<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="728" height="489" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/27KAMOMRO5JWJP4KFLXAY5LKSI.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-420101" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/27KAMOMRO5JWJP4KFLXAY5LKSI.jpg 728w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/27KAMOMRO5JWJP4KFLXAY5LKSI-300x202.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/27KAMOMRO5JWJP4KFLXAY5LKSI-134x90.jpg 134w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 728px) 100vw, 728px" /><figcaption>Kenya&#8217;s former Central Bank Governor Njuguna Ndung&#8217;u speaks to Reuters during an interview at his office in Nairobi. File REUTERS/ Antony Njuguna</figcaption></figure>



NAIROBI, Sept 27 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;Kenyan&nbsp;President William Ruto&nbsp;on Tuesday appointed&nbsp;former central bank governor Njuguna Ndung&#8217;u as finance minister&nbsp;to steer the economy through rising inflation, a heavy debt burden and drought.



Ndung&#8217;u,&nbsp;an economics professor,&nbsp;led the central bankbetween&nbsp;2007 and&nbsp;2015, winning praise for presiding over the expansion of the financial sector and condemnation for prioritising growth over price stability in 2011.



Ruto was sworn in this month after a hard fought electoral contest, in which he promised that he would create economic opportunities for the poor.



But he faces a very narrow fiscal space to implement his policies, after the government of predecessor Uhuru Kenyatta ramped up public borrowing to fund infrastructure projects.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL8N2Z644Z&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a>



The country is also facing its worst drought in 40 years as cattle farmers lose their herds.



&#8220;We appreciate that we have a difficult economic situation on our hands,&#8221; the president said as he unveiled his cabinet.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-read-more-hustler-ruto-becomes-kenya-s-fifth-president-after-close-election">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2022/william-ruto-to-be-sworn-in-as-kenyas-president/">“Hustler” Ruto becomes Kenya’s fifth president after close election</a></h3>



He urged parliament to swiftly approve his cabinet choices, so the government can start work on the economy.



Ruto also appointed a former vice president and deputy prime minister, Musalia Mudavadi, as his chief minister, a newly created post, to coordinate government business.



He appointed Alfred Mutua, a former government spokesman and county governor, as minister of foreign affairs, and lawmaker Aden Duale as his defence minister.



But all eyes will be focused on Ndung&#8217;u due to the state of the economy.



Ndung&#8217;u, who earned his doctorate from a Swedish university, weathered a political storm in 2012 as parliament tried to oust him over currency turmoil the previous year, when the shilling weakened sharply and inflation soared.



A Reuters poll ranked him as the worst performing African policymaker after the shilling plunged to its weakest-ever level while inflation soared.



He restored his reputation as a central banker in the following years, containing inflation after raising interest rates before gradually stabilising them.



The tenure of the current central bank governor, Patrick Njoroge, is set to end in June next year.



(Reporting by George Obulutsa and Duncan Miriri Editing by James Macharia Chege and Nick Macfie)

Kenya’s Central Bank Governor Njuguna Ndung’u speaks to Reuters during an interview at his office in Nairobi

Ex-central bank chief named Kenyan finance minister amid rising inflation

<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="728" height="485" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/5K52FDSDWFNOJEMWHZY6GIWIVY.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-420053" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/5K52FDSDWFNOJEMWHZY6GIWIVY.jpg 728w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/5K52FDSDWFNOJEMWHZY6GIWIVY-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/5K52FDSDWFNOJEMWHZY6GIWIVY-135x90.jpg 135w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 728px) 100vw, 728px" /><figcaption>The International Monetary Fund logo is seen at IMF headquarters in Washington, U.S., October 14, 2017. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas/File Photo</figcaption></figure>



Sept 25 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;The International Monetary Fund confirmed on Sunday that a staff team will visit Ghana this week to continue discussions with the authorities on policies and reforms that could be supported by an IMF lending arrangement.



Ghana turned to the&nbsp;IMF for help in July&nbsp;as its balance-of-payments deteriorated and hundreds took to the streets to protest against economic hardship. An IMF staff team briefly visited the country two weeks later.



Reuters&#8217; reported last week that an IMF team would&nbsp;visit Ghana this week. The IMF, in a statement on Sunday, said the team would arrive on Monday and stay until Oct. 7.



