London, United Kingdom | AFP | Jamaican Usain Bolt said Sunday he was sad but also excited to bow out of athletics, adding that his disappointing world campaign in London would not change his career achievements. Bolt brought down the curtain on his glittering career in dramatic fashion when he …
Read More »The new Museveni age-limit plan
How president’s team has `trapped’ MPs on Age Limit Kampala, Uganda | HAGGAI MATSIKO | No bill seeking to remove the 75-year age limit on the presidency has been tabled but the head-butting around the issue is intense. When, on Aug. 07, President Yoweri Museveni’s staff posted a photo on …
Read More »Waiting for Raila, listening to God, in Nairobi slum
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Churches preached peace on Sunday in Mathare, a Nairobi slum that has been hit by days of violent demonstrations since last week’s disputed presidential vote, but it was opposition leader Raila Odinga the people were desperate to hear from. Odinga had been silent since the …
Read More »ANALYSIS: Museveni’s refinery deal
Museveni’s refinery deal: Now gov’t says in negotiations with GE-led consortium as Chinese protest Kampala, Uganda | HAGGAI MATSIKO | A fight between Chinese and American investors over the US $ 4 billion refinery deal could further delay the project, observers fear. These fears have been sparked by reports that …
Read More »Farah – a bitter sweet fairytale
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Briton Mo Farah departs an undisputed legend of the track in terms of titles won, but to many his association with coach Alberto Salazar will forever cast a unwanted pall on his career. The 34-year-old Somalia-born champion stuck with Salazar despite serious allegations against him …
Read More »All that glitters: Ghana battles illegal mining
Accra, Ghana | AFP | Ghana has long been known for its bountiful gold reserves and was called “the Gold Coast” during its colonial era. But illegal mining in Africa’s second largest producer is taking a heavy human as well as environmental and economic toll with more than $2 billion lost …
Read More »Four things to know about the Kenyan vote dispute
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta has been declared the winner of the country’s election, but not everybody is happy. His opponent Raila Odinga insists the election results have been manipulated, and protests have broken out in poor neighbourhoods in two of the country’s major cities. …
Read More »Kenya’s dogged opposition leader Raila Odinga at a crossroads
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Raila Odinga has been Kenya’s prime minister and longtime opposition leader, but with results in from Tuesday’s general election, it seems he has once again failed to get the one job he’s always wanted: the presidency. This may very well be the end of the …
Read More »Uhuru Kenyatta: Heir to a fortune and a political dynasty
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Uhuru Kenyatta, who won a second and final term in a disputed election Friday, is the son of Kenya’s founding president and a man who epitomises the country’s elite. The 55-year-old US-educated multi-millionaire, whose family owns an array of businesses, properties and land, is the …
Read More »Consumers ‘left in lurch’ over Europe egg scandal
Paris, France | AFP | European consumers complained of being “left in the lurch” by food safety authorities as a scandal over insecticide-tainted eggs snowballed Friday, but said they have no intention of removing eggs from their shopping lists completely. Eggs contaminated with an insecticide called fipronil — which can be …
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