Ethiopia’s coffee industry booms

Since late last year, a severe drought has stunted growth on coffee plantations in the heart of Brazil’s coffee-growing region and this is reportedly stimulating a resurgence in the Ethiopian coffee industry, whose value has risen to an astonishing 17.5% Read more ›

2 Kenyan aid workers rescued from al Shabab

The Kenyan Army under the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) command have reportedly rescued 2 aid workers kidnapped by Islamic militant group, al Shabab, in 2011. Reports indicate that the two men, identified as James Kiarie and Daniel Njuguna, Read more ›

Supreme Court hears case against Kampala’s Mayor

The Supreme Court today tabled the application of the embattled Lord Mayor of Kampala, Erias Lukwago, challenging an injunction against his return to office. Lukwago appealed to the Supreme Court to temporarily suspend the enforcement of the ruling of acting Read more ›

Sudan and South Sudan leaders meet in Khartoum

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir hosted his counterpart, President Salva Kiir of South Sudan, in Khartoum recently amid ongoing efforts to strengthen bilateral relations in the wake of the prolonged civil war in the south. A spokesman for Sudan’s Foreign Ministry Read more ›

Kenya: opposition party denounces Eastleigh operation

One of Kenya’s main opposition party has expressed “strong displeasure” over the government’s crack down on illegal migrants in Nairobi’s Somali-populated Eastleigh district. According to the acting chairman of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), Peter Anyang Nyong’o, the operation, code-named Read more ›

East African countries agree to construct oil refinery in Uganda

East African leaders from Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda have agreed on the process of implementing the construction of a regional oil refinery, which will be located in western Uganda. The member states made the mutual investment decision at a time Read more ›

Egypt ceases transactions with Sudanese banks

The Central Bank of Egypt has ordered all banks in the country to freeze their dealings with Sudanese banks over concerns that these institutions may be violating international financial laws. Reports indicate that the verbal directive also includes Qatar and Read more ›

US presses Burundi to abandon controversial constitutional changes

The United States has appealed to the Burundian government to drop its planned constitutional amendments which has been the source of political tension in the deeply divided nation. On Tuesday, the United States Ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power, Read more ›

Kenyan police continue crack down on illegal migrants

Since Saturday, Kenyan security agents have apprehended reportedly about 6,000 foreigners in Nairobi – mostly Somalis – in the wake of a spate of terrorist attacks linked to Somalia-based al Shabab. Interior Cabinet Secretary, Ole Lenku, told the media, on Read more ›

Ethiopia and Kenya to speed up Special Status Agreement to boost business ties

Ethiopia and Kenya plan to speed up the implementation of a Special Status Agreement (SSA) to improve trade and investment between one another. This decision was reached when a 60-member delegation from the Ethiopian private and government sector met with Read more ›

Ethiopia campaigns to win Egypt’s support for renaissance dam

The Ethiopian government has heightened diplomatic efforts to secure the support of the Egyptian government for the construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the Blue Nile. The $4.3 billion facility, which is set to be the largest Read more ›

Ugandan government makes concessions to anti-homosexuality stance

The Ugandan government has agreed to some compromises to appease its western partners after the country’s enactment of a contentious law against homosexuality in February led to aid cuts. According to a report by The East African, the government has Read more ›

2 United Nations consultants killed in Somalia

Two consultants of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) have been shot and killed on Monday in Galkayo, the capital of Mudug, Puntland, north central Somalia. According to reports from local sources, the two men – reportedly Read more ›

Kenyan authorities recover grenades, illegal chemicals in ‘little Mogadishu’

Kenyan security agents have recovered grenades and a box of chemicals believed to be used in the making of improvised explosive devices during a raid on one of Nairobi’s most notorious areas, known as Eastleigh or ‘little Mogadishu’. According to Read more ›

Rwanda officially commemorates 20th anniversary of 1994 genocide

The Kigali stadium was filled with emotional scenes as the nation marked 20 years since the mass murder that led to the deaths of about a quarter of the population. President Paul Kagame and United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Read more ›

EU-Africa Summit opens in Brussels

The 4th EU-Africa Summit kicked off yesterday in Brussels, with attendance from African and European leaders from about 80 nations. Leaders from the two continents have converged in Belgium to discuss commerce as the deadline approaches for tariff-free trade accords. Read more ›

Controversial Muslim cleric killed in Kenya

A renowned radical Muslim cleric, Sheikh Abubakar Sharif, also known as ‘Makaburi’, was shot dead on Tuesday evening outside a court building some miles from Mombasa. Reports indicate that the cleric was waiting for a vehicle outside Shanzu court building Read more ›

Uganda: Hoima residents drag roads authority to court over compensation dispute

Residents of Hoima district of western Uganda, whose properties were affected by the construction of a refinery and road have reportedly filed two separate lawsuits against Uganda’s National Roads Authority (UNRA) concerning the compensation awarded to them. According to a Read more ›

Muktar Kedir appointed to head Oromia region

Regional councillors have elected Muktar Kedir, chairman of the Oromo People’s Democratic Organization (OPDO), as the sixth leader of the largest regional state in the republic. On Thursday, March 27th, Kedir was appointed at the 10th plenary session of the Read more ›

