Re: Open Letter to Petition President Obama on Constant Crimes, Abuse and Violation on Human
August 3rd 2013
Dear President Obama,
People from the Continent of Africa deserve fair Human Rights with
better Trading engagement away from Politically Engineered conflicts that come
as a result of corruption and impunity. People of Africa too have a right to
enjoy benefits of peace and happiness and as well, engage in Trading under
favorable conducive environment, just like other people from other parts from
Industrialized progressive world. I say this because, the resources from Africa
is in the world market where we are all consumers of the same; but looking back
and considering the pathetic humanitarian situations at which the resources are
acquired from Africa, it is extremely traumatizing. It then calls
for moral conviction for which I am compelled to petition you, to face this
matter boldly, resolutely without looking back and make firm and conclusive
response which will save this pathetic situation and ultimately provide
safety-net to the proposed Energy project you sold out during your recent trip
to Africa.
Since UN Treaties are an internationally credible Law that are as
valid as any other Constitutional Law of any Nation in the world, most United
Nations ratified their treaties to conform with that of UN. We therefore expect
The UN Secretary-General Ban-Ki-moon to engage fairly and be fully committed to
guiding member States to be in compliant with Policy Agreement of the UN
Conventions or face the law.
Every piece of Africa’s land and every ounce of water are
protected by the International and UN treaty rights, including treaty rights for
specific countries such like Kenya, Congo, Tanzania or any other Nation in
Africa, Asia or in Europe where inherent rights are honored and protected. All
these rights (be it Human Rights, Governments Constitutional Rights, Trade
Security or Climatic Environmental Change) contribute to effects on
Environmental Rights that afflict human health adversely or destroys and
pollutes Nature and consequently abuses human rights. Similarly, the same in
extension are Agreements recognized within International and UN
Treaty.
The People of
Congo, South Sudan, Kenya and other parts of Africa, are constantly attacked
from outside invasion from the likes of M23 Rebel Groups. This tends to negate
natural development that involves good balanced practices needed for fair
trading, with sustained job creation to engage the youth and women from Africa.
Since the
unscrupulous International Corporate special business interest failed to do fair
business deals in Africa, or consult favorably to engage mutually good business
practices; the corrupt African Governments found reason to violate and evade
their Responsibilities. As a result, they fail to commit mandated
business for investment deals on a “Give and
Take” to mutually benefit both stakeholders and the investors.
But because of humanitarian grounds, and because victims have suffered
irreparably, I petition you to engage good Allys to stop this idea of sponsoring
Rebel Groups in Africa to kill, destroy, drive away and scare their own local
people from their home establishments that results into extreme poverty and
deaths instead of advancing development; thus paving ways for extreme business
of greed.
It is unfortunate
that, Pirating and smuggling is growing dangerously in leaps and bounds in and
around the region and there is urgent need to stop these from getting out of
control in Africa.
Need to Establish a Functioning Civil
Society:
Management of
Civil Society with Engagement of the Government to observe and follow the
Constitutional policies for public mandate is crucial and very necessary. Since
the Government is for the people, Civil Society have rights to be equipped with
knowledge to organize themselves so to protect and preserve their Pivotal roles
in the Society through engagements.
Civil society
guarantee sustainability through popular participation to facilitate a
functioning Democracy with good Governance that are established under Just Rule
of Law; and by engaging and managing their affairs with humanitarian issues, the
Civil Society are able to assist the government in managing their welfare in
their Community Organization. Civil Society must equally be engaged in training
in order to help with strengthening their government system to expedite service
on time. When the Community is informed, they are able to manage their affairs
effectively. Any other matters of human rights abuses and the need to protect
Rights through policy enactment is a ways the Civil Society will preserve
Africa’s minerals resource trading in a more beneficial and sustainable manner.
This Natural Mineral Wealth do not last for ever, and it is our responsibility
now that we engage to do the right thing.
Consequently, the
information exchange encourage the civil society’s participation as Watch-dog
that monitors the bad behavior of government employees with reason to re-call
irresponsible elected Officials who fail to perform with integrity.
Moving forward in boosting education and strengthening security
for civil society on the ground is extremely important and definitely
essential.
