Courtesy:intelligencebriefs.com
Kenya airforce, an arm of the KDF may have acquired the aircraft’s as part of its modernization efforts seen throughout out its wings particularly the 50-Air Calvary wing.
F-16 is a very capable fighter air-craft and its used by the United States, Israel, Egypt, Japan and other close allies of the United States.
There are a few issues that have to be looked into before the assembly, intelligence sources show, citing contractual agreements with American’s that will cover repair, spares, and fleet maintenance aspects of the contract.
Kenya has been buying arms from China and Russia isolating its once main source United States.
The Kenya airforce has been on the spotlight after defense officials were quoted hinting purchase of new fighter aircraft’s.
Currently Kenya Air Force uses F-5 fighter jets developed by the same company that developed and manufactured the F-16.
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Kenya Airforce Acquired French Defense Aircrafts in 2011
SOURCE: intelligencebriefs.com
Intelligence reports with regard to current upgrade of the Kenya defense forces show that in October 2011, Kenya defense forces acquired defense aircraft from France.
According to Col Thierry Burkhard of the French military, French planes were used to transport military equipment to Kenya.
While the equipment was not directly linked to the operation in Somalia, the type of aircraft used to transport the equipment was quite large and could have been carrying parts of French made defense aircrafts.
The French reported that they were transporting equipment to Kenyan troops at Wajir airbase near the Somalian border.
The Wajir airbase was recently upgraded and still under expansion by the US navy Seabees.
France manufactures Dassault Mirage F1 which is being out-phased by the much capable Rafale fighter jet.
Kenya may have bought Rafale jets used in Libya during the ouster of Muammar Gaddaffi by NATO in 2011.
In recent past Kenya and France trade cooperation has been increased.
Kenya defense forces have been acquiring new aircrafts and have hinted they may acquire a variety of fighters to meet different types of threats.
Kenya airforce will resemble Algerian airforce that has different types of attack and combat aircrafts at their disposal.
Intelligence reports with regard to current upgrade of the Kenya defense forces show that in October 2011, Kenya defense forces acquired defense aircraft from France.
According to Col Thierry Burkhard of the French military, French planes were used to transport military equipment to Kenya.
While the equipment was not directly linked to the operation in Somalia, the type of aircraft used to transport the equipment was quite large and could have been carrying parts of French made defense aircrafts.
The French reported that they were transporting equipment to Kenyan troops at Wajir airbase near the Somalian border.
The Wajir airbase was recently upgraded and still under expansion by the US navy Seabees.
France manufactures Dassault Mirage F1 which is being out-phased by the much capable Rafale fighter jet.
Kenya may have bought Rafale jets used in Libya during the ouster of Muammar Gaddaffi by NATO in 2011.
In recent past Kenya and France trade cooperation has been increased.
Kenya defense forces have been acquiring new aircrafts and have hinted they may acquire a variety of fighters to meet different types of threats.
Kenya airforce will resemble Algerian airforce that has different types of attack and combat aircrafts at their disposal.
Sudanese conflict may hinge on which economy falters first
Courtesy: Business report online
The outcome of the dramatically escalating border fighting between Sudan and South Sudan is more likely to be determined by which of the two faltering economies collapses first than by relative military prowess.
South Sudan, which seceded from Sudan in July last year, seized the disputed Heglig oilfield last week, edging the two former civil war foes closer to full-blown conflict than any time since the South gained independence. But rather than sparking an all-out military confrontation, each side’s aim may now be to target one another’s oil facilities and wait for their opponent to crumble under armed insurgencies, popular unrest and fuel shortages.
“It is a question of which side can maintain the basic governance and military structures longer,” a Sudan expert with government contacts said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The two countries have already driven their economies to the brink of implosion since South Sudan split away, cleaving the vital oil industry in two. Squabbling over oil payments and border fighting has withered combined crude output – previously the main source of foreign currency and state revenues for both countries – from around 500 000 barrels a day before partition to just over a tenth of that.
Food prices are soaring on both sides of the border and their currencies are reeling as officials scramble to make up for the sudden loss of revenues in countries that were already reeling from years of war, mismanagement and US trade sanctions.
But despite their weaknesses, both sides have consistently reckoned they have the upper hand on their foe, partly explaining why fighting has escalated despite the obvious fact that neither side can actually afford to fight a war.
