Category: General

Fitch Ratings has downgraded Tunisia’s long-term foreign-currency issuer default rating (IDR) to ‘CCC-‘ from ‘CCC+’, it said in a statement Friday

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

Exactly 60 years after becoming the first Seychellois Anglican priest on June 9, 1963, Seychelles bid farewell to its beloved Archbishop Emeritus French Chang-Him in a state funeral held at the Anglican St Paul’s Cathedral in the capital city of Victoria on Friday, and was later laid to rest at the St Luc Cemetery, Bel Ombre.

Friday was declared a day of national mourning in the island nation, with flags flying at half-mast as a sign of respect for a man who has been described as a true servant of God and an exemplary human being.

Chang-Him, 85, passed away on May 26 at the Seychelles Hospital, where he was receiving treatment after emergency surgery.

Hundreds of mourners, including his family, parishioners, friends, Seychelles’ President Wavel Ramkalawan, who is also an Anglican priest, as well as former President Danny Faure, government officials, the diplomatic corps, and members of the Seychelles Interfaith Council of Seychelles (SIFCO), among others, gathered to pray and say their goodbyes.

The funeral service was followed with prayers read by Ramkalawan, in his capacity as the Reverend Canon, while the procession made its way to the front of the altar. The archdeacon, reverends, members of the clergy, Archbishop James Wong of Seychelles and the Province of the Indian Ocean, and other members of the Anglican church took turns conducting the service, which lasted for about two hours.

Archbishop Wong offered thanksgiving to God “for the ministry of Archbishop Emeritus French Chang-Him in the Church, in the Seychelles, in the Province of the Indian Ocean, in the Anglican Communion. And whether he ministered to your people, we bless and thank you for his love for you and for your people.”

He added, “We thank you for his faithfulness and how he preached your words and administered your sacrament during the 60 years of his ministry. We bless you for how he remained faithful and loyal to his ordination vows fulfilling his duties of ministry, serving your people, building up your church, and glorifying your Holy name. We also give thanks for all his family for the love and support to his ministry who have made a significant offering to the mission of your Holy Church as they have shared their love. Continue to shower them with your love and blessings.”

Reading the combined eulogy of many mourners, Bernard Georges, the secretary of the board of church commissioners, asked “where do I begin to tell the story of French Chang-Him?”

“There is so much to say and there is so little time. He loved everybody and everybody loved him in return – it was impossible not to love the man. Although he attained the pinnacle of the Anglican hierarchy, his feet remained firmly rooted in the earth. His was not false modesty – it was a humility born out of adversities, sufferings, and challenges,” said Georges.

With the aim of setting down eulogies written by other people permanently, a booklet bearing the many eulogies will be compiled and printed into a booklet to be made available at a later date.

In his testimony, Bishop Alain Harel of the Roman Catholic Diocese outlined that “Bishop was an exceptional citizen, a role model and pillar of the society of Seychelles.”

“I hope that this son of Seychelles will always be an example and reference in the way we continue to build togetherness in Seychelles,” said Harel.

A well-lived life

Born on May 10, 1938, to a father of Chinese origin — Francis Chang-Him – and a Seychellois mother – Amelia Zoe. Chang Him was the 6th of 10 children. He is survived by two sisters, one older and one younger than him.

The First Lady, a loving niece

First Lady Linda Ramkalawan, the niece of Archbishop French, told SNA that the Archbishop spent his childhood in Victoria. The First Lady has fond memories of “Ton Kitch” – as he was affectionately referred to as Bishop French’s second name was Kitchener.

“I remember him driving his Mini Moke, choir practice at St Luke’s, and having travel sickness after taking the lorry to and from Anse Royale,” said the First Lady, recounting how, later in life, Chang-Him would reach out to people on New Year who were living alone.

It was at the age of 15, while in St. Luke’s Church at Bel Ombre on the main island of Mahe, that Chang Him felt a call to do something special for the Lord. But it was only after finishing college in 1958 that he decided to respond seriously to this call.

Responding to the call from God

After teaching for a year at Saint Paul’s School, he went to study at Lichfield Theological College, near Birmingham, Great Britain, where after three years he was ordained a deacon and served there for a year, before returning to the Seychelles, where he was ordained a priest in 1963, at Saint Paul’s Cathedral.

