Kenya and IMF nearing $3.6 billion loan deal as the lender awaits Nairobi’s staff layoff proposal
Kenya’s government has asked the IMF to conduct an official assessment of corruption and governance issues. While not directly linked to the next disbursement, the assessment is an attempt to build goodwill with the Fund as it tries to get finances back on track.
Central Bank of Kenya slices main lending rate to 12 per cent to stimulate credit to private sector
The bank cut its growth forecast for 2024 to 5.1 per cent from 5.4 per cent following slower growth in the second quarter, which came in at 4.6 per cent year-on-year from 5.6 per cent in the same quarter a year earlier. But it expects the economy to grow 5.5 per cent in 2025.
Kenya’s parliament on verge of stripping President Ruto’s deputy of position who’s vowed to stay put
Presdent William Ruto has not commented publicly on the impeachment proceedings. More than 80% of lawmakers signed up to launch the motion on October 1.
How farmers in Burundi banded, transformed avocado cultivation into ‘green gold’ for export
he participation of the cooperatives is an important step toward regulating the country’s avocado exports, said Ferdinand Habimana, vice president of Green Gold Burundi’s administrative board. Although the government is promoting avocado farming to diversify exports, avocados grown in Burundi are yet to be trademarked as coming from there, he said.
Haitian PM Garry Conille travels to UAE, Kenya to seek security reinforcement after gang massacre
Gran Grif is the largest gang in Haiti’s Artibonite department, according to security analysts. The region is home to many of Haiti’s rice fields. The gang’s leader Luckson Elan said the attack was in retaliation for civilians remaining passive while police and vigilante groups killed his soldiers.
As ATMIS mandate in Somalia nears end, its successor AUSSOM is getting ready to take over before UN deadline
Should the AU Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), become a reality with a similar cost, based on the UN Resolution 2719, 75 per cent to 25 per cent burden share, the AU will have to contribute $375 million – 61.5 per cent of the fund’s current capacity.
Imminent impeachment of Kenya’s vice president reawakens dormant ethnic animosity as public wants president to exit too
A motion for the impeachment of Rigahti Gachagua was proposed in parliament on Tuesday and Kenyans were given until Friday to fill out public participation forms at their constituencies. Public forums are being held across the country to discuss the impeachment.
Ethiopia’s search for outlet to Indian Ocean via Somaliland meets with stiff resistance from Somalia, Egypt
Somali military officers march in a parade in Mogadishu.
How US agrochemical lobby forces Kenyans to consume pesticides that cause cancers, birth defects and disrupt nervous systems
Pesticide companies claim their products are safe if properly handled, but the reality at the field level is that farmers are extremely vulnerable. They often don’t have basic protective gear like masks and gloves, are unlikely to have had proper training on applying the chemicals, and the printed instructions on the products are rarely in a language commonly spoken in the area.
Kenya asks IMF to review corruption issues after Western push, sources say
The countries themselves must request the IMF’s so-called “governance diagnostic”, which investigates whether corruption and governance vulnerabilities are draining revenue or creating other problems in state finances.