“Khartoum is fighting for its survival,” said Peter Bashir Gbandi, a deputy for the ruling Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) in South Sudan’s national assembly, during an emotional Juba panel debate packed with bellicose comments and broadcast live on radio. “Khartoum is economically khallas, collapsing,” he said, using the Arabic word for “finished”.
Uprisings
With popular uprisings convulsing the Middle East, many in South Sudan have predicted Sudan’s President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, in power since a 1989 coup, will soon meet the same fate as leaders in neighbouring Egypt and Libya.
If the South can hold out a few months longer, the reasoning goes, Sudan’s people will surely overthrow their government and replace it with a regime more receptive to Juba’s demands.
Khartoum, on the other hand, sees a good chance South Sudan – already hit by domestic rebellions, horribly violent cattle raiding and widespread poverty – will soon run out of money and descend into ungovernable chaos.
The result is what Harry Verhoeven, a University of Oxford researcher who has studied Sudan extensively, calls a “war of attrition”, in which both sides wait for the other to crumble internally or run out of the funds and fuel needed to wage war.
With its MiG and Antonov planes, Sudan still has a huge advantage in terms of air power, which even South Sudan’s military spokesman admits Juba’s forces can do little but “take precautions” against. But even before Heglig fell, Sudan was fighting insurgencies on three fronts – the western Darfur region and the South Kordofan and Blue Nile border states – and South Sudan may be betting Khartoum cannot afford to stretch the military further.
“As we speak now there are demonstrations in Khartoum. You cannot fight, you cannot open another front in southern Sudan if you already have four fronts to fight,” SPLM deputy Gbandi said.
That may explain why South Sudan’s rulers have been unrepentant about the occupation of Heglig, even under pressure from the US and other global powers.
In a speech to parliament last week, South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir chided UN chief Ban Ki-moon for asking him to withdraw his troops. “I told him you don’t need to order me because I am not under your command. I am a head of a state.“
Fuel prices
Juba’s defiance was probably a sign it believed it could catalyse regime change in Sudan, Verhoeven said. “If Khartoum falls, of course, the SPLM thinks we’re looking at a very different game and everyone will forget their gamble.”
And yet many in Khartoum’s ruling National Congress Party are likely to take a similar view of the South, despite the shock of losing Heglig. Officials often contrast Sudan’s diverse economy with that of South Sudan, which depended on oil for 98 percent of state income.
“If there will be war after the loss of oil it will be a war of attrition. But it will be a war of attrition hitting them before us,” President al-Bashir told state television a few days after the South’s oil shutdown.
Sabir Hassan, a former central bank governor who co-chairs Khartoum’s economic negotiations team, insists the country is still better off than its southern neighbour despite the chance it will have to import more fuel now.
“In the south there is no economy as such. It is a salary-based economy,” he said. “Experience has shown that our economy has some resilience when it comes to facing such crises. We have had crises which were very similar to this before.”
Some foreign experts and advisers estimate that South Sudan may struggle to pay for imports and support its currency within a couple of months without outside help, as assessment officials in Khartoum are certainly aware.
Oil shutdowns
The loss of Heglig knocked out about half of Sudan’s 115 000 barrel-a-day oil output. Landlocked South Sudan shut down its own roughly 350 000 barrels a day in January in a row over how much it should pay to export crude via Sudan.
And while friendly governments could offer some financial support to avert economic disaster in either country, both may struggle to secure enough loans to see them through the crisis, especially while the threat of war looms.
A flashpoint for both countries is fuel prices – a red line for unrest in many poor countries this year, such as Nigeria. Sudan and South Sudan have seen long queues as motorists tried to stock up on petrol in the past week. Four filling stations in Juba visited at the weekend had run out of fuel.
In Khartoum, rumours have spread that the government may have to cut fuel subsidies after losing Heglig, despite official assurances that the state has enough reserves to handle the crisis.
Food prices are another worry. The loss of foreign currency from oil revenues has driven up the cost of imports, especially in South Sudan, where staples like rice and tomatoes are trucked in at a premium from Kenya and Uganda.
Any halt or delay in state salaries could also make it harder for either side to keep its government functioning. In Bor, the capital of South Sudan’s Jonglei state, a government worker this month said his ministry’s budget for cleaning, water and other services had already been halved under government austerity measures. “When it touches salaries, this is where the problem comes in,” he said.
There are similar risks in Sudan. One Sudanese economic expert with political ties estimates that three quarters of the budget goes to Sudan’s military, security forces and high-level officials. If true, that does not leave much room to trim spending without hitting sensitive areas.