In 1974, after working in several parishes, Chang-Him pursued his studies in Toronto, Canada. Back on the islands, he married Suzy Talma, a dental therapist who had recently returned from studying in New Zealand. Together they had twin daughters: Frances and Michelle. In May 1996, after 20 years of marriage, Chang Him lost his wife to cancer.

He was consecrated the first Anglican Bishop of Port Victoria in 1979, a post he held until 2004 when he resigned. Bishop French also served as the Archbishop of the Indian Ocean in 1984, resigning in 2005.

Messages of condolences

Amongst the first to react, following the passing of Bishop Chang-Him, was the President of Seychelles – 115 islands in the western Indian Ocean – Wavel Ramkalawan.

“I was ordained by Bishop French 39 years ago, and I have always worked closely with him and my marriage with his niece brings us that much closer because of the familial link. We do not have any doubt that he is now resting in peace with the Almighty that he proclaimed. We will miss his guidance, his message of encouragement, his devotion and his service towards everyone,” said the head of state.

“His special voice carried his words in an extraordinary manner that one can still hear him talk. That was and is the power of this great son of our motherland. May he rest in eternal peace,” said former President Danny Faure in a message sent to the family and members of the Anglican Diocese.

The leader of the United Seychelles Party also sent a message of condolences. Patrick Herminie said: “Coming from such humble beginnings, he showed no glory for the position he held as the Archbishop Emeritus and remained humble throughout his life at the service of the church. He dedicated his ministry to serve God and the people of Seychelles with fulfillment and passion.”

“Archbishop French Chang-Him was one of the greatest, most noble, and kindest souls of our society; a Christian soul who touched the hearts of many, who took their suffering on his shoulders and gave comfort and kindness to all. He will remain in our hearts forever known as one who had a deep sense of justice and a great unifier and the Judiciary together with the legal community of Seychelles express its deepest condolences to his family and loved ones,” said Chief Justice Rony Govinden.

Govinden was speaking in his capacity as chairperson of the Archbishop Makarios Foundation of Seychelles — a foundation that aids schoolchildren with bursaries, where Archbishop Emeritus French Chang-Him was the longest-serving member of the organisation’s board.

Charitable work

In his work with civil society, Chang-Him was a dedicated member of the Cancer Concern Association. In an interview on the Seychelles Broadcasting Corporation (SBC) Television, fellow founding member Josie Michaud-Payet recounted how the discussion to start the association started with Chang-Him at the St. John Parish at Glacis.

Cancer Concern was set up as a support group as it was evident back then that people needed the support. “He understood, through his experience of losing his wife to cancer, he understood the suffering of both patients and families,” said Michaud-Payet.

Closer to home Chang-Him is remembered as an avid football fan, who would watch games up to 1 o’clock in the morning and still get up at 5 am to celebrate mass. Another passion was cooking where he would let his creativity run wild and where he would create many dishes, his favourites made from seafood.

Lasting memory of a much-loved man

The passing of the Archbishop will only mean that he will not be seen physically walking around brusquely in Victoria, stopping here and there for a chat or giving a blessing but his devotion and dedication of more than half a century to the Anglican diocese, not only in Seychelles but of the Indian Ocean region as well will be remembered. The island nation will not forget his contributions as well to non-governmental organisations.

His portrait, forever posed as a stained-glass piece, will be seen by all those who are in Victoria, embellished and part of the architecture of St Paul’s Cathedral, which he consecrated as the Archbishop of the Anglican Diocese and Province of the Indian Ocean in 2004.

Source: Seychelles News Agency

The Seychelles’ Supreme Court on Friday set the trial date time for the Valabjhi’s arms and terrorism case for July 4.

The presiding judge, Chief Justice Rony Govinden, set the date to begin hearing the illegal possession of firearms case involving prominent Seychellois businessman Mukesh Valabhji and his wife Laura, a lawyer, and three others.

The others charged in the case are Leslie Benoiton – a senior officer in the Seychelles Defence Forces (SDF), Leopold Payet – a former chief of the Seychelles People’s Defence Forces [the former name of the Seychelles Defence Forces]- and Frank Marie – a retired lieutenant colonel and presidential chief security officer.