The government of Ghana, a major gold and cocoa producer, has been struggling to tame galloping inflation, reduce public debt and shore up the local currency. Its balance-of-payments deficit swelled to nearly $2.5 billion by the end of June from around $935 million in March.



A source with knowledge of the matter told Reuters last month that an eventual agreement between Ghana and the IMF will likely consist of $3 billion in financing over a three-year period, and contain elements of both Extended Credit Facility (ECF) and Extended Fund Facility (EFF) programmes.



(Reporting by Jaiveer Singh Shekhawat in Bengaluru; Editing by Susan Fenton)

FILE PHOTO: The International Monetary Fund logo is seen at IMF headquarters in Washington

IMF team heads to Ghana today to discuss loan programme request

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="547" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/GettyImages-1237649604-820x547.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-417697" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/GettyImages-1237649604-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/GettyImages-1237649604-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/GettyImages-1237649604-135x90.jpg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/GettyImages-1237649604-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/GettyImages-1237649604-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/GettyImages-1237649604-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>The seal for the International Monetary Fund is seen near the World Bank headquarters (R) in Washington, DC on January 10, 2022. (Photo by Stefani Reynolds / AFP) (Photo by STEFANI REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>



ACCRA, Sept 22 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;Ghana&#8217;s central bank said on Thursday it has rescheduled its upcoming interest rate decision to Oct. 7 from Sept. 26, to coincide with the end of an IMF mission to the country.



Once considered the rising star of West African economies, the gold- and cocoa-producing nation is battling its worst economic crisis in years, as authorities struggle to slow mounting inflation, curb spending and revalue the currency.



The central bank raised its main lending rate by 300 basis points to 22% last month at an emergency meeting to address inflation, running above 30%, and other economic problems.



Ghana formally requested assistance from the International Monetary Fund in July, and a team is expected to arrive in the country early next week.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL8N30R4PX&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a>



The bank&#8217;s Monetary Policy Committee hopes that rescheduling the rate decision will &#8220;allow the decision&#8230; to benefit from the broader discussions to be held during that period,&#8221; the bank said in a statement.



Sources have previously said that the IMF&#8217;s next visit would likely coincide with the beginning of a Debt Sustainability Assessment.



A senior director from credit ratings agency Fitch on Wednesday warned that a sovereign default is &#8220;a real possibility&#8221; for Ghana, and any kind of domestic debt restructuring would likely threaten several local banks with insolvency.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL8N30S47A&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a>



(Reporting by Cooper Inveen; Editing by Bate Felix and Susan Fenton)

US-ECONOMY-FINANCE-IMF-WORLD BANK

Ghana reschedules interest rate decision to coincide with end of IMF mission

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="547" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1233035258-820x547.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-411043" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1233035258-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1233035258-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1233035258-120x80.jpg 120w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1233035258-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1233035258-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1233035258-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>UKRAINE &#8211; 2021/05/21: In this photo illustration the International Monetary Fund (IMF) logo is seen on a smartphone screen. (Photo Illustration by Pavlo Gonchar/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>



LONDON, Sept 15 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;Zambia&#8217;s international bondholders have criticised the International Monetary Fund&#8217;s debt restructuring framework as &#8220;arbitrary&#8221; and for excluding the country&#8217;s domestic debt, sources involved in the process have told Reuters.



Zambia has been in default for almost two years and an IMF Debt Sustainability Analysis published last week called for its debt-service-to-exports ratio to be cut to a 140% &#8220;threshold&#8221; from 153% quickly and to 84% by 2027.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL8N30D3SE&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a>



&#8220;Now, all of a sudden, they have an arbitrary 84% number,&#8221; said Kevin Daly, head of emerging market debt at Abrdn, who chairs a committee of bondholders estimated to hold around 45% of Zambia&#8217;s $3 billion worth of international market debt.



&#8220;How did you arrive at that number? It&#8217;s such a different figure than the (140%) threshold,&#8221; he told Reuters, calling on the IMF to meet with bondholders, who have complained of being left out of the loop as the IMF and bilateral creditors worked out a plan.



An IMF spokesperson said it would brief Zambia&#8217;s creditors on economic forecasts and policies and denied the 84% debt-to-exports ratio target was &#8220;arbitrary&#8221;.



