Vol 63 No 16 | KENYA Taking the fifth 4th August 2022 Both the presidential frontrunners say they are heading for victory on 9 August in an election that will be decided by turnout in key battleground regions The presidential election on 9 August is on a knife edge as the campaigns draws to a close amid mounting concerns about the independence and efficiency of the electoral commission. READ FOR FREE
Vol 63 No 16 | KENYA Questions about the electoral referee 4th August 2022 A dysfunctional electoral commission is targeted again amid growing fears of vote manipulation and political interference Whatever doubts existed about the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission’s ability to supervise next week’s general election have only deepened in the final stretch of th...
Vol 63 No 16 | KENYA MPs with fewer benefits 4th August 2022 Kenyan lawmakers joining Parliament and county assemblies after the 9 August general elections will receive fewer perks than their predecessors, though that will still leave them a...
Vol 63 No 16 | SOMALIA Food crisis deepens as world looks to Ukraine 2nd August 2022 New President Hassan Sheikh has to respond to the imminent deaths of tens of thousands from starvation – a calamity which his foes, local and foreign, will try to exploit The worsening drought and food crisis in Somalia – where someone is likely to die every 48 seconds from acute hunger linked to conflict according to British aid agencies &nda... READ FOR FREE
Vol 63 No 16 | SOMALIA Hassan Sheikh seeks new foreign allies 1st August 2022 The new president has been touring the region, gauging his support among the neighbours and geopolitical heavyweights as tensions build With funding and diplomatic attention diverted to Ukraine, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and his fellow leaders in the Horn of Africa are trying to manage the region's security c...
Vol 63 No 16 | KENYA When the political descends to the personal 22nd July 2022 An election campaign focused more on insults than policy is doing little to calm fears about disputed results Ahead of the 9 August presidential elections, former prime minister Raila Odinga has eked out a narrow opinion poll lead over Deputy President William Ruto in recent weeks, but nei...
Vol 63 No 15 | ETHIOPIA Heat of war shifts to the centre 21st July 2022 Tensions may be easing between Addis and Tigray, but in Oromia the bitterness of ethno-nationalist conflict remains strong The intensity of violence between Oromo and Amhara communities is militating against Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's attempts to co-opt moderates on both sides, as fresh atrocities mul...
Vol 63 No 15 | SUDAN Parties divided on sharing power 21st July 2022 The junta's declaration of a new way to rule the country leaves the opposition unable to decide on what to do. But Burhan is also out of options Ever since Gen Abdel Fattah al Burhan declared on television that the army and civilians would have separate responsibilities in running the country on 4 July, Sudanese have been t...
Vol 63 No 15 | KENYAUNITED STATES Washington raises its trade offer 21st July 2022 The confirmation by the United States Senate that Hewlett Packard chief executive Margaret Whitman will take over as Washington's Ambassador to Kenya, as the US Commerce department...
Vol 63 No 14 | SUDAN Military running out of options 7th July 2022 Massive demonstrations and killings by the security forces are straining relations in the ruling junta as leaders consider their options The 33rd anniversary of the coup that brought Omer Hassan el Beshir to power on 30 June 1989 was always going to be a test for both the opposition and the ruling military. The oppo...
