By JEFF OTIENO

API/APN in Kenya

Tension and political anxiety is currently brewing ahead of the eagerly awaited ODM civic and parliamentary nominations slated for Friday  16^th Nov 2007.

Appellate Retired Judge justice Richard Otieno Kwatch who is the chairman of the election board has assured all the players that the exercise will be free and fair devoid of any manipulation whatsoever.

In Muhoroni constituency two parliamentary hopefuls urged Kwatch to restrain one of the candidates who is Nairobi based for using his name alleging that he had been dished the certificate in Nairobi even before the primaries, thanks to his imaginary rapport with him.

The said loose talk perennial loser has of late been moving in magnificent hotels celebrating and chest thumping about the move. This has created tension in the sugar belt.

Immediate Bondo Mp Oburu Odinga has also been censored over his remarks during his launch that Luo Nyanza voters should once again elect former mps on flimsy grounds that they agitated for the formation of ODM

.

The aspirants who spoke on condition of anonymity urged Dr Oburu to confine his egocentric interest to Bondo constituency where a mr Ochanda has tightened his political noose.

They viewed the sentiment as another undemocratic move to rig in the former mps in various constituencies as the last polls

.

Meanwhile business almost came to a standstil over the weekend during the clourful launching of wealthy Alego Usonga parliamentary hopeful Edwin Ochieng Yinda.Commuters from Kisumu to Siaya and vice versa almost slept in the cold but were ultimately salvaged by private cars which were charging heftily.

In his brief address the politician urged the Alego people to shun violence and vote in development oriented leader.

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By Leo Odera Omolo,

 leooderaomolo@yahoo.com

API/APN in Kampala

 
 
Tanzania has made a swift move to restore order in fishing industry. The move includes the impounding of illegal fishing gears and unsea worthy boats.

 
The massive police dragnet carried out in recent past saw 133 suspected culprits being netted and apprehended in the lakeside town of Mwanza.

 
Illegal fishing gear and immature fish were confiscated and hundreds of fishermen arrested during the first two quarters of this year say a report just released.

 The report by the Lake Victoria Fisheries Organization (LVFO) says patrols were undertaken as part of the regular monitoring, control and surveillance operations aimed at sustaining the fisheries production from the lake.

 The Tanzania Fisheries Department carried out a national and inter-district patrol during the first and second quarters of this year to promote compliance with fisheries laws and regulations.

 A total number of 133 culprits were apprehended in Mwanza, Mara and Kigera regions during first quarters of 2007 with a wide range of illegal fishing gear including seine nets, mono filament nets, gill nets and others being impounded,’ says the report.

 Some of the suspects were apprehended for fishing or selling fish products contrary to the Fisheries Act and Regulations during inter-district patrol operation.

 The main objective of the combined national and inter-district patrol against illegal fishing in 2007 was to curb illegal fishing and allied trades.

 Financed through the Implementation of Fisheries Management Plan (IFMP) project, the programme funds are disbursed to the fisheries division of the riparian states of Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya by the LVFO with support from the European Union. It is implemented simultaneously in the three countries.

 The LVFO is an East African Community organ, which is charged with fostering co-operation among Lake Victoria partner states in the management of the lake resources.

 ‘’Participatory management approach involving stakeholders in the management of the fish resources proved to be useful in controlling and curbing malpractices on the Tanzania side of the lake.

 Fishing Community Organization known as Beach Management Units (BMUSO) co-managed the lake’s resources with the government’’ says the report.

 Meanwhile the Tanzania Surface Marine Transport Regulatory Authority (SUMATRA) has blocked 24 dhows from sailing in any of its coastline.

 The dhows have been ferrying passengers from Tanga, Vanga and Kiunga on the Kenya and Tanzania borders.

 The move comes in the backdrop of the concluded East African Inland Waters Safety Conference held in Kisumu City two weeks ago.

 If Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda adopt the conference resolution, observes fear majority of vessels plying in inland waters and the Indian Ocean will be declared unsafe for transport.

 According to SUMATRA, the dhows have been declared unsafe due to lack of gears and sea worthiness certificates.

 Sumatra stopped their operations because they were suspected to be cargo carriers.

 
Sumatra official, King Chiragi, said the boats are not safe to sail in deep waters and urged owners to improve their status by fixing them with modern facilities as required ‘’the dhow would not be allowed back until another critical inspection is conducted and approved,’’ said Chiragi.

 He added dhow condition have deteriorated and were a risk to passengers. Quite a number lack facility such as seat manifests.

