Election-planning disagreements, backroom dealings and insecurity are among the threats to peaceful national polls planned for August.As election season approaches, Mogadishu is a hot, fortified city, subject to frequent Al-Shabaab attacks and clan and business disputes that end violently. Armoured trucks carrying African Union (AU) troops roll around town as squads of heavily armed men…
A minibus belches black smoke; the lorry behind it in the traffic jam billows white fumes. Eyes smart in the smog as diesel gases from thousands of 10 and 15-year-old vehicles fill Nairobi’s hazy evening air, adding to pollution levels that are “beyond imagination”, according to one resident. This jam could last for one, three,…
Rwanda’s capital Kigali was nicknamed ‘Little Europe’ by Europeans and Asians for its ambitious plans and neatness. And Kigali city has scored another first. The city has announced a regular car free days. According to the city mayor, particular streets will be closed off for car use to allow people walk to work. Last Sunday…
A lack of financing is holding back Kenya’s potential as a tech hub. But with more venture capital and private-equity firms moving in, that could soon change.Every day, a fleet of motorcycle couriers whisks tubs of pad thai, business contracts and laptop chargers forgotten in the office through Nairobi’s notoriously congested streets.Smartphone users across the…