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Published 17th February 2006

Vol 47 No 4


Kenya

The hawks are circling

President Mwai Kibaki has been fatally wounded by his government's corruption scandals

Did President Mwai Kibaki know about illicit political funding? Africa Confidential has listened to a covert recording of a conversation between anti-corruption czar John Githongo and the then Justice Minister, Kiraitu Murungi. This recording, made on 20 May 2004, has been played to the Chairman of Kenya's Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Uhuru Kenyatta, who is also leader of the main opposition party, the Kenya African National Union. On the tape, Murungi refers to the need for money to persuade delegates to support the government's constitutional reforms as an example: 'Like now these guys need 200,000 [Kenya shillings]. So I'll go to Alfred [Getonga, a former presidential aide] and ask for 200,000 so they organise their people. And so there is no way we can go to Mzee (President Kibaki) and ask for money, we can't ask Mzee who doesn't give money and doesn't touch money'.


Growing pains, legal pain

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The President has a new plan for the economy and the Vice-President faces two separate trials

Cape Town's political season opens during the city's sunniest weeks, drawing journalists and commentators down from Johannesburg in droves. The government had hoped to fix their attention...


For growth, a new acronym

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The Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative of South Africa (ASGISA) accepts that poverty and unemployment are the country's main economic problems and promises to halve both by 2014....


Copper friendly

The world copper boom is rescuing Zambia's economy and the President's electoral hopes

The high price of copper, and the resulting flow of investment into Zambia's mining sector, is a huge piece of luck for President Levy Mwanawasa, who hopes to...


Africa's loss

Beko Ransome-Kuti's death robs Africa of one of its bravest freedom fighters

Opposition in Africa, and particularly Nigeria, is a dangerous business. It requires courage, determination and integrity; even then there is no guarantee of success. Dr. Beko Ransome-Kuti had...


Waiting but not sitting

The opposition coalition that won the capital last May has split, leaving the city council in limbo

Nine months after May's controversial elections, Addis Ababa's councillors have still not taken their seats. The four-party opposition Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD) won the capital by...



Pointers

The pink card

President Paul Biya's regime has survived much but until now, none of his opponents dared play the pink card. It all started when Catholic Archbishop Victor Tonye Bakot...


Smooth operator

Just as Western governments begin to note the regime's lack of financial transparency, the ruling National Islamic Front-National Congress has another bonanza. On 6 February, Kuwait-based Mobile Telecommunications...


Judges and generals

The election campaign of Forum for Democratic Change leader Kizza Besigye has been seriously disrupted by spurious charges of treason and terrorism, both in the High Court and...


Ten per cent

No formal discussion has been held with the Paris Club debtors, who demand that Angola enter into a Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility lending scheme with the Fund...