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Friday, 28^th January 2022, Rusumo, Rwanda: The East African Business Council (EABC) CEO Mr. John Bosco Kalisa urges the United Republic of Tanzania to fast-track the use of a national identity card as a travel document to ease the movement of cross border traders across the EAC region.

In his remarks at the EABC-TradeMark East Africa (TMEA) Public-Private Dialogue at Rusumo OSBP, Mr. Kalisa stated that Rusumo One-Stop Border Post connects Rwanda and Tanzania and is an important gateway to the Democratic Republic of Congo. He explained before COVID-19 Rusumo OSBP used to clears 400 trucks daily.

Tanzania’s exports of goods to Rwanda hit USD. 269.6million while Rwanda’s exports to Tanzania reached USD.5 million in 2019 (International Trade Centre).

Mr. Kalisa also urged Tanzania to adopt the EAC Single Tourist Visa to lure more tourists into the EAC bloc. Ms. Happiness Ruangisa from Tanzania High Commission to Rwanda said that COVID-19 disrupted global supply chains hence the need to facilitate intra-EAC trade amid the pandemic for the resilience of our economies.

Mr. Charles Omusana, Principal Economist from the EAC Secretariat, said “improving trade facilitation is key to catalyzing the EAC Common Market and Customs Union.”

Ms. Editha Paschal, Board Member of Tanzania Women Chambers of Commerce urged the Government to enable cross-border women to acquire equipment to reduce post-harvest losses, access affordable loans, roll out sensitization on product standards and establish child-day care services near the border. She also appealed to the Nile Equatorial Lakes Subsidiary Action Program (NELSAP) to repair stores and shops on the Tanzania side which collapse.

Mr. Tayebwa James, CBT Policy Specialist from the Ministry of Trade & Industry Rwanda said that Tanzania and Rwanda signed MoUs on the promotion of cross-border trade and elimination of NTBs. He invited traders to take part in the upcoming joint border committee to discuss and formulate a concrete action plan on MoU.

Rusumo border is currently open for truck drivers and cargo-only and truck drivers have appealed to the Government of Rwanda to stop the mandatory COVD-19 rapid re-testing for drivers entering Rwanda via the border.

Ms. Eugenia Mwesiumo, from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation -United Republic of Tanzania reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment to boost bilateral trade ties.

The public-private dialogue also recommended for the plant health inspectorate services to be offered at the border of Rusumo to facilitate trade and abolition of the USD.100 Single Entry Business Visa into Tanzania for service providers from the EAC Partner States and EAC Partner States to grant a 6-month visa to East African travelers in line with the Common Market Protocol.

The EABC-TMEA public-private dialogue at Rusumo OSBP attracted over 40 delegates composed of Officials from the Ministry of EAC Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Trade & Industrialization, trade facilitation agencies, importers, exporters, transporters & freight forwarders and, women cross-border traders.

Nairobi, Friday,28^th January 2022: Key stakeholders in the tourism and travel industries have agreed to partner to significantly resuscitate the sectors which have been adversely affected by the restrictions occasioned by the Covid-19 pandemic.

During a consultative forum hosted by the African Travel & Tourism Association, (ATTA), the stakeholders who included the Kenya Tourism Board (KTB), Kenya Airways (KQ), Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA), and the tourism sector umbrella bodies under the Kenya Tourism Federation (KTF), agreed to correspondingly promote synergies between government and the private sector to enhance tourism and travel in the country and beyond the borders.

Kenya has a large membership in ATTA which is a member-driven trade association that promotes tourism to Africa from all corners of the world. The association which has 600 members in Africa and 90 in Kenya serves and supports businesses in Africa and represents buyers and suppliers of tourism products across 21 African countries.

ATTA president Nigel Vere Nicoll says “Tourism and Aviation are sectors that are symbiotic and need each other to fully thrive. We have met to ensure that we come up with solutions and a standard way of operating in terms of the safety protocols and also come up with ideas that can propel travel to Kenya. We all need to partner to have the “Karibu Kenya” message to the world as well as create confidence that Kenya is open and safe for travelers”

In November of 2021, Kenya Airways partnered with the KTB to promote Kenya as a tourist destination internationally and locally through the branding of KQ assets creating visibility of the destination in the airline’s network of 41 destinations. Earlier in the same year, low-cost carrier Jambo jet partnered with KTB to promote the destination to domestic and regional travelers.

Kenya Tourism Board CEO Dr. Betty Radier says “We cannot emphasize the role of synergies and partnerships enough as we work towards the restart of tourism. We must continue to take advantage of the new opportunities in travel and also look out for emerging trends.

