In our series of letters from African journalists, Joseph Warungu reflects on the plight of supporters of Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga following his reconciliation last month with his bitter rival, President Uhuru Kenyatta. One of the games I enjoyed a lot in my childhood was called “kauka” in Kiswahili, which roughly translates as “freeze”. … Read more
Both Kenya’s leading presidential contenders have pulled out of two planned televised debates ahead of the August 8 election, their parties said Wednesday. President Uhuru Kenyatta withdrew first, followed by his main rival Raila Odinga. The first of the debates organised by a consortium of Kenyan media was scheduled for Monday and the second on … Read more
The collapse occurred less than two weeks after president Kenyatta visited the site as part of a campaign tour before general elections in August. Kenyatta, who is up for reelection, has been emphasizing his party’s focus on infrastructure projects, like a new railway between Nairobi and the port city of Mombasa. The president promised to build the … Read more
More than a century after a colonial railway gave birth to modern Kenya, the country is betting on a new Chinese-built route to cement its position as the gateway to East Africa. The $3.2 billion (2.8 billion euro) railway linking Nairobi with the port city of Mombasa will Wednesday take its first passengers on the … Read more
The main opposition alliance in Kenya is due to announce its candidate for the 8 August election at a huge rally in the capital, Nairobi. The National Super Alliance is expected to name ex-Prime Minister Raila Odinga as its candidate against President Uhuru Kenyatta. Former Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka is expected to be his running mate. … Read more
With elections in Kenya only 102 days way, the main opposition alliance is running out of time to name its candidate. The National Super Alliance, or Nasa, has five men competing to be party leader, but many expect the selection committee to look no further than Raila Odinga. Mr Odinga, 72, leads the Orange Democratic … Read more
At an age when most would be retired, Raila Odinga, Kenya’s veteran opposition leader and one-time prime minister, is to run again for president — his fourth bid to become head of state. The 72-year-old has been a mainstay of Kenyan politics since the 1980s but has never achieved his presidential ambition, his career emulating … Read more
Veteran political leader and former prime minister Raila Odinga was Thursday named Kenya’s opposition presidential candidate for elections in August, at a large rally in the capital Nairobi. The public announcement was made by senior leaders of the National Super Alliance (NASA) coalition of which Odinga will be flag-bearer, challenging President Uhuru Kenyatta in a … Read more
Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta has blamed huge voter turnout for the chaos at his party’s primaries on Friday, which led to them being cancelled. In many areas across the country, there were delays, with some skirmishes also reported as contestants accused their opponents of rigging. Mr Kenyatta admitted to reporters that not enough election materials … Read more
Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta has blamed huge voter turnout for the chaos at his party’s primaries on Friday, which led to them being cancelled. In many areas across the country, there were delays, with some skirmishes also reported as contestants accused their opponents of rigging. Mr Kenyatta admitted to reporters that not enough election materials … Read more
Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta warned Thursday against violence as election season gets into full swing, with chaotic party primaries already leading to bloody scuffles. East Africa’s largest economy holds a general election on August 8, a decade after disputed polls fuelled violence that left more than 1,100 dead and hundreds of thousands displaced. “As a … Read more
Opposition MPs in Kenya have stormed out of parliament in the capital, Nairobi, saying that they have been assaulted in the house. The chaos came during a debate on changing the electoral laws to allow manual vote-counting for next year’s presidential election. The government wants a back-up to the electronic system but the opposition says … Read more
Opposition MPs in Kenya have stormed out of parliament in the capital, Nairobi, saying that they have been assaulted in the house. The chaos came during a debate on changing the electoral laws to allow manual vote-counting for next year’s presidential election. The government wants a back-up to the electronic system but the opposition says … Read more