“The government is unable to get us out of this miserable situation,” the expert said. But he said a bloody political transition could lead to a “Somalia situation”, and fear of chaos like that affecting the failed state could deter many Sudanese from rising up. – Reuters
The outcome of the dramatically escalating border fighting between Sudan and South Sudan is more likely to be determined by which of the two faltering economies collapses first than by relative military prowess.
South Sudan, which seceded from Sudan in July last year, seized the disputed Heglig oilfield last week, edging the two former civil war foes closer to full-blown conflict than any time since the South gained independence. But rather than sparking an all-out military confrontation, each side’s aim may now be to target one another’s oil facilities and wait for their opponent to crumble under armed insurgencies, popular unrest and fuel shortages.
“It is a question of which side can maintain the basic governance and military structures longer,” a Sudan expert with government contacts said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The two countries have already driven their economies to the brink of implosion since South Sudan split away, cleaving the vital oil industry in two. Squabbling over oil payments and border fighting has withered combined crude output – previously the main source of foreign currency and state revenues for both countries – from around 500 000 barrels a day before partition to just over a tenth of that.
Food prices are soaring on both sides of the border and their currencies are reeling as officials scramble to make up for the sudden loss of revenues in countries that were already reeling from years of war, mismanagement and US trade sanctions.
But despite their weaknesses, both sides have consistently reckoned they have the upper hand on their foe, partly explaining why fighting has escalated despite the obvious fact that neither side can actually afford to fight a war.
“Khartoum is fighting for its survival,” said Peter Bashir Gbandi, a deputy for the ruling Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) in South Sudan’s national assembly, during an emotional Juba panel debate packed with bellicose comments and broadcast live on radio. “Khartoum is economically khallas, collapsing,” he said, using the Arabic word for “finished”.
Uprisings
With popular uprisings convulsing the Middle East, many in South Sudan have predicted Sudan’s President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, in power since a 1989 coup, will soon meet the same fate as leaders in neighbouring Egypt and Libya.
If the South can hold out a few months longer, the reasoning goes, Sudan’s people will surely overthrow their government and replace it with a regime more receptive to Juba’s demands.
Khartoum, on the other hand, sees a good chance South Sudan – already hit by domestic rebellions, horribly violent cattle raiding and widespread poverty – will soon run out of money and descend into ungovernable chaos.
The result is what Harry Verhoeven, a University of Oxford researcher who has studied Sudan extensively, calls a “war of attrition”, in which both sides wait for the other to crumble internally or run out of the funds and fuel needed to wage war.
With its MiG and Antonov planes, Sudan still has a huge advantage in terms of air power, which even South Sudan’s military spokesman admits Juba’s forces can do little but “take precautions” against. But even before Heglig fell, Sudan was fighting insurgencies on three fronts – the western Darfur region and the South Kordofan and Blue Nile border states – and South Sudan may be betting Khartoum cannot afford to stretch the military further.
“As we speak now there are demonstrations in Khartoum. You cannot fight, you cannot open another front in southern Sudan if you already have four fronts to fight,” SPLM deputy Gbandi said.
That may explain why South Sudan’s rulers have been unrepentant about the occupation of Heglig, even under pressure from the US and other global powers.
In a speech to parliament last week, South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir chided UN chief Ban Ki-moon for asking him to withdraw his troops. “I told him you don’t need to order me because I am not under your command. I am a head of a state.“
Fuel prices
Juba’s defiance was probably a sign it believed it could catalyse regime change in Sudan, Verhoeven said. “If Khartoum falls, of course, the SPLM thinks we’re looking at a very different game and everyone will forget their gamble.”
And yet many in Khartoum’s ruling National Congress Party are likely to take a similar view of the South, despite the shock of losing Heglig. Officials often contrast Sudan’s diverse economy with that of South Sudan, which depended on oil for 98 percent of state income.
“If there will be war after the loss of oil it will be a war of attrition. But it will be a war of attrition hitting them before us,” President al-Bashir told state television a few days after the South’s oil shutdown.
Sabir Hassan, a former central bank governor who co-chairs Khartoum’s economic negotiations team, insists the country is still better off than its southern neighbour despite the chance it will have to import more fuel now.
“In the south there is no economy as such. It is a salary-based economy,” he said. “Experience has shown that our economy has some resilience when it comes to facing such crises. We have had crises which were very similar to this before.”
