Category: General

Data Controllers and Processors in the country have been asked to register their services with the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner. Data Controllers are entities that determine the purposes and means of processing personal data while data processors are entities that process personal data on behalf of data controllers. Principal Data Protection Officer Abdullahi Ali said data processors must ensure that personal data is processed in a lawful and reasonable manner and without infringing the privacy rights of the data subjects. He also urged organizations to train critical employees who are responsible for data collection and storage on data privacy and protection in compliance with data privacy and protection act. The officer said data protection legislations are not crafted in any way to punish Wananchi but rather to create awareness so that people will be accountable to one another whether as data controllers or processors. Speaking in Kwale County during an awareness outreach program by the Office of the Data Commissioner, Ali said processing of personal data should be necessary, relevant and not excessive. The sensitization forum brought together representatives from the government, institutions, private sector, civil societies, the media and the general public. ‘Data controllers should undertake necessary steps to ensure the integrity and security of personal data that it collects and processes,’ he said, adding that they should not retain personal data for a period longer than is necessary for the purpose for which the data is collected. He urged Data controllers and processors to show accountability and compliance with Data Protection Act 2019. Ali said the new Act sets out the rules and principles governing the collection, use, disclosure and care for personal data or information by a data controller or processor. Kwale Assistant County Commissioner Beatrice Odira said compliance with the Data Protection Act applies to all public and private institutions hence the need to take it seriously. Odera welcomed the efforts by the Data Commissioner in awareness creation at a time of increased use of technology in the global cyberspace. Chimvua Kombo, Principal Administrative Secretary, County Government of Kwale said the devolved unit will prioritize data protection and respect others privacy in accordance with the Data Privacy and Protection Act 2019 to avoid non-compliance. He said the county administration will go out of its way to protect the privacy of the individual and personal data by regulating the processing of personal information. Meanwhile, in Kilifi the Data Protection Commission has in conjunction with the Kenya School of Government (KSG) developed a curriculum on data protection to create more awareness among stakeholders. The curriculum which is under implementation will also be taught in some selected institutions aimed at empowering data controllers, data processors and data subjects on the regulations to comply with personal data protection. Speaking during a similar sensitization forum on the Data Privacy and Protection Act (DPA) 2019, Ali said the commission intends to create more awareness on the importance of personal data protection laws. ‘Among the responsibilities of the commission is to establish the legal and institutional mechanism to protect personal data,’ said Ali. He added that Kenya is among 36 out of 54 African countries that have data protection laws and regulations and added that the constitution of Kenya, 2010 guarantees the rights of privacy as a fundamental right. Addressing the forum, Kilifi Assistant County Commissioner Ms. Miskey Ahmed welcomed the initiative by the Data Protection Commission to sensitize Kenyans on the laws protecting personal data. Ahmed urged data controllers, processors and other stakeholders to take advantage of the on-going countrywide awareness campaign to acquaint themselves with Data Privacy and Protection Act 2019 and strictly adhere to its requirements.

Source: Kenya News Agency

The Indian High Commission in Seychelles will not be charging emergency fees for medical visas issued to Seychellois travelling for emergency treatment in India as of June 21.

The statement was made by the Indian High Commission in a press communique on Tuesday.

“Seychellois requiring Emergency Medical Visa will have to however produce an emergency certificate from the medical authorities recommending the treatment,” said the communique.

The High Commission told SNA that 1,392 medical visas were issued to Seychellois travelling to India for treatment in 2022.

Currently, many Seychellois travel to other countries such as India, Sri Lanka, Mauritius and Reunion, to receive medical treatment when the services are not available on Mahe, the main island of the archipelago.

Since 2010, a large number of patients are sent to Seychelles has been sending patients to Chennai’s MIOT International Hospital which provides medical care in over 63 specialties.

Seychellois citizens enjoy free universal healthcare and the government pays for overseas treatment for persons who are not able to receive treatment in local healthcare facilities and have exhausted all treatment options in the country.

Source: Seychelles News Agency

As part of his working visit to Budapest, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Migration and Tunisians Abroad, Nabil Ammar, held talks with Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Péter Szijjártó. The meeting was followed by an extended working session attended by delegations from both countries in the framework of the work of the 5th session of the Tunisian-Hungarian Joint Economic Commission, held for the first time at the level of the foreign ministers of the two countries. During the meeting, the two sides reviewed bilateral relations, their prospects and ways to develop them in priority areas for both countries, as well as regional and international issues of common interest, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The two Ministers highlighted the richness and diversity of areas of cooperation, particularly in agriculture, water management, ICT, the green economy, tourism, higher education and scientific research. On this occasion, they reaffirmed their desire to further develop bilateral relations, given the promising opportunities for cooperation and the mutual trust and interests that exist between the two countries. Nabil Ammar stressed the willingness of the Hungarian authorities to support Tunisia in its efforts to cope with the effects of the global food and energy crisis, climate change and its negative impact on the Tunisian economy. He welcomed the “positive response” of the Hungarian authorities to the possibility of recruiting qualified Tunisian workers in Hungarian economic sectors suffering from labour shortages, within an organised framework whose mechanisms will be defined by experts from both countries. The two ministers also expressed their common desire to establish fruitful cooperation in the fields of rail transport and mining. The work of the Fifth Tunisian-Hungarian Joint Economic Commission led to the signing of two memoranda of understanding on cooperation in the fields of agriculture and archives. For his part, the Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade took the opportunity to respond positively to the Tunisian proposal to increase the number of scholarships for Tunisian students from 200 to 250 from the start of the next academic year. The two ministers also held a press conference to review the results of the fifth meeting of the Joint Economic Commission and the position of the two countries on certain issues of common interest.

