Tag Archives: UG

Business

Battery swapping spurs Kenya’s electric motorbike drive

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  • Electric motorbike startups making inroads in Kenya
  • Say battery swapping saves drivers time, money
  • Planning to expand model to Tanzania, Uganda

NAIROBI, Dec 26 (Reuters) – Over recent months, sets of sturdy, brightly-branded battery swapping stations have cropped up around Kenya’s capital Nairobi, allowing electric motorcyclists to exchange their low battery for a fully-charged one.

It is a sign of an electric motorcyle revolution starting to unfold in Kenya where combustion-engine motorbikes are a cheaper and quicker way to get around than cars but environmental experts say are 10 times more polluting.

East Africa’s biggest economy is betting on electric-powered motorcycles, its renewables-heavy power supply and position as a technology and start-up hub to lead the region’s shift to zero-emission electric mobility.

The battery swapping system not only saves time – essential for Kenya’s more than one million motorcyclists, most of whom use the bikes commercially – but also saves buyers money as many sellers follow a model in which they retain ownership of the battery, the bike’s most expensive part.

“It doesn’t make a lot of economic and business sense for them to acquire a battery…which would almost double the cost of the bike,” said Steve Juma, the co-founder of electric bike company Ecobodaa.

Ecobodaa has 50 test electric motorcyles on the road now and plans to have 1,000 by the end of 2023 which it sells for about $1,500 each – roughly the same price as combustion-engine bikes thanks to the exclusion of the battery from the cost.

After the initial purchase, the electric motorcyle – designed to be sturdy enough to traverse rocky roads – is cheaper to run than petrol-guzzling ones.

[1/5] Workers at ARC Ride assemble an electric motorcycle at the company’s warehouse in Industrial Area, Nairobi, Kenya November 2, 2022. REUTERS/Monicah Mwangi

“With the normal bike, I will use fuel worth approximately 700-800 Kenyan shillings ($5.70-$6.51) each day, but with this bike, when I swap a battery I get one battery at 300 shillings,” said Kevin Macharia, 28, who transports goods and passengers around Nairobi.

EXPANSION PLANS

Ecobodaa is just one of several Nairobi-based electric motorcycle startups working to prove themselves in Kenya before eventually expanding in East Africa.

Kenya’s consistent power supply which is about 95% renewable led by hydroelectricity and has a widespread network, was a major support for growth of the sector, said Jo Hurst-Croft, founder of ARC Ride, another Nairobi-based electric motorcycle startup.

The country’s power utility estimates it generates enough to charge two million electric motorcycles a day: electricity access in the country is over 75%, according to the World Bank, and even higher in Nairobi.

Uganda and Tanzania also have robust and renewables-heavy grids that could support electric mobility, said Hurst-Croft.

“We’re putting over 200 swapping stations in Nairobi and expanding to Dar es Salaam and Kampala,” said Hurst-Croft.

($1 = 122.9000 Kenyan shillings)

Reporting by Ayenat Mersie; Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise

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World

Congo rebels seize eastern border town, army blames Rwanda

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GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo, June 13 (Reuters) – M23 rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo have seized the eastern border town of Bunagana, the rebel group and local activists said on Monday, sending more than 30,000 civilians fleeing into neighbouring Uganda.

The Congolese army in a statement said Rwandan troops had occupied the town. Congo has repeatedly accused Rwanda of backing the M23, whose leadership hails from the same Tutsi ethnic group as Rwandan President Paul Kagame.

The Rwandan army and government did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Rwanda has previously denied playing any role in M23’s recent attacks. read more

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The capture of Bunagana marked a major setback for Congolese forces who said a day earlier that they had the insurgents on the run.

The United Nations and African Union voiced alarm about the mounting violence in a region where conflicts in the 1990s and 2000s cost millions of lives, mostly from disease and hunger, and spawned dozens of militias that remain active to this day.

Bunagana was an M23 stronghold during a 2012 insurrection that briefly overran the major city of Goma before Congolese and U.N. forces chased the rebels into neighbouring Rwanda and Uganda the following year. read more

The office of North Kivu’s military governor on Sunday said Congolese forces had “routed” the M23 following attacks near Bunagana, which is one of the main crossings into Uganda. read more

But the M23 issued a statement on Monday saying they controlled the town. Two local activists confirmed that it had fallen to the rebels, while the army said it had fallen to Rwanda.

“Our troops have taken control of the city of Bunagana since the morning of Monday, June 13,” M23 spokesperson Willy Ngoma said in a statement.

He said that taking the city had not been their goal but that they decided to do it after repeated attacks by the Congolese army and allied groups.

“We ask once again for President Felix Tshisekedi to seize this opportunity to put an end to the violence caused by this useless war and to open direct negotiations with our movement,” the M23 statement said.