For instance, the pandemic period allowed us to enhance our tourism offering a good example being the Magical Kenya Signature Experiences (MKSE). We have also been able to participate in forums and expos which indicates that preparations for a comeback are in top gear,” said Dr. Radier

On his part KCAA CEO Gilbert Kibe said that aviation and tourism are and will remain key partners because they are interconnected, adding that air transport is a great enabler for tourism and links people with the destinations of their choice “Air travel facilitates trade and tourism among other sectors that drive economies.

When there are restrictions or disruptions to air transport business tends to suffer and all sectors are unable to thrive. Kenya is lucky because our capital Nairobi is a hub for many airlines and the people are peaceful and hospitable, these are some of the areas we are leveraging on to grow the sectors” said Kibe.

On his part, Kenya Airways CEO Allan Kilavuka says that the tourism, hospitality, and aviation protocols have been important because they encouraged travel amidst many adjustments that the airline industry has experienced. He pointed out that it would also be important for the sector players to learn from other destinations and airlines to remain competitive. Kilavuka also noted that the forecast for summer looked promising but would not hit the 2019 numbers.

The Kenya Tourism Federation (KTF) Chairman, Fred Odek lauded the collaboration between government and the tourism private sector at a time when the pandemic has changed a lot of the business processes in a bid to curb the pandemic,

During the pandemic in 2020, the sectors synergized to create the health and safety protocols that have guided operations in tourism and air travel. In the same year, the destination received the WTTC Safe Travel Stamp in recognition of the implementation of the global health and hygiene standardized protocols. In 2021, the protocols were reviewed and standardized to suit the current scenarios.

Dubai, UAE, 27 January 2022: Emirates will resume passenger operations between Dubai and Kenya starting from 29 January, offering customers more choice, superior value, and enhanced connectivity to and through Dubai.

Customers flying in and out of Nairobi can safely connect to Dubai and an array of onwards connections to Europe, the Middle East, the Americas, West Asia, and Australasia. 

Emirates will operate 10 weekly flights to Nairobi from 29 January. EK 719 and 720 will operate on Sunday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, taking off from Dubai at 0935hrs and arriving in Nairobi at 1345hrs, in turn leaving Nairobi at 1530hrs, and landing in Dubai at 2130hrs.

EK 721 and 722 will fly on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday with EK 721 taking off from Dubai at 0210hrs, arriving in Nairobi at 0620hrs. EK 722 will leave Nairobi at 2355hrs, arriving in Dubai at 0555hrs.

All passengers traveling from Emirates’ African network with Dubai as their final destination require a 48 hour PCR test. Passengers must present a valid negative Covid-19 PCR test certificate for a test conducted at an approved facility, and validity must be calculated from the time the sample was collected.

Upon arrival in Dubai, passengers will undergo an additional Covid-19 PCR test and remain in self-quarantine until the results of the test are received.

Passengers traveling from these destinations and transiting in Dubai are required to follow the rules and requirements of their final destination.

For more information on entry requirements for international visitors to Dubai visit: – https://www.emirates.com/ae/english/help/covid-19/dubai-travel-requirements/tourists/

All flights can be booked on emirates.com, with OTAs, and via travel agents.

Since it safely resumed tourism activity in July 2020, Dubai remains one of the world’s most popular holiday destinations, especially during the winter season. The city is open for international business and leisure visitors.

From sun-soaked beaches and heritage activities to world-class hospitality and leisure facilities, Dubai offers a variety of world-class experiences. It was one of the world’s first cities to obtain the Safe Travels stamp from the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) – which endorses Dubai’s comprehensive and effective measures to ensure guest health and safety.

Dubai is currently hosting the world for Expo 2020, until March 2022. Through the theme of Connecting Minds, Creating the Future, Expo 2020 Dubai aims to inspire people by showcasing the best examples of collaboration, innovation, and cooperation from around the world.

Its programme is packed with experiences to suit all ages and interests, including a rich line-up of themed weeks, entertainment, and edutainment. Art and culture fans, as well as food and technology enthusiasts, can explore exhibits, workshops, performances, live shows, and more.

Flexibility and Assurance: Emirates continues to lead the industry with innovative products and services and recently took its customer care initiatives further with even more generous and flexible booking policies, which have been extended to 31 May 2022, Covid-19 medical travel insurance, and is helping loyal customers retain their miles and tier status.

Health and safety: Keeping the health and wellbeing of its passengers as the top priority, Emirates has introduced a comprehensive set of safety measures at every step of the customer journey.