The U.S.
government, must support initiatives for Congo, Kenya, South Sudan, Tanzania
with peace initiative to create management re-organization to provide
conflict-free supply chains. If more revenue is invested to legitimizing supply
chains, Trading benefits for USA with their Allys will grow more in bounty than
where we are presently. A greater substantial proportion of the problem will
have been solved, paving ways for sustainable Trading processes in the Region to
compete fairly and peacefully under conducive environment that has lesser
challenges from terrorism and war. This is the only way to avoid
Neo-colonialism.
Progress must be
swift and fast so to establish proceedure for order and discipline to instil
general rule where all Trading are done in mutually common good for
all.
I await to hear from
you favorable.....I beg to remain,
Sincerely,
Judy Miriga
Diaspora Spokesperson &
Executive Director for
Confederation Council Foundation for Africa
USA
email: jbatec@yahoo.com
Point of
Reference from latest news report why action is acutely important and extremely
urgent:
Omollo,
Iko Jaluo moja kutoka Gem anaitwa Professor Rading a ver
accomplished researcher and educationist. He did a lot of research work and
tests on various areas in Kwale. Through him I came to know that Niobium an
element so important on stainless steels, and Titanium the stuff they use for
manufacturing bodies of Fighter jets which travel at 3times the speed of sound
or Mach 3 is available in Kwale in trillions of tons. Infact Kwale holds one
third of the total World Titanium.
Way back in 1998 a Canadian Company, which engaged that
professor from Gem to do the reseach, was given a license by Baba na Mama
Government, to start Mining. Unfortunately the company wanted to loot the area
the way all Gentile Companies loot Minerals in Africa. The locals were not put
in the picture. Tiomin (the canadian Company started evicting akina Mwana Iddi
na Swaleh Bakarii without compensation. They resisted and later the case went to
Court.
The Court's resolution was that these Locals be paid good
compensation to make them relocate. But Tiomin said that they did not have that
kind of money at that time. With that argument the project came to a
holt.
Sometime around 2004 Obako's Government issued another Fresh
license to Tiomin.. At that point Tiomin involved their Government by asking for
a Loan from the Canadian Government to help offset the money going to the Locals
as compensation. From then on it has been back and forth with no
headway.
Now, if the Ching ling Ling were hoping to get into those
mines then they are a little late because as I know it the Canadians already
have the license. not through Kamwana but one which was issued by Moi and
reissued by Kibaki.
Professor ile ya ktoka Gem likwisa fuanya analysis na
kuthibitisa availability of several minerals way back in late 80s to mid 90s.
Donge!!!
Also did you know that Kwale has the best sand for Casting of
any kind be it process casting of Aluminum or steel or Cast Iron. Sand around
Kwale town has 99.9% silica. Almost 100%. I personally tested this in a lab.
Compare this to other Countries which do a lot of Casting like USA Germany,
USSR. Egypt, South Africa etc. Their sand range from 65% - 90%
silica
Jagem
President Uhuru Kenyatta steps into global mining power
struggle
Updated Tuesday, July 30th 2013 at 17:29 GMT +3
It, by-and-large, has escaped the attention of the madia that Kenya has a
resources asset far greater than the oil and gas find, about which there was so
much fuss. Down in Kwale, under a
wooded hill, sits a deposit of Rare Earths that is of global significance.
Rare Earths are in every mobile phone, in our modern light bulbs, in most
modern technologies, and just as the world played a dance of Middle Eastern
supremacy over oil and control of oil supplies, so China, more
than a decade ago, spotted the power of controlling the Rare Earth market.
Rare Earths
The Chinese President laid out his country’s strategy to be the controller
of Rare Earths as the Middle East had controlled oil. He spoke of it. It was
spelt out in his speeches. And China moved.
With large Rare Earth deposits of its own, it went on to acquire almost all of
the world’s mines, in Australia, globally.
It secured more than 95 per cent of all the world’s Rare Earth supplies.
No-one can make modern technology without Chinese-controlled Rare Earths, and,
predictably enough, the prices have soared in recent years.
Now, Kenyan
geologists have long known the country had Rare Earths, together with a handy
little mineral called Niobium, also these days in big demand as a strengthener
of steels. Geological surveys showed the Rare Earths in Kwale back in
the 1950s — a sweet enough mineral asset to mean there was a time that global
mining major, Anglo American, hacked a mine shaft into that hill and set out on
the path of mining there.
