Andrew Stegmann

Ethiopia Limits Foreign Diplomats’ Movements

Ethiopia has restricted foreign diplomats’ travel in new provisions of a state of emergency as part of its response to an unprecedented wave of anti-government protests.

New restrictions published in local media state that foreign diplomats are forbidden from travelling more than 40km outside the capital, Addis Ababa, “for their own security”.

“This is a state of emergency and we expect repressive measures,” a Western diplomat told AFP news agency on condition of anonymity on Monday.

“But we also expect an opening of the political space for the opposition as stated by the president in front of the parliament. This is not what seems to be happening,” the diplomat added.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is following developments in Ethiopia “with concern”, his spokesman said on Monday.

The UN chief urged Ethiopian authorities to uphold human rights and called for calm and “inclusive dialogue to resolve all grievances”.

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Andrew Stegmann

East Africa: Tanzania – No Consensus Yet On EAC Single Tourist Visa

East African Community (EAC) regional block have never reached a consensus on the issuance of the single tourist visa by Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda.

“There has never been any agreement on the arrangement at the EAC level, as a matter of fact, the member states are still discussing the issue,” Acting Director for Trade and Investment in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, Bernard Haule, said yesterday.

Mr Haule was responding to allegations by some media outlets and social networks, suggesting that Tanzania had snubbed the multi-entry visa for tourists outside the regional bloc.

The official maintained that introduction of the arrangement for all EAC member states was still under discussion through sectoral meetings on tourism and wildlife, noting that Tanzania was fully participating to the deliberations.

The ‘Daily News’ has separately learnt that even the three countries that have embraced the single visa are at loggerheads due to differences in national visa policies and regimes in Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda.

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Andrew Stegmann

Home Affairs names and shames SA’s abandoned children

Child abandonment is a scourge in South Africa. As numbers soar, the battle is on to ensure that abandonment does not permanently define the lives of survivors. But those efforts are being severely hampered by the Department of Home Affairs’ decision to disclose to the public the abandonment status of some children. As a practice, it is shockingly callous, largely inaccurate and probably indefensible, so why is the department seemingly impervious to all of the concern?

There seems to be no end in sight to the abandonment crisis in South Africa. And, in the absence of long-term policy solutions, child protection practitioners aim at least to make it survivable, both physically and – for those who do stay alive – in its emotional aftermath.

To this end, they have dedicated huge amounts of time and skill to researching strategies for protecting children from the consequences of what may be the first event of their lives. While these solutions are complex, they are all predicated on maintaining the privacy of the child’s story until they are ready to face it and relate it to others.

Clearly these thinkers did not reckon on the Department of Home Affairs though. Like a school yard bully, the department seems determined to humiliate these vulnerable children by including an endorsement on their official identity document that broadcasts to the world in general that the child was “ABANDONED”.

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Andrew Stegmann

Serviced apartments beat hotels in occupancy levels, says Cytonn Hospitality Report 2016

Cytonn Invetsment research analyst George Evans at the launch of Kenya hospitality Industry and serviced apartments report in Nairobi on October 17,2016. PHOTO/ENOS TECHE.
Cytonn Invetsment research analyst George Evans at the launch of Kenya hospitality Industry and serviced apartments report in Nairobi on October 17,2016. PHOTO/ENOS TECHE.

Serviced apartments in Nairobi reported higher occupancy than hotels in Nairobi, a new survey based on 2015 data shows.

The apartments had 29.6 per cent higher occupancy than hotels, and were also 33.5 per cent cheaper, the Cytonn Hospitality Report 2016 – Sailing Through The Storm – reveals.

Best locations for serviced apartments are Upper Hill and Kiambu Road, the analysts said, citing high demand, occupancy rates and upcoming business nodes.

“We expect increased focus on development of serviced apartments in Upper Hill, Westlands, Kiambu Road and Lavington due to the high occupancy levels already in the market. The hotel industry will continue to face a few challenges before occupancy levels improve to profitable levels again. However, development is rife with more than 2,500 beds being added over the next year,” Cytonn chief investment officer Elizabeth Nkukuu said.

Meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (Mice), have raised hotel occupancy as delegates continued to increase between 2011 and 2015.

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