In South Africa, exiled South Sudanese opposition leader Riek Machar acknowledged meeting with former Kenyan presidential candidate Raila Odinga, but it remains to be seen if Machar will participate in direct peace negotiations with President Salva Kiir. “I have had a fruitful discussion with Hon. Raila Odinga in the quest…
President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya delivered his State of the Nation address Wednesday with an emphasis on unity amid the lingering consequences of last year’s bitterly contested presidential election. To that end, he praised unsuccessful Nasa candidate Raila Odinga for seeking to heal their divisions and called on Kenyans to…
The 2017 presidential elections in Kenya saw President Uhuru Kenyatta victorious, but not before protracted court battles that forced a do-over vote and the defiant refusal of Nasa coalition challenger Raila Odinga to accept the results. It’s still not over for the country’s Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), the…
Eight journalists working for The Nation in Kenya resigned together on Tuesday in a collective decision meant to protest the lack of journalistic freedom, and actions that “suggest state capture” of the media outlet. “Just wanted to say that this was a very hard decision for me, not just because…
Democracy, data and dirty tricks: That’s what Channel 4 television in the UK uncovered during an investigation of British data firm Cambridge Analytica (CA), a company involved in political campaigns across the globe – including President Uhuru Kenyatta and the Jubilee party in Kenya’s 2017 election. The Channel 4 team secretly…
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times
Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga’s symbolic swearing-in ceremony in Nairobi is considered “a well- choreographed attempt to subvert or overthrow the legally constituted Government of the Republic of Kenya,” according to a statement released Wednesday. Interior Minister Fred Matiang’i said full investigations into Odinga and his Nasa “co-conspirators and facilitators” are…
Kenyan opposition politician Raila Odinga plans to go ahead with a presidential swearing-in ceremony next week, despite a government announcement Wednesday that the planned venue will be off-limits. Odinga, the NASA coalition presidential candidate who refuses to concede a loss to President Uhuru Kenyatta, has vowed since last year’s contentious…
Kenya remains deeply divided following the contentious 2017 elections, according to a report from the European Union’s chief elections observer released Wednesday – a report that created some division of its own as Kenyan officials objected to the EU decision to make it public. “Kenyans went from high hopes for…
President Uhuru Kenyatta was inaugurated for a second term Tuesday in Nairobi, as Kenyans packed into the Safaricom Stadium for the ceremonies. Kenyatta promised to be the leader of all Kenyans in a speech that promoted unity following this year’s divisive electoral contest, while laying out his plans for the…
President Uhuru Kenyatta will be inaugurated for another term on Tuesday following an arduous election process, one that has political opponents refusing to honor his presidency and a wider Kenya deeply divided. Kenyatta’s ceremony begins at 10 a.m. at Safaricom Stadium in the Kasarani district of Nairobi. Guests include President…
Kenya’s NASA coalition said Monday that it rejects a Supreme Court ruling to uphold the results of the October 26 repeat election that gave incumbent President Uhuru Kenyatta the victory. The court ruling paves the way for Kenyatta’s inauguration on November 28, but the political opposition said it considers the…
President Uhuru Kenyatta has been declared winner in Kenya’s highly contentious second election, and has accepted the again-disputed result he said is nonetheless a vindication for Kenyans and “a revalidation of their general will.” The results announced Monday followed a legal case initiated by opposition candidate Raila Odinga and the…
Kenya’s election board chief issued an emotional statement late Friday, describing the violence directed at his poll workers and commission staff while appealing for peace amid the chaotic election process. “Yesterday some of my staff were hijacked and some were tortured,” said Wafula Chebukati, chairman of the Independent Election and…
A new presidential election will move forward in an edgy Kenya tomorrow after a last-minute legal challenge ended in a non-ruling by Kenya’s High Court judges – most of whom did not show up. Chief Justice David Maraga said the court could not hear the case because of a lack…
Kenya’s electoral commission says it has received official word from political opposition candidate Raila Odinga and the Nasa party confirming their intent to withdraw from the October 26 elections that followed the unprecedented overturning of President Uhuru Kenyatta’s victory in August. The letter sent to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries…