Committee on Ethics and Social Justice William Mwamalanga and the CCM youth wing called for reform of the Isles’ Police Force Rev Mwamalanga, a pastor with the Pentecostal Church, said such incidents must not be allowed to continue.

“The commissioner of Zanzibar Police should also take political responsibility and resign to pave the way for those who can do the job,” Pastor Mwamalanga said yesterday as he paid a visit to Fr Mwang’amba.

UVCCM deputy secretary general in Zanzibar Hamdu Shaka said in a statement yesterday that failure to arrive on time at scenes of crime gave an opportunity to attackers to destroy evidence and escape.

But Commissioner of Police Zanzibar Musa Ali Musa said he cannot react to calls by clerics and politicians that he resigns who are just expressing their opinion.

“I know what I’ve accomplished so far. Should we also say, for example, that both Muslim and Christian clerics have failed in their mission simply because we still have drunkards and prostitutes on the streets?” Mr Musa queried.

OPPOSITION TEAMS UP AGAINST JAKAYA KIKWETE’S NOD TO BILL...

Dar es Salaam. In a rare show of unity, major opposition parties yesterday joined forces against the Constitutional Review (Amendment) Bill 2013, which Parliament passed earlier this month.

Chadema, CUF and NCCR-Mageuzi resolved to hold a joint campaign to persuade President Jakaya Kikwete not to sign the Bill into law following its endorsement by Parliament on September 6.

The chairmen of the three parties – Prof Ibrahim Lipumba (CUF), Mr Freeman Mbowe (Chadema) and Mr James Mbatia (NCCR-Mageuzi) – told a news conference in Dar es Salaam that they were against the President’s approval of the Bill before amendments are made to contentious clauses guiding the selection of Constituent Assembly members.

They said they would hold public rallies across the country from this weekend to drum up popular support for their opposition to the Bill, which gives the Union and Zanzibar presidents powers to appoint members of the Constituent Assembly.

The Opposition also wants the number of members of the assembly increased from 604 to 792 to check CCM’s domination.

They fear that the envisaged constitution would reflect the wishes of the ruling elite if CCM retains its majority in the assembly.

They also called for representation from Zanzibar to be increased to 50 per cent from the proposed 36 per cent.

Parliament passed the Bill in the absence of MPs from the three parties, who staged a walkout after failing to press for its withdrawal.

The endorsement was preceded by a stormy debate and ugly scenes, which saw some MPs scuffle with parliamentary security officials.

Opposition MPs had earlier said that stakeholders from Zanzibar were not fully involved in the collection of views on the Bill.

They also said some clauses in the final document tabled in Parliament were inserted without following proper procedures.

Reading a joint statement on behalf of his fellow party chairmen, Prof Lipumba said they would kick off their campaign on Saturday at Jangwani grounds in Dar es Salaam.

“The people have the right to hear how CCM is bulldozing others in the constitution-making process,” he said.

Prof Lipumba said President Kikwete would be making a “grave mistake” if he signs the Bill into law because the amendment and endorsement of the document by Parliament were against the spirit of his meetings with opposition leaders at State House in 2011 and early last year before the review process began in earnest.

“The President should return the Bill to Parliament so that changes meant to build trust and national consensus in the constitutional review process are made,” he said.

However, Prof Lipumba did not say what the parties would do if President Kikwete signs the Bill into law before they officially launch their campaign on Saturday.

Mr Mbatia said it was the opposition which initially pushed for the writing of a new constitution back in 1991.

“It is because of this fact that we are not ready to see our idea of writing a new constitution being played around with,” he said.

Mr Mbatia said political parties should put their differences aside and decide on what is best for the country.

“We request President Kikwete to put the national interest first, not the interests of his party,” he said. For his part, Mr Mbowe urged Tanzanians to stand up for an inclusive process of getting a new constitution.

“Peace will be at stake if the process towards a new constitution is dominated by a single political party...we want to avoid this,” said Mr Mbowe, who is also the Leader of the Official Opposition in Parliament.

He said the writing of a new constitution was a rare opportunity for the country to have a new beginning.

The opposition leaders spoke a few days after a cross-section of stakeholders appealed to President Kikwete not to assent to the Bill.

Opposition to the Bill shifted from Parliament to the public last week as key figures representing sections of society call for “presidential wisdom” in handling the matter.

