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DEFENDING LAND AND ENVIRONMENTAL RIGHTS

The Immortals: From timber, the Rai family became billionaires

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Jaswant S. Rai (right) and Tejveer Rai during a press conference

The Rai family is in the limelight once again after buying troubled Pan Paper Mills in Webuye for Sh900 million. Pan Paper is worth Sh18 billion, but it was indebted to the tune of Sh10 billion by the time it was placed under receivership in 2009.

The Rai Group has RaiPly, makers of chip boards, ceilings, block boards, parquet and wooden tiles and polythene bags for sugar companies. The group is Kenya’s largest agro-forestry concern. It has spread its plywood wings to Uganda, Tanzania and Malawi – where it’s the biggest wood processor.

Rai Group is also Kenya’s second largest sugar miller through its West Kenya Sugar and Sukari Industries subsidiaries in Homa Bay. It is also Uganda’s second largest miller through Kinyara Sugar Works, besides having interests in edible oils, fats and soaps (Menengai Oil Refineries), saw milling (Timsales), wheat farming, horticulture and real estate (Tulip Properties).

Tarlochan Singh Rai: The patriarch, alongside his siblings, had farming interests through Rai Brothers after buying tea and coffee estates in Zaire (now DR Congo) from Belgians who were leaving in 1963. In Kenya, he owned Rai Agricultural Estates, which was making tea chests for Rai Brothers, which was sold in 1969. The proceeds went into incorporating Rai Timber into RaiPly with his four sons; Jaswant, Jasbir, Sarbjit and Iqbal Rai in 1971.

Sarjit Kaur Rai: The wife of Tarlochan owns 25 per cent in Lukenya Flowers. Together with sons Jasbir, Iqbal and daughter Daljit Kaur Hans, she sued her hubby and sons Jaswant and Sarbjit over fortunes in a family dispute that lasted 14 years to 2013 when the Supreme Court dismissed the case.

Jaswant Rai: The chair of Rai Group, ran Rai Products, which sold stuff for RaiPly on credit. Alongside his father, Jaswant was the largest shareholder of Rai Products and Rai Investments. Her mother, Sarjit sued both for allegedly salting away fortunes from Rai Products and investing them without consulting other members despite a 1977/78 verbal agreement that all Rail fortunes were co-owned by all family members.

Jasbir Rai: Formed Wood Panels Ltd to market RaiPly products in 1993, thus snatching business from Rai Products. With brother Sarbjit, they co-own the Sh250 million Nile Plywoods (Uganda Ltd) and half of the Sh350 million Polypack Ltd in Kenya. Both ventures are bankrolled by their old guy’s RaiPly funds.

Tajveer Rai: Alumnus of City University, London, is a safari rally buff and MD of West Kenya Sugar Ltd.

Onkar Rai: The two-time Division Two local Safari Rally champ is brother to Tajveer and MD, of Menengai Oil Refineries. When he wed his sweetheart, Damneet at Nairobi’s Simba Union Club in December 2015, he drove himself in a Porsche 911 GT3!

Original Post: Standard Media Kenya

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DEFENDING LAND AND ENVIRONMENTAL RIGHTS

Breaking: Buganda Road Court grants bail to 15 stop EACOP activists after 30 days in prison.

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By Witness Radio team.

The Magistrate at Buganda Road Court has granted non-cash bail to 15 stop EACOP activists from Kyambogo and Makerere University Business School (MUBS) Universities. They spent 30 days in detention at Luzira Maximum Security Prison on charges of common nuisance.

After the defense lawyers successfully applied for bail, on 10th December, the trial magistrate, Her Worship Nankya Winnie, granted a non-cash bail of 500,000 Uganda Shillings (approximately 136.50 USD) for each activist and their sureties.

The hearing of the bail application for the EACOP activists flopped yesterday. It was adjourned after it was reported that the then-presiding magistrate, Her Worship Sanula Nambozo, had been transferred to another duty station and replaced by Her Worship Nankya Winnie.

The accused activists are all young students from the universities mentioned above. The students include Simon Peter Wafula, Gary Wettaka, Martin Sserwambala, Erick Ssekandi, Arafat Mawanda, Akram Katende, Dedo Sean Kevin, Noah Katiti, Oscar Nuwagaba, Oundo Hamphrance, Bernard Mutenyo, Nicholas Pele, Shadiah Nabukenya, Shafiq Kalyango, and Makose Mark.

They were arrested in early November 2024 for protesting the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) project in Kampala, Uganda’s capital. The EACOP project, a major oil pipeline, has been controversial due to its potential environmental impact, including the risk of oil spills and deforestation, and the alleged human rights violations associated with its construction, such as forced evictions and land grabbing.

Despite the risks, the activists marched to Uganda’s Parliament to meet the Speaker and raise concerns about the EACOP project. The peaceful march reiterated numerous concerns raised by civil societies and the European Parliament about the project’s negative impacts.

The EACOP project, which will transport crude oil from Uganda’s Albertine region to Tanzania’s Tanga seaport, has been criticized for delayed compensation for affected persons and secretive agreements. The potential impact on the environment and human rights is a cause for concern.

On 11th November, the accused were charged with common nuisance. Section 160 (1) of the Penal Code Act states that anyone charged with common nuisance is liable to one-year imprisonment on conviction. This charge, frequently imposed against individuals peacefully protesting in Uganda, has notably been used against Stop EACOP activists. While common nuisance addresses acts causing inconvenience or disruption to the public, it is crucial to emphasize that the accused were engaged in peaceful protest, causing no harm or disturbance.

