Local government leaders will receive a 100 per cent pay increment starting the next financial year, the Minister for Local Government, Hon. Rapheal Magyezi has said.

Magyezi, who underscored the need to enhance the remuneration of local political leaders, was appearing before the House Committee on Public Service and Local Government, chaired by Hon. Ojara Martin Mapenduzi, on Tuesday, 26 March 26, 2024. The committee is currently considering the ministry’s Policy statement for next financial year 2024/2025. 

“This policy statement prioritizes many areas including the increment of political leaders’ remuneration. Considering the current living costs, it is prudent that they are enhanced,” he said, decrying the low pay for councilors saying that it does not sync with the current economic times.

The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Ben Kumumanya, said that they will present a Cabinet Paper that will demonstrate a 100 percent increase for all the local political leaders since audits have established that there are gross variations in public servants’ pay.

Currently, chairpersons at Parish and village levels receive a monthly remuneration of Shs10,000; while sub-county chairpersons receive Shs400,000 and Shs35,000 for sub-county councilors. 

Municipal, City and District Councilors are paid 250,000 Shillings per month, subject to tax. Speakers and Deputy Speakers across various levels range from Shs300,000 to Shs600,000, while members of the City and District Executive Committee receive Shs600,000 per month.  City and District Chairpersons earn Shs2 million. 

The Chairperson, Hon. Mapenduzi commended the move by the Ministry to enhance the remuneration of local government political leaders. He however advised the Ministry to reallocate the money meant for inducting councilors to retooling Parish Development Model since the election period is near.

According to the Ministerial Policy Statement, the Ministry of Local Government has been allocated a budget estimate of Shs202.15 billion, an increase of Shs36.7 billion from the current financial year of Shs166.8 billion.

Some of the Ministry’s priority areas next financial year include reviewing of the Decentralization Policy Framework, amendment of the Local Government Act, Cap,243, and implementation of the Parish Development Model.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Parliament of the Republic of Uganda.

UNHCR, the UNHCR Refugee Agency, is raising the alarm as ongoing violence in eastern areas of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) reaches a devastating level.

Two years of cyclical conflict in the North Kivu territories of Rutshuru and Masisi have forced over 1.3 million people to flee their homes within the DRC, leading to a total of 5.7 million people becoming internally displaced across North Kivu, South Kivu and Ituri provinces.   

Since violent clashes enveloped the town of Sake, in Masisi territory, on 7 February, almost 300,000 people have arrived in the city of Goma and its surroundings, swelling spontaneous and official displacement sites as they desperately seek shelter from indiscriminate bombing and other human rights abuses. Conditions are dire as growing needs for shelter, sanitation and livelihood solutions outstrip available resources. A further 85,000 people have fled the same violence and sought shelter in the Minova region of South Kivu. In January, the town of Minova already hosted over 156,000 displaced people, with the majority living in makeshift shelters. 

The deeply troubling trend of the increased use of heavy artillery in the conflict continues amid reports of bombings targeting civilian locations in Minova. The shelling of a commercial centre on 20 March killed a displaced woman and injured at least three others, including two children. Reports of indiscriminate bombings in Sake and Goma over recent weeks, which killed more than 30 people and injured at least 80, are also concerning, as is the threat of unexploded ordnance. UNHCR emphasizes the imperative of safeguarding civilians and upholding the civilian and humanitarian nature of displacement sites.

The latest reports from UNHCR teams are alarming. Families continue arriving at sites traumatized and exhausted by the attacks, scarred physically and psychologically. Many report being abused – some sexually – during their flight. New arrivals find refuge in makeshift shelters in overcrowded sites, in schools and churches, or with host families, stretching their meagre resources.  

Worryingly, humanitarian partners have observed systematic incursions by armed groups into civilian structures like displacement sites, hospitals and health centres. In 2023, 25 schools were occupied by non-state armed groups in Masisi and Rutshuru territories alone, and a further 17 schools were attacked. In 2024, seven schools were destroyed by bombings. Looting of medicines and essential materials from health centres in recent weeks further hampered humanitarians’ ability to support displaced people. Hundreds of thousands have been identified as displaced behind frontlines in Masisi, Rutshuru and Nyiragongo territories, cut off from aid. 

The renewed violence means many children have been displaced, and a large number are now unaccompanied and exposed to grave risks and violations, including kidnapping, forced recruitment, mutilation and rape.  In 2023, in North Kivu alone, there were 50,159 reported cases of gender-based violence, more than half of which were rape; 90 per cent of these victims were women and girls, while 37 per cent were children. UNHCR’s assistance to survivors of sexual abuse includes psychosocial support and referral to medical assistance, as well as work with displaced men.

