East Africa

The new vice-president of Tanzania’s semi-autonomous islands of Zanzibar has been sworn in less than two weeks after his predecessor died. Othman Masoud Othman Sharif replaces Seif Sharif Hamad who died on February 17 at the age of 77. No official reason has been given for his death but it …

The authorities in Tanzania’s semi-autonomous islands of Zanzibar have urged tourists to dress decently and respect the “sensibilities” of the local culture or they will be fined. Tourism Minister Lela Muhamed Mussa told BBC Swahili that some visitors walked “almost naked” on the streets. She said that tour guides will …

President Yoweri Museveni has once again accused tech giant Facebook of being biased against Uganda’s ruling party and its supporters. The social media platform suspended several accounts linked to the National Resistance Movement (NRM) party days to the January election, accusing them of being involved in Coordinated Inauthentic Behaviour (CIB) …

Ugandan opposition leader Bobi Wine is in trouble over an alleged bullet-proof vehicle in his possession, according to a report by the Daily Monitor newspaper. The vehicle has attracted the attention of the Ugandan authorities, with the Ugandan Revenue Authority (URA) saying its details had been misrepresented and thus undervalued. …

In a statement, the police in DRC announced that at least ten people have been killed in a militia attack in the east of the country. A military spokesman said the Allied Democratic Forces beheaded eight people in one village Boyo and shot two more in another nearby Kainama. They …

An urgent appeal for more than $ 100 million has been launched by the World Food Program to alleviate severe shortages in Ethiopia’s northern region of Tigray. The UN agency says three million people about half of Tigray’s population need food aid. Much of the region has remained cut off …

A policeman in Bukedea District in eastern Uganda has been detained after he shot and killed a 17-year-old boy. Constable Charles Okurut was detained Thursday morning after he shot and killed Patrick Otimong, a resident of Ajesa village, Akero parish in Bukedea Sub County. The teenager was shot in the …

According to Kenyan health authorities, the country will receive its first batch of Covid-19 vaccines next week. Frontline health workers, security officers, teachers and vulnerable groups will be vaccinated first. The government has not detailed which particular vaccine it is acquiring. The health ministry had early this month said it …

A Tanzanian court has acquitted an opposition MP who had been charged with insulting President John Magufuli. The court said it did not find any evidence to support the charge against Halima Mdee. She was charged in 2017 for reportedly saying in Swahili that “the president is talking aimlessly, he …

Ugandan government spokesman Ofwono Opondo affirmes that the United States should “fix their own elections” rather than “lecture” Uganda about its elections. His comments came after the US said it was considering “targeted options” following elections in Uganda that were marred by “irregularities” and “abuses” by the security forces. In …