South Sudan back at with itself as Vice President Machar, his wife are placed under house arrest

South Sudan back at with itself as Vice President Machar, his wife are placed under house arrest

African Union Commission Chair Mahmoud Ali Youssouf said he would deploy a team to Juba “as part of efforts to de-escalate the situation.” In a statement on X, the US State Department’s bureau of African affairs urged Kiir to reverse the house arrest and “prevent further escalation of the situation.”

Read more
Cabinet secretary for ICT unveils Kenya’s AI Strategy to drive the East African nation’s digital revolution

Cabinet secretary for ICT unveils Kenya’s AI Strategy to drive the East African nation’s digital revolution

Germany commended Kenya’s AI leadership, with Deputy Ambassador Alexander Fierley reaffirming Germany’s support, emphasising that AI’s impact depends on responsible data ownership and consumer protection.

Read more
Kenya unveils strategic plan to strengthen the power of mercy process, clemency and justice

Kenya unveils strategic plan to strengthen the power of mercy process, clemency and justice

Further, Koskei revealed that the new five-year strategic plan will enhance efficiency, transparency and accessibility in the clemency process.

Read more
Five arid and semi-arid regions in Kenya on high alert as weather forecasts show depressed rainfall

Five arid and semi-arid regions in Kenya on high alert as weather forecasts show depressed rainfall

At least five counties in the country are at high alert stage of drought with expectation of low or below average rainfall in the March-May long rain season. According to the National Drought Management Authority (NDMA), these counties are Wajir, Mandera, parts of Marsabit, Parts of Kilifi and Parts of...

Read more
Kenya invests $10 million in aquaculture centre in Kisumu to rejig region’s floundering blue economy  

Kenya invests $10 million in aquaculture centre in Kisumu to rejig region’s floundering blue economy  

Once completed, the aquaculture centre, Deputy President Kithure Kindiki said, is expected to significantly support thousands of small-scale fish farmers, complementing other government-driven blue economy initiatives aimed at enhancing food security and boosting income for fishing communities around the lake.

Read more
Study in Sweden reveals sexual harassment is still a taboo subject even in gender-equality hotspots

Study in Sweden reveals sexual harassment is still a taboo subject even in gender-equality hotspots

The Lund findings echo those of a 2022 study2 of gender-based violence and sexual harassment in European research settings, which found that the prevalence of gender-based violence was fairly uniform across 15 nations.

Read more
Top scientists flee US following Trump’s research funding cuts; the academics prefer to work in Europe, Asia – even Africa!

Top scientists flee US following Trump’s research funding cuts; the academics prefer to work in Europe, Asia – even Africa!

More than 200 federal grants for research related to HIV and AIDS were abruptly terminated last month. Cuts to grants from the US National Institutes of Health for Covid-19 research were revealed, and the government began a $400-million reduction in research grants at Columbia University in New York City, because of campus protests supporting Palestinians in the conflict with Israel.

Read more
Kenya and Uganda strike deal to share Angololo water to generate power, irrigate 4,000 hectares of land

Kenya and Uganda strike deal to share Angololo water to generate power, irrigate 4,000 hectares of land

The project is expected to transform lives and communities through food security and livelihoods, access to clean water and sanitation, energy for development, environmental conservation, job creation and regional integration. The project was identified in 2010 and is aligned with Kenya’s Vision 2030 and Uganda’s Vision 2040.

Read more
‘Refugees are Africans like us’, Kenyans say but fear terrorism as state rolls out non-nationals integration plan

‘Refugees are Africans like us’, Kenyans say but fear terrorism as state rolls out non-nationals integration plan

The Shirika Plan has been lauded as a major step forward in securing durable solutions for Kenya’s 800,000 refugees, the majority of whom are from neighbouring Somalia and South Sudan.

Read more
Tales of boats sinking with migrants across the Gulf of Aden are common but Ethiopian youth would rather that than the poverty at home

Tales of boats sinking with migrants across the Gulf of Aden are common but Ethiopian youth would rather that than the poverty at home

Boats carrying migrants across the Gulf of Aden regularly sink. In March, the IOM reported that four boats had capsized off the coast of Yemen, with more than 180 migrants feared dead. Even for those who survive the crossing, traversing war-ravaged Yemen is itself fraught with danger.

Read more
‘I’m going to Saudi Arabia or to my grave: How hope became frustration, then despair among Ethiopia’s Oromo youth under PM Abiy

‘I’m going to Saudi Arabia or to my grave: How hope became frustration, then despair among Ethiopia’s Oromo youth under PM Abiy

The government or its militias “can accuse anyone of being OLA and try to get money from them. If you don’t pay, you’ll be put in prison, and unless you pay you won’t get out,” Østebø says. “There is so much discontent and hopelessness.”

Read more
Doomsday beckons: Fears religious cultism  making strong rebound in Kenya as extreme poverty pushes people into the abyss

Doomsday beckons: Fears religious cultism making strong rebound in Kenya as extreme poverty pushes people into the abyss

The Shakahola Forest incident involved a religious cult leader Paul Nthenge Mackenzie, founder of Good News International Ministries, an apocalyptic Christian group. It came to light in March 2023 after a man raised the alarm after his wife and daughter, who had travelled from the capital Nairobi to join Paul Nthenge Mackenzie’s remote Good News International Ministries in Kilifi County vanished.

Read more
UNICEF: Donor funding cuts leave 13 million children in Eastern and Southern Africa at risk of severe malnutrition

UNICEF: Donor funding cuts leave 13 million children in Eastern and Southern Africa at risk of severe malnutrition

In South Sudan, malnutrition among children under five as well as pregnant and breastfeeding women, remains a critical concern. This year, over two million children under five are at risk of acute malnutrition (both moderate and severe acute malnutrition), a 26 per cent increase from 2024.

Read more
Kenya and Uganda to streamline land use along border in the north to curb resource-based conflicts

Kenya and Uganda to streamline land use along border in the north to curb resource-based conflicts

Governor Lomorukai described the process as crucial and emphasised that it will aid in resource mapping, enhance cross-border trade and establish systems to prevent conflicts linked to livestock and human movement across the border.

Read more