Govinden made the announcement at the accused latest appearance amid objections from the defence that their lawyers would not be able to represent them in court.

The case relates to more than 100 firearms and over 35,000 rounds of ammunition recovered from the Valabjhi’s home at Morne Blanc during a search on November 18. This came after the couple was arrested in relation to a case of money laundering of a missing $50 million of funds granted to the government of Seychelles by the United Arab Emirates in 2002.

The trial initially was set for April but was delayed following the application for the recusal of Govinden as the presiding trial judge – which was dismissed on June 1.

Immediately before setting the new date for trial, Govinden had unblocked the couple’s overseas accounts – which were frozen at the request of the Anti-Corruption Commission of Seychelles (ACCS).

The couple had argued that they had been unable to pay for their international counsel due to their bank accounts being frozen.

France Bonte, the defence lawyer of Mukesh Valabhji, told the court “that those lawyers would only begin working upon payment, which means that they are only now beginning to prepare for the case.”

Govinden replied that since it had been a year and four months since charges have been laid in this case there was ample time to prepare.

“Matters of disclosure cannot stop the flow of trial proceedings,” he said.

Meanwhile, Laura Valabhji – a prominent lawyer by profession – told the court that while for certain aspects of the case, she could represent herself, she would need her counsel to represent her for others.

Although the defence pushed for the illegal arms and ammunition case to be heard in October, the court maintained the trial date for July 4. It is expected to proceed from August until September.

Govinden has sent an administrative order to vacate all previous cases for all lawyers for this trial.

Source: Seychelles News Agency

The deputy governor of the National Bank of Angola (BNA) Tiago Dias is the interim governor of this financial institution, pending the appointment of the new governor.

Tiago Dias takes over the leadership of the Central Bank on interim basis, following the swearing in of the former governor, José de Lima Massano, as Minister of State for Economic Coordination on Friday.

The functions of interim governor of the Central Bank are set in paragraph a) of article 56 of Law no. 24/21, of 18 October, the National Bank of Angola Law, according to a note from the Central Bank reached ANGOP.

Tiago Dias holds the Master’s degree in Economic Sciences from the University of Bordeaux I, France.

He was Director of the Department of Statistics, Deputy Director of the Department of Studies and Statistics and Head of the Division of Studies of the Department of Studies and Statistics of BNA, among other functions.

Source: Angola Press News Agency (APNA)

Residents of Njia ward expressed relief for having their long-time cry of scarcity of water heard and acted upon by the county government led by Governor Kawira Mwangaza.

Mwangaza conducted a mass distribution of water tanks and pipes at Muutine Chief’s Camp on Wednesday to all areas in Njia Ward, Igembe Central.

She noted that the county government has donated thirteen tanks to thirteen Njuri Cheke houses, namely Rikiau, Kiujuline, Nkaria Muiko, Ndoleli, Mwenjelene, Ntabari, Njoune, Kiruumo, Kabuitu, Miori, Muuro, Thiitha, and Kathithi.

‘The County Government has also donated ten thousand-liter tanks and pipes to the following boreholes; KK Muuti, Cattledip, Kaumone, Mwiyo, Thamare, Thuuru, Ntui, and Kwa Ntorukunga,’ the county boss stated.

Mwangaza also gave a brand new motorcycle to the Umoja self-help group. She maintained that she is working hard to make Njia ward better, citing the ongoing construction of a perimeter wall at Muringene Market and the construction of the Thamare Dispensary maternity room.

She further called upon members of the county assembly to support her leadership to ensure adequate service delivery to the residents of Meru County.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Chief Justice and President of the Supreme Court Martha Koome has addressed what has been summed up as an infrastructure challenge the judiciary is facing with the newly built Justice Tower in Mombasa County.

Speaking during the 2023 High Court Leaders Conference held at Pride in Flamingo, Shanzu, Ms. Koome said that it is important to have infrastructure and buildings that can support efficient delivery of justice to the people.

The conference is reflecting on the performance of the High Court and the collective commitment to realise the goals that underpin the institutional vision of Social Transformation through Access to Justice (STAJ).

She disclosed that the reason why the Sh445 million Justice Tower in Mombasa, which was built with the support of the World Bank but has not been officially launched was because the building was found to have structural defects.

The four-storey building stands magnificently on a 3.6-acre parcel adjacent to the court premises, which were built in 1984.

The Justice Tower has eight courtrooms and four mediation rooms, 11 chambers, spacious registries, and separate cells for males, females, and juveniles.

The High Court will occupy the fourth floor of the building, whereas the third floor will be set aside for the Environment and Land Court.

The first floor will host support offices including ICT, procurement, probation rooms, a banking hall, and an exhibit room, among others, and the ground floor will be the main registry and host the front offices, counters, and the public area.

The new court building will also have offices for the prosecution counsel, a witness protection room, a spacious lactation room for staff and litigants that can accommodate up to 30 mothers, a children’s area, and ramps for the physically challenged.

‘A team from the Judicial Service Commission Audit Committee visited the building and filed a report, and we have had to engage another contractor who has taken over the building for rectification because there were major structural defects identified in the report,’ Koome said.

‘Apparently that building was assessed by the national housing ministry officials and a report was written, but they did not condemn it, but the outcry from the falling ceiling and falling parts is what has forced the judiciary to raise the concerns,’ she added.

Koome assured that legal action will be taken against the contactor because they did not deliver the value of the money paid.

She also stated that the Chief Registrar of the Judiciary is now giving priority to completing other buildings across the country that will be used by the Judiciary.

Following up on the launch of the e-filing in Mombasa County last month, Koome said that the response and uptake have been overwhelming, hence the program will be rolled out starting with Siaya, Kisumu, and Homa-Bay Counties next week.

This will be followed by Turkana, Samburu, Kiambu, Wajir, and Mandera in July and August.

‘By February 2024, as per our work plan, e-filing will be operational in all our courts countrywide,’ Koome assured.

The Chief Justice acknowledged the Courts’ unwavering commitment to achieving a Case Clearance Rate (CCR) of 123% by the end of the third quarter of the financial year 2022-23.

However, she urged the conference to brainstorm strategies that will target the swift resolution of the 84,082 cases that were pending by the end of the same third quarter of the financial year 2022-2023, of which 19802 cases have been pending for over 3 years.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Families in Nyeri are being forced to dig deeper into their pockets to afford fresh produce as the prices of the commodities continue to rise.

A spot check by KNA has revealed that the price of onions and carrots has been on a steady increase, with traders attributing the price hikes to a shortage of the commodities at the farms.

For instance, a kilogram of carrots is currently retailing at between Sh120 and Sh150 per kilogram. This is a 100 per cent price increase in less than two weeks when a kilogram was being sold at Sh 50 per kilogram.

It is not just carrots that are slowly disappearing from the market but the crisis has also affected the availability of onions. Currently, a kilogram of onions is selling at Sh100 per kilogram, up from Sh40.

Traders in the Nyeri open-air market say the price hikes are due to the scarcity of carrots on farms. They say that the local farmers who supply the commodity to them have attributed the scarcity to the delayed planting season, which has in turn affected the maturity and harvesting period of the food commodity.

‘The rains started just a few months ago, so the carrots that were planted have not reached the harvesting stage, hence the shortage. In the previous years, we used to get four to five delivery trucks a day, but this year, especially in the past four months, the number has reduced to now one or two trucks a day,’ said Samuel Mutheki, a large-scale trader in the Nyeri open-air market.

Margaret Muriuki, an onion farmer and trader, said that the shortage has been caused by low profits that were fetched last season when the market was flooded with onions. She said that the successive onion glut, which has seen many farmers incur huge losses, has also led the farmers to opt out of growing onions this season.

‘Since in the last season we did not get good money from planting onions, only a handful of us planted onions after the last harvest season. Additionally, those who decided to grow onions only did so recently, so they are not ready for harvesting. Because of these changes, the prices are expected to go higher than Sh100 a kilo until the next harvest season,’ she said.

However, the prices of green peas and potatoes have started to decrease. Currently, the price of one kilogram of green peas is being sold at Sh 70 from Sh 250 last month, and the price of a 17-kilogram bucket of potatoes is selling at Sh 700 from Sh 1500 last month.

Duncan Warutumo, a potato trader, stated that the prices of potatoes are even expected to go as low as Sh500 for the 17-kilogram bucket given that it is harvest time for many potato farmers.

