Kenya

How ex-PS Kibicho letter cost taxpayers KSh1.6bn in fuel tender

Former Interior Principal Secretary (PS) Karanja Kibicho pressured the energy regulator to cancel a competitive and cheaper fuel marking tender in favour of a handpicked Swiss multinational in a deal that will cost taxpayers KSh1.6 billion in the three years to June 2025.

(Business Daily)

Tanzania 

Tanzania President Samia pushes for diligence, common sense in new hires

Performance and integrity top President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s priorities in government, she said on Thursday while swearing in newly appointed ministers.

In her three-minute address after swearing in the ministers and other government executives, Samia said common sense, diligence, and integrity should be observed to enhance efficiency in her administration.

(The East African)

Uganda

Uganda and DRC conflict: Interests driving Kampala’s involvement

The ambiguous and often tumultuous relations between Uganda and the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have made headlines in recent months.

In a July 2024 report, the UN Group of Experts on the DRC stated that the Ugandan army and intelligence officials were actively supporting the M23 rebel group.

The group, which is active in Eastern DRC, was first defeated in 2013. But it has resumed hostilities in the vast area since 2021.

(The East African) 

Rwanda

Kagame urges new cabinet to work as a team

Rwandan President Paul Kagame is tasking his new cabinet to work as a team. He sees his new five-year term in office as a stamp of approval from the public but also an obligation to better his record.

After they took office this week, most of them having been reappointed, President Paul Kagame told the ministers they must not work in isolation, a habit he said he had noted earlier.

The 21 cabinet ministers and 9 state ministers will serve the new five-year term (unless they are removed or reshuffled) with Kagame. The president took the oath of office on Monday last week for another term after a landslide victory in the July election.

(The East African)

Ethiopia

Ethiopia bans diplomatic missions from importing fossil fuel cars

The Ethiopian government has banned all diplomatic missions and international organisations from importing petrol and diesel vehicles.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Monday that the move was part of Ethiopia’s broader strategy to transition to clean energy and promote environmental sustainability. 

(2merkato)

Somalia

Somalia’s democracy at risk: Global outcry over official information bill

The National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) has raised alarm over Somalia’s proposed Official Information Bill (OIB), which critics argue could undermine the country’s democratic progress. The bill, approved by the Council of Ministers in March 2024, is currently under scrutiny in the Federal Parliament’s House of the People.

The legislation has drawn international criticism for its potential to restrict access to information, a right protected by Somalia’s constitution and international human rights standards. The bill includes broad exemptions that could allow the government to classify information as confidential or related to national security, potentially without adequate oversight or justification.

(Radio Dalsan)

South Sudan

In Juba, the war in neighbouring Sudan is just as bad

South Sudan may have seceded from Sudan 13 years ago. But the ongoing war in Sudan is just as bad for Juba.

When violence erupted in April last year, Juba’s main concern was how to export oil. It used to use an oil pipeline owned by Sudan, paying rent for every barrel pumped to Port Sudan and on for export.

(The Nation)