MASAKA: 14 killed in crash on deadly Ugandan highway Kampala, Uganda | AFP | Fourteen people were killed when a truck ploughed into a bus carrying a group returning from a wedding on Uganda’s deadliest road, police said Monday. “The driver of the truck lost control after a tyre burst …
Read More »Nine given stiff sentences in Tanzania for ivory possession
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | A Tanzanian court has sentenced nine people to at least 25 years in prison for illegal possession of ivory, as part of efforts to discourage poaching in one of the worst-hit countries. According to court documents seen by AFP Saturday, the accused, including two police officers, …
Read More »Zanzibar arrests 20 for ‘homosexuality’: police
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Twenty people have been arrested on Tanzania’s semi-autonomous archipelago Zanzibar for alleged homosexuality, a police official said Saturday, in the latest crackdown on the country’s gay community. “They are implicated in homosexuality. We arrested them and are busy interrogating them. The police cannot turn a blind …
Read More »TANZANIA: Opposition blames Magufuli govt for critic’s shooting
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Tanzania’s main opposition party claimed Tuesday that the government of President John Magufuli played a role in the gun attack last week that wounded an outspoken politician and shocked the country. The lawmaker, Tundu Lissu, has had a series of run-ins with the government and …
Read More »Tanzania seizes diamonds from British mining company
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | The Tanzanian government said Sunday it had confiscated diamonds worth nearly $30 million after accusing British company Petra Diamonds of having declared a lower value when trying to export the gems. Speaking on government television channel TBC 1, Finance Minister Philip Mpango said the diamonds extracted …
Read More »Culture, creativity on display as PM Rugunda opens JAMAFEST 2017
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The 3rd edition of the East African Community (EAC) Secretariat organised Jumuiya ya Afrika Mashariki Utamaduni Festival (JAMAFEST) entered day two Sunday, with the highlight being the official opening of the culural festival by Uganda Prime Minister Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda. The main objective of the …
Read More »Traffic jam paralyses city as Kampala Road closed
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Motorists heading to the city Saturday have been caught up in traffic for hours as it turns out Kampala Road has been sealed off for the opening day of the Jumiya ya Afrika Mashariki Utamaduni (JAMAFEST) festival. The number of motorists stuck on roads …
Read More »TANZANIA: Magufuli critic shot and wounded
TANZANIA: Magufuli critic Tundu Lissu shot and wounded Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Gunmen shot and wounded prominent Tanzanian opposition politician Tundu Lissu, an outspoken government critic, outside his home in the capital Dodoma. The opposition, rights groups and Tanzania’s government expressed shock and demanded a full investigation. “The attack …
Read More »ANALYSIS: Whatever happened to East Africa’s oil boom?
Luke Patey | AFRICAN ARGUMENTS | It was not long ago that East Africa was the shining frontier of the continent’s oil scene. Uganda sparked the rush in 2006 after wildcatters ventured deep inland and made Africa’s largest onshore discoveries in decades. And Kenya’s northwestern Turkana region continued the run with new oilfields found …
Read More »THIS WEEK: Barrick Gold open talks over mining dispute
THIS WEEK: Tanzania government, Barrick Gold open talks over mining dispute The government of Tanzania and Barrick Gold, a global gold mining firm have opened talks to resolve a dispute over taxation and illegal operations. The Tanzanian government slapped a $190billion fine on Acacia Mining, a subsidiary of Barrick Gold …
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