The airline has also recently introduced contactless technology and scaled up its digital verification capabilities to provide its customers world-class even with more opportunities to utilize the IATA Travel Pass, which can now be used across 50 airports served by Emirates.

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Troubled Mumias Sugar Company has become the new battleground among the feuding billionaire Rai brothers after Jaswant Singh Rai, the chairman of Rai Group, joined other bidders to try to wrest a lucrative leasing contract from his younger sibling –Sarbi Singh Rai.

The rift in the Rai family became public last year when a case pitting the siblings against each other was filed in court, lifting the lid on the silent fight to control their late father’s multi-billion shilling estate.

SUMMARY

• Jaswant Singh Rai, the chairman of Rai Group, has joined other bidders to try to wrest a lucrative leasing contract from his younger sibling –Sarbi Singh Rai.
• The rift in the Rai family became public last year when a case pitting the siblings against each other was filed in court, lifting the lid on the silent fight to control their late father’s multi-billion shilling estate.
• Jaswant on Tuesday tabled a new set of figures to back his claims to have been the highest bidder, challenging the 20-year lease handed to Uganda-based haveSaraihave Sarai Group, run by his brother.

Rai billionaire brothers now battle over Mumias

WEDNESDAY JANUARY 26 2022

    

Troubled Mumias Sugar Company has become the new battleground among the feuding billionaire Rai brothers after Jaswant Singh Rai, the chairman of Rai Group, joined other bidders to try to wrest a lucrative leasing contract from his younger sibling –Sarbi Singh Rai.

The rift in the Rai family became public last year when a case pitting the siblings against each other was filed in court, lifting the lid on the silent fight to control their late father’s multi-billion shilling estate.

Jaswant on Tuesday tabled a new set of figures to back his claims to have been the highest bidder, challenging the 20-year lease handed to Uganda-based Saraiargued Group, run by his brother.

He made the application to join the case before Justice Wilfrida Okwany a.that his company, West Kenya, placed the highest bid but receiver-manager Ponangipalli Rao allegedly awarded the deal to the lowest bidder, Sarrai Group.

Jaswant now wants the receiver to explain how he settled on his brother. He says his bid was for Sh36 billion yet Mr. Rao settled on Sarrai with a bid of Sh6 billion.

Through Senior counsel Paul Muite, Jaswant said the receiver does not have the legal mandate or the professional expertise to make any findings on competition issues in Kenya or make any assessments on market share in any sector in Kenya.

“The figures and analysis produced by the 1st defendant in the said replying affidavit are imaginary and based on conjecture and hypothesis,” he said in an affidavit.

Further, Jaswant argues the rival has no track record of sugar production in Kenya whatsoever and that it is a company whose financial viability and technical ability have Sarai no record in Kenya. On the other hand, West Kenya is a well-established Kenyan company with a track record of sugar production in Kenya.

The West Kenya owner says the lease to Sarrai was actuated by other factors other than the best interest of the shareholders and creditors of the company.

He claims that the elimination of West Kenya at technical evaluation was not a matter within the receiver manager’s legal competence and accuses Mr. Rao of usurping the powers of the Competition Authority of Kenya.

Mr. Rao has, however, defended the leasing process, saying it was done per the law.

He said his role in the evaluation was simply to check what figures had been inserted by the bidders as they were and not interrogate them in any way and that the submitted bid price was the sole criteria for evaluation.

The KCB  receiver said the Rai Group lost a bid to lease the ailing miller on account of his dominance in the sugar sector.

M..r Rao said that were M.r Rai to be awarded the lease, he would control 42 percent of the total sugarcane crushed in the country daily.

Mr. Rao said this would have amounted to a dominant position in the sugar industry given give the provisions of the Competition Act 2010.

A total of eight investors submitted bids to lease the troubled sugar factory. The revelation by West Kenya also put to question who the highest bidder was.

Tumaz & Tumaz, owned by Julius Mwale, had argued that it was the highest bidder with an offer of Sh28 billion followed by Kruman Finances, who wanted a 25-year lease with Sh19.7 billion. Other bidders were Pandhal Industries with Sh9.7 billion over 20 years and Kibos Sugar with Sh8.8 billion.

In another intrigue, some lawyers who alleged to be representing West Kenya told a media briefing that they were challenging the lease to Sarrai. and that they want it to be given to Devki Group, associated with steel tycoon Narendra Raval.

The lawyers argued that Sarrai was not suited to run the plant given the bid amount that he placed during the process was lower when compared to other bidders.