 ‘’We have appealed to neighbouring states to discuss any boat without certificates declaring them unsafe to sail,’’ said Chiragi.

 Vessels ferrying passengers between Zanzibar and the mainland Tanzania are a time bomb.

 Some engines are said to falling silent often on the high seas, posing a danger to passengers. The Director said that the authority would conduct seminars on awareness in various regions to improve marine transport.

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Lagos (Nigeria) The Polish ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Grzegorz Walinski, Wednesday said that Poland was collaborating with the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) on Small and Medium Enterprises (SME’s) to empower the people of the Niger-Delta.

Walinski told journalists in Abuja that the areas of collaboration included training and workshops for SME operators.

He said that an organisation known as the Nigeria-Poland Technical Cooperation, based in Rivers State, in southern Nigeria was currently being supported.

The envoy described those in the Small and Medium enterprise businesses as most active and genuine agents of change in bilateral relations.

“They have lots of potentials that can boost the economy,’’ Walinski said.

Meanwhile, Walinski said the Nigerian Immigration Services would visit Poland on 29 November as part of the effort to strengthen bilateral relations between Poland and Nigeria. He also said a delegation from the Police Equipment Foundation left Nigeria on 7 November on a similar mission.

“We recently initiated contacts within the Ministry of Interior and we are about to define modalities of our cooperation between the immigration services and the police force,” he said.

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Windhoek (Namibia) Cuba said it wants to help Namibia raise its literacy levels, apart from constructing low cost houses for the country’s low income earners.

Visiting Marta Lomas Morales, Cuba\’s minister of foreign investment and economic co-operation, said that the country was ready to help Namibia raise its literacy levels.

Cuba has trained teachers in various African countries and has in some cases even provided teachers and medical personnel.

Morales, who has been holding meetings with senior government officials, including the Prime Minister Nahas Angula, said that education was one of the sectors in which the communist country could assist Namibia.

The minister said Cuba had helped some countries such as Venezuela to eradicate illiteracy through a programme called “Yes, I Can.”

“This programme is simple and effective and through this programme, Namibia can also be declared the first African country free from illiteracy,” he said.

Namibia has one of Africa\’s lowest literacy rates.

More than 50 percent of the population had been marginalised to the fringes of social and economic development during the apartheid era before 1990 and was denied the right to education and other social amenities.

The programme, Yes I Can, is now being run in 29 countries worldwide under the auspices of UNESCO.

The minister also pledged to help Namibia in its housing programme through construction of low cost houses for the low income earners.

“We also can help in the construction of low costs houses which are very easy to build,” Morales said.

Morales is in Namibia to attend the 9th Namibia-Cuba joint permanent commission of co-operation.

The minister, who is leaving Thursday for the Africa-US business summit in Cape Town, South Africa, was also expected to pay a courtesy call on Namibia\’s former president Sam Nujoma before her departure.

Cuba helped Namibia wage a successful war against South African soldiers and apartheid forces before independence in 1990.

Apart from Namibia, Cuba also has helped other African countries to fight colonialism such as Angola, Zimbabwe and DR Congo, among others.

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Yaoundé (Cameroon) The assault launched Monday by Nigerian assailants on Cameroonian troops at the Bakassi peninsula (South-West) is likely to have stemmed from an arm deal that backfired, sources close to the Cameroonian Defence Ministry told APA.

“It is alleged that some Cameroonian soldiers have been involved in selling ammunitions and even arms to the Niger Delta activists”, a Cameroonian Army officer told APA, under anonymity.

The latter said a few weeks ago the army senior officers were informed of this illegal trade involving a small group of soldiers and had deployed a senior officer to probe into the issue.

However, the Cameroonian troops are said to have unanimously denied any arm or ammunitions deal with the rebels, who have been terrorising their own country and known for regularly taking hostages among oil companies’ workers and their family members.

“In an attempt to motivate their innocence, the Cameroonian soldiers abducted seven men among the mercenaries a few days ago, and in retaliation the assailants Monday launched an attacked on surveillance post number 3″, the source added.

The Cameroonian authorities opened an investigation to shed light on the origin of the assault, which also wounded nine Cameroonian soldiers who were subsequently admitted in a Douala hospital.

Furthermore, the withdrawal of Nigeria from the Bakassi Island following a judgement rendered on 10 October 2002 by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at The Hague has never been unanimously welcomed in Nigeria, where some activists have repeatedly enticed civilians to revolt.

The Bakassi Island is rich in oil and water resources.

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