Source: EN – Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

The process of fighting drug abuse, which is currently being implemented by the National government, has witnessed a success of up to 75 per cent in the Central region.

Area Regional Commissioner Mr. Fredrick Shisia said the programme is not an instant-result initiative but involves steps such as sensitisation, enforcement, rehabilitation, and treatment.

Speaking in Mwea Sub County after touring a land parcel owned by the National Irrigation Authority (NIA) that was reported to have been grabbed by a private developer, Shisia said the sensitisation process has been going on well in partnership with the local political leaders and churches.

‘We are going on well on sensitisation; you have seen leaders in churches and barazas talking to people. This has enabled us to cover a wider area,’ he said.

He said the legal framework provided many gaps in the fight against alcohol and drug abuse, but County Assemblies are in different stages of harmonizing the laws to get rid of the windows that some people use to derail the operations.

The RC noted that the rehabilitation stage is a major challenge due to the lack of facilities in the counties. He requested the governors to construct more centres as it was their role in the agreed procedures.

The cost of treatment in rehabilitation per month is almost Sh50, 000 and will be costly to the majority of the families.

‘The legal framework presented a lot of gaps. I thank our Deputy President for being at the forefront and engaging County assemblies, which are now in different stages of making legislation to close the gaps,’ Shisia said.

‘We are still below average in rehabilitation, and I request that governors to establish more centres. The treatment of drug addicts costs Sh50, 000 per month and will be a bit of a problem for some families,’ he added.

He further proposed adopting the idea of Murang’a Governor, where NIHF will cover treatment in rehabilitation centres adding that drug and alcohol addiction is a disease.

He reiterated that the re-emergence of Mungiki in the region will not happen in the region and sent a warning to a criminal gang identified as ‘same’ operating in Kutus, Kirinyaga, that their time is up, saying that the pronouncement by the president will be fully implemented.

‘We will not allow the re-emergence of criminal gangs like Mungiki, here in Kirinyaga in Kutus town, there is a gang called ‘Same’ and am telling their leader their time is up. Once the directive is made by the president, us in the region is to fully implement it,’ he added.

The RC said they have formed a technical committee to investigate the alleged grabbing of 15 acres of land belonging to the NIA.

Source: Kenya News Agency

The bodies of three people were recovered from the debris of a three-storey building that collapsed in Murang’a town on Monday evening.

Four other people were rescued from the ill-fated building that collapsed while under construction and are recuperating at Murang’a Level Five Hospital.

Speaking at the site of the incident, Murang’a East Deputy County Commissioner Thomas Nyoro said that the rescue efforts are expected to continue as it is feared that about 20 people were in the building when it collapsed.

Personnel and Machinery have been mobilised from the National Disaster Management Unit, KDF, Red Cross, and county government, among other departments, to help in the ongoing rescue mission.

The three-storey building is said to have been built on riparian land; county officers are expected to issue an official statement on the cause of the tragedy.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Residents of Igembe North expressed a sigh of relief after a security meeting was held on Monday at Bulu, Mutuati Division, Igembe Central, to discuss how to curb insecurity cases experienced for a long time in the area.

Speaking to members of the public at Bulu, Mutuati Igembe North, the Inspector General of Police, Japhet Koome, assured members of the public that more security apparatus will be deployed in the region to tame the insecurity, which has seen several bandit attacks in the recent past.

He noted that security agents are tirelessly working hard to fight the bandits at the border of Isiolo and Meru, and so far, they have managed to recover 81 of the raided cattle.

The security boss explained that they will deploy the security machinery to deal with the menace once and for all. He further expressed the government’s commitment to weed out the perpetuators of insecurity.

This follows last week’s banditry attack, where five people lost their lives and others were injured. ‘We will not rest until peace and tranquility are restored in the entire region,’ said Koome.

The IG was flanked by the area MP, Julius Taitumu, and his counterpart, Dan Kiili of Igembe Central, among other entourages.

They appealed to members of the public to still maintain peace and coexist harmoniously, with the MPs assuring the public that the raided cattle were retraced and the government’s commitment to end insecurity in the area was fulfilled.