But that international company gave up, unable to get mining go ahead in a
country where mining has never happened NOT because the country isn’t packed
with mineral resources, but because no mining company could ever manage the
politics. Mining takes huge up-front investment. The surveys have to happen
first, the mining, the processing plant, the processing, and finally, years down
the line comes the first actual piece of revenue.
Investors have to back a mine, for years and in very large sums, to turn it
into a revenue stream.
It’s not like selling Coca Cola, and it doesn’t work when the menu on offer
is ‘put a lot of money in, but you may lose it all and never see a penny of
revenue’. Mining investment takes SOME commitments.
Kenya has never
offered that, leaving itself almost isolated in Africa as a country without
earnings from natural resources.
But the Kwale thing was
bigger still. It certainly sat there for decades undeveloped through a lack of
will to convert into a government facilitated investment. A French company tried
after Anglo American. Gave up.
Then a little ‘junior’ mining company — first a South African/Australian
nexus, then merged with a Toront-listed mining company — began the
journey.
That company got
further than the others. They prospected and found the deposit was among the
richest in the world, possibly the richest, in the percentage of Rare Earths
held in the soil.
They also found that the deposit was larger than anyone realised. It now
looks as if it may be the second largest in the world, after the world’s largest
Rare Earth mine, in China, called
Baotou.
But by now, there were more challenges than ordinary, routine, forever,
political blockage of mining.
No one ever mentioned in China’s
strategy for Rare Earths that it would be a supply dominated by China AND Kenya. The ‘ Kenya’ part
wasn’t in the global plan.
Not that anyone has really focussed on that jigsaw puzzle as we gained lots
of lovely grants and friendship from China, a free
hospital, a beautiful Thika superhighway.
I asked a Chinese First Secretary last week why China had put
so much into Kenya recently,
and he told me, repeatedly, that it was a ‘beautiful’ country with interesting
tourism and great weather.
So I guess China will be
putting a lot into Croatia too, with its stunning coastline.
Of course, the truth is, China wanted
that mine, and maybe it’s suicide of me to say it, but I think they had got it.
Only then our new government was elected, and within three weeks our new
President intervened, personally. China did not
get the licence. The President met the Canadian-listed international miners,
issued their licence, and they have now received their Environment Impact
Assessment approvals. The fund raising is underway.
Changing future
And no-one, but no-one, seems to grasp how brave that was. There will be so
much pressure over that mine. I’ve seen detailed figures estimating the resource
at a worth of US dollars 95 billion — that’s 8 trillion shillings. It’s the
biggest thing that Kenya has ever
owned that the world wants.
But that resource is a Kenyan birth
right. So I don’t care what tribe he’s from: our President just stood up to one
of the most powerful forces in the world to harness it for Kenya, setting
up an income stream in royalties, 80 per cent of which will go to Government,
and our health service, and teachers’ pay, and so much more.
And I’m not sure anyone even noticed. But they should. Because that’s
future changing.
And
very brave indeed.
COMMENTS:
Rare-Earth DIGGER01 August 2013 3:37
PM
Looks pretty close. The revenue may look tiny in light
of the bigger cake, however, that is a direct revenue. there are indirect
revenues such as employment and infrastructure development, investments,
etc.
twister31 July 2013 11:29 PM
It start low as the company recoup its huge invested,
which is usually borrowed attracting huge interests, after some time the Gok
will poket as high as 80%.
George k31 July 2013 6:35 AM
Why such a low percentage , someone should explain
this
Paulo30 July 2013 3:31 PM
This article is full of praises but lacking in real
focus. Praising China for giving us grants that we will end up paying back and
being dependant on their input even in cases where we can do better by
developing our local capacity is not the way to go. Also, the issue of mining is
more complicated than just working out figures in billions and trillions of
expected income/production. EIA have been political tools in cases where in the
long run, the cost paid by the local population turns out to be far much
greater.
Ekhisa30 July 2013 12:05 PM
I still think 80percent of 3 percent of 95b only comes
to 2.8B USD leaving the mining company with staggering profits from these at 92B
USD...So what is so transformational about that figure...I think the new
President did well to stick it for Kenya but the royalties just doesnt make
sense...I mean Kenya will only make 250B KES from mining worth of 8 trillion
shillings...Not right
Lands officer linked to Sh954m fraud
Ministry of Lands headquarters in Nairobi. Former State officials have been
accused of using their positions in government to grab 795 acres of land
belonging to Ms Anna Nyogio Kimitei.
