RIGHTS-KENYA: Commission To Challenge Silence on Sexual Crimes

No sooner did Kenya's Commission of Inquiry into Post-election Violence begin public hearings last week than it was overwhelmed by the enormity of the task at hand.

RIGHTS-KENYA: Doubly Displaced

The Kenyan government says Operation Rudi Nyumbani - Return Home in Kiswahili - is almost complete; most of the camps for internally displaced people are closed and the remaining IDPs will be resettled within a week or two. But the hastily implemented programme is being called into question by Kenya's civil society and human rights activists.

Q&A: "But They Never Killed My Spirit"

On Sep. 7 last year, as she walked to her home, parliamentary candidate Flora Igoki Terah was attacked and tortured by a gang of five men. Terah's case is one of several case studies highlighted in Amnesty International's 2008 report on the state of the world's human rights, released on May 28.

RIGHTS-KENYA: Home Is Where the Fear Is

The Kenyan government has begun transporting certain internally displaced persons (IDPs) from the camps they have occupied for the last four months back to their homes. The IDPs have been assured of support by government once back on their farms.

POLITICS-KENYA: Big Cabinet, Bigger Challenges

The oaths of office have been taken, and solemn pronouncements made about the ills that have dogged Kenya's past, and the way to address these in the future. Now, can the East African country's vast new coalition government move from talking the talk to walking the walk?

Q&A: "As a Woman Politician in Kenya, You Need to Think Out of the Box"

A coalition cabinet for Kenya was sworn in Thursday amidst mingled relief and exasperation on the part of those living in the East African nation: relief at the possibility of Kenya now being able to rebuild in earnest after post-election violence, and exasperation at the price tag attached to this hope.

Q&A: "I Will Give the Big Boys a Run For Their Money"

She's made her mark in the history books by becoming one of only three women to contest the presidency in Kenya; but, Nazlin Umar won't be taking up residence in State House, at least not during the current political term.

Q&A: "I Don&#39t Consider Myself a Loser in Any Way"

In the run-up to Kenya's Dec. 27 general elections, IPS touched base with legislative candidate Pamela Mburia on several occasions to discuss the challenges she was facing in her campaign. Ultimately, Mburia did not win the Eastern Province seat of Nithi that she contested, so this week we decided to join her again to look back on lessons learned.

KENYA: Education Amidst Displacement

With the new academic year in Kenya underway, teacher Moses Simiyu Kalenda is once again instructing children - just not in the place where he expected to be doing so.

POLITICS-KENYA: From Suspension of Talks to Fragile Success

The signing of a power-sharing agreement to end the political crisis in Kenya has elicited a variety of reactions.

RIGHTS: U.N. Inaction Threatens "Mass Killings" in Africa, Asia

The international failure to respond aggressively to the killings in Sudan, and more recently in Kenya, is threatening the spread of genocide and ethnic cleansing in other parts of Africa, a London-based human rights organisation warns.

POLITICS-KENYA: "It Will Not Be Machetes and Arrows Any More, But Firearms"

Political analyst Kwamchetsi Makhokha has warned that failure of talks to address Kenya's political crisis could prove explosive. The East African country is trying to resolve a disputed presidential election that has already cost more than 1,000 lives - and displaced up to 600,000 people.

ECONOMY-KENYA: Amid Political Crisis, Food Shortages Loom

Elizabeth Mutai, who farms passion fruit in the Keiyo district in Kenya's Rift Valley, is worried. Sales of the crop has dropped significantly since the eruption of violence after the election held in December 2007.

Q&A: "Before We Single Out the Media… What About Politicians?"

The messenger may not have been killed, exactly, but (s)he has had a rough time of it over the past few days in Kenya.

POLITICS-KENYA: What a Prime Minister Might – and Might Not – Do

A fifth week of talks to end Kenya's violent election dispute is scheduled to begin Monday, with the extent of power to be exercised by a new prime minister one of the key items on the agenda.

POLITICS-KENYA: Rice Lobbies for Power-Sharing Government

U.S Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has told feuding political leaders in Kenya that power-sharing is central to pulling the country out of its post-election crisis.

POLITICS-TANZANIA: No Spending on Those Who Steal, Says Bush

U.S. President George W. Bush, on a five-nation tour of Africa, has showered praise on the anti-corruption efforts of Tanzania's president, Jakaya Kikwete - whose government is receiving substantial aid from Washington.

POLITICS-KENYA: One More "Frightening Step" To Go

Efforts to defuse the post-election crisis in Kenya have entered a decisive phase, with negotiators appointed by President Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga close to agreeing on a power-sharing government, chief mediator Kofi Annan said Friday.

DEVELOPMENT-KENYA: Giving Ethnic Divisions the Boot

Anthony Njoroge passes the ball to David Onyango, whose shot makes it past the goalkeeper to a thunderous cheer from spectators at Huruma Stadium, in Nairobi's Eastlands slum area.

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.