POLITICS-TANZANIA: New Cabinet Will Confront Vast Challenges

A new, leaner cabinet for Tanzania was sworn in Wednesday, its predecessor having fallen apart last week amid a corruption scandal.

POLITICS-KENYA: "Grand Coalitions Have Served Other Nations Well" – Annan

The creation of a power-sharing government in Kenya appeared imminent, Tuesday, after a parliamentary briefing in which former United Nations secretary-general Kofi Annan spoke of a possible "grand coalition" to end the country's political crisis. He has also noted that a deal is hoped for by week end.

POLITICS-KENYA: Hopes of a Breakthrough in the Post-Election Crisis

Negotiations to bring an end to the political chaos in Kenya that was sparked by disputed presidential elections entered their third week, Monday, in the capital of Nairobi, amidst reports that an agreement may finally be in sight.

RIGHTS-AFRICA: No Sex, Please – You&#39re HIV-Positive

HIV/AIDS policies and programmes disregard the sexual needs of people living with the virus, claim a number of HIV-positive women who attended the third Africa Conference on Sexual Health and Rights - held this week in Nigeria.

DEVELOPMENT-TANZANIA: A Presidential Seal of Approval

U.S. President George W. Bush will spend most of his time during a five-nation tour of Africa later this month in Tanzania, to spotlight development gains in the East African nation.

KENYA: The Media Is Not Innocent

The media was partly blamed for the Rwandan genocide 14 years ago which left nearly one million people dead in 100 days. "Kill the Inkotanyi [cockroaches]!" a local radio station urged its listeners at the time.

POLITICS-AFRICA: Sudanese Women Meet at AU Summit

Pressure the Sudanese government to resolve the Darfur conflict and monitor United Nations troops for sexual offences, a delegation of Sudanese women told leaders at the African Union (AU) Summit here.

Q&A: “Mum, Were We Meant to Suffer All Our Lives?”

The post-election violence here has turned nearly 500,000 Kenyans into internally displaced persons (IDPs). Caught up in this unrest are refugees from neighbouring countries - such as Sudan, Somalia, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Ethiopia - who sought refuge in Kenya but now find themselves destitute once again.

SUDAN: Some Southerners Have Hope For Unity By 2011

Citizens from Sudan’s southern region, long caught in a power struggle with their country’s northern-controlled government, are looking with a mixture of hope and uncertainty to 2011 when they will vote in a referendum on whether or not the south will remain part of Sudan.

POLITICS: Kenya’s Problem Goes Beyond Ethnicity and Elections

There is more to Kenya’s post-election violence than a bungled vote count and so-called tribal rivalries. As protests degenerate into organised ethnic violence in Rift Valley towns and countryside, the root-cause of the unrest lies elsewhere.

KENYA: Reports of Bodies Piled In Morgue Spur Anger, Grief

Reports that more than 200 bodies of Kisii people have not been identified for burial in neighbouring Kericho district has sparked anger in the community which has been taking care of thousands of internally displaced persons since post-election violence broke out four weeks ago.

ECONOMY-TANZANIA: Not Enough Money or Not Enough Opportunities?

Almost a decade on, Tanzania’s tiny stock exchange is still working hard to convince sceptical businesses it is a cost-effective way to raise capital and expand.

KENYA: Women Stood Up to Be Elected

Women boldly stood up to be elected during December’s general elections. They turned out in their highest number ever - 269 - to contest Kenya’s 210 parliamentary seats.

POLITICS-KENYA: State Overpowering People

Post-election politics in Kenya has become a war of attrition, and President Mwai Kibaki seems to be winning it, the cost to the image and economy of the country notwithstanding.

WORLD SOCIAL FORUM: Kenya’s Forum to Debate Democracy

During the World Social Forum (WSF) held in Kenya in January of 2007 one of the many presentations was about democracy and the general elections that were to be held here in December.

POLITICS-KENYA: Combative Balloting for Speaker

After weeks of the opposition accusing the government of rigging the Dec. 27 presidential elections in favour of the incumbent Mwai Kibaki, the two sides met Tuesday in the House to choose a speaker to steer the business of Kenya’s tenth parliament.

KENYA: Senior Women Editors Campaign For Peace

The story of a 12-year-old girl stabbed by her 14-year-old neighbour just because their parents supported different presidential candidates in the Dec. 27 elections will hardly make headlines here. Neither will the story of a woman in President Mwai Kibaki’s backyard sheltering about 100 workers who have fled the post-election violence.

KENYA: Businesses Suffering in Election’s Wake

Joseph Ombui, standing in his barely stocked shop, looks anxiously at his customers every time he responds, "Out of stock. Please try next week."

POLITICS-KENYA: Annan&#39s Weighty Terms of Engagement

Former U.N. chief Kofi Annan has his work cut out for him as Kenya 's tenth parliament is due to convene Tuesday amid calls from the opposition Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) for a 3-day mass protest beginning Wednesday.

RIGHTS-KENYA: Plight of Kisii Refugees Grim

A group of men who a couple of weeks ago were busy at work huddle together idle. They have grown tired of rehashing tales of their horrendous experiences at the hands of their hitherto neighbours and friends. Now they watch the entrance to the church here, in the hope that any visitor brings something to silence their rumbling stomachs.

POLITICS-KENYA: Kibaki Spoils Reconciliation Bid

When Kenya’s controversially re-elected president, Mwai Kibaki, appeared on national television to address the nation Tuesday evening, hopes were that he would address the humanitarian crisis his country faces in the wake of post- election tribal violence and hold out an olive branch to his rival Raila Odinga.