Kenya 

Kenya signs controversial finance bills into law

President William Ruto signed seven new pieces of legislation into law on Wednesday, including controversial financial reforms that sparked heavy public backlash earlier this year. The legislation includes the Tax Laws (Amendment) Bill and the Business Laws (Amendment) Bill, which replaced the incredibly unpopular Finance Bill, 2024. The new laws include the Kenya Revenue Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2024, the Kenya Roads (Amendment) Bill, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (Amendment) Bill, the Business Laws (Amendment) Bill, and the Statutory Instruments (Amendment) Bill, along with the two financial laws.

The legislation package is in line with Kenya’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda, which was introduced in 2022 as a five-year plan as part of Kenya’s Vision 2030 timeline. The agenda aims to transform the state’s economy to become a competitive middle-income state by the end of the decade.

(African Law and Business)

Tanzania

Tanzania reaffirms commitment to regional cooperation

The Tanzanian government will continue working with member states of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to address the growing impacts of climate change in the region, an official said on Monday. Christina Mndeme, Deputy Permanent Secretary for Environment in the Vice President’s Office, highlighted the government’s commitment during discussions in Dodoma with a delegation from Malawi’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Climate Change. The delegation was led by Tawonga Mbale-Luka, the ministry’s Director of Environment.

Mndeme highlighted Tanzania’s dedication to global climate agreements, noting the country’s ratification of frameworks such as the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement. She also emphasised that Tanzania is leveraging opportunities to combat climate change while fostering sustainable development. “Efforts include reviewing policies, developing regulations, and creating strategies and guidelines that promote environmental conservation and sustainable development,” she said.

(Daily News)

Uganda

Minister calls for stronger health security measures in Uganda

The Minister for General Duties, Justine Lumumba, has called on the government of Uganda to prioritise health security in advance as the key strategy to avert the challenges of unpreparedness.

Lumumba, who represented Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja, made the call on Thursday during the launch of the Second Uganda National Action Plan for Health Security (NAPHS Il) at Speke Resort Hotel in Munyonyo. She urged the government to continue integrating health security principles into operational plans, policies, and budgets.

Since its launch, the National Action Plan for Health Security has faced challenges such as low funding, lack of awareness about the campaign, and the impacts of climate change. Despite these obstacles, the plan helped mitigate Uganda’s health emergencies, including outbreaks of Ebola, COVID-19, mpox, Marburg, and other diseases. The re-launched plan is focused on equipping individuals and local groups with the knowledge and tools needed for disease prevention, early detection, and resilience building.

(Daily Monitor)

Rwanda 

Inside reforms in employee recruitment for basic education schools

A new Prime Minister’s order has introduced a transformative statute governing the recruitment and management of employees in basic education schools. These reforms apply to public and government-subsidised institutions and cover pre-primary, primary, general secondary, professional education, and technical and vocational training schools from level one to level five.

Under the new directive, the recruitment of headteachers and deputy headteachers will now be centralised under the Ministry of Education. Previously, these roles were filled at the district level.

The Minister of Education, Joseph Nsengimana, emphasised that this change aims to enhance transparency and efficiency in the hiring process. The new statute introduces several additional positions, including accountants, secretaries for primary schools, nurses, educational psychologists, logisticians, career guidance counsellors, and industrial liaison officers. These roles aim to improve school management and address gaps in providing quality education.

(The New Times)

Ethiopia

Ethiopia and Somalia agree to end bitter Somaliland port feud

Ethiopia and Somalia have agreed to end their bitter dispute over Addis Ababa’s plans to build a port in the breakaway republic of Somaliland following talks in Turkey. The two neighbours have been at loggerheads since January, when Ethiopia signed a maritime deal with Somaliland – which Somalia considers as part of its territory.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomed the “historic agreement”, which he said would eventually ensure landlocked Ethiopia’s access to the sea. 

(BBC)

Somalia 

Clashes erupt between Somalia’s federal troops and regional forces over disputed local elections

Clashes erupted on Wednesday morning in Somalia between the country’s federal government forces and regional troops of the state of Jubaland amid escalating tensions over a disputed regional elections.

The hours-long fighting in the town of Ras Kamboni calmed by midday, the latest violence in the restive Horn of Africa long plagued by deadly attacks by Islamic extremists. Details of the fighting and the number of casualties remain unclear due to a telecommunications blackout imposed in the area.

The clashes underscore a deepening rift between the federal government and Jubaland’s administration, raising fears of further instability in the strategically significant region near the Kenyan border.

(The Associated Press)

South Sudan 

Kiir fires army and police chiefs, central bank boss

South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir has fired the head of the country’s military, the police chief, and the central bank governor. Kiir’s announcement late on Monday gave no reasons for the dismissals. It said Kiir had appointed Paul Nang Majok as the army’s chief of defence forces, replacing General Santino Wol. Security sources with knowledge of the military’s goings-on said the changes could have stemmed from disquiet within the army ranks, adding that some soldiers had not been paid wages for about a year.

Army spokesperson Major General Lul Ruai Koang did not immediately respond when contacted for comment. Michael Makuei, the information minister and government spokesperson, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the reasons for the changes.

In late November, an attempt to arrest the former head of the intelligence service led to an eruption of heavy gunfire in the capital, Juba.

(Reuters)