A government spokesperson could not immediately be reached for comment. Congo’s government broke off negotiations with the M23 that had been taking place in Kenya in April.

‘DESPERATE SITUATION’

The fighting caused more than 30,000 Congolese asylum seekers and 137 Congolese soldiers to cross into Uganda on Monday, Shaffiq Sekandi, Uganda’s resident district commissioner for Kisoro district, told Reuters.

“They are all over, the streets are full, others have gone to churches, they are under trees, everywhere. It’s a really desperate situation,” he said.

The United Nations had previously said that 25,000 people fled the violence on Sunday.

A spokesperson for U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was concerned about deteriorating security in eastern Congo, including M23 attacks. The region has seen near-constant conflict since Rwanda and Uganda invaded twice in the 1990s.

African Union Commission Chair Moussa Faki Mahamat called for an immediate cessation of hostilities and for talks between Congo and Rwanda to resolve the growing diplomatic crisis.

General Sylvain Ekenge, the spokesman for North Kivu’s military government, said that the takeover of Bunagana constituted an “invasion” by Rwanda which would incur consequences.

Tensions have risen between the neighbours in recent weeks, with accusations of strikes on both sides. read more

While Rwanda denies supporting the M23, it accuses Congo of collaborating with another militia group, the FDLR, founded by ethnic Hutus who fled Rwanda after participating in the 1994 genocide. Congo denies this charge.

During the 2012-2013 conflict, Congo and U.N. investigators accused Rwanda and Uganda of supporting the M23, which they denied.

On Monday, two senior Congolese security sources, who asked not to be named, also accused the Ugandan military of supporting the M23’s offensive.

Uganda army spokesman Brigadier Felix Kulayigye denied any involvement.
“We are only closely watching what’s going on from across the border and we have been in that position for months,” he said.

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Reporting by Djaffar Sabiti in Goma and Stanis Bujakera in Kinshasa; Additional reporting by Erikas Mwisi Kambale in Beni and Elias Biryabarema in Kampala; Writing by Sofia Christensen and Nellie Peyton; Editing by Aaron Ross, Alison Williams and David Evans

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Business

Exclusive: China’s oil champion prepares Western retreat over sanctions fear

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Men wearing face masks walk past a sign of China National Offshore Oil Corp (CNOOC) outside its headquarters in Beijing, China March 8, 2021. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang

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  • CNOOC preparing to exit Britain, Canada, U.S. -sources
  • Beijing concerned over growing tension with West
  • Production in three countries reached 220,000 boed last year
  • Decision follows CNOOC’s delisting on New York Stock Exchange

LONDON/SINGAPORE, April 13 (Reuters) – China’s top offshore oil and gas producer CNOOC Ltd. (0883.HK) is preparing to exit its operations in Britain, Canada and the United States, because of concerns in Beijing the assets could become subject to Western sanctions, industry sources said.

Ties between China and the West have long been strained by trade and human rights issues and the tension has grown following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which China has refused to condemn.

The United States said last week China could face consequences if it helped Russia to evade Western sanctions that have included financial measures that restrict Russia’s access to foreign currency and make it complicated to process international payments. read more

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CNOOC did not immediately comment.

Companies periodically carry out reviews of their portfolios, but the exit being prepared would take place less than a decade after state-owned CNOOC entered the three countries via a $15 billion acquisition of Canada’s Nexen, a deal that transformed the Chinese champion into a leading global producer.

The assets, which include stakes in major fields in the North Sea, the Gulf of Mexico and large Canadian oil sand projects, produce around 220,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boed), Reuters calculations found.

Last month, Reuters reported CNOOC had hired Bank of America to prepare for the sale of its North Sea assets, which include a stake in one of the basin’s largest fields. read more

CNOOC has launched a global portfolio review ahead of its planned public listing in the Shanghai stock exchange later this month that is aimed primarily at tapping alternative funding following the delisting of its U.S. shares last October, the sources said. read more

The delisting was part of a move by former U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration in 2020 that targeted several Chinese companies Washington said were owned or controlled by the Chinese military. China condemned the move.

CNOOC is also taking advantage of a rally in oil and gas prices, driven by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, and hopes to attract buyers as Western countries seek to develop domestic production to substitute Russian energy.

As it seeks to leave the West, CNOOC is looking to acquire new assets in Latin America and Africa, and also wants to prioritise the development of large, new prospects in Brazil, Guyana and Uganda, the sources said.

‘A PAIN’

CNOOC is seeking to sell “marginal and hard to manage” assets in Britain, Canada and the United States, a senior industry source told Reuters.

All the sources spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.

The industry source said last month that CNOOC’s top management, including chairman Wang Dongjin, found managing the former Nexen assets was “uncomfortable” because of red tape and high operating costs compared with developing nations.

CNOOC has faced hurdles operating in the United States in particular, such as security clearances required by Washington for its Chinese executives to enter the country, the source added.

