Vol 66 No 16 | KENYA Odinga’s big tent politics are close to collapse 8th August 2025 An ODM top official is threatening to quit – as party grandees jostle for influence in Ruto’s second term, unity is on borrowed time The price of propping up an unpopular president is rising for veteran opposition figure and kingmaker Raila Odinga. He still wants to chart a course that preserves his...
Vol 66 No 16 | UGANDA Muhoozi purges military again in latest power grab 8th August 2025 Top officers accused of graft as President’s son asserts his authority General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the volatile head of Uganda’s military and son of President Yoweri Museveni, has launched a further purge of officers as part of efforts to consolidate...
Vol 66 No 16 | KENYAUGANDA London court boosts Kampala-Nairobi link 8th August 2025 The path towards a revamped passenger and freight rail link between Kenya and Uganda has become clearer, after the London Court of International Arbitration dismissed a US$2 billion...
Vol 66 No 16 | SOMALIATURKEY Can Turkey save Mogadishu from its security fiascos? 5th August 2025 President Hassan Sheikh calculates that a geological survey showing commercial quantities of oil will get Ankara to step up military aid National Security Advisor Hussein Ma’alim Mahamud Sheikh Ali resigned on 23 July, after many missteps over the last year that have allowed Al Shabaab to recover three-quarters of...
Vol 66 No 16 | SOMALIA A hopeful new state takes the stage 4th August 2025 A new federal entity is forming which could spell the end to Somaliland and Puntland as political fiefdoms within Somalia A landmark conference to establish a new Federal Member State of Somalia, Khatumo State, concluded on 31 July in Las Anod, the town that Somaliland’s President Muse Bihi...
Vol 66 No 15 | KENYA Ruto shifts from populism to authoritarianism 25th July 2025 The president’s pledge to end elite capture and patronage has been dropped for the ethnic identity politics which dominated the old one-party state President William Ruto’s falling out with his core Mount Kenya constituency – followed by the impeachment of his former deputy, Rigathi Gachagua – has become the defining crisis... READ FOR FREE
Vol 66 No 15 | KENYA Gen Z protestors vie with old politics 25th July 2025 Former Chief Justice Maraga and veteran politician Musyoka are top contenders to lead the campaign against beleaguered President Ruto With personal ratings stuck between 10 and 15%, few dispute that President William Ruto is toxically unpopular – especially among young Kenyans. Yet most expect him to be...
Vol 66 No 15 | UGANDA President’s oil dream is in foreign hands 25th July 2025 Museveni’s beloved pipeline and refinery project rides on uncertain finance from UAE and questions about China’s priorities Uganda’s planned oil refinery at Hoima hinges its joint venture partner Alpha MBM Investments, a little-known United Arab Emirates company chaired by a minor member of the Dubai...
Vol 66 No 15 | ERITREAETHIOPIA Former enemies unite to take on Abiy Ahmed 22nd July 2025 Eritrea and the ruling party in Tigray forge an unlikely alliance against Addis Ababa Never short of self-belief, Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed faces the most serious challenge yet to his balancing of regional and national interests – Eritrean and Tigrayan leaders,...
Vol 66 No 14 | RWANDACONGO-KINSHASAUNITED STATES Trump’s peace deal hinges on minerals, militias – and megawatts 11th July 2025 A White House-brokered agreement promises regional calm and economic integration, but success depends on dislodging rebels and securing mining rights Speaking at the White House on 27 June, during the signing of a new peace agreement by the Rwandan and Congolese foreign ministers, President Donald Trump declared that... READ FOR FREE