By VINCENT AGOYA vagoya@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted Wednesday, July 31 2013 at 21:44
Posted Wednesday, July 31 2013 at 21:44
In Summary
- The former State officials have been accused of using their positions in government to grab 795 acres of land belonging to Ms Anna Nyogio Kimitei.
A lands registrar has been summoned to court in a case where a widow claims
she was swindled out of a Sh954 million ranch using false documents.
Ms Agnes Wangu Gerald Kuria has failed to honour “verbal” summons to honour
the court date.
Wednesday, magistrate Peter Ndwiga issued summons after police complained
she had ignored orders to present herself to investigators.
Ms Kuria has been enjoined in the case with former Kenya Pipeline Company
boss Ezekiel Komen, former District Commissioner Benjamin Rotich, land registrar
Tom Mainja and two others.
Ms Kuria has been accused of giving instructions on behalf of the chief
land registrar to open green cards in the names of Ezekiel Komen, Eric Kibiwott
Tarus, and Kipkorir Kuti for the transfer of land in Eldoret belonging to
someone else.
She did this on December 22, 2005 while working as a lands registrar at
Ardhi House, Nairobi, it is claimed.
Using positions
The former State officials have been accused of using their positions in
government to grab 795 acres of land belonging to Ms Anna Nyogio Kimitei.
Yesterday, the prosecution said it would amend the charges to include Ms
Kuria and charge the suspects afresh.
The prosecution alleges the widow lost her land to powerful politicians
during the Kanu regime.
It is alleged the politicians subdivided the land and sold it to more than
200 families who have put up commercial and residential buildings.
The widow claims her family bought the land from a white settler, Mr James
Gear, on March 10, 1969 but in 2006 was told that “the government had taken it
over and allocated it to poor families.”
The court yesterday extended the suspects’ bond of Sh500,000 and ordered
them to appear Thursday.
A Summary of
United Nations Agreements
on Human
Rights
Contents
- Universal Declaration of Human Rights
- Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
- Optional Protocol to the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
- Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights
- Convention Against Torture
- Convention Against Genocide
- The Geneva Conventions
- Convention on the Rights of the Child
- Convention on Eliminiation of Discrimination Against Women
- Charter of the United Nations
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
The UDHR is the first international statement to use the term "human rights", and has been adopted by the Human Rights movement as a charter. It is short, and worth reading in its entirety -- a summary would be about as long as the document itself.Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
This covenant details the basic civil and political rights of individuals and nations. Among the rights of nations are:- the right to self determination
- the right to own, trade, and dispose of their property freely, and not be deprived of their means of subsistence
- the right to legal recourse when their rights have been violated, even if the violator was acting in an official capacity
- the right to life
- the right to liberty and freedom of movement
- the right to equality before the law
- the right to presumption of innocence til proven guilty
- the right to appeal a conviction
- the right to be recognized as a person before the law
- the right to privacy and protection of that privacy by law
- freedom of thought, conscience, and religion
- freedom of opinion and expression
- freedom of assembly and association
It provides for the right of people to
choose freely whom they will marry and to
found a family, and requires that the duties and obligations of
marriage and family be shared equally between partners. It
guarantees the rights of children and prohibits discrimination based on race,
sex, color, national origin, or language.
It also restricts the death penalty to the most
serious of crimes, guarantees condemned people the right to
appeal for commutation to a lesser
penalty, and forbids the death penalty entirely for
people under 18 years of age.
The covenant permits governments to
temporarily suspend some of these rights in cases of civil emergency only, and
lists those rights which cannot be
suspended for any reason. It also establishes the UN Human Rights
Commission.
After almost two decades of negotiations
and rewriting, the text of the Universal Covenant on Civil
and Political Rights was agreed upon in 1966. In 1976, after
being ratified by the required 35 states, it became international law.
Optional Protocol to the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
The protocol adds legal force to the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights by allowing the Human Rights Commission to investigate and judge complaints of human rights violations from individuals from signator countries.Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights
This covenant describes the basic economic, social, and cultural rights of individuals and nations, including the right to:- self-determination
- wages sufficient to support a minimum standard of living
- equal pay for equal work
- equal opportunity for advancement
- form trade unions
- strike
- paid or otherwise compensated maternity leave
- free primary education, and accessible education at all levels
- copyright, patent, and trademark protection for intellectual property
The text of this covenant was
finalized in 1966 along with that of the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights,
but has not been ratified yet.