Some foreign experts and advisers estimate that South Sudan may struggle to pay for imports and support its currency within a couple of months without outside help, as assessment officials in Khartoum are certainly aware.
Oil shutdowns
The loss of Heglig knocked out about half of Sudan’s 115 000 barrel-a-day oil output. Landlocked South Sudan shut down its own roughly 350 000 barrels a day in January in a row over how much it should pay to export crude via Sudan.
And while friendly governments could offer some financial support to avert economic disaster in either country, both may struggle to secure enough loans to see them through the crisis, especially while the threat of war looms.
A flashpoint for both countries is fuel prices – a red line for unrest in many poor countries this year, such as Nigeria. Sudan and South Sudan have seen long queues as motorists tried to stock up on petrol in the past week. Four filling stations in Juba visited at the weekend had run out of fuel.
In Khartoum, rumours have spread that the government may have to cut fuel subsidies after losing Heglig, despite official assurances that the state has enough reserves to handle the crisis.
Food prices are another worry. The loss of foreign currency from oil revenues has driven up the cost of imports, especially in South Sudan, where staples like rice and tomatoes are trucked in at a premium from Kenya and Uganda.
Any halt or delay in state salaries could also make it harder for either side to keep its government functioning. In Bor, the capital of South Sudan’s Jonglei state, a government worker this month said his ministry’s budget for cleaning, water and other services had already been halved under government austerity measures. “When it touches salaries, this is where the problem comes in,” he said.
There are similar risks in Sudan. One Sudanese economic expert with political ties estimates that three quarters of the budget goes to Sudan’s military, security forces and high-level officials. If true, that does not leave much room to trim spending without hitting sensitive areas.
“The government is unable to get us out of this miserable situation,” the expert said. But he said a bloody political transition could lead to a “Somalia situation”, and fear of chaos like that affecting the failed state could deter many Sudanese from rising up. – Reuters
KCB Set to Relocate Regional Headquarters
For the first time in 35 years KCB will relocate its head office to a new regional headquarters in the expanding Upper Hill commercial district.
The move, which is set for mid-2013 will take place once the ultra-modern complex currently under construction is complete. Kencom House was officially opened on Wednesday 7th December, 1977 by the first President of the Republic of Kenya, the Late Mzee Jomo Kenyatta.
Speaking during the official unveiling of a commemorative plaque, the KCB Group Chairman, Peter W. Muthoka said the significance of the KSh2.1 billion-worth building was not only underpinned by the magnitude of its cost, but by the fact that it is an outstanding symbol of the selfless toil of generations of committed KCB Group Staff who have worked for the bank over the years.
“This building represents the crystallization of the concerted efforts of a great workforce that has seen this bank grow to be largest bank in the East African region, with an asset base Kshs.331 billion,” said the KCB Group Chairman.
The new Head Office presents a number of milestones for the group. KCB is the first bank to invest, through its Pension Schemes, in a ‘Green Building’ with a focus on environmental sustainability and achieving building management operational cost savings.
KCB Group Chairman said that the timing of the move to the new head office was key to realigning the bank’s operations with its robust growth.
“To date we have more than 2 million customers and we expect this figure to rise as our branch and regional expansion program proceeds,” said Muthoka.
Muthoka added that the relocation would also free up space at Kencom to be rented out for additional income for the KCB Pension Schemes. In addition, the relocation will provide easier access for customers and present a better working environment for staff. The Group currently runs two pension schemes; a defined benefit scheme and the other a defined contribution scheme. The two KCB schemes are cumulatively valued at KShs 12.8 billion, the largest in terms of value in Kenya.
“This is a prudent operational move; our corporate customers were experiencing shortage of parking space. The complex will have 450 parking slots that will alleviate this challenge,” he said.
KCB Group will be the anchor tenant and will rent the entire floor space of the KCB Pensions Fund-owned building upon its completion, thus guaranteeing a consistent rental income for the 4,000 pensioners.
The project is part of a number of residential and commercial properties that the pension schemes have recently invested in order to generate returns that will sustain the growing number of retirees.
Muthoka has served as Chairman of the Group Board for the last six years during which he steered the firm to post the highest profitability in the history of Kenya’s banking industry.
“Trustees of the two pension funds will continue to review investment opportunities in market with a view of optimising members’ returns,” said Muthoka.
