Central bank boss says Kenyan currency’s holding steady in wake of US foreign aid freeze

Central bank boss says Kenyan currency’s holding steady in wake of US foreign aid freeze

Kenya’s shilling currency is broadly unchanged year-to-date against the dollar.
It closed 2024 up about 21 per cent after a bond buyback eased concerns that the government could default.

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Masking rifts: How government workers’ fear of Elon Musk’s source of discord in Trump’s inner circle

Masking rifts: How government workers’ fear of Elon Musk’s source of discord in Trump’s inner circle

In the space of a couple of weeks, Elon Musk and his associates have taken control of multiple government agencies, and a cadre of young and inexperienced engineers with ties to Musk have been given access to some of the most highly sensitive federal systems through DOGE.

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US’ suspension humanitarian aid exposes Kenya’s vulnerability as PBOs call for talks between the governments

US’ suspension humanitarian aid exposes Kenya’s vulnerability as PBOs call for talks between the governments

The PBO’s leadership after a series of consultations in Nairobi pointed out the need for clear communication between the US and Kenyan governments to mitigate the impact of the decision. However, some PBO members acknowledged that Kenya must take responsibility for its own development, viewing the move by the US as a wake-up call.

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Glut in wheat production in Kenya’s Narok County exposes farmers to exploitation by middlemen

Glut in wheat production in Kenya’s Narok County exposes farmers to exploitation by middlemen

Wheat farmers in Narok County are crying foul following a lack of market to sell their produce despite a bumper harvest occasioned by the favourable weather condition last year. Led by their chairman Stanley Koonyo, the farmers said over 10 million bags (90 kilogrammes) were in stores since the harvesting...

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‘Immense mess’: Italy defies ICC warrants of arrest for Libyan warlord wanted for war crimes

‘Immense mess’: Italy defies ICC warrants of arrest for Libyan warlord wanted for war crimes

Al-Masri was arrested in Turin on the ICC warrant on January 19 at 9:30am, the day after he arrived in the country from Germany to watch a soccer match. The Italian government has said Rome’s court of appeals ordered him released January 21 because of a technical problem in the way that the ICC warrant was transmitted, having initially bypassed the Italian justice ministry.

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Rwandan-backed M23 rebels capture Nyabibwe city, 100km away from Bukavu in eastern Congo

Rwandan-backed M23 rebels capture Nyabibwe city, 100km away from Bukavu in eastern Congo

Neighbouring Uganda also has deployed soldiers inside Congo, with hundreds in Ituri province in the northeast since 2021 to fight the Allied Democratic Forces, another armed group, with the authorisation of Congo’s president. Col Deo Akiiki, deputy spokesman for the Ugandan military, says there had been no new deployments of soldiers to Congo in recent weeks.

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Seven months after public protests over taxes and appetite for borrowing, Kenya’s extravagant regime is in talks with IMF for new loans

Seven months after public protests over taxes and appetite for borrowing, Kenya’s extravagant regime is in talks with IMF for new loans

The decision by the administration of US President Donald Trump to freeze foreign aid could hit Kenya hard as it lacks the fiscal space to replace the funding, Mbadi said, adding that he hoped the United States would reconsider.

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UN Multinational Security Support mission faces crunch as US freezes funding for fighting Haiti’s gangs

UN Multinational Security Support mission faces crunch as US freezes funding for fighting Haiti’s gangs

The Trump administration has not yet said whether it supports making the MSS a UN mission, and China and Russia have opposed doing so.

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Contraband copper impounded in Kenya’s Mombasa seaport as country’s international profile as a conduit of illicit mineral trade grows

Contraband copper impounded in Kenya’s Mombasa seaport as country’s international profile as a conduit of illicit mineral trade grows

The police did not reveal the origin of the copper. However, Kisangani province in southern Congo has been for a long time been synonymous with copper, the same as the Shinyanga region in Tanzania’s north.

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Trump’s expansionist rhetoric meets with resistance in ME where he wants US to take over Gaza Strip

Trump’s expansionist rhetoric meets with resistance in ME where he wants US to take over Gaza Strip

The US taking a direct stake in Gaza would run counter to long-time policy in Washington and for much of the international community, which has held that Gaza would be part of a future Palestinian state that includes the occupied West Bank.

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