NAIROBI // Kenyan journalists in the past two weeks have appeared at government press conferences with their mouths taped shut, their cameras at their sides and their notebooks in their pockets. Some have made less silent protests, disrupting a president's speech and getting arrested.
The journalists have been demonstrating against a media bill the president, Mwai Kibaki, signed into law on the second day of the year giving Nairobi great powers to control and silence the media. Analysts said the new law is a step backwards for Kenya, which has made much progress to establish a free press. It is also seen as driving a wedge in the country's coalition government.
The Kenyan Communications Amendment Bill gives the government the power to raid media houses, seize broadcasting equipment and control content on the airwaves. It also gives postal officials the authority to open Kenyans' mail and impose fines on people who send letters deemed offensive.
"Nothing is more dangerous to a free and independent press than legislation specifically created to provide for political control," The Nation, a leading Kenyan newspaper, wrote in an editorial. "The Kenyan media have been united against the offensive clauses, and they must not let up even if they have been passed into law."
Mr Kibaki agreed last week to review the bill amid the public outcry. He has said the bill is in the best interest of the safety of Kenyans.
"I wish to appeal to the media to recognise that freedom must go hand in hand with responsibility," Mr Kibaki wrote in a paid newspaper advertisement. "Press freedom must be counterbalanced with other freedoms and must at all times take into account the overriding interest and the safety of Kenyans."
During violence that erupted after last year's presidential elections, the government issued emergency orders to suspend live broadcasts. These measures, along with the new media "gag" law, have dropped Kenya 19 places to 97th in Reporters Without Borders' annual freedom of the press index. The Paris-based media watchdog called Kenya's media law "draconian".
"This is a major step backwards in the history of press freedom in Kenya," the organisation said in a statement. "We do not understand President Kibaki's decision, which will seriously undermine civil liberties in his country."
Over the past decade, Kenya has been seen as having one of the most vibrant free presses in Africa, where such countries as Zimbabwe and Eritrea have set the bar low for media freedoms.
Kenyan journalists have helped root out corruption in government including uncovering the Goldenberg scandal, when the country lost US$1 billion (Dh3.67bn) in a fraudulent gold export scheme in the 1990s.
"The passage of the Media Bill runs counter to the coalition government's commitment to carry out fundamental reforms in order to strengthen democratic institutions and to promote the well-being of all Kenyans," the US Embassy in Nairobi said in a statement.
"As drafted, it is a step backwards, and not a step towards the brighter future that Kenyans want their leaders to pursue."
Kenya formed a coalition government after two months of clashes over the disputed election last year. But the government of national unity has been strained recently and the controversial media bill has further polarised the two parties in the coalition nearly a year after rival politicians agreed to share power.
Mr Kibaki's Party of National Unity has supported the media bill, but the former opposition Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party has called for the law to be repealed.
"There are clauses in this bill that defeat the basis of a free society," Musalia Mudavadi, the deputy prime minister and member of the ODM party, said at a press conference last week.
"The Kenyan Communications Act is a draconian piece of legislation that is retracing our steps to the bad days that we do not want to remember," said James Orengo, an ODM member of parliament.
Raila Odinga, the prime minister and leader of the ODM party, held crisis talks with leaders of his party last week on the status of the unravelling coalition. Mr Odinga believes he is being sidelined by the president.
Besides the media law, the two main parties have been at odds over appointments to government positions and a claim that an illegal maize trading scheme has caused a food crisis in Kenya.
Members of the president's party have accused members of the opposition party of selling maize outside of the country at a profit. The government has said that 10 million Kenyans are at risk of food shortages.
mbrown@thenational.ae
Results:
6.30pm: Handicap (Turf) | US$175,000 2,410m | Winner: Bin Battuta, Christophe Soumillon (jockey), Saeed bin Suroor (trainer)
7.05pm: UAE 1000 Guineas Trial Conditions (Dirt) | $100,000 | 1,400m | Winner: Al Hayette, Fabrice Veron, Ismail Mohammed
7.40pm: Handicap (T) | $145,000 | 1,000m | Winner: Faatinah, Jim Crowley, David Hayes
8.15pm: Dubawi Stakes Group 3 (D) | $200,000 | 1,200m | Winner: Raven’s Corner, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
8.50pm: Singspiel Stakes Group 3 (T) | $200,000 | 1,800m | Winner: Dream Castle, Christophe Soumillon, Saeed bin Suroor
9.25pm: Handicap (T) | $175,000 | 1,400m | Winner: Another Batt, Connor Beasley, George Scott
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
How to join and use Abu Dhabi’s public libraries
• There are six libraries in Abu Dhabi emirate run by the Department of Culture and Tourism, including one in Al Ain and Al Dhafra.
• Libraries are free to visit and visitors can consult books, use online resources and study there. Most are open from 8am to 8pm on weekdays, closed on Fridays and have variable hours on Saturdays, except for Qasr Al Watan which is open from 10am to 8pm every day.