The move, which is set for mid-2013 will take place once the ultra-modern complex currently under construction is complete. Kencom House was officially opened on Wednesday 7th December, 1977 by the first President of the Republic of Kenya, the Late Mzee Jomo Kenyatta.
Speaking during the official unveiling of a commemorative plaque, the KCB Group Chairman, Peter W. Muthoka said the significance of the KSh2.1 billion-worth building was not only underpinned by the magnitude of its cost, but by the fact that it is an outstanding symbol of the selfless toil of generations of committed KCB Group Staff who have worked for the bank over the years.
“This building represents the crystallization of the concerted efforts of a great workforce that has seen this bank grow to be largest bank in the East African region, with an asset base Kshs.331 billion,” said the KCB Group Chairman.
The new Head Office presents a number of milestones for the group. KCB is the first bank to invest, through its Pension Schemes, in a ‘Green Building’ with a focus on environmental sustainability and achieving building management operational cost savings.
KCB Group Chairman said that the timing of the move to the new head office was key to realigning the bank’s operations with its robust growth.
“To date we have more than 2 million customers and we expect this figure to rise as our branch and regional expansion program proceeds,” said Muthoka.
Muthoka added that the relocation would also free up space at Kencom to be rented out for additional income for the KCB Pension Schemes. In addition, the relocation will provide easier access for customers and present a better working environment for staff. The Group currently runs two pension schemes; a defined benefit scheme and the other a defined contribution scheme. The two KCB schemes are cumulatively valued at KShs 12.8 billion, the largest in terms of value in Kenya.
“This is a prudent operational move; our corporate customers were experiencing shortage of parking space. The complex will have 450 parking slots that will alleviate this challenge,” he said.
KCB Group will be the anchor tenant and will rent the entire floor space of the KCB Pensions Fund-owned building upon its completion, thus guaranteeing a consistent rental income for the 4,000 pensioners.
The project is part of a number of residential and commercial properties that the pension schemes have recently invested in order to generate returns that will sustain the growing number of retirees.
Muthoka has served as Chairman of the Group Board for the last six years during which he steered the firm to post the highest profitability in the history of Kenya’s banking industry.
“Trustees of the two pension funds will continue to review investment opportunities in market with a view of optimising members’ returns,” said Muthoka.
mobile traffic volumes decline as a result of increased tariffs
QUARTERLY SECTOR STATISTICS REPORT
By the end of the quarter under review (Quarter 2 of 2011/12 i.e. the period from 1st October to 31st December 2011), there were a total of 28.08 million mobile subscriptions in the country up from 26.49 million subscriptions recorded during the previous quarter. This represents an increase of 5.99 per cent during the period. Pre-paid subscriptions grew by 6.03 per cent to record 27.84 million subscriptions while post-paid subscriptions grew by 1.31 per cent to record 236,436 subscriptions during the period. Mobile penetration was recorded as 71.3 per cent during the period up from 67.2 per cent recorded during the previous period.
The main fixed lines (fixed terrestrial lines and fixed wireless) subscriptions recorded a downward trend of 20.24 per cent during the period, from 355,493 fixed lines during the previous period to 283,546 during the quarter under review. This represents a fixed-line tele-density of 0.72 per cent from 0.90 per cent recorded during the previous period.
Total local mobile traffic declined to 6.70 billion minutes from 7.09 billion minutes recorded during the previous period, representing a decrease of 5.58 per cent. This was as a result of increase in tariffs by a key mobile operator that led to the reduction in local mobile traffic.
Similarly, Minutes of Use (MoU) per subscriber per month declined to 79.9 down from 89.3 recorded in the previous period, registering a decrease of 10.53 per cent. In addition, the number of SMS per subscriber per month declined by 38.52 per cent from 17.42 SMS during the previous period to 10.71 SMS during the period under review.
Meanwhile, Internet service continued to rise steadily during the quarter to stand at 6,152,687 Internet subscriptions from 5,422,009 during the previous period, representing a 13.48 per cent increase. Likewise, the estimated number of Internet users rose by 21.55 per cent from 14.30 million users in the previous period to 17.38 million during the period under review.
Broadband1 subscriptions increased to 131,829 from 126,589 recorded during the previous period. This represents an increase of 4.14 per cent. Broadband subscriptions represented 2.14 per cent of the total Internet subscriptions.