Rwanda to commemorate 20th anniversary of 1994 genocide

The arrival of the symbolically labelled ‘flame of remembrance’, ‘kwibuka 20’, to Camp Kigali in Nyarugenge district on Sunday, March 30th, marked a crucial milestone in national preparations for the 20th anniversary ceremony of the brutal mass murder in 1994. Read more ›

Blast in Nairobi suburb leaves 6 dead

An explosion in the predominantly Somali-populated Eastleigh suburb of Nairobi has killed at least 6 people and injured more than 15 others, according to local reports. Nairobi News has disclosed that the blast occurred between a cafe and a restaurant Read more ›

Uganda: Court rules against Kampala Mayor’s reinstatement

A court has ruled against the embattled incumbent mayor of Kampala, Erias Lukwago, from returning to his office at City Hall. The acting deputy chief justice, Steven Kavumba, granted the application of attorney general Peter Nyombi, which challenged the decision Read more ›

IAAF World-Half Marathon Championships Round-up

Kenyan athletes produced a dominant display at the 22nd edition of the IAAF World-Half Marathon Championships  in Denmark. The event saw the Kenyan team grapple with their Ethiopian and Eritrean rivals for team and individual honours. In the end, it Read more ›

UN: 1 million civilians displaced by conflict in South Sudan

The United Nations has reported that about one million civilians have been displaced in South Sudan since fighting erupted between government forces and rebel loyalists over 3 months ago. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Read more ›

Kenya to use Surveillance Drones to combat Poaching

The Kenyan government has announced plans of using surveillance drones in the fight against elephant and rhino poaching. A new law will also see the introduction of stiffer penalties including larger fines and longer prison terms in an effort to Read more ›

United Nations condemns Kenyan directive ordering Immigrants back to Refugee Camps

The United Nations has censured the Kenyan government’s decision for all refugees in the east African nation to relocate to two designated refugee camps following a spate of terrorist attacks. Adrian Edwards, spokesperson for the United Nations High Commissioner for Read more ›

Ethiopia launches Climate Innovation Center

The Ethiopian government has launched an innovative Climate Center in Addis Ababa on Thursday, March 27th. Report indicate that the project is the result of a joint collaboration between Ethiopia and the World Bank. According to a statement released at Read more ›

Death Toll from Lake Albert Boat Accident climbs to 251

A spokesman for the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo has disclosed that 251 bodies have been recovered from Lake Albert after a boat capsized on Saturday, March 22nd. According to Lambert Mende Omalonga, only about 50 survivors have Read more ›

Witnesses exonerate 4 South Sudanese Politicians from Involvement in Coup Attempt

Two prosecution witnesses in the ongoing trial against 4 members of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) have told the court that the politicians were not directly involved in the alleged coup d’état in December last year. According to a Read more ›

Khartoum postpones UN Refugee Program

The Sudanese government has announced the suspension of a United Nations program aimed at providing training and other forms of assistance to thousands of refugees and local residents in eastern Sudan. The Sudanese Media Center issued a statement announcing that the Read more ›

Ethiopia mulls restricting Teff Export

A few years ago, discussions about Ethiopia usually revolved around the country’s precarious food security and its poor economy. Now things are starting to change, Ethiopia is increasingly becoming synonymous with teff; a highly nutritious, gluten free “super food,” which Read more ›

South Sudan: Rivals resume Discussions in Addis Ababa

Representatives from both sides of the divide in South Sudan are set to resume negotiations to end the almost 3-month long insurrection in the world’s youngest nation on Tuesday, March 25th. According to a statement by the Inter-governmental Authority for Read more ›

US deploys Troops and Aircrafts to Uganda

The Government of the United States of America has confirmed plans to discharge 4 CU-22 Osprey aircrafts to Uganda, as well as an additional 150 air-force personnel to man the planes. The reinforcements are expected to increase the ability of Read more ›

Somalia to get 4G LTE High-Speed Internet

Glocall Telecoms has announced plans of providing high-speed internet in Mogadishu using  Tazca Connects’ LTE infrastructure. Glocall’s CEO, Mobeen Bhamjee, has issued a statement saying that the deployment of the 4G LTE would accelerate internet connectivity in Somalia. Glocall and its subsidiaries Read more ›

Tanzania inaugurates Telecommunication Traffic Monitoring System

Tanzania’s Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) has officially launched a telecommunication traffic monitoring system to facilitate the organization’s regulation of network operators in the country. The system, provided by SGS-Societe Generale de Surveillance & Global Voice Group, is expected to improve Read more ›

Ugandan Journalism Code of Ethics undergoes Revision

Ugandan authorities have amended the laws regulating the activities of journalists and imposed new fees on media practitioners in the country. The amendments to the Press and Journalists Act 1995 were made through statutory instruments by the Minister for Information Read more ›

Ethiopia accused of Monitoring Dissidents

A rights group has accused the Ethiopian government of listening to and recording the phone calls of opposition journalists and activists. According to a report released on Friday by Human Rights Watch, the government monitors perceived political opponents outside and Read more ›