African press review 17 January 2014

Nigeria shakes up its military. Kenya pays dole to ghosts. Lying mobile buyers could face jail. There's criticism of the terms of the presence of Uganda's troops in South Sudan. Museveni says economci measures can "rescue" "abnormal" gays. And how pastors persuade worshippers to part with their money.

The press in Nigeria is awash with speculation as to the motivations behind President Goodluck Jonathan’s decision on Thursday to change his military chiefs. Air-Marshal Alex Badeh becomes Nigeria’s new Chief of Defence Staff replacing Admiral Ola Ibrahim, Jonathan brought in new men to take charge of the army, the navy and the air force.

The Daily Times says the tenure of the military chiefs was terminated with immediate effect. The Vanguard claims that while no reason was given for the reshuffle of Nigeria’s high military command, the president’s move was under pressure to prevent an implosion in the armed forces capable of threatening the country’s democracy. It points out that seven months ago, a federal high court sitting in Abuja declared the appointment of the outgoing military chiefs null and void because they were not cleared by lawmakers as stipulated in the constitution.

Punch believes the shake-up was probably triggered by renewed attacks by Boko Haram in Borno state, where a car bomb ripped through a busy market in the state capital, Maiduguri, on Tuesday, killing 19 people.

In Kenya the Standard Digital says the government’s fund for the poor and vulnerable has lost about five million euros to "ghost" recipients in the last five years. The paper reports that an audit ordered by Labour Cabinet Secretary Kazungu Kambi shows that the national safety net fund was losing one million euros annually. Last year alone 1,400 ghost beneficiaries were flushed out from the disability component of the fund, according to the Nairobi-based newspaper.

The Nation warns mobile phone users who give false information when registering their Sim cards that huge fines of up to 856 euros and six months in jail await them. According to the paper, the new rules were set by communications sector ministers of Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and South Sudan in December to accompany a cross border Sim card aimed at curbing crime in the sub-region.

Uganda's Daily Monitor publishes the terms of the status of forces agreement signed between the governments of Uganda and South Sudan that provided for Kampala’s deployment of troops to support Juba in the war against rebels loyal to former vice-president Riek Machar.

According to the paper, the agreement, which came before parliament on Tuesday, states that Uganda will meet all medical costs and arrange evacuation of its troops whenever needed. The Monitor regrets that the agreement is silent on several critical issues such as the scope of operations and the duration of stay of Ugandan troops in South Sudan.

The Daily Monitor also takes up President Yoweri Museveni’s rebuke of House Speaker Rebecca Kadaga for passing the controversial anti-gays bill without a quorum. According to the paper, Museveni described homosexuals as “abnormal” beings who can be “rescued” through economic empowerment.

In December 2013 Uganda’s parliament passed a bill criminalising sexual intercourse between same-sex partners and imposing a sentence of life imprisonment for anyone convicted of homosexuality.

South Africa's Mail and Guardian takes up a trend that escapes the headlines: the fact that the church has more money than God. The paper wonders how the church never seems to go through a recession in a world where many are continuing to tighten their belts.

People are buying whatever the church is selling, says the Mail and Guardian. It reports a recent incident when a pastor convinced his “flock” to consume grass. This according to the paper is just the latest scenario that shows how men and women of God have the ability to make congregants do crazy things, such as giving away money they clearly don’t have.