KENYA

Meet your nine EALA legislators: Winnie Odinga, Kennedy Kalonzo and more win final vote

Azimio leaders Raila Odinga and Kalonzo Musyoka’s children were on Thursday evening among nine people picked by Parliament to represent Kenya in the Arusha-based East Africa Legislative Assembly (EALA).

On the Kenya Kwanza side, those chosen were former Mombasa senator Hassan Omar, ex-nominated MP David Sankok, ex-Nandi Woman Representative Zipporah Kering, ex-nominated senator Falhadha Iman Dekow, and Godfrey Mwangi Maina.

On the Azimio side, those chosen are Kennedy Kalonzo, Mr Musyoka’s son, Mr Odinga’s youngest daughter, Winnie, former Kieni MP Kanini Kega, and Mombasa politician Suleiman Shahbal.

(Source: Daily Nation)

TANZANIA

Construction of Tanzania’s first toll expressway scheduled for 2023

Tanzania is about to write history, as the government on Wednesday, declared to start construction of the country’s first ever toll expressway from 2023.

The 215-kilometer road from Kibaha to Morogoro will be built through a public-private partnership (PPP) as the government works to effectively engage the private sector in transportation infrastructure construction.

Prof Mbarawa pointed out that a private investor will inject funds for the project construction and equally be in charge of running it, adding that the new expressway will run alongside the current normal highway.

(Source: The Citizen)

UGANDA

Top Ugandan rights groups file case against internet law

A coalition of leading Ugandan rights groups and lawyers on Thursday filed a court challenge to a controversial new internet law, which they say is aimed at curbing free speech and targeting government opponents.

The amendment to the Computer Misuse Act, signed into law by President Museveni last month, has been criticized by Amnesty International, which has called for the “draconian” legislation to be scrapped.

Nine rights groups, a former leader of the opposition in parliament and three prominent lawyers lodged the petition at the Constitutional Court on Thursday — the second court challenge to the law.

(Source: The Monitor)

RWANDA

US piles pressure on Rwanda over violence in eastern DR Congo

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has called on Rwanda “to take steps to facilitate de-escalation” in eastern DRC where Congolese forces are engaged in a battle with M23 rebels that are allegedly being supported by Rwanda.

On Tuesday, Blinken and Rwanda’s Minister for Foreign Affairs engaged in private talks on the margins of the G20 Summit in Bali.

The two leaders did not host a press conference as is customary when heads of state visit Rwanda, while Rwanda did not issue a statement about what the two leaders discussed.

His visit is part of “regional efforts to normalise relations between Rwanda and DR Congo,” according to The New Times, a pro-government newspaper.

(Source: The East African)

ETHIOPIA

Food aid convoys enter Tigray for first time since ceasefire

Convoys carrying desperately needed food aid have entered Tigray, as humanitarian groups gained access to the war-torn northern Ethiopian region for the first time since a ceasefire agreement was signed two-week ago.

Doctors and aid workers in Tigray have described a race against time to keep sick or malnourished patients alive as they wait for humanitarian assistance.

(Source: The Guardian)

SUDAN

UN High Commissioner: ‘All hands on deck, if civilian rule is to be restored in Sudan’

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, concluded his official visit to Sudan yesterday. During the visit he met and discussed civilian transition with various stakeholders, including Chairman of the Sovereignty Council, Lt Gen Abdelfattah El Burhan, and Deputy Chairperson Lt Gen Mohamed Hamdan ‘Hemeti’. Türk also met many civil society representatives in Khartoum and North Darfur’s El Fasher, where a number of issues concerning human rights abuses were raised and documented.

The UN official highlighted just how precarious in nature a potential civilian transition like this could be in Sudan. Türk called on “all sides involved in the political process to go the extra mile”. He stated a “prompt restoration of civilian rule in the country would bring to an end the uncertainty that has left much of the population in peril”.

(Source: Dabanga)

SOMALIA

Somalia & Serbia to exchange experts working on key government issues

The Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Federal Government of Somalia, Abshir Omar Jama Huruuse, who is on a working trip to Serbia, had a special meeting with the Minister of Economy of the Republic of Serbia, Rade Basta.

The meeting was focused on the relationship between the two countries and Friendship such as Political, Economic and Business integration.

The two sides agreed to exchange economic experts from the two countries who will go to the cities of Mogadishu and Belgrade.

(Source: Radio Dalsan)