RAILWAY PRIVATIZATION

A few years ago Kenya and Uganda entered in to a joint concession agreement with Rift Valley Railways Ltd. (a South African Consortium) to manage their respective railway networks. Massive investment was required to bring both country rail networks to a useable state as both had never been upgraded since they were built in the late 19th century. Neither country had the funds to do the required upgrade and sought to concession. However, only a year into the agreement, Uganda and Kenya are looking for an exit route claiming that RVR has not kept up to the agreed performance contract. Is privatization the best way forward for infrastructure development in Africa?

DDT USE IN UGANDA

According to a recent article in the East African Uganda has commenced country-wide spraying of crops with DDT, the controversial insecticide who’s use was credited with the near-elimination of malaria in Africa and complete elimination in many tropical areas around the world. However In the 1960’s after decades of DDT use, side-effects of the chemical in plants, animals and humans led to its ban soon thereafter. This ban, some experts say, has resulted in the resurgence of malaria across Africa – in areas where it was once under control. Uganda risks loosing key export markets for fresh produce as buyers reject goods with trace elements of DDT. What is the way forward for Uganda? Should national health trump the exporters lobby?

KENYA BIOFUEL PRODUCTION

A recent article in Afrol News reports that the implementation of plans to grow biofuel crops in Kenya's Tana River Delta could be illegal since the government study grossly inflated the economic benefits of the program without fully assessing the initiatives environmental impact. The scheme, proposed by Mumias Sugar Company in February 2008, has prompted outrage among local people, conservationists and farmers. The Kenyan government will now convene three-day public hearings, beginning on Tuesday 6th May. The world is faced with a severe food supply crisis partly because millions of hectares of land are use to grow biofuel crops. Are biofuels the appropriate long-term alternative?