August 26, 2022
Somalia: Hadraawi - the Most Famed Poet in Somalia, the Land of the Poets
Mohamed Ibrahim Warsame Said, widely known by his childhood nickname Hadraawi, was one of the greatest Somali poets of all time. He was certainly the most famed Somali poet since… Read more »
August 24, 2022
Somalia: Waiting for Ethiopia - Berbera Port Upgrade Raises Somaliland's Hopes for Trade
Berbera port is the main overseas trade gateway of the breakaway Republic of Somaliland. The port city is located on the Gulf of Aden - one of the globally most frequented seaways… Read more »
August 23, 2022
Tanzania: TB Patients Have a Lower Quality of Life Than People Who Haven't Had the Disease
Numerous researchers have documented the quality of life and mental health of specific population groups. Examples include people living with HIV, the elderly, students, men who… Read more »
August 22, 2022
Uganda: Efforts to Address Vitamin A Deficiency Miss the Mark
Vitamin A deficiency is the leading cause of preventable childhood blindness. It also increases the risk of death from common childhood illnesses such as diarrhoea. There are… Read more »
Kenya: Uhuru Kenyatta and Kenya's Media - A Bitter-Sweet Affair That Didn't End Happily
President Uhuru Kenyatta's regime came into power in 2013. It was the first to implement most of the provisions of Kenya's 2010 constitution. The media were eager to see how the… Read more »
August 21, 2022
East Africa: Alarm Bells As Somalia's New President Sours Relationship With Ethiopia
The new government in Somalia that won elections held in May has got off to a rocky political start in its relations with the relatively powerful and influential neighbour,… Read more »
Uganda: Idi Amin's 'Economic War' Victimised Uganda's Africans and Asians Alike
Fifty years ago - in early August 1972 - President Idi Amin summarily decreed the expulsion of Uganda's "Asian" (that is, Indian and Pakistani) community. Over 50,000 people were… Read more »
August 18, 2022
Somalia: Constant Fear of Eviction - How Poor People Experience Life in Somaliland's Growing Cities
Many cities in Somaliland are growing rapidly. Climate change-induced displacement, insecurity, and population growth accelerate urbanisation. Yet, many urban residents live in… Read more »
Kenya: Will Women's Rights Be Safe Under William Ruto? Why They Might Not Be
William Ruto has been declared the winner of Kenya's presidential election. The final outcome, however, remains in the balance following a challenge from his main competitor, Raila… Read more »
August 17, 2022
Kenya: How Politics Has Subverted Conservation Efforts to Protect Mau Forest
The Mau Forest Complex is the largest montane tropical forest in East Africa. This is an ecosystem with rich biodiversity and characterised by high rainfall. Read more »
August 16, 2022
Kenya: What William Ruto's Presidency Would Mean for Economy
William Ruto has been declared the winner of Kenya's 2022 presidential election. The close results have been queried, raising the risk of a prolonged political transition. But, if… Read more »
August 15, 2022
Kenya: Kenya Declares William Ruto As Its New President in an Election Drama That's Far From Over
Kenya's William Ruto was declared the winner of the August 9 election in the midst of chaotic scenes last witnessed on the eve of the infamous 2007-2008 post-election violence.… Read more »
August 14, 2022
Kenya: Uhuru Kenyatta's Economic Legacy - Big On Promises, but Weak On Delivery
Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy, William Ruto, ascended to Kenya's presidency in March 2013. This followed a contested poll that they won with a slim majority of 50.3% of the votes… Read more »
August 13, 2022
Kenya: Why Youth Apathy in Elections Bodes Ill for Nation
Kenya saw a decline in the number of young people who registered to vote in the August 2022 elections. This group's share of the 12.1 million registered voters dropped by 5.27%… Read more »
August 11, 2022
Ethiopia: Nowhere to Run - the Plight of Eritrean Refugees in Ethiopia
Ethiopia has hosted large numbers of Eritrean refugees for years. Before the recent conflict, about 100,000 Eritrean refugees lived in camps in Ethiopia's northern Tigray region. Read more »
August 10, 2022
Kenya: Election - Institutional Safeguards Are Still a Work in Progress
Kenya has held its seventh national election since the reintroduction of multiparty competition in the early 1990s. Elections in the country are never dull affairs. They are always… Read more »
August 09, 2022
East Africa: Rwanda and DRC's Turbulent Past Continues to Fuel Their Torrid Relationship
Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) make for very unhappy neighbours. Both sides claim the other is set on bringing down their government, and violating past… Read more »
August 08, 2022
Kenya: Prosecution or Compensation? What Kenyan Choices Tell Us About International Justice
In December 2007, the Electoral Commission of Kenya announced that Mwai Kibaki had won a second five-year term as president. It was a surprising outcome, given his opponent, Raila… Read more »
August 07, 2022
Kenya: Muslims Are Divided, With Little Political Clout
Kenyan Muslims played a part in the push to repeal repressive political laws in the country in the early 1990s. But Muslims, who account for 11% of the population, have yet to… Read more »
August 05, 2022
Africa: Athletics - Kenyans Are Running for Other Countries, but That's Not Why Medals Are Fewer
The 2022 World Athletics Championships ended in relative disappointment for Kenya, which continued its decline in the overall medal standings. Since the 2005 championships in… Read more »
August 04, 2022
Kenya: Election 2022 - The Candidates, Issues and Role of Money in a Fierce Contest
Kenyans are gearing up for an important general election in August 9, 2022, which brings to an end President Uhuru Kenyatta's turbulent two terms terms. Read more »
August 03, 2022
Rwanda: The U.S. and Rwanda - How the Relationship Has Evolved Since the 1994 Genocide
One of the primary points of discussion between Antony Blinken and Rwandan president Paul Kagame in the US secretary of state's upcoming visit to Kigali will be the renewed… Read more »
August 02, 2022
Rwanda: How Annual Genocide Commemoration Fans the Flame of Ethnicity
Each year, Rwandans at home and in the diaspora remember those killed in the 1994 genocide. This is not a single-day event. Kwibuka ("to remember" in the local Kinyarwanda… Read more »
August 01, 2022
Kenya: The Role of Media in a Kenyan Election - What You Should Know
Traditionally, political debates have been shaped by mainstream media. Kenya's mainstream media, however, remain strongly wedded to factional ethnic and class interests. This has… Read more »
July 31, 2022
Kenya: Kenya's Election Red Flags in Five Essential Reads
Kenya is no stranger to highly contested elections. Several of the country's past polls have seen high levels of conflict. The violence that broke out after the 2007 elections… Read more »