1 In Kenya broadband is defined as speeds greater than or equal to 256Kbps in one or both directions.
International connectivity bandwidth increased by 3.15 per cent from 51,319.35 Mbps in the previous period to 52,938 Mbps during the period under review. The total available bandwidth in the country was recorded as 5,261,919Mbps during the period under review. - 7 -
In the postal sector, the total local letters sent declined by 4.75 per cent from 20.57 million letters sent during the previous period to 19.59 million letters sent during the period under review. International incoming letters were recorded as 80,217 from 100,348 recorded during the period under review. Similarly international outgoing letters declined by 17.96 per cent from 2.73 million recorded during the previous period to 2.24 million recorded during the period under review. For more information:
http://www.cck.go.ke/resc/downloads/SECTOR_STATISTICS_REPORT_Q2_2011-12.pdf
By the end of the quarter under review (Quarter 2 of 2011/12 i.e. the period from 1st October to 31st December 2011), there were a total of 28.08 million mobile subscriptions in the country up from 26.49 million subscriptions recorded during the previous quarter. This represents an increase of 5.99 per cent during the period. Pre-paid subscriptions grew by 6.03 per cent to record 27.84 million subscriptions while post-paid subscriptions grew by 1.31 per cent to record 236,436 subscriptions during the period. Mobile penetration was recorded as 71.3 per cent during the period up from 67.2 per cent recorded during the previous period.
The main fixed lines (fixed terrestrial lines and fixed wireless) subscriptions recorded a downward trend of 20.24 per cent during the period, from 355,493 fixed lines during the previous period to 283,546 during the quarter under review. This represents a fixed-line tele-density of 0.72 per cent from 0.90 per cent recorded during the previous period.
Total local mobile traffic declined to 6.70 billion minutes from 7.09 billion minutes recorded during the previous period, representing a decrease of 5.58 per cent. This was as a result of increase in tariffs by a key mobile operator that led to the reduction in local mobile traffic.
Similarly, Minutes of Use (MoU) per subscriber per month declined to 79.9 down from 89.3 recorded in the previous period, registering a decrease of 10.53 per cent. In addition, the number of SMS per subscriber per month declined by 38.52 per cent from 17.42 SMS during the previous period to 10.71 SMS during the period under review.
Meanwhile, Internet service continued to rise steadily during the quarter to stand at 6,152,687 Internet subscriptions from 5,422,009 during the previous period, representing a 13.48 per cent increase. Likewise, the estimated number of Internet users rose by 21.55 per cent from 14.30 million users in the previous period to 17.38 million during the period under review.
Broadband1 subscriptions increased to 131,829 from 126,589 recorded during the previous period. This represents an increase of 4.14 per cent. Broadband subscriptions represented 2.14 per cent of the total Internet subscriptions.
1 In Kenya broadband is defined as speeds greater than or equal to 256Kbps in one or both directions.
International connectivity bandwidth increased by 3.15 per cent from 51,319.35 Mbps in the previous period to 52,938 Mbps during the period under review. The total available bandwidth in the country was recorded as 5,261,919Mbps during the period under review. - 7 -
In the postal sector, the total local letters sent declined by 4.75 per cent from 20.57 million letters sent during the previous period to 19.59 million letters sent during the period under review. International incoming letters were recorded as 80,217 from 100,348 recorded during the period under review. Similarly international outgoing letters declined by 17.96 per cent from 2.73 million recorded during the previous period to 2.24 million recorded during the period under review. For more information:
http://www.cck.go.ke/resc/downloads/SECTOR_STATISTICS_REPORT_Q2_2011-12.pdf
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Kenya steps up war on money laundering
MONEY LAUNDERING
Central bank of Kenyan has increased its surveillance on money laundering by the establishment of the financial reporting center. The center will be charged with the responsibility of operationalizing the Proceeds of Crime and Anti-Money Laundering Act.
