William Ruto

Kenya
Parliament ends diplomatic immunity for GCA climate research body

Despite Kenyan government backing, the climate change research facility Global Centre on Adaptation is set to lose its diplomatic status in the country. Parliament is mulling the various controversies surrounding the organisation, whose leader is close to the head of state.

Kenya
Army launches inquiry into soldiers' alleged abuses

Soldiers have been accused by Rift Valley residents of beating civilians and community leaders during the anti-banditry campaign launched in February 2023. Several people have called for the police to also be investigated.

Ethiopia
African Union's precarious position on Tigray's rising tensions

The African leaders meeting in mid-February in the Ethiopian capital, which hosts the HQ of the pan-African organisation, were careful to avoid the subject of the crisis in the north of the country.

Kenya
Mombasa governor targeted for $130m contract

Several political and civic leaders in the coastal county have long demanded an inquiry into a public contract of unprecedented size for waste management in the country's second city. The Kenyan Senate is also examining the matter.

Kenya
Ruto's decision to reopen the Somali border catches Washington off guard

The Kenyan president's announcement was made without prior warning to his senior security officials, who work closely with US intelligence and security agencies. With terrorist attacks still proliferating on both sides of the frontier, the move is viewed as premature by many.

Tanzania
The crucial deal Dodoma hopes to strike with Trump to fund healthcare

Following Kenya in December, Tanzania is seeking to secure a bilateral agreement with the United States as part of the America First strategy promoted by the US President. Talks could also depend on progress in mining contracts.

Kenya
Beijing presses Nairobi to sign security pact

Chinese security officials and diplomats have stepped up pressure on their Kenyan counterparts to clinch an agreement centred on police cooperation, an issue they have been pushing for several months.

Palace Intrigues
Rachel Ruto, Michael Randrianirina, Saif al-Islam

Intrigues big and small: every Thursday, Africa Intelligence takes a peek into the corridors of power in Africa and beyond.

KenyaRachel Ruto set to enter the presidential campaign

MadagascarFrom Rajoelina to Randrianirina, businessman Nasser Goulamhoussen tends to his varying networks

Libya-FranceRelatives of ‘martyr' Saif al-Islam Gaddafi organise ceremony

Kenya
William Ruto looks to India to boost exports

The president, who is expected to visit New Delhi later this year, wants to rebalance trade with India, from which he also expects investment in Kenya. A draft medical agreement is also under consideration.

Kenya, Madagascar
Dilemma over sending Africa-France summit invite to Malagasy junta

Suspended from the African Union following Colonel Michael Randrianirina's seizure of power, Madagascar remains excluded from the organisation's bodies until the next elections. As such, the Kenyan government is hesitant to invite the junta to the talks, despite Paris's more favourable position.

Kenya
Business community in the central region treads carefully amid rising tensions

With 18 months to go before the next presidential election, senior figures in the private sector, along with political and traditional leaders, are keen to avoid any direct confrontation with the head of state's camp in order to safeguard the region's economic interests.

Kenya
Questions raised over who will head powerful criminal investigations unit

The countdown has begun. By April, Mohamed Amin, head of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, the powerful police investigation unit, is expected to retire.