UN Convention on the Condition of the Wounded and Sick in Armed Forces (I)
Also called the first Geneva Convention
The first Geneva Convention focuses on the rights of individuals, combatants and non-combatants, during war. It is lengthy and detailed, perhaps because human rights are rarely at such risk as during war and, in particular, involving prisoners of war or enemy captives.Convention against Genocide
This convention bans acts committed with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group. It declares genocide a crime under international law whether committed during war or peacetime, and binds all signators of the convention to to take measures to prevent and punish any acts of genocide committed within their jurisdiction. The act bans killing of members of any racial, ethnic, national or religious group because of their membership in that group, causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group, inflicting on members of the group conditions of life intended to destroy them, imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group, and taking group members' children away from them and giving them to members of another group.
It declares genocide
itself, conspiracy or
incitement to
commit genocide, attempts to
commit orcomplicity in the commission
of genocide all to be illegal. Individuals are to be held
responsible for these acts whether they were acting in their official
capacities or as private individuals. Signators to the convention
are bound to enact appropriate legislation to make the
acts named in Article 3 illegal under their national law and provide appropriate
penalties for violators.
People suspected of acts of genocide may
be tried by a national tribunal in the
territory where the acts were committed or by a properly constituted
international tribunal whose jurisdiction is recognized by the
state or states involved. For purposes of extradition, an allegation of genocide is not to be
considered a political crime, and states are bound to extradite
suspects in accordance with national laws and treaties. Any state party to the
Convention may also call upon the United Nations to act to
prevent or punish acts of genocide.
The remainder of the Convention
specifies procedures for resolving
disputes between nations about whether a specific act or acts
constitute(s) genocide, and gives procedures for ratification of the convention.
Convention against Torture
This convention bans torture under all circumstances and establishes the UN Committee against Torture. In particular, it defines torture, requires states to take effective legal and other measures to prevent torture, declares that no state of emergency, other external threats, nor orders from a superior officer or authority may be invoked to justify torture. It forbids countries to return a refugee to his country if there is reason to believe he/she will be tortured, and requires host countries to consider the human rights record of the person's native country in making this decision.
The CAT requires states to make torture
illegal and provide appropriate
punishment for those who commit torture. It requires states to assert jurisdiction when
torture is committed within their jurisdiction, either investigate and prosecute
themselves, or upon proper request extradite suspects to face
trial before another competent court. It also requires states to cooperate with any civil
proceedings against accused torturers.
Each state is obliged to provide training to law enforcement and
military on torture prevention, keep its interrogation methods under
review, and promptly investigate any allegations that
its officials have committed torture in the course of their
official duties. It must ensure that individuals who allege that someone has
committed torture against them are permitted to make and official
complaint and have it investigated, and, if the complaint is
proven, receive compensation,
including full medical treatment and payments to survivors if the victim dies as
a result of torture.. It forbids states to admit into evidence
during a trial any confession or statement
made during or as a result of torture. It also forbids activities
which do not rise to the level of torture, but which constitute cruel or degrading
treatment.
The second part of the
Convention establishes the Committee Against Torture, and sets out the rules on
its membership and activities.
The Convention was passed and opened for
ratification in February, 1985. At that time twenty nations signed, and five
more signed within the month. At present sixty five nations have ratified the
Convention against torture and sixteen more have signed but not yet ratified it.
Convention on Eliminiation of Discrimination Against Women
This convention bans discrimination against women. The copy of the Convention on Women presently accessible through this page is a fully- indexed HTML document. A linked summary of the document will be written in the next few weeks.Convention on the Rights of the Child
This convention bans discrimination against children and provides for special protection and rights appropriate to minors. The copy of the Convention on the Rights of the Child presently accessible through this page is a fully-indexed HTML document. A linked summary of the document will be written in the next few weeks.Charter of the United Nations
The Charter of the United Nations contains some important human rights provisions, in addition to containing the framework for the organization as a whole. This is a fully indexed HTML version of the charter. A summary will be written at some future date.
Created on July 8, 1994 / Last edited
on January 25,
1997
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