The immediate operationalization of the financial reporting center was approved by the anti-money laundering advisory board last week and will be based at the ministry of finance and central bank offices with officers being seconded from the two institutions on an interim basis. The financial reporting center established under the Proceeds of Crime and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2009 will as priority operationalize the Act meant to prevent the concealment of large profits from drug trafficking and other organised crime. The centre will also analyze reports on suspicious transactions that may be associated with money laundering activities and forward them to appropriate law enforcing agencies for prosecution where fitting. The center will also be expected to come up with anti-money laundering policies in consultation with the board be fitting others in developed countries such as the US Patriot Act and the UK anti-money laundering & counter terrorist finance policy. The operationalization of the financial reporting center comes more than 2 years after parliament passed the Act after several attempts that faced hurdles from MPs who saw it as a move to reintroduce the anti-terrorism Bill to parliament through the back door. Kenya has been a victim of money laundering in the recent past with the warrants of arrest issued last year on former Finance minister Chris Okemo and former Kenya Power MD Samuel Gichuru for alleged involvement in money-laundering in a small island of Jersey. Transparency international is also on record saying that over 700 billion shillings has been stashed abroad by a number of Kenyans in foreign accounts proceeds from corruption, drugs and other criminal activities. And so as the center comes into place it has its work well cut out.
Central bank of Kenyan has increased its surveillance on money laundering by the establishment of the financial reporting center. The center will be charged with the responsibility of operationalizing the Proceeds of Crime and Anti-Money Laundering Act.
The immediate operationalization of the financial reporting center was approved by the anti-money laundering advisory board last week and will be based at the ministry of finance and central bank offices with officers being seconded from the two institutions on an interim basis. The financial reporting center established under the Proceeds of Crime and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2009 will as priority operationalize the Act meant to prevent the concealment of large profits from drug trafficking and other organised crime. The centre will also analyze reports on suspicious transactions that may be associated with money laundering activities and forward them to appropriate law enforcing agencies for prosecution where fitting. The center will also be expected to come up with anti-money laundering policies in consultation with the board be fitting others in developed countries such as the US Patriot Act and the UK anti-money laundering & counter terrorist finance policy. The operationalization of the financial reporting center comes more than 2 years after parliament passed the Act after several attempts that faced hurdles from MPs who saw it as a move to reintroduce the anti-terrorism Bill to parliament through the back door. Kenya has been a victim of money laundering in the recent past with the warrants of arrest issued last year on former Finance minister Chris Okemo and former Kenya Power MD Samuel Gichuru for alleged involvement in money-laundering in a small island of Jersey. Transparency international is also on record saying that over 700 billion shillings has been stashed abroad by a number of Kenyans in foreign accounts proceeds from corruption, drugs and other criminal activities. And so as the center comes into place it has its work well cut out.
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Government to improve efficiency through ICT
The Government is refocusing its formulation of policy on the ICT sector to enable increased internal efficiency the Ministry of Information has said.
Speaking at the Connected 2012 conference Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Information Dr. Bitange Ndemo noted that the government would save up to $1 billion through effective processes in government ministries such as the judiciary, procurement and the ministry of lands.
He also said that the government will increase the role played by e-government especially in ensuring that the Kenyan citizen can better access information especially as the devolution to county government starts.
"Effective application of e-government will lead to savings of up to $I billion with top of the list savings expected from the Judiciary where 80% of total collections from fines are lost." Information PS Bitange Ndemo Said.
Kenya ICT board Chairperson Catherine Ngahu noted that with the government having been put the necessary infrastructure in place it was time to evaluate whether Kenyans have become more knowledgeable and thereby more competitive in the business environment.
She challenged the private sector to focus their innovations in the industry to creations that will better push the government to implement new policies.
"Technology intended for government must have policy implications." Kenya ICT Board Chairperson, Catherine Ngahu said.
The connected 2012 conference has the underlying theme of ‘Knowledge and Beyond' and has attracted stakeholders in the ICT industry from the region.
Speaking at the Connected 2012 conference Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Information Dr. Bitange Ndemo noted that the government would save up to $1 billion through effective processes in government ministries such as the judiciary, procurement and the ministry of lands.
He also said that the government will increase the role played by e-government especially in ensuring that the Kenyan citizen can better access information especially as the devolution to county government starts.
"Effective application of e-government will lead to savings of up to $I billion with top of the list savings expected from the Judiciary where 80% of total collections from fines are lost." Information PS Bitange Ndemo Said.
Kenya ICT board Chairperson Catherine Ngahu noted that with the government having been put the necessary infrastructure in place it was time to evaluate whether Kenyans have become more knowledgeable and thereby more competitive in the business environment.
She challenged the private sector to focus their innovations in the industry to creations that will better push the government to implement new policies.
"Technology intended for government must have policy implications." Kenya ICT Board Chairperson, Catherine Ngahu said.
The connected 2012 conference has the underlying theme of ‘Knowledge and Beyond' and has attracted stakeholders in the ICT industry from the region.
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