&#8220;The target is firmly grounded in the IMF-WB Debt Sustainability Framework for Low-Income Countries,&#8221; they said in emailed comments. &#8220;It is consistent with a level of external debt-to-exports for country having space to absorb shocks.&#8221;



Zambia&#8217;s much-delayed debt restructuring is seen by analysts as a test case for what are expected to be a spate of defaults in poorer countries that have borrowed heavily not only in the capital markets but also from countries including China.



David Malpass, president of the World Bank, the IMF&#8217;s sister organisation, said last week that &#8220;a deep debt reduction of 45% in net present value (NPV) terms&#8230; is essential.&#8221;



Relief of that magnitude &#8220;would not be acceptable (to) creditors&#8221;, including Chinese lenders, Daly said.



He declined to say what other bondholders would agree to, but said that from his perspective, &#8220;If it was something more in the&#8230; 20-30% range, I think that would be acceptable.&#8221;



A bond recovery value of $65 to $75, with an exit yield of 11-12% was &#8220;realistic&#8221;,&#8221; he said.



Bondholders are also unhappy that $11.6 billion of local currency debt, $3.2 billion of which is owned by foreign investors, is being excluded from the restructuring, a second source involved in the process said.



The person, who is familiar with the committee&#8217;s position but spoke on the condition of anonymity, said it implied that such debt would effectively then have precedence over the Eurobonds, which are governed by international laws.



He also questioned whether it would be right to include local currency debt not subject to restructuring in the debt targets, as it &#8220;squeezes the amount of debt service that&#8217;s available to service external debt.&#8221; Still, he said, bondholders were &#8220;mindful&#8221; that restructuring local debt could cause issues in Zambia&#8217;s banking sector.



It was &#8220;the authorities&#8217; intention to exclude these bonds from the restructuring,&#8221; the IMF spokesperson said.



(Reporting by Rachel Savage; Additional reporting by Marc Jones and Karin Strohecker in London; Editing by Andrea Ricci, William Maclean)

In this photo illustration the International Monetary Fund (

Zambia’s bondholders slam IMF debt relief targets as ‘arbitrary’

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="537" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/OQ73OMNK7BPV5KTQXBLMAOXLQQ-820x537.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-419823" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/OQ73OMNK7BPV5KTQXBLMAOXLQQ-820x537.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/OQ73OMNK7BPV5KTQXBLMAOXLQQ-300x197.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/OQ73OMNK7BPV5KTQXBLMAOXLQQ-137x90.jpg 137w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/OQ73OMNK7BPV5KTQXBLMAOXLQQ-768x503.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/OQ73OMNK7BPV5KTQXBLMAOXLQQ.jpg 960w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>Nakuru Governor Susan Kihika dances with traditional women during her swearing-in ceremony at the Agricultural Show grounds in the Rift Valley city of Nakuru, Kenya August 25, 2022. REUTERS/Monicah Mwangi</figcaption></figure>



NAIROBI, Sept 14 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;Kenyan President William Ruto, who was sworn into office on Tuesday, is taking power at a time when the country has the largest number of elected female representatives in history &#8211; and they want him to keep his promise of getting more women into politics.



&#8220;A significant dividend of our electoral and democratic process is the tremendous achievement we made in breaking the glass ceiling by enhancing the participation of women in leadership,&#8221; he told a cheering crowed at his inauguration.



Ruto promised on the campaign trail to uphold a 2010 constitutional clause that says no more than two-thirds of any elected body can be comprised of one gender, and promised to ensure government hiring bodies observe the rule as well. This clause has never been fulfilled and many women politicians say it must be.



Record numbers of Kenyan women were elected in August. The number of female governors more than doubled while the number of female parliamentarians jumped by nearly a third.



&#8220;We will look back and say this time was really historical,&#8221; said lawyer Susan Kihika, who was elected as the first female governor of Kenya&#8217;s populous Nakuru County during the August parliamentary, presidential and county polls.



&#8220;But we are nowhere near where we need to be,&#8221; said Kihika, one of seven female governors out of a total of 47 &#8211; about 15%. Female parliamentarians are a slightly larger proportion, at about 23%.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-read-more-hustler-ruto-becomes-kenya-s-fifth-president-after-close-election">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2022/william-ruto-to-be-sworn-in-as-kenyas-president/">“Hustler” Ruto becomes Kenya’s fifth president after close election</a></h3>



One reason: Female candidates&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/Njue%20is%20one%20of%20dozens%20of%20female%20candidates%20who%20have%20been%20physically%20assaulted%20during%20campaigning%20for%20presidential,%20legislative%20and%20local%20elections%20on%20Aug.%209,%20according%20to%20the%20Kenya%20Women%20Parliamentary%20Association" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">face</a>&nbsp;abuse and physical assault, deterring many women from running. They need better protection on the campaign trail, said Kihika.