The prosecution alleges that on 11th November 2024, the accused gathered at Parliamentary Avenue, peacefully expressing their dissent and causing no harm. Yet, they were charged with common nuisance, which seems unjust given their peaceful protest. It’s important to note that their protest was non-violent and aimed at raising awareness about the potential negative impacts of the EACOP project.

The court has adjourned the case to 16th January 2025 for a hearing.

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DEFENDING LAND AND ENVIRONMENTAL RIGHTS

Breaking: The Bail Application for the 15 EACOP Activists flops for the second time, as the trial magistrate is reported to have been transferred.

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By Witness Radio team.

A bail application for the 15 EACOP activists from Kyambogo and Makerere University Business School (MUBS) Universities currently on remand at Luzira Maximum Prison on charges of common nuisance has flopped for the second time due to the absence of the presiding magistrate.

The prosecution stated that the bail application could not proceed because the presiding magistrate, Her Worship Sanula Nambozo, had been transferred to another court. As a result, the case file was allocated to a new magistrate, Her Worship Nankya Winnie. She rescheduled to hear the bail application for today, October 10th, 2024, at 9 a.m. EAT.

The bail application for the 15 activists has faced yet another setback, marking the second failed attempt.

This delay in the bail application process means that these young students continue to be held in remand at Luzira Maximum Prison, a situation that is undoubtedly taking a toll on them. On November 16th, 2024, the bail hearing was disrupted due to the absence of two student activists, Wafula Simon and Kalyango Shafik. During that court session, the prosecution informed the court that both individuals were unwell, suffering from red eyes, and had been placed in isolation at the prison hospital.

The activists on remand, all young students, include Simon Peter Wafula, Gary Wettaka, Martin Sserwambala, Erick Ssekandi, Arafat Mawanda, Akram Katende, Dedo Sean Kevin, Noah Katiti, Oscar Nuwagaba, Oundo Hamphrance, Bernard Mutenyo, Nicholas Pele, Shadiah Nabukenya, Shafiq Kalyango, and Makose Mark.

The 15 were arrested in early November 2024 for protesting against the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) project in Kampala, Uganda’s capital. The EACOP project, a major oil pipeline, has been a subject of controversy due to its potential environmental impact and the alleged human rights violations associated with its construction.

Despite the risks, the activists marched to Uganda’s Parliament to meet the Speaker of Parliament and raise concerns about the EACOP project. Their persistence in the face of adversity is truly inspiring.

The EACOP project, which will transport crude oil from Uganda’s Albertine region to Tanzania’s Tanga seaport, has been criticized for delayed compensation for affected persons and secretive agreements. The potential impact on the environment and human rights is a cause for concern.

On November 11th, the accused were charged with common nuisance. Section 160 (1) of the Penal Code Act states that anyone charged with common nuisance is liable to one-year imprisonment on conviction. The charge of common nuisance is often used in cases where individuals are accused of causing inconvenience or disruption to the public, but it is important to note that the accused were peacefully protesting and causing no harm.

The prosecution alleges that on November 11th, 2024, the accused gathered at Parliamentary Avenue, peacefully expressing their dissent and causing no harm. Yet, they were charged with common nuisance, a charge that seems unjust given their peaceful protest.

The third attempt for the bail application of the 15 activists has been rescheduled for hearing today at 9 a.m. EAT before Her Worship Nankya Winnie of the Buganda Road Court.

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DEFENDING LAND AND ENVIRONMENTAL RIGHTS

Buganda Road Court will hear a bail application for 15 EACOP activists today.

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By Witness Radio team.

A bail application for the 15 EACOP activists from Kyambogo and Makerere University Business School (MUBS) Universities currently on remand on charges of common nuisance will take off today.

On November 16, 2024, attempts to apply for bail for the 15 students flopped due to the absence of two activist students in court.

The prosecution informed the court that Wafula Simon and Kalyango Shafik were sick and suffering from red eyes. They were placed in an isolation room in the prison hospital, thus causing a setback to earlier bail application attempts.

The activists on remand, all young students, include Simon Peter Wafula, Gary Wettaka, Martin Sserwambala, Erick Ssekandi, Arafat Mawanda, Akram Katende, Dedo Sean Kevin, Noah Katiti, Oscar Nuwagaba, Oundo Hamphrance, Bernard Mutenyo, Nicholas Pele, Shadiah Nabukenya, Shafiq Kalyango, and Makose Mark.

They were arrested in early November 2024 for protesting against the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) project in Kampala, Uganda’s capital. The activists, undeterred by the risks, were marching to Uganda’s Parliament to meet the Speaker of Parliament and raise concerns about the EACOP project, including the continued gross human rights violations/abuses, the significant threat it poses to the environment, and the criminalization of the mega project’s critics.

The EACOP project will transport crude oil from Uganda’s Albertine region to Tanzania’s Tanga seaport. The project has been criticized for delayed compensation for affected persons and secretive agreements.

On November 11, the accused were charged with common nuisance. Section 160 (1) of the Penal Code Act states that anyone charged with common nuisance is liable to one-year imprisonment on conviction.

The prosecution alleges that on November 11, 2024, the accused gathered at Parliamentary Avenue, peacefully expressing their dissent and causing no harm, yet they were charged with common nuisance. They were accused of causing disruption and inconvenience by holding an unauthorized demonstration on the road while displaying placards and banners opposing the oil pipeline.

The bail application for the 15 activists will be presented before Her Worship  Sanula Nambozo the Grade One Magistrate of Buganda Road Court.

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