East Africa

Ugandan politician and former presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine, has been arrested in the capital, Kampala. He was leading a team of MPs from his party, the National Unity Platform, in a protest against arrests and disappearances of supporters in the period leading up to, during, …

Under the covax scheme, health authorities in Somalia received 300,000 doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine. According to the health Ministry, people at highest risk of contracting the virus will be the first to receive vaccines, including health workers, the elderly and those with chronic health conditions. Official Press Release: …

Former presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi, alias Bobi Wine, last night asked his supporters to be disciplined while pursuing civil disobedience, including peaceful demonstrations, over the January election results. According to the leader of the National Unity Platform (NUP), some of his supporters have internally targeted some party leaders who have …

Tanzania’s President John Magufuli is in the country and working hard in his office, his prime minister has said, scotching rumours about his whereabouts and health. “Tanzanians be calm, your president is there, in good health, he is working,” Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa said. There has been speculation that President …

Raila Odinga, the Kenyan opposition leader has been placed under quarantine after returning positive tests for coronavirus on Thursday evening. Mr Odinga was admitted to hospital on Tuesday in the capital, Nairobi, after developing fatigue, according to his family. “He’s responding well to the treatment he is receiving… and remains …

Rwandan President Paul Kagame and his wife Jeannette received their doses of the Covid vaccine on Thursday to serve as an example as people remain skeptical about vaccines. Photos of them being vaccinated at Kigali’s King Faisal hospital have been tweeted by the president’s office: As part of the ongoing …

Tanzania’s justice minister has dismissed concerns about the whereabouts of President John Magufuli, who has not been seen in public for nearly two weeks. Mwigulu Nchemba said Mr Magufuli was not a TV presenter or leader of a jogging club so he didn’t need to post selfies of himself every …

Somalia’s former president, Ali Mahdi Mohamed, died on Wednesday at a hospital in neighbouring Kenya aged 82, BBC News reports. He rose to power in 1991 after the overthrow of President Siad Barre and stayed in office until 2000. He was succeeded by Abdiqasim Salad Hassan. President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo …

Tanzania’s main opposition leader has demanded information on the health of President John Magufuli, a prominent COVID-19 sceptic whose absence from public view has brought speculation he is receiving medical treatment abroad. Rumours have swirled on social media about possible coronavirus contamination, especially in neighbouring Kenya under the hashtag #pray4magufuli. …

Ugandan Health Minister Jane Ruth Aceng receives a COVID-19 vaccine injection as the first person in the country’s inoculation campaign. Healthcare workers have received the AstraZeneca jabs as part of a phased rollout. Uganda launched its mass COVID-19 vaccination program on Wednesday, joining a host of countries in Africa to …