Ruto was the only one of four presidential candidates without a female running mate in the August election, though he has promised to give more power to women in politics.



&#8220;We shall allocate 50% of all cabinet positions to the women of Kenya,&#8221; he told a campaign rally in June, to cheers and vuvuzela horns from the crowd.



In 2020, the then-chief justice of the Kenyan Supreme Court ordered parliament to be dissolved for failing to implement the gender rule. Kenya&#8217;s high court later suspended the order&#8217;s implementation and there has been little movement on the issue since then.



Margaret Toili, a former parliamentary candidate, was one of the petitioners and has drafted a new petition to file, she told Reuters.



&#8220;We are still not implementing the two-thirds law,&#8221; Toili told Reuters. &#8220;They are facing the same consequences: dissolve parliament.&#8221;



Political parties must also encourage more women to run, said Mercy Mwangi, coordinator of the Kenya Women Parliamentary Association.



Mwangi said progress had been helped by a clause in the 2010 constitution that created 47 parliamentary seats reserved for women, out of a total of 350. Two of the seven female governors elected in this cycle were previously women&#8217;s representatives, as were four parliamentarians.



&#8220;It&#8217;s actually creating a stepping stone for women,&#8221; she said.



(Reporting by Ayenat Mersie; Editing by Katharine Houreld and Josie Kao)

OQ73OMNK7BPV5KTQXBLMAOXLQQ

Kenya’s women leaders look to new president to keep his promises

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="547" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/6YWINGPVCBJ6LCCI4MJOOGWZ5I-820x547.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-419784" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/6YWINGPVCBJ6LCCI4MJOOGWZ5I-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/6YWINGPVCBJ6LCCI4MJOOGWZ5I-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/6YWINGPVCBJ6LCCI4MJOOGWZ5I-135x90.jpg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/6YWINGPVCBJ6LCCI4MJOOGWZ5I-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/6YWINGPVCBJ6LCCI4MJOOGWZ5I-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/6YWINGPVCBJ6LCCI4MJOOGWZ5I-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>Kenya&#8217;s President-elect William Ruto speaks after the Supreme Court upheld his win in Nairobi, Kenya September 5, 2022. REUTERS/Monicah Mwangi</figcaption></figure>



NAIROBI, Sept 13 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;William Ruto was sworn in as Kenya&#8217;s fifth president on Tuesday, a week after the Supreme Court rejected a challenge by his defeated opponent in a close-fought election that he won by portraying himself as an underdog &#8220;hustler&#8221; battling the elite.



Deputy president for the last decade, Ruto must now confront an economic crisis in East Africa&#8217;s wealthiest and most stable nation, where food and fuel prices are surging, unemployment is high and public debt rising.



&#8220;A village boy has become the president of Kenya,&#8221; Ruto said at the ceremony, as the crowd erupted in cheers. As severe drought exacerbates a major food crisis in East Africa, he promised to make 40 million half-price bags of fertiliser available next week.



The 55-year-old won last month&#8217;s election despite a public repudiation by his boss, outgoing President Uhuru Kenyatta, who said Ruto was &#8220;not fit for office&#8221;. Both sides hurled accusations of corruption during a deeply personal, acrimonious campaign.



Kenyatta&#8217;s preferred successor, veteran opposition leader Raila Odinga, had accused Ruto of cheating his way to victory. But Odinga accepted the Supreme Court ruling upholding the result, laying to rest fears of political violence like that seen after disputed elections in 2007 and 2017.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL1N30C0GB&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a>



&#8220;There should be no revenge,&#8221; Bishop Mark Kariuki thundered at Tuesday&#8217;s ceremony, wearing a deep purple stole embroidered &#8220;PEACE&#8221;.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-read-more-kenya-s-supreme-court-upholds-ruto-s-presidential-victory">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2022/kenyas-supreme-court-upholds-rutos-presidential-victory/">Kenya’s Supreme Court upholds Ruto’s presidential victory</a></h3>



Odinga did not attend but Kenyatta shook hands with Ruto before he was sworn in and issued a congratulatory message the night before. In his speech, Ruto asked Kenyatta to continue leading regional peace efforts in neighbouring Ethiopia and African Great Lakes countries.



