Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Kenya’s general elections on August 8 saw President Uhuru Kenyatta re-elected, while his Jubilee Party and its allies also made big gains at the county level, resetting the political balance. – Jubilee gains, NASA losses – Jubilee and allied candidates won 27 of the 47 …
Read More »Mugabe’s possible successor, Mnangagwa, falls ill, flown to S.Africa
Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | Zimbabwe’s vice president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, who is seen as favourite to succeed President Robert Mugabe, has been flown to South Africa for emergency medical care, officials said Monday. Mnangagwa, 74, fell ill at a rally where Mugabe spoke on Saturday in the southern town of …
Read More »Zambia opposition leader Hichilema pleads not guilty to treason
Lusaka, Zambia | AFP | Zambia’s detained opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema pleaded not guilty to treason Monday, ahead of a trial set to fuel political tension in a country previously known for its relative stability. Hichilema, leader of the United Party for National Development (UPND), has been in custody since …
Read More »CIA chief says ‘nothing imminent’ in US-N.Korea standoff
Washington, United States | AFP | CIA director Mike Pompeo offered assurances Sunday there was “nothing imminent” in the US standoff with nuclear-armed North Korea but said he wouldn’t be surprised if Pyongyang conducted another missile test. Pompeo’s remarks cap a week in which US President Donald Trump vowed “fire …
Read More »Zambia opposition leader due in court on treason charges
Lusaka, Zambia | AFP | Zambia’s detained opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema is due to appear in court Monday on treason charges, four months after he was arrested and as political tensions rise in the country. Hichilema, who narrowly lost last year’s presidential elections, has been in custody since April over …
Read More »White House defends Trump’s response to Virginia violence
Bedminster, United States | AFP | The White House on Sunday struggled to defuse the growing criticism of President Donald Trump’s initial failure to explicitly condemn white supremacists for their role in the violent protest Saturday in Virginia, insisting that his condemnation included all such groups. A woman died and …
Read More »THE LAST WORD: The Kenya, Rwanda elections
KENYA, RWANDA: How voting in these two East African nations reflects our understanding of democracy THE LAST WORD | Andrew M. Mwenda | East Africa has recently witnessed two presidential elections – in Rwanda and in Kenya. The two nations are different. Rwanda is a small country with one …
Read More »Waiting for Raila, listening to God, in Nairobi slum
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Churches preached peace on Sunday in Mathare, a Nairobi slum that has been hit by days of violent demonstrations since last week’s disputed presidential vote, but it was opposition leader Raila Odinga the people were desperate to hear from. Odinga had been silent since the …
Read More »Former Barca stars appear at Mugabe rally
Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | Former Barcelona stars Patrick Kluivert and Edgar Davids joined Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe on stage at a weekend political rally, drawing sharp criticism from government opponents. Davids and Kluivert were pictured on Saturday alongside Mugabe, 93, at a youth rally for the ruling ZANU-PF party in …
Read More »Four things to know about the Kenyan vote dispute
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta has been declared the winner of the country’s election, but not everybody is happy. His opponent Raila Odinga insists the election results have been manipulated, and protests have broken out in poor neighbourhoods in two of the country’s major cities. …
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