The shift in language follows concerns among both legislators and the public about the process of preparing the legislation.

The move came barely a day after a forum in Dar es Salaam asked President Kikwete not to sign the new Bill into law, which gives the head of state authority to appoint 166 of the Constituent Assembly’s 604 members.

JUDGE COMPROMISES OVER NIQAB FOR MUSLIM WOMAN IN DOCK....

The judge's ruling will set a precedent for how courts deal with witnesses and defendants wearing niqabs. Photograph: Rex Features

A Muslim woman has been told that she must remove her full-face veil when she gives evidence but can wear it at other times during her trial, a judge has ruled at Blackfriars crown court in London.

Judge Peter Murphy's compromise ruling will set a significant precedent for how courts deal with witnesses and defendants who insist on wearing a niqab.

The 22-year-old woman from London, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, says it is against her religious beliefs to show her face in public. She pleaded not guilty to a charge of intimidation last week while wearing a veil.

The judge had warned that she would have to show her face to be properly identified. However, he backed down last Thursday and permitted her to enter the dock after she had been identified in a private room by a female police officer.

The Metropolitan police constable, who was present when the defendant was photographed following her arrest in June, then swore on oath that she was in the dock.

A niqab covers the face, with a slit for the eyes. It is commonly worn in the Saudi Arabian peninsula and many other Muslim countries.

The woman's barrister, Susan Meek, had argued it would breach her human rights and be counter to Britain's tolerance of Islamic dress if she had to remove her veil against her wishes during the trial.

"She is entitled to wear it in private and in public," Meek said last week. "That right to wear the niqab also extends to the courtroom. There is no legislation in the UK in respect of the wearing of the niqab. There is no law in this country banning it.

"The jury will be able to determine her demeanour while wearing the veil. Demeanour is not just how their mouth moves, it is how their head moves, their eyes move, their hands move. That will be fully visible to the jury and no bar to her giving evidence."

The judgment came on the day the deputy prime minister, Nick Clegg, said that he did not believe it was "appropriate" for students to wear a full veil in the classroom or for people to go through airport security with their faces covered.

Clegg told the BBC: "I think it is very un-British to start telling people what pieces of clothing they should wear. I think there are exceptions to that as far as the full veil is concerned – security at airports, for instance. It is perfectly reasonable for us to say the full veil is clearly not appropriate there.

"And I think in the classroom, there is an issue of course about teachers being able to address their students in a way where they can address them face to face. I think it is quite difficult in the classroom to be able to do that."

The Home Office minister Jeremy Browne earlier called for a national debate on whether the state should step in to prevent young women having the veil imposed upon them.

That intervention was sparked by a row over the decision by Birmingham Metropolitan College to drop a ban on the wearing of full-face veils. Browne said he was "instinctively uneasy" about restricting religious freedoms, but he added there may be a case to act to protect girls who were too young to decide for themselves whether they wished to wear the veil or not

COUNTIES ALLOCATION RISE AS PRESIDENT SIGNS ACT....

  President Kenyatta signs the CDF Act 2013 into law at State House, Nairobi on September 13, 2013.

Total allocation to counties by the national government has risen to above 40 per cent after President Uhuru Kenyatta signed the CDF Act 2013, National Treasury data showed.

Government had initially allocated 32 per cent of resources or Sh210 billion to counties.

But the CDF cash, as well as money for rural and urban roads development will lift that to above 40 per cent.

President Kenyatta signed the CDF Act 2013 into law at a ceremony witnessed by National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi and National Treasury Cabinet Secretary Henry Rotich at State House, Nairobi.

President Kenyatta said the increase of resources at the county level was meant to ensure that citizens receive effective and efficient service delivery.

This is one of the major pillars of the Jubilee administration's agenda.

“This is an important step in delivering money to fund services to our people.

This money must be put to projects at the grassroots in accordance with the needs and priorities of the constituencies,” the President said.

Parliamentarians welcomed the signing into law of the CDF Act 2013.

The Mps said that this was evidence that the Jubilee administration had allocated way above the 40 per cent threshold of revenues to counties.

They noted that this had been achieved even without a referendum.

CDF Act 2013 is aimed at aligning the law governing CDF to the new Constitution.

It also seeks to bring compliance with the principle of transparency, accountability, separation of powers and participation of the people