Uhuru Kenyatta

East Africa
Azali, Ruto set to seal Sharm el-Sheikh pact on 2023 AU chairmanship

The presidents of Kenya and the Comoros, the two candidate countries for the vice-chairmanship of the AU bureau, a position whose occupant automatically takes over the chairmanship of the organisation the following year, were quick to mention the vacancy at the bureau's virtual summit on 2 November.

DRC, Rwanda
Regional diplomatic efforts focus on former M23 leader

A delegation led by a senior Tanzanian officer recently met in Rwanda with Jean-Marie Runiga, the leader of a dissident branch of the M23, on behalf of International Conference on the Great Lakes Region.

Spotlight | Ethiopia, United States
US Congress envisages harder line on Ethiopian conflict

US Congress members have resurrected two punitive bills aimed at the Ethiopian government, while diplomatic efforts have led to the first formal peace talks in two years of conflict. With the midterms looming, these texts are the subject of intense lobbying by Ethiopian pressure groups based in the States.

Kenya
Just a month into the job, Ruto backpedals on good governance

The new president's election manifesto included setting up a commission of enquiry into senior civil servants' "state capture". Now in power, he's had a change of heart.

Kenya
Ruto to strip army of lucrative meat business

Kenya's new president is preparing to pull the Kenya Meat Commission from out of the Ministry of Defence's hands to place it under the control of the agriculture and finance ministries. This state-owned entity centralises meat purchases from the country's producers.

Kenya
Mark Kariuki, the bishop whispering in Ruto's ear

Kenya's new president has opened the doors of State House to a host of religious leaders, who have quickly become omnipresent. Among them is a long-time ally: the evangelist Mark Kariuki, who played a key role in Ruto's political rise.

Palace Intrigues
Denis Sassou Nguesso, Nana Akufo-Addo, Karanja Kibicho, Félix Houphouët-Boigny

Intrigues big and small... Every Tuesday, Africa Intelligence takes a peek into the corridors of power in Africa and beyond.

Congo Denis Sassou Nguesso wants Lotfi Bel Hadj's head

Ghana/France Nana Akufo-Addo's packed Paris stay

Kenya Securocrat Kibicho moves into luxury hotels

Ivory Coast Magnate Beydoun buys up Houphouët-Boigny's real estate assets

Kenya
Ruto faces tricky task of choosing new army chief

The new president must soon find a replacement for the head of Kenya's military as the top brass appointed by his predecessor approach retirement. But the options open to him are rife with political considerations.

Kenya
Struggling livestock farmers count on Ruto to honour election pledges

Kenyan pastoralists are calling for an appropriate legal framework to take advantage of new free-trade measures adopted in 2021 by the regional organisation IGAD.

Ethiopia
Beijing and Moscow succeed in keeping Tigray off Security Council agenda

Before the end of its presidency of the Security Council, France sought to put Tigray on the UN agenda. Yet all it obtained was the organisation of an informal dialogue with no official record.

Kenya
Ruto consolidates his bastions and chips away at Odinga's with his new government

The new Kenyan president is seeking to consolidate his support in the regions that have supported him the most, while at the same time leaving a fair share for his main allies. The goal is to maximise his chances of re-election in five years' time.