“Assets like Gulf of Mexico deepwater are technologically challenging and CNOOC really needed to work with partners to learn, but company executives were not even allowed to visit the U.S. offices. It had been a pain all along these years and the Trump administration’s blacklisting of CNOOC made it worse,” said the source.

In its prospectus ahead of the initial public offering, CNOOC said it could face additional sanctions.

“We cannot predict if the company or its affiliates and partners will be affected by U.S. sanctions in future, if policies change,” CNOOC said.

In the United States, CNOOC owns assets in the onshore Eagle Ford and Rockies shale basins as well as stakes in two large offshore fields in the Gulf of Mexico, Appomattox and Stampede.

Its main Canadian assets oil sands projects are Long Lake and Hangingstone in Alberta Province.

Reuters Graphics
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Reporting by Ron Bousso and Chen Aizhu; editing by Barbara Lewis

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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World

Congo says it has to fight joint enemy with Uganda as soldiers cross border

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Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC) soldiers rest next to a road after Islamist rebel group called the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) attacked area around Mukoko village, North Kivu province of Democratic Republic of Congo, December 11, 2018. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic/File Photo

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BENI, Democratic Republic of Congo, Dec 1 (Reuters) – Congolese authorities on Wednesday sought to allay concerns about the arrival of Ugandan troops in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo for an ongoing joint operation against a militia linked to Islamic State.

Witnesses saw hundreds of Ugandan soldiers entering Congo as both countries deployed special forces to secure bases of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) militia that they had hit with air and artillery strikes the previous day. read more

Government spokesperson Patrick Muyaya said the countries were cooperating against a common enemy. The ADF are accused of killing hundreds of civilians in eastern Congo since 2019 and carrying out a string of recent bombings in Uganda.

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“We know it is an operation that some of our fellow citizens have doubts about for good reasons,” he told a news conference in the Kinshasa. “Both we and Uganda have an obligation to act together.”

The move has provoked unease in both capitals because of the Ugandan army’s conduct during Congo’s 1998-2003 civil war, for which Kinshasa is seeking billions of dollars of reparations. Uganda has called the amount ruinous. read more

Army spokesman Leon-Richard Kasonga declined to say how many Ugandan troops were in Congo, how long the joint mission would last, or what toll had been exacted on the ADF.

“Patience,” he told the briefing. “We’ve just started.”

President Felix Tshisekedi had for months lobbied neighbours for help. His own efforts to end decades of bloodshed in Congo’s east have been stymied by poor planning, corruption and insufficient funding, according to a parliamentary report. read more

“I have just seen 30 vehicles full of Ugandan soldiers entering Congo. I also saw two tanks,” said Nobili resident Blaise Bokassa. Another witness, a civil rights activist, said he had seen “many vehicles with hundreds of Ugandan soldiers”.

A Ugandan army spokesperson said she could not immediately comment.

Nelleke Van de Walle, from the Brussels-based International Crisis Group, said the operation appeared to be more ambitious than the last time Uganda attacked the ADF in Congo, in 2017, when it said it had killed 100 fighters in air strikes.

Ugandan opposition lawmaker Joel Ssenyonyi said the government should have sought parliamentary permission for the deployment.

“We fear we could see the same illegal activities that happened during the past deployment – stealing gold and those other commodities.”

The ADF, which started as an uprising in Uganda but has been based in Congo since the late 1990s, pledged allegiance to Islamic State in 2019. However, United Nations researchers have found no evidence of Islamic State control over ADF operations. read more

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Reporting by Erikas Mwisi Kambale, Elias Biryabarema, Hereward Holland and Alessandra Prentice; Writing by Hereward Holland and Alessandra Prentice; Editing by Angus MacSwan

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World

Deadly blast in Ugandan capital ‘seems to be a terrorist act’ – president

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Oct 24 (Reuters) – A deadly blast in Kampala late on Saturday appeared to be an act of terrorism, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni said on Sunday.

He said the explosion in the capital killed one person, although the Uganda Police chief political commissar Asan Kasingye said late on Saturday that two people were killed.

At least seven people were injured, TV station NTV reported.

“It seems to be a terrorist act,” Museveni Tweeted on Sunday.

“The information I have is that 3 people came and left a package in kaveera [plastic bag] which later on exploded,” Museveni said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

Officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The blast occurred at Digida Pork Joint, a restaurant, local media reported. Videos shared on social media showed panicked and confused revellers illuminated by blue police lights.

Bomb blasts in the East African country are rare. Kampala suffered a major attack by Somalia’s al Shabaab in 2010 that killed dozens. The group said it had attacked Uganda as a punishment for its deployment of troops in Somalia.

Reporting by Elias Biryabarema; Writing by Ayenat Mersie; Editing by David Gregorio and Giles Elgood

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