East Africa

Kenyan education minister says gay students infringing on the rights of other learners should not be allowed to attend boarding schools. Prof George Magoha advised instead that the gay students “moving from one bed to another” should be admitted to day schools. He said that while he had nothing against …

Police officers, who arrest and detain anyone suspected of having sexual intercourse with a married person, will face disciplinary courts, Dailymonitor reports, quoting Ugandan police spokesperson Fred Enanga, as saying. Police spokesperson Fred Enanga said it is not criminal to have sexual intercourse with married people and that the police …

Kenyan teachers will now be entitled to up to four months of paid parental leave following an agreement with their government employer. Female teachers will get 120 days of maternity leave while their male colleagues will be entitled to three weeks of paternity leave. This is an increase from the …

In the same week the European Union (EU) lifted its sanctions on Burundi, the US says it it doing the same, thanks to “significantly decreased violence” and reforms by President Évariste Ndayishimiye. However, Burundian opposition figures say repression and human rights issues have not improved. A statement from the US …

Tanzanian MPs say the use of emergency contraceptives, known as P2, is on the rise among to prevent pregnancies among girls and women aged between 14 and 24. A recent report by members of a parliamentary health committee into the rise in HIV infections found that girls and young women …

Tanzania has lifted a ban on four newspapers suspended when the late President John Magufuli was in power, the BBC reports. The four – Mwanahalisi, Mawio, Mseto and Tanzania Daima – had their licences suspended for various reasons, including publishing false stories. They were regarded as being critical of Mr …

The East African Community (EAC) has welcomed the lifting of financial sanctions imposed by the European Union on Burundi since the era of the late Pierre Nkurunziza. The regional bloc’s Secretary General, Peter Mathuki, said sanctions lifting would spur development in Burundi and rejuvenate the integration process within the region. …

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has appointed Major General Abel Kandiho, blacklisted by the United States for alleged human rights abuses, as police chief. The former head of intelligence, has been accused of abuses including electrocution and sexual assault. The US said he was sometimes personally involved in interrogations of detained …

The European Union (EU) announced it had lifted economic sanctions against Burundi, but said the country had a lot to do “in the areas of human rights, good governance, reconciliation and the rule of law”. Citing a peaceful political environment and progress by the Burundian government in several areas, including …

The authorities in Kenya say 90% of the fire that engulfed the famous Aberdares National Park and forest in central Kenya has been contained. Firefighters and local residents have been battling the huge blaze since Saturday. Initial reports indicate it could be a case of arson but the government says …