Vol 61 No 16 | KENYA From a grateful nation 6th August 2020 Not content with being among the world's best-paid politicians, Kenyan lawmakers have ensured that their predecessors are also amply rewarded for their service. On 5 August, after 10...
Vol 61 No 15 | ETHIOPIA Oromia cracks open again 23rd July 2020 The murder of a musician-turned-activist and harsh repression has reignited tensions in the Prime Minister’s restive back yard Oromo nationalists had hoped that Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's administration would address their demands after thousands of activists lost their lives in protests that paved the way for...
Vol 61 No 15 | KENYAWORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION A favourite for an impossible job 23rd July 2020 After several near misses in her search for a top international job, Amina Mohamed is a WTO front-runner. But what does she stand for? Of all the candidates gunning for the helm of the World Trade Organisation, Amina Mohamed probably ranks as the best prepared for the contest. Along with the rival...
Vol 61 No 15 | SOMALIA Ugly compromises 23rd July 2020 President Farmajo is pushing through a flawed electoral system and the fallout has led to demonstrators taking to the streets of the capital The main response of the government to the crowds that have gathered to protest the new electoral law and the postponement of elections is to fire shots over...
Vol 61 No 15 | TANZANIA Lissu heads for home 23rd July 2020 Two and a half years after being shot 40 times by suspected government gunmen outside the National Assembly in Dodoma, opposition leader Tundu Lissu says he will return...
Vol 61 No 14 | EGYPTETHIOPIAAFRICAN UNION The pride of lions 9th July 2020 The obstacles to agreement over managing the Blue Nile dam are more about internal politics than technical issues The positions of Egypt and Ethiopia over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam seemed as far apart as their respective capital cities as officials began another round of video-conferencing... READ FOR FREE
Vol 61 No 14 | KENYA A big tent for Moi's children 9th July 2020 The President's attempts to co-opt oppositionists has reunited young Turks promoted by the late President Moi Thirty years after the Saba Saba protests triggered the battle for the restoration of multiparty politics in Kenya, veterans of that struggle might be troubled to see that...
Vol 61 No 14 | TANZANIA Media denied oxygen 9th July 2020 The government campaign against press freedom has gone into overdrive during the coronavirus pandemic. The most recent outlet to fall foul of the country's increasingly harsh censorship of...
Vol 61 No 14 | TANZANIA Magufuli wants a mega-dam 7th July 2020 Experts say solar power is a better bet than projects like the Stiegler's Gorge dam, which has got the go-ahead in spite of conservationist concern Plans to build a dam across the Rufiji River at Stiegler's Gorge pre-date Tanzania's independence, but no public or private finance could be found for the venture until...
Vol 61 No 13 | TANZANIA Taxing targets 25th June 2020 The budget Minister for Finance and Planning Philip Mpango presented to parliament on 11 June held no surprises for citizens, but the next day's passing of the Finance...