Devki Group, which the lawyers claimed placed the highest bid of Sh61 billion as a lease offer, denied that figure arguing that the amount was way beyond what they had bid.

“What we placed as our offer for Mumias was less than Sh5 billion, we were not the highest bidders,” said M.r Raval in an interview with the Business Daily.

“I am no longer in the race for leasing Mumias,” he added.

Mr. Raval withdrew from the tendering process before the exercise was completed, according to the receiver-manager receiver-manage.

The battle for Mumias is hinged on its vast estate and the control that whoever runs the plant will have in the sugar sector in the country.

The ailing firm has one of the largest nucleus estates at 4,000 hectares with the milling plant having a capacity of 8,000 per day, making it the largest sugar processor in Kenya.

The battle for Mumias has given Kenyans a further glimpse of the rivalry among the billionaire Rai’s brother.

Sarbi is one of the five sons of Tarlochan Singh Rai who died in December 2010. He fell out with his brother over the distribution of the wealth left by the patriarch, forcing him to move out of the Rai Group whose chairman is Jaswant.

Their late mother Sarjij Kaur Rai had teamed up with her sons, Jasbir and Iqbal, objecting to the Will, saying the patriarch could have been coerced in crafting the document that distributed his assets among his eight beneficiaries. Jaswant is the executor of the Will.

The family has interests in cement production (Rai Cement), edible oils and soaps (Menengai Oil Refineries), sawmilling (Timsales, RaiPly and Webuye Panpaper), wheat farming, horticulture, sugar industry (West Kenya, which owns Kabras Sugar) and, real estate (Tulip Properties).

The Rai family owns West Kenya, Sukari Industries, and Olepito, which have taken over the market previously occupied by Mumias with their Kabras Sugar brand. At its peak, Mumias had more than 60 percent market share.

In 2020, Sugar Directorate data showed that the three firms owned by M. Rai’s family-controlled 45 percent of the total sales, which was a growth from the 41 percent market share they held in the corresponding period of 2019. to

West Kenya had the lion’s share at 29 percent followed by Sukari Industries at 11 percent, with Olepito coming in at a distant third with two percent of the total 292,040 sales reported between January and June of 2020. Since 2020 the directorate has kept data on market control as a closely guarded secret.

Mumias owes Proparco Sh1.84 billion secured using the electricity generation plant, Ecobank Sh1.77 billion on the ethanol plant, and the Treasury Sh2.83 billion. Banks it owes more than Sh3 billion include KCB, NCBA   and Stanbic Bank

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Mushrooms have long been a part of the human diet– species have been discovered in association with 13, 000- year- old archaeological sites in Chile.

Mushrooms have a high nutritional value due to their high levels of protein, enzymes, B vitamins, and vitamin D2. What s the best part? They are classified as a zero-calorie food that is especially beneficial to diabetics.

More than 98 percent of us eat only one kind of mushroom: the common button mushroom and its relatives, the crimini and portabello mushrooms.

However, other types of mushrooms can help you increase the nutrient content of your diet. Try shiitake, oyster, chanterelle, reishi, Cordyceps, turkey tail, and Himematsutake varieties if you can find them.

Those who prefer red meat can substitute white button mushrooms for it to aid in weight loss. A study found that those who did this lost more weight, had better body composition, had a smaller waist circumference, and were better able to maintain their weight loss.

Vitamin B is required by the body to convert food (carbs) into fuel (glucose), produce energy, and metabolize fats and protein. Mushrooms are high in vitamin B2 (riboflavin) and vitamin B3 (thiamin) (niacin).

A 100 gm of crimini contains 44% and 30% of your daily recommended amount, respectively, while white button mushrooms contain 36% and 30%, and oyster mushrooms contain 32% and 39%. Including mushrooms in your diet can help to boost your metabolism.

When we think of antioxidants, we usually think of bright and colorful vegetables. Antioxidants are substances that help our bodies fight free radicals caused by oxidation.

According to a Penn State University study, crimini and portobello mushrooms have antioxidant levels comparable to red peppers.

With the majority of us now being advised to take vitamin D supplements, it’s time to consider a natural cure.

Mushrooms are the only fruit or vegetable that contain this essential vitamin. Mushrooms, like humans, produce vitamin D when exposed to sunlight. To begin eating!

Those who avoid mushrooms because they believe they are harmful should remember that only about 50 to 100 of the over 10, 000 species of mushrooms are toxic. There is no danger unless you pick a species in a forest and decide to cook it.