As the violence continues and humanitarian access is further hindered, risks for displaced and civilian populations are multiplying. UNHCR is calling for an immediate end to the violence and urges all parties to the conflict to respect and uphold international humanitarian law and human rights, and to protect civilians.

A scaled-up humanitarian response in the eastern provinces between June and December 2023 reached more than 3.1 million people with life-saving assistance. UNHCR, with partners, provided emergency shelter to over 40,000 of the most vulnerable arrivals in Goma. The distribution of over 3,600 core relief item kits and 1,000 tarpaulins helped improve daily life for those outside planned sites.  But this addressed only a small portion of those in desperate need.

UNHCR remains deeply committed to supporting those affected in eastern DRC and urgently calls for concerted international action to address the crisis. UNHCR has received only 14 per cent of the $250 million required for its response in the DRC in 2024. The lack of funding threatens aid deliveries, exacerbating the region’s dire humanitarian crisis.  

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

The Council appointed today new Heads of Mission (HoM) for three EU’s civilian missions: the EU Monitoring Mission in Georgia (EUMM Georgia); the EU Police Mission for the Palestinian Territories (EUPOL COPPS); and the EU Capacity Building Mission in Somalia (EUCAP Somalia).

Major General Bettina Boughani was appointed as HoM of EUMM Georgia from 21 March 2024 until 14 December 2024. She is a commissioned officer of the French National Gendarmerie with extensive experience in international relations and stabilisation missions. She held various senior positions within the United Nations and the French Gendarmerie, as well as in the Ministry of the Interior. Most recently she was involved in conflict prevention, mediation, and peacekeeping in sensitive political and security contexts as MINUSMA’s Police Commissioner (United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali). She will succeed Dimitrios Karabalis.

Biography of Major General Bettina Boughani

Karin Limdal, a Swedish national, was appointed as the new HoM of EUPOL COPPS. She is succeeding Nataliya Apostolova taking up duty from 1 April 2024 to 30 June 2024. Previously Ms Limdal served in the European Centre of Excellence for Civilian Crisis Management in Berlin as Head of Sector for Political Content and Focus Management. She also worked as a Senior Capability Development Planner and as a Strategic Planner on CSDP in the EEAS. She held positions in several CSDP missions including EUPOL COPPS, the EU Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX Kosovo), and the EU Planning Team for Kosovo.

Biography of Karin Lamdal

As regards EUCAP Somalia, the Council appointed Kęstutis Lančinskas, a Lithuanian national, as the new Head of Mission (HoM) from 1 May 2024 to 31 December 2024. He will succeed Kauko Aaltomaa. Kęstutis Lančinskas currently serves as advisor for national security issues to Prime Minister of Lithuania. Before assuming this position, he was Vice-Minister of Interior, responsible for crisis management and state border protection. He also provided his EU-related expertise to the Governments of Armenia and the Republic of Moldova on law enforcement agencies reforms, and headed the EU Advisory Mission (EUAM) in Ukraine, supporting the Ukrainian authorities in the area of the law enforcement agencies reforms, including the police, the anti-corruption bodies and the prosecution service.

Biography of Kęstutis Lančinskas

The decision to appoint Major General Boughani, Ms Limdan and Mr Lančinskas was taken by the Political and Security Committee.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Council of the European Union.

The government is strengthening technical and vocational education to enhance the country’s capacity to offer practical training, President William Ruto has said.

The objective is to use the power of technical vocational education and training (TVET) to push the potential of young people to positively contribute to economic growth.

He pointed out that the Bottom Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA) was designed to accelerate economic growth by investing in critical pillars that create employment for millions of skilled youth.

“As we implement policies, programmes and projects which create jobs for the youth, we must simultaneously equip millions of young Kenyans with the education, training and skills necessary to enhance their productivity in a dynamic, globalised and competitive labour market,” he said.

He made the remarks on Tuesday during the centenary celebrations of TVET in Kenya at the Nyeri National Polytechnic.

This financial year, the government has allocated KSh28.3 billion to TVET institutions.

“We intend to keep raising the budgetary allocation in future until we achieve an optimal level of investment,” he said.

The government is also recruiting 2,000 TVET tutors, with the goal of increasing the total number to 4,000.

The President announced that China has approved KSh13 billion for Kenya to support 70 TVET institutions with state-of-the-art equipment.

Present were Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu, Nyeri Governor Mutahi Kahiga, MPs and MCAs.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of President of the Republic of Kenya.