How Uganda’s signature mode of transport has turned Kampala into Africa’s ‘boda boda capital’
The boda-boda men, who operate mostly unregulated, have resisted recent attempts to dislodge them from the narrow streets of Kampala’s central business district, frustrating city authorities and underscoring the government’s fears over the consequences of angering a horde of jobless men.
Kenya Airways makes first half-year profit in 10 years as optimistic CEO predicts strong rebound
Chief Executive Allan Kilavuka told a briefing the company was seeking to finalise negotiations with a strategic equity investor, without giving details. One of Africa’s three biggest airlines, Kenya Airways slid into insolvency in 2018 after an expansion drive left it with hundreds of millions of dollars in debt.
Local media report Kenya plans to reintroduce some tax measures to raise $1.2 billion
The tax proposals to be brought back include an eco-levy on most goods, Finance Minister John Mbadi told the private TV station, adding that sensitive products like sanitary pads would be exempted from the levy.
Irony of DR Congo turning to abusive Wazalendo militias to help national army to fight M23 rebels
Increasing Rwandan support has allowed the M23 to massively expand its footprint this year, overshadowing other insurgencies in the east and raising the risk of a major regional conflagration between Rwanda and DRC and its allies.
Defiant Kenya Airports Authority says August 19 strike won’t disrupt operations, flight schedules
Kenya’s government has said the airport is not for sale and that no decision had been made on whether to proceed with what it called a proposed public-private partnership to upgrade the East African travel hub.
South Sudan’s security bill evolves into law without presidential assent, allows warrantless arrests
Yasmin Sooka, chair of the UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan, said on Thursday that the new law will give security agencies powers to conduct “more arbitrary detentions and enforced disappearances.”
Somali-born Ilhan Omar wins Democratic ticket, expected to retain seat and boost US House liberals
Ilhan Omar’s robust campaign fundraising likely played a significant role in her victory. She collected $6.8 million since the 2022 election, more than double the typical House member’s re-election campaign and well over Samuels’ $1.4 million, according to federal campaign disclosures.
Domino effect: Arrest and release of Tanzania opposition leaders linked to youth protests in Kenya
“We won’t provide a chance to a few criminals to destroy peace by copying what is happening in neighbouring countries,” police commissioner Awadh Haji said late on Monday, a likely reference to weeks of youth-led protests in Kenya this year which inspired demonstrations in Nigeria and Uganda.
500,000 conservationists in Africa petition Tanzania to ban sport hunting of elephants
In 1995, both the East African neighbours had agreed that Tanzania would stop issuing hunting permits on its side of the reserve after hunters killed Kenyan elephants on the Tanzanian side.
Floating of Ethiopian currency sets off volatility as hotel menus warn of ‘new price for every meal at any moment’
Many supermarkets in Addis Ababa are hoarding products in warehouses and only selling small quantities in their stores to escape punishment by city authorities, who have vowed to crack down on hoarders. Consumers who want to buy in bulk must pay inflated prices for products they are told to pick from warehouses.
