East Africa

Ugandan authorities have arrested Kenya’s former Assistant Minister for Internal Security Stephen Tarus on allegations of smuggling gold into the country using forged documents. Mr Tarus was arrested last week and arraigned before a Ugandan anti-corruption court on Wednesday for falsification of export documents, the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) said. …

A court in Kenya has said it may release suspected cult leader Paul Nthenge Mackenzie if the state prosecutor fails to charge him within two weeks. Mr Mackenzie has been detained since last April in connection with the deaths of at least 400 people, many of whom starved themselves to …

More than 5.6 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines bought on loan by the Ugandan government have expired, an audit report has said. The vaccines are valued at 28.1bn Ugandan shillings ($7.3m; £5.8m) and were purchased using a World Bank loan. Authorities say the expired vaccines will be withdrawn from health …

The United States said it was troubled by comments from Burundian President Evariste Ndayishimiye, who last week called on citizens to stone gay people. The comments escalated a crackdown on LGBT community in Burundi. “The United States is deeply troubled by President Ndayishimiye’s remarks targeting certain vulnerable and marginalized Burundians,” …

A prominent LGBT rights activist in Uganda, where sexual minorities say they have faced a wave of abuse since a harsh anti-gay law was enacted last year, was stabbed on Wednesday and is in critical condition, his organisation said. Steven Kabuye was “stabbed to near death by unknown assailants a …

Health authorities in Rwanda have recalled batches of antifungal tablets made in Kenya over safety concerns, local media reported. In a statement, the Rwanda Food and Drugs Authority (RFDA) instructed importers to return all batches of 200mg Fluconazole tablets manufactured by Univeral Corporation, a Kenyan company. It also ordered all …

English has been replaced by Swahili as the official and national language in Tanzania, according to reports. Swahili is a Bantu language spoken by over 100 million people in East Africa. From now on, Swahili will be the language of choice in Tanzania’s schools and administration. Studying in a language …

Kenyan police announced on Sunday the arrest of a woman accused of throwing her eight-month-old baby into the Indian Ocean. Witnesses told local media that the woman allegedly tossed the infant into the ocean from a ferry as it was docking in the coastal town of Mombasa. A video of …

A 70-year-old woman has given birth to twins following in vitro fertilization (ivf) treatment, a hospital in Uganda has said. Safina Namukwaya delivered a boy and a girl via caesarean at a fertility centre in the capital, Kampala. Ms Namukwaya, who is is one of the oldest women to give …

At least 120 people have died in the floods which are submerging many regions of Kenya, a government official announced on Tuesday, while a previous toll showed 76 victims. “More than 89,000 families have been displaced and are taking refuge in 112 camps,” Raymond Omollo, a senior official at the …