‘We hope that if farmers who had planted potatoes during the rainy season get more produce, it will increase our supply, from 10 bags a day back to 17 bags a day, and then automatically our prices will reduce,’ he explained.

He added that the prices of green peas have reduced since most farmers, after noting how good the income from the last harvesting season last year was, ventured into planting peas, increasing the supply of peas in the market. He explained that since the peas are in surplus and get spoiled fast when stored, it leaves them no choice but to sell them at a lower price.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Women representatives drawn from Aldai, Tinderet, and Nandi Hills constituencies have been trained on the community score card process in a bid to enable them to positively influence the quality, efficiency, and accountability of services rendered at different levels.

The training that took place in a hotel in Nandi Hills and was organized by Kafawe Women Group, which is funded by Care Kenya through Uraia Trust, aims at lifting women’s voices through a project dubbed ‘women’s voice and leadership.’

The community score card is a social accountability tool that uses a monitoring and evaluation approach that enables beneficiary community members to assess services provided and rate their performance using a grading system in the form of scores.

Francis Ng’eny, Kafawe Women Group coordinator, noted that the Community Score Card (CSC) is an instrument to exact public accountability, especially at the local facility level, adding that it is used to solicit user perceptions on the quality and satisfaction of facilities as well as to assess the transparency and general performance of the service providers.

According to Ng’eny, to conduct an effective CSC, one has to understand the structure of the government to enable them to understand the level of government responsible for delivering specific services as well as government officials to deliver services at the frontline.

‘To effectively implement the score card, it is important to have a good understanding of the local administrative setting, good facilitation and participatory skills, a strong awareness-raising process, and plan ahead of time,’ pointed out the group coordinator, noting that the CSC is not about finger pointing or is it designed to settle personal scores, thus it is not supposed to create conflict.

He advised the women that before conducting a CSC, they should ensure that all necessary stakeholders are informed of the process and that they understand the objective along with the process that will be undertaken, noting that when undertaking the score card process for the first time, it is recommended that users focus on issues that can be solved with the available resources to gain the confidence of the community.

The coordinator further said that CSC is the best accountability tool because it is conducted at the micro level and uses the community as the unit of analysis. It generates information through focus group discussions to enable maximum participation of the local community.

It also provides immediate response and joint decision-making as well as allows for mutual dialogue between users and providers, and can be followed by joint monitoring.

‘Inclusion is key when conducting CSC. Ensure all stakeholders in charge of the sector in which you are conducting a scorecard are informed. It is advisable to make all notifications in writing,’ stated Mr Ng’eny.

The five phases of a CSC process are: planning and preparation, conducting the scorecard with the community, conducting the scorecard with the service providers, joint interface meeting and follow-up, and institutionalization.

Source: Kenya News Agency

A helicopter which went missing on Wednesday night in Cap Serrat, Bizerte, crashed into the sea, the Defence Ministry said.

The ministry said earlier it had lost contact with the four-member crew who departed on a night flight.

Two bodies were recovered so far in addition to wreckage. Search operations are underway, the ministry further said.

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

The progress of a number of major projects, especially motorways that will help overcome mobility difficulties in a number of internal regions and break their isolation, was the focus of a meeting between President Kais Saied and Minister of Public Works and Housing Sarra Zaafrani on Thursday at the Carthage Palace.

During this meeting, the Head of State stressed the need to speed up the distribution of social housing units that have been ready for years, which number 3,937 in a number of governorates of the Republic, according to a statement from the Presidency.

He pointed out that some of these social housing units have been illegally confiscated, saying that this cannot be allowed in a state based on the rule of law.

The President added that a number of other houses had been subject to theft and vandalism, and that the situation of some of them had deteriorated because they had remained closed for a long time without being distributed to those who deserved them.

“It is unacceptable that the state spends around 7 million dinars every year on guarding them while they are ready. This money could have been used to build other new homes,” said the President of the Republic.

He stressed the need to adopt clear standards based on fairness in a context of full transparency, as provided for in the legislation on the distribution of this type of housing.

During this meeting, the issue of urban development throughout the country and corruption, which has led to chaotic conditions in almost all Tunisian cities, were also discussed, according to the statement.

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse