African press review 16 October 2014

Lesotho's army won't let go of its hold on the country's politics. African bonds slide. SA goes in search of offshore oil and gas. An Egyptian court sentences seven to death. Nairobi street crime rises. Kenyan police swoop on Mombasa separatists. And Uhuru goes up in the polls.

An opinion piece in South African financial paper BusinessDay, signed by the principal secretary at Lesotho's ministry of defence and national security, says the current political crisis in Lesotho is due to the fact that the national army is unable or unwilling to distinguish between lawful civilian control and the compulsive desire of some senior officers to remain at the centre of Lesotho’s politics.

The issue of civil-military relations in Lesotho is yet to be resolved, says the writer, ending by citing the African Union observation that no other institution of state has been more beset by political controversy than the military.

BusinessDay's financial pages report a slump in the value of government bonds across Africa yesterday. The bonds are all based on the value of the US dollar and fell as an oil-price slump and concerns about the spread of Ebola put a damper on investor demand for assets in frontier markets.

The value of Nigerian bonds is at its lowest level since they were issued last July.

Ghanaian, Kenyan and Zambian securities also suffered record losses.

On a brighter note, BusinessDay says the government has launched an ambitious programme to escalate its search for oil and gas off shore, with President Jacob Zuma saying the country plans to drill up to 30 exploration wells by 2030.

If successful, the project would help South Africa produce about 370,000 barrels of oil and gas a day in 20 years, equivalent to about 80 per cent of current daily consumption.

Preliminary research suggests that South African waters may contain nine billion barrels of oil.

On the downside, says BusinessDay, many companies that have won offshore exploration licences, have shelved spending plans because of uncertainty about the fate of the the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act. Controversial provisions would force companies to hand over to the government a 20 per cent stake in any new project, while also giving the state the right to buy up to 80 per cent of projects once they reach the production stage.

The Egypt Independent reports that a court has recommended death sentences for seven men, including prominent Islamist activist Adel Habara. They are charged with killing 25 police officers last year in an attack near the border with Israel.

The court referred the case to the Grand Mufti, Egypt's highest Muslim authority, whose opinion is typically sought on capital punishment but can be disregarded.

In Kenya the Standard gives front-page prominence to a new police report on crime.

The document identifies those parts of the capital, Nairobi, where you are most likely to be mugged or murdered. Kiambu and Kajiado are top of the list of places to avoid.

Seventy-eight per cent of victims said they had been attacked by young people, 16 per cent blamed middle-aged assailants and only 2.7 per cent of attackers were women.

Crime levels have risen five per cent compared to last year but the number of people reporting crime has dropped to 38 per cent from the 51 per cent recorded in the previous annual report.

The Standard also reports that Kenyan police yesterday arrested the leader of the Mombasa Republican Council and several of his associates.

Omar Mwamnuadzi faces multiple criminal charges following his previous arrest on 1 October 2012. He and a dozen suspected members of the separatist group were briefly detained before being charged with unlawful assembly.

Police asked the court to detain the suspects for a week to allow them to complete investigations.

Among those detained are former Islamic madrassa teachers who, police claimed, helped to administer oaths to MRC members. The group has denounced the claims as preposterous.

Sister paper the Daily Nation gives pride of place to an opinion poll showing that President Uhuru Kenyatta’s public approval rating has risen significantly after his appearance at the International Criminal Court last week.

Uhuru was in The Hague to hear legal arguments concerning his trial for alleged crimes against humanity.

The opinion poll released yesterday shows a surge in Kenyatta’s approval ratings, from 43 per cent two months ago to 71 per cent this week.

A majority of those questioned said Kenya should increase its cooperation with the International Criminal Court.