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Kenya’s Deputy President Faces Impeachment Over Corruption

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Kenya’s parliament was scheduled to vote on Tuesday on the impeachment of Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.

Ekwutosblog reports that this political development has brought to light a division within the ruling party. Lawmakers have levelled allegations of corruption, undermining the government, and engaging in ethnically divisive politics against the 59-year-old deputy to President William Ruto, among other charges.

At a press conference on Monday, Gachagua denied the accusations as “outrageous” and “sheer propaganda”, saying it was a scheme to hound him out of office.

Gachagua is a businessman from Kenya’s biggest tribe, the Kikuyu. He weathered previous corruption scandals to become deputy leader as Ruto’s running mate in a closely fought election in August 2022.
But in recent weeks, he has complained of being sidelined by his boss and been accused of supporting youth-led anti-government protests that broke out in June.

Political tensions have been running high since the sometimes deadly demonstrations erupted over unpopular tax hikes, exposing divisions between Gachagua and Ruto.

Several MPs allied with Gachagua were summoned by police last month, accused of funding the protests.

No formal charges have been lodged by prosecutors and no judicial inquiry has been opened against Gachagua.

But lawmakers have listed 11 grounds for impeachment, including accusations that he amassed assets worth 5.2 billion shillings ($40 million) since the last election, despite an annual salary of just $93,000.

Among the listed assets was Kenya’s renowned Treetops Hotel, where Britain’s then-Princess Elizabeth was staying when she became queen.
Gachagua says his wealth has come entirely through legitimate business deals and an inheritance from his late brother.

He has warned his removal would stir discontent among his supporters.

Kenyan lawmakers initiated the impeachment process on October 1, with 291 members of parliament backing the motion, well beyond the 117 minimum required.

Two-thirds of the lower house, the National Assembly, must back the motion for it to pass on Tuesday. It would then move to the upper house, the Senate.

If impeached, Gachagua would become the first deputy president to be removed in this way since the possibility was introduced in Kenya’s revised 2010 constitution.

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Politics

‘Time for American people to know TRUTH’: Donald Trump orders declassification of assassination files of John F Kennedy, Martin Luther King

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3 hours ago

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January 24, 2025

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US President-elect Donald Trump (File photo: Reuters) © Provided by Asian News International (ANI)
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Washington, DC [US], January 24 (ANI): United States President Donald Trumpsigned the executive order ordering the declassification of records regarding the assassinations of President John F Kennedy, Senator Robert F Kennedy, and the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King Jr, and said it is time for the American people to know the “truth”.

Sharing the detailed document, the White House stated, “Providing Americans with the truth after six decades of secrecy.”

“The Executive Order establishes the policy that, more than 50 years after these assassinations, the victims’ families and the American people deserve the truth,” the statement added.

Specifically, the order directs the Director of National Intelligence and other appropriate officials to Present a plan within 15 days for the full and complete release of all John F Kennedyassassination records and Immediately review the records relating to the Robert F Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr assassinations and present a plan for their full and complete release within 45 days.

Notably, In Trump’s first term, he ordered agencies to move toward disclosing more information about the John F Kennedy assassination

According to the White House, the President John F Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992 required all records related to the assassination be released in 25 years, absent a presidential certification that: Continued postponement is necessary due to identifiable harm to the military defence, intelligence operations, law enforcement, or conduct of foreign relations; and Such identifiable harm is of such gravity that it outweighs the public interest in disclosure.

“In October 2017 and April 2018 certifications, President Trump directed agencies to reevaluate redactions and disclose any information that no longer warranted withholding. President Biden delayed disclosure in 2021, 2022, and 2023,” the statement added.

Trump said the continued withholding of the John F Kennedy records is “not in the public interest and is long overdue”, while further adding that releasing the Robert F Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. assassination records is in the ‘public interest’.

Notably, it was President Trump’s campaign promise to release assassination records to give Americans the truth.

