Ethiopian and Tigray forces launch hotline as new peace talks begin
Nairobi, KenyaReuters The Ethiopian Government and Tigrayan forces have established a telephone hotline to help maintain a ceasefire struck last week, and both sides met in Kenya on Monday for a new round of talks on implementing the truce. Ethiopia’s government and regional forces from Tigray agreed last Wednesday to cease hostilities after talks mediated […]
Kenya’s Odinga says presidential election result a “travesty”
Nairobi/Kisumu, KenyaReuters Kenyan politician Raila Odinga rejected as a “travesty” the result of the 9th August presidential election he was declared to have lost to Deputy President William Ruto and warned on Tuesday of a long legal crisis facing Kenya’s democracy. His first comments on the result came after four of the seven election commissioners […]
Early signs show tight Kenyan presidential election
Nairobi/Eldoret, Kenya Reuters Preliminary results from Kenya’s presidential election showed a tight race between the two main candidates vying to replace President Uhuru Kenyatta, with citizens praying an announcement of a winner would not unleash violence as in years past. The Tuesday election is an important test for stability in East Africa’s biggest economy, where […]
Kenyans, desperate for change, must choose new president from familiar faces
Nairobi, Kenya Reuters Kenyans start voting for lawmakers and a new president early on Tuesday, but many citizens desperate for relief from spiking food prices and deep-rooted corruption have little confidence the next government will deliver any change. Large numbers of young people have not registered to vote, electoral commission figures show. Many say they […]
‘Pandora Papers’ bring renewed calls for tax haven scrutiny
Washington DC, USAP Calls grew Monday for an end to the financial secrecy that has allowed many of the world’s richest and most powerful people to hide their wealth from tax collectors. The outcry came after a report revealed the way that world leaders, billionaires and others have used shell companies and offshore accounts to […]
Calls for women’s shelters as Kenya reports COVID-19 surge in violence
Nairobi, KenyaThomson Reuters Foundation A sharp rise in gender-based violence in Kenya during the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted an urgent need for more shelters to help victims and awareness campaigns, women’s rights groups said on Friday. Cases of violence targeting women and girls – including rape, child marriage and murder – rose 36 per cent […]
Kenyan tribal elders vow to end FGM, child marriage in ‘milestone’ for girls
Kisima Village, KenyaThomson Reuters Foundation Tribal leaders in northern Kenya pledged on Friday to end female genital mutilation and child marriage in their communities, a step hailed by President Uhuru Kenyatta as “an important milestone” in boosting girls’ rights. One in five women and girls aged between 15 and 49 in Kenya have undergone FGM, […]
Kenya’s parliament to challenge dissolution bid over lack of women
Nairobi, KenyaThomson Reuters Foundation Kenya’s parliament will launch a legal challenge to a bid by the country’s top judge to dissolve both legislative houses for not having enough women lawmakers, the speaker said on Tuesday, calling the move ill-advised, premature and unlawful. Chief Justice David Maraga on Monday advised President Uhuru Kenyatta to dissolve the […]
Kenya orders probe into rise in violence against women and girls during pandemic
Nairobi, KenyaThomson Reuters Foundation Kenya’s President on Monday ordered an investigation into rising reports of violence against women and girls – including rape, domestic violence, female genital mutilation and child marriage – as a result of coronavirus restrictions. Lockdowns to curb the spread of the new coronavirus have fuelled an upsurge in gender-based violence across […]
Kenya pledges to end FGM by 2022 – ahead of global target
Nairobi, KenyaThomson Reuters Foundation Kenya’s President on Tuesday promised to end female genital mutilation by 2022, a goal women’s rights campaigners said was unrealistic due to insecurity and high prevalence rates in some parts of the east African nation. One in five women and girls aged between 15 and 49 in Kenya have undergone FGM, […]