The MPs called on the members of the public to embark on their economic activities and not live in terror, for the presence of the IG in the area was a guarantee that heinous acts of attack were a thing of the past.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Angolan government said it is working on legal basis to support for startups to strengthen the institutional framework and increase the attraction of funding.

The intention was announced Tuesday by the Secretary of State for the Economy Ivan dos Santos, while speaking at the usual briefing of the Ministry of Economy and Planning (MEP).

Ivan dos Santos said the legal basis will strengthen the startups ecosystem, bring greater coverage, applicability and flexibility that ensure operation in the national and international market.

Ivan dos Santos announced plans for the creation of a legal support basis for startups , with its own operational model.

“The Government has been carrying out an exercise to create a legal basis so that startups can have their own operational model” he said.

He put the failure rate in the market at 80%, adding that this means that of the 5 startups that try to start, only one manages to have success, due to the lack of some qualification and training”.

He highlighted the launch, in May, of the new electronic certification platform, adopted by the National Institute for the Support of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (INAPEM), which has had more than 63 requests so far.

The startup – an English word that means “to start something new”, a new company, with a repeatable business model and an innovative idea that causes an impact on society.

In recent years, the Government has developed actions with focus on startups, having held the 2nd edition of the Angola Startup Summer, from 27 to 29 April, under the motto “Innovation and Technology as vectors for the size of startups in Angola”.

The Executive is committed to raise the country among the best environments for the creation of startups in Africa and support the presence of Angolans in the main international events.

In 2022, Angola came 97th in the Global Startup Ecosystem Index, out of a universe of 118 countries, rising 18 places compared to the previous year, and 9th in Sub-Saharan Africa

Source: Angola Press News Agency (APNA)

Angola and Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) experts in the exploration of hydrocarbons analysed Tuesday in Luanda the situation of the Zone of Common Interest (ZIC).

The parties also discussed the joint mechanism for the supply of petroleum products among SONANGOL, SONAHIDROC and COBIL S.A companies.

Addressing an opening ceremony of the experts’ meeting, the Angolan Secretary of State for Mineral Resources Jânio Corrêa Victor underlined the country’s interest in fulfilling the “timing” of the process and the partnership in the supply of fuel.

In turn, the minister of Hydrocarbons of DRCongo Didier Budimbu

Ntubuanga said that he hopes to complete the aspects emerged from the September 2022 meeting and validate the agreements signed by Angola and the DRC.

Didier Ntubuanga also said to expect the speed up of operation process of the ZIC, the actions linked to the humanisation of the production sharing

contract between the two countries, as well as the creation of terms of reference for negotiation with the operating groups.

The meeting, jointly chaired by the Secretary of State for Mineral Resources of Angola Jânio Corrêa Victor and the minister of Hydrocarbons of the DRC

Didier Budimbu Ntubuang, is part of the cooperation protocol between the two countries in the field of hydrocarbons, signed in 2003

Source: Angola Press News Agency (APNA)

Angola is taking over the one-year rotating chairperson of the Regional Adjudication Committee (RAC) of the SADC Media Award.

This will be during the virtual 28th Meeting of the body, taking place since Tuesday, under the guidance of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the acting president of the body.

The event is evaluating the works on the present edition, during which the national adjudication committees of the Member States will exercise their right

to vote for each one of them.

The Angolan delegation is led by the national coordinator of SADC Media, João Demba and comprises the president of the CNA-Angola and the Jury of the SADC Journalism Award 2023 Anastácio de Brito and the jurors for the categories of Press, Fernando Tati, Radio Arlindo Macedo, Television Mariana Ribeiro and Photojournalism Quintiliano dos Santos.

The SADC Journalism Prize was established in 1996, aimed at recognising the best journalistic work about the Southern African Development Community, in support for the process of cooperation and regional integration of the Member States.

SADC groups Angola, South Africa, Botswana, Comoros, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia,

Democratic Republic of Congo, Seychelles, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe

Source: Angola Press News Agency (APNA)

Angola is participating in Third United Nations High-Level Conference of Heads of Counter-Terrorism Agencies of Member States running until Friday 23 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.

Opened on Monday, the event is an opportunity for the international community to renew and develop current multilateral efforts, aimed at combating terrorism, under the auspices of the United Nations.

The heads of Counter-Terrorism Agencies of Member States will analyse the main priorities in the fight against this evil, in the light of the four pillars of the UN Global Strategy, according to a press note from the Angolan Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Taking place under overarching theme of “Addressing Terrorism through Reinvigorated Multilateralism and institutional cooperation”, the Conference will

also discuss the preparation of the New Agenda for Peace, proposed by the UN Secretary General.

The Secretary-General’s report “Our Common Agenda” could also provide path for the African Summit on the Fight against Terrorism, set for 2024 in Nigeria.

The Angolan delegation is led by the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Esmeralda Mendonça

Source: Angola Press News Agency (APNA)