East Africa

heavy rains disrupted the normal course of business, resulting in the destruction of property and the loss of 44 lives in Kenya, said Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS). According to the KRCS, the downpours have affected the life of about 60,000 people. In the Mathare slums of Nairobi, the country’s …

Somalia’s government said it had suspended and detained several members of an elite, U.S.-trained commando unit for stealing rations donated by the United States, adding that it was taking over responsibility for provisioning the force, Reuters reported. The Danab unit has been a key pillar of U.S.-backed efforts to combat …

Seven people died when a residential building collapsed in Addis Ketema, a district of Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, while they were asleep, according to reports. “The victims lost their lives due to lack of air and amoung them, were children aged four, eleven, twelve,” Nigatu Mamo, a spokeperson …

Seven members of a Muslim family have been detained following accusations of assaulting an 18-year-old girl for attending a church service in eastern Uganda, according to reports. “The girl was subjected to 100 lashes with a cane by her uncle, while five other uncles restrained her during the ordeal,” reports …

Kenya’s army chief, Francis Omondi Ogolla, and nine other military officials were killed in a helicopter crash in the west of the country. “The officers were visiting western Kenya, where a military operation is underway to combat banditry, before the incident,” according to reports. “Our nation experienced a tragic air …

Fifty-eight people have been killed by flooding in Tanzania, as heavy rains continue in the East African country, according to government reports. “The coastal region was hit hardest, with 126,831 people affected,” according to the government. “Essential supplies including food had been distributed to those affected”, the government spokesperson Mobhare …

In the Comoros, dozens of prisoners escaped from the main prison in the capital Moroni, simply by walking through the main gate, authorities said. The islands’ public prosecutor, Ali Mohamed Djounaid, said 38 inmates were missing from Moroni Prison, the largest in the archipelago. Mr Djounaid blamed negligent security guards. …

Fifty-one passengers were rescued after the bus they were traveling in was swept away by floodwaters on a river bridge in northern Kenya. “The bus is still stuck in the river some thirty meters from the bridge, although the water level is still dropping,” according to reports. The road has …

Rwandan President Paul Kagame met his South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa and they reaffirmed their support in finding a “political situation” to the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Mr Ramaphosa was visiting the East African country to take part in the 30th commemorations of the Rwandan genocide. President …

More than 90 people died when an overcrowded makeshift ferry sank off the north coast of Mozambique, according to reports. The boat was carrying 130 people, including many children, who were attempting to make the crossing to Mozambique Island from Lunga in Nampula province. “Because the boat was overcrowded and …