NEWS ANALYSIS

Devolution has demystified local power and emboldened voters to assert themselves, leading to shocks all the way up the political pyramid Nairobi, Kenya | AFRICAN ARGUMENTS |  Kenya’s 2017 elections are set to be the country’s most interesting yet. The political landscape has shifted, and whatever else these elections turn out to be …

The ruling Patriotic Front’s expulsion of one of its founding members paves the way for President Lungu to be its presidential candidate. But they’d be wrong to think they’ve seen the end of Chishimba Kambwili. Lusaka, Zambia| AFRICAN ARGUMENTS | Last week, Chishimba Kambwili MP, an ambitious firebrand and possible presidential aspirant, was expelled …

President Sall faces double challenge as Senegal elects MPs Dakar, Senegal | AFP | Senegal holds a legislative election on Sunday following a campaign gripped by tension between the rival coalitions of President Macky Sall, his predecessor Abdoulaye Wade and Dakar’s detained mayor. The election is seen as a crucial test …

Adama Barrow: how do you solve a problem like The Gambia? Banjul, Gambia | AFP |  Six months ago, businessman and political novice Adama Barrow took power in Africa’s smallest mainland country after delivering a stunning defeat against ex-leader Yahya Jammeh, who had ruled brutally for 22 years. When Barrow …

Washington, United States | AFP |  If Donald Trump fires the special prosecutor investigating his team’s ties to alleged Russian meddling in the US election, it could mark “the beginning of the end” of the billionaire’s presidency, a senior Republican lawmaker warned Thursday. Senator Lindsey Graham, who briefly ran against …

Paris, France | AFP | British disease experts on Thursday suggested doing away with the “incorrect” advice to always finish a course of antibiotics, saying the approach was fuelling the spread of drug resistance. Rather than stopping antibiotics too early, the cause of resistance was “unnecessary” drug use, a team wrote …

Kampala, Uganda | INDEPENDENT REPORTER |  The Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development has come out to explain the land acquisition challenges that have necessitated The Constitution (Amendment) Bill, 2017. The proposed amendment of Article 26 of the 1995 Constitution aims to make it possible for government to take possession of or acquire property upon payment of the …

Washington, United States | AFP | Two chants emerged as hallmarks of Donald Trump’s campaign rallies as he made his improbable run for the White House. One was “Build the wall!” and the other was “Lock her up!” The plan for a wall on the border with Mexico has been …

  Pretoria, South Africa | AFP |  Police brutality, “fake news” propaganda and official cover-ups at the height of apartheid have been laid bare in a South African court probing the death of a communist activist 46 years ago. Ahmed Timol, a 29-year-old anti-apartheid volunteer, was arrested in Johannesburg in …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | Premier League spending looks certain to shatter all previous records before the current transfer window closes as England’s superpowers reload in an increasingly frenzied arms race. Fuelled by lucrative television contracts, currently worth around £8.3 billion ($10.8bn, 9.3bn euros) and unprecedented revenue streams at …