East Africa

The leader of the main opposition party, Freeman Mbowe, has regained freedom, after prosecutors dropped terrorism charges brought against him last year, his party said on Friday. Freeman Mbowe, chairman of Chadema party, was detained last July in the lakeside city of Mwanza where he was due to attend a …

Ugandan President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni met with Russian Federation Ambassador to Uganda Vladlen Semivolos on Thursday to discuss “matters of mutual interest”. He gave no further details, but it came a day after Uganda abstained from voting for a UN resolution condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Sixteen other African countries …

A Ugandan novelist charged with insulting President Yoweri Museveni has taken the government to court over his alleged torture by soldiers, local media report. Kakwenza Rukirabashaija was arrested in December after posting tweets insulting Mr Museveni and his son Muhoozi Kainerugaba. He denied the charges. He wants the East African …

Atheists Association in Kenya has written to the country’s education ministry calling for a ban on prayer days in public schools ahead of national examinations. It comes after schools this week called on parents to join in the tradition of praying for a smooth exam period. According to the association, …

European Union (EU) diplomats have condemned the powerful son of Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni, Lt Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, for expressing support for the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Gen Kainerugaba had on Tuesday tweeted that “the majority of mankind (that are non-white) support Russia’s stand in Ukraine. Putin is absolutely right!”. …

The powerful son of Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni, Lt Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, has expressed support for the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Gen Kainerugaba – who is the commander of Uganda’s land forces – tweeted that “the majority of mankind (that are non-white) support Russia’s stand in Ukraine”. “Putin is absolutely …

Some 1,000 Ukrainian tourists are stranded in Tanzania’s semi-autonomous islands of Zanzibar after the Ukrainian airspace was closed to civilian flights following Russia’s military action in the country. Zanzibar’s government says it is liaising with the Ukrainian embassy in neighbouring Kenya to evacuate the tourists to Poland. Tourism Minister Leila …

A Kenyan girl has been sentenced to five years in jail for manslaughter over a school dormitory fire that killed nine of her colleagues. The 18-year-old committed the offence in 2017 while aged 14 in her first year of secondary school at the Moi Girls School in the capital, Nairobi. …

Kenyan Education Minister George Magoha has called on teachers to call off a planned strike ahead of national exams and encouraged the government commission that hires teachers to engage them in talks to avert the strike. The national union issued a strike notice after pay talks with the government failed. …

Kenyan Head of State Uhuru Kenyatta has officially announced that he supports the candidacy of opposition leader Raila Odinga in the next presidential election scheduled for August 9. This news does not surprise Kenyan population. President Kenyatta urged his supporters to back Mr Odinga’s bid saying that he had the …