President Trump pledged on multiple occasions to release the JFK files, specifically stating in June 2024 that he would do so “early on.”

“When I return to the White House, I will declassify and unseal all JFK assassination-related documents. It’s been 60 years, time for the American people to know the TRUTH!” Trump stated. (ANI)

Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info

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Niger Explosion: Governance must prioritize human lives through proactive policies – Peter Obi

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January 23, 2025

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Peter Obi, former governor and 2023 presidential candidate, has called for urgent safety measures to prevent recurring disasters like the tragic petrol tanker explosion that claimed over 100 lives in Suleja, Niger State.

Obi made this appeal during his visit to the site of the explosion, the gravesite, and the Sarkin Dikko palace along the Dikko-Maje Road.

“Today, emotion took the greater part of me as I left Lagos this morning and headed to the site of the tragic petrol tanker explosion, the gravesite, and also the Sarkin Dikko place along the Dikko-Maje Road in Suleja, Niger State, where over 100 lives were lost, more than 50 injured, and many properties destroyed,” Obi shared on his official X handle on Wednesday.

At the explosion site and the graveyard, where 80 victims were buried, Obi expressed sorrow over the preventable tragedy.

He also visited some of the injured victims at the hospital, offering them support and encouragement.

“These recurring disasters call for urgent safety measures: repairing roads, more enlightenment of tanker vehicle operators, investing in healthcare, and lifting people out of poverty to prevent such heartbreaking losses,” he added.

Obi extended his condolences and solidarity to the Dikko community during his meeting with Sarkin Dikko and his council.

He revealed the importance of proactive governance to safeguard human lives.

“Human lives are invaluable, and governance must prioritize their protection through proactive policies,” he stated.

“Together, we can ensure such tragedies become a thing of the past,” he said.

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Saudi crown prince says kingdom intends to invest billions in US during call with Trump

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21 hours ago

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January 23, 2025

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President Donald Trump meets with then deputy crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the White house on Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017 Evan Vucci/Copyright 2017 The AP. All rights reserved.
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Saudi Arabia’s crown prince said on Thursday that the kingdom wants to invest $600 billion (€576 billion) in the United States over the next four years after a phone call with US President Donald Trump.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s comments come after Trump mused about returning to Saudi Arabia as his first foreign trip back in office.

State-run Saudi Press Agency said, “the crown prince affirmed the kingdom’s intention to broaden its investments and trade with the United States over the next four years, in the amount of $600 billion (€576 bn), and potentially beyond that.”

The agency did not elaborate on exactly how the money would be spent.

During their conversation, the two also reportedly discussed ways the two countries could cooperate to establish peace, security and stability in the Middle East.

There was no immediate response from the White House regarding the call. It also wasn’t clear whether Trump’s call with the crown prince was his first with a foreign leader since returning to the Oval Office.

However, it was his first reported abroad.

Trump’s relationship with Saudi Arabia

After his inauguration, Trump talked about the possibility of heading to the kingdom again as his first foreign trip, like he did in 2017.

“The first foreign trip typically has been with the UK but… I did it with Saudi Arabia last time because they agreed to buy $450 billion (€429 bn) worth of our products,” Trump told journalists in the Oval Office.

“I think I’d probably go (again),” the recently inaugurated leader said.

In recent years, the US has increasingly pulled away from relying on Saudi oil exports — once the bedrock the relationship between the two nations.

Trump maintained close relations with Saudi Arabia, even after the crown prince was embroiled in controversy after he was implicated in the 2018 murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul.

The billion dollar pledge, which dwarves the gross domestic product of many nations, comes as the kingdom faces budgetary pressures of its own. Global oil prices remain depressed years after the height of the coronavirus pandemic, affecting the kingdom’s revenues.

Meanwhile, the crown prince has continued to invest in NEOM, a new city in the Saudi Arabian desert. The country also needs to build tens of billions of dollar’s worth of new stadiums and infrastructure ahead of the 2034 FIFA World Cup, which it is hosting.

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