Vol 65 No 3 | KENYA 14-year-old case reaches court 1st February 2024 After fleeing Kenya in late 2008 and resisting extradition from the United Kingdom since 2011, the former CEO of Triton Oil, one of Kenya's biggest oil importers, Yagnesh...
Vol 65 No 3 | TANZANIA The return of the hard men 19th January 2024 President Samia won praise for mitigating her predecessor's authoritarianism, but his loyalists are on the march again and she is accommodating them The outspoken Paul Makonda, who has just been appointed to a key ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) post, is fast emerging as the leader of a new dawn...
Vol 65 No 2 | KENYA Judges stand up as Ruto takes them on 18th January 2024 Chief Justice Martha Koome has pushed back hard after the President accused the judiciary of chronic corruption The presidency could lose badly if the sniping between it and the judiciary escalates. In his New Year's address, President William Ruto accused opposition leaders of using the...
Vol 65 No 2 | ETHIOPIASOMALIASOMALILAND Why Abiy and Muse signed a 'memorandum of misunderstanding' 15th January 2024 A hasty deal offering recognition of Somaliland's sovereignty and a port for Ethiopia has angered the region By announcing a trade-off on New Year's Day – putative recognition of Somaliland's 'independence' in exchange for access to the Gulf of Aden – Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy...
Vol 65 No 2 | ETHIOPIA Oromo peace momentum falters 12th January 2024 There were high hopes of a resolution to the OLA insurgency, but the will is not yet there on the rebel side and Abiy fears a deal may alienate other regions The outlook for a settlement between the government and the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) has taken a hit: fighting has resumed after peace talks ended in acrimony late...
Vol 65 No 2 | CHADSUDAN Mahamat Kaka co-opts Succès in pre-election campaign 8th January 2024 Focused on consolidating power, the junta leader is bringing rivals into the tent and trying to avoid more entanglements in Sudan The devastating war in Sudan and awkward relations with France and the United Arab Emirates are casting a long shadow over Chad this year as its military leader...
Vol 65 No 2 | RWANDAUNITED STATES Kigali taps US hacker for new fight with Rusesabagina 5th January 2024 Security services in Rwanda are working with a self-described 'white-hat hacker' to take down their foes Hostilities are reopening between the security services in Kigali and 'Hotel Rwanda' activist Paul Rusesabagina after their agreement in March 2023. Under the deal Rusesabagina's 25-year sentence was...
Vol 65 No 1 | KENYAAFRICA IN 2024 Austerity is no brake on Ruto's ambitions 4th January 2024 The President's political dominance after his first full year in office is near total The speed at which William Ruto shoe-horned his allies into key positions in the political and economic system after his election as president less than 18 months ago...
Vol 65 No 1 | ETHIOPIAAFRICA IN 2024 Reality catches up with gambler Abiy 4th January 2024 Prime minister Abiy's diplomatic ploy may distract attention from a weakening central state and economy Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's announcement on New Year's Day that his country would be granted access to the Red Sea by the breakaway republic of Somaliland illustrates his...
Vol 64 No 25 | KENYA Auditor in the dock 14th December 2023 The outspoken chief budget auditor has been arrested in politically convenient circumstances The arrest of Margaret Nyakang'o, the widely respected head of Kenya's budget watchdog, on what appear to be trumped up fraud charges, has prompted concerns about the scale...