• In order to borrow books, visitors must join the service by providing a passport photograph, Emirates ID and a refundable deposit of Dh400. Members can borrow five books for three weeks, all of which are renewable up to two times online.
• If users do not wish to pay the fee, they can still use the library’s electronic resources for free by simply registering on the website. Once registered, a username and password is provided, allowing remote access.
• For more information visit the library network's website.
UAE v United States, T20 International Series
Both matches at ICC Academy, Dubai. Admission is free.
1st match: Friday, 2pm
2nd match: Saturday, 2pm
UAE squad: Mohammed Naveed (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Shaiman Anwar, Rameez Shahzad, Amjad Gul, CP Rizwan, Mohammed Boota, Abdul Shakoor, Ahmed Raza, Imran Haider, Sultan Ahmed, Zahoor Khan, Amir Hayat
USA squad: Saurabh Netravalkar (captain), Jaskaran Malhotra, Elmore Hutchinson, Aaron Jones, Nosthush Kenjige, Ali Khan, Jannisar Khan, Xavier Marshall, Monank Patel, Timil Patel, Roy Silva, Jessy Singh, Steven Taylor, Hayden Walsh
Tell-tale signs of burnout
- loss of confidence and appetite
- irritability and emotional outbursts
- sadness
- persistent physical ailments such as headaches, frequent infections and fatigue
- substance abuse, such as smoking or drinking more
- impaired judgement
- excessive and continuous worrying
- irregular sleep patterns
Tips to help overcome burnout
Acknowledge how you are feeling by listening to your warning signs. Set boundaries and learn to say ‘no’
Do activities that you want to do as well as things you have to do
Undertake at least 30 minutes of exercise per day. It releases an abundance of feel-good hormones
Find your form of relaxation and make time for it each day e.g. soothing music, reading or mindful meditation
Sleep and wake at the same time every day, even if your sleep pattern was disrupted. Without enough sleep condition such as stress, anxiety and depression can thrive.
UAE v Ireland
1st ODI, UAE win by 6 wickets
2nd ODI, January 12
3rd ODI, January 14
4th ODI, January 16
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Ticket prices
- Golden circle - Dh995
- Floor Standing - Dh495
- Lower Bowl Platinum - Dh95
- Lower Bowl premium - Dh795
- Lower Bowl Plus - Dh695
- Lower Bowl Standard- Dh595
- Upper Bowl Premium - Dh395
- Upper Bowl standard - Dh295
Email sent to Uber team from chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi
From: Dara
To: Team@
Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT
Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East
Five years ago, Uber launched in the Middle East. It was the start of an incredible journey, with millions of riders and drivers finding new ways to move and work in a dynamic region that’s become so important to Uber. Now Pakistan is one of our fastest-growing markets in the world, women are driving with Uber across Saudi Arabia, and we chose Cairo to launch our first Uber Bus product late last year.
Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.
I expect many of you will ask how we arrived at this structure, meaning allowing Careem to maintain an independent brand and operate separately. After careful consideration, we decided that this framework has the advantage of letting us build new products and try new ideas across not one, but two, strong brands, with strong operators within each. Over time, by integrating parts of our networks, we can operate more efficiently, achieve even lower wait times, expand new products like high-capacity vehicles and payments, and quicken the already remarkable pace of innovation in the region.
This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in various countries, which we don’t expect before Q1 2020. Until then, nothing changes. And since both companies will continue to largely operate separately after the acquisition, very little will change in either teams’ day-to-day operations post-close. Today’s news is a testament to the incredible business our team has worked so hard to build.
It’s a great day for the Middle East, for the region’s thriving tech sector, for Careem, and for Uber.
Uber on,
Dara
The Greatest Royal Rumble card as it stands
50-man Royal Rumble
Universal Championship Brock Lesnar (champion) v Roman Reigns in a steel cage match
Intercontinental Championship Seth Rollins (champion) v The Miz v Finn Balor v Samoa Joe
SmackDown Tag Team Championship The Bludgeon Brothers (champions) v The Usos
Casket match The Undertaker v Chris Jericho
John Cena v Triple H
Matches to be announced
WWE World Heavyweight Championship, Raw Tag Team Championship, United States Championship and the Cruiserweight Championship are all due to be defended
SPECS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%202-litre%20direct%20injection%20turbo%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%207-speed%20automatic%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20261hp%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20400Nm%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20From%20Dh134%2C999%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
If you go...
Etihad flies daily from Abu Dhabi to Zurich, with fares starting from Dh2,807 return. Frequent high speed trains between Zurich and Vienna make stops at St. Anton.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
Sunday:
GP3 race: 12:10pm
Formula 2 race: 1:35pm
Formula 1 race: 5:10pm
Performance: Guns N' Roses