The peaceful transfer of authority will burnish Kenya&#8217;s democratic credentials in a region where some leaders have held power for decades.



Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, in office for 36 years, and Ismail Omar Guelleh, who has been Djiboutian president for 23 years, were among many African leaders attending.



Ruto greeted each head of state by name before laying out his next steps in his speech.



He pledged to immediately swear in six judges nominated to the Court of Appeal three years ago and make the police financially independent from the president&#8217;s office, and to stick to Kenya&#8217;s plans to produce 100% clean energy by 2030.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">JUBILANT CROWDS</h2>



Ruto supporters wearing his party&#8217;s colours of yellow and green had packed Nairobi&#8217;s 60,000-seat Kasarani Sports Centre by 5 a.m. They danced and waved miniature national flags to the strains of a band.



&#8220;He is our fellow youth! I know he will bring us more opportunity,&#8221; said dancer Juma Dominic as he and his troupe warmed up.



The National Police Service had tweeted that the stadium was full by 5 a.m. and asked citizens to stay home, but crowds continued to try to force their way inside. The St John&#8217;s Ambulance Service said it had taken several injured people to hospital.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL8N30K1QG&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a>



Ruto, a former roadside chicken seller who is now a wealthy businessman, campaigned as challenger to the powerful families that have dominated Kenyan politics since independence in 1963. Odinga and Kenyatta are the sons of the nation&#8217;s first vice president and president respectively.



That message &#8211; represented by his party symbol of a wheelbarrow &#8211; resonated with chronically underemployed youths and families squeezed by poverty and rampant corruption, which Kenyatta publicly acknowledged he was unable to rein in.



One of Kenya&#8217;s most prominent civil society activists, Boniface Mwangi, said on Monday that over-confidence, disorganisation and Kenyatta&#8217;s embrace had doomed Odinga&#8217;s campaign.



&#8220;Every time Uhuru spoke on behalf of the party, we suffered,&#8221; he wrote, pointing out that Kenyans had suffered hardship and corruption for 10 years while Kenyatta and Ruto were in charge.



($1 = 120.3000 Kenyan shillings)



(Additional reporting by Katharine Houreld; Writing by George Obulutsa and Katharine Houreld, Editing by Aaron Ross, Ed Osmond, Alex Richardson and Catherine Evans)

Kenya’s top court to deliver verdict on disputed presidential election

“Hustler” Ruto becomes Kenya’s fifth president after close election

08/09/2022 12:35TEXTMOZAMBIQUE-EU/&nbsp;(UPDATE 1)



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-update-1-eu-boosts-military-support-to-gas-rich-mozambique-amid-energy-crisis">UPDATE 1-EU boosts military support to gas-rich Mozambique amid energy crisis</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="523" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/ICIUDHNRKBMGVDJHG44RQ4363M-820x523.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-419692" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/ICIUDHNRKBMGVDJHG44RQ4363M-820x523.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/ICIUDHNRKBMGVDJHG44RQ4363M-300x191.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/ICIUDHNRKBMGVDJHG44RQ4363M-141x90.jpg 141w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/ICIUDHNRKBMGVDJHG44RQ4363M-768x490.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/ICIUDHNRKBMGVDJHG44RQ4363M.jpg 1200w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>European Union flags flutter outside the EU Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium June 17, 2022. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo</figcaption></figure>



BRUSSELS, Sept 8 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;The European Union said on Thursday it would provide additional support to an African military mission in Mozambique, as Islamist attacks threaten gas projects meant to reduce the bloc&#8217;s reliance on Russian energy.



The EU is hunting alternative sources of energy since Moscow&#8217;s invasion of Ukraine and Mozambique has the third largest proven gas reserves in Africa.



But the southern African country has been grappling with militants linked to Islamic State in its northernmost gas-rich province of Cabo Delgado since 2017. The conflict is near liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects worth billions of dollars developed by Western firms, including France&#8217;s Total&nbsp;TTEF.PA&nbsp;and Italy&#8217;s ENI&nbsp;ENI.MI.



Confirming a Reuters report in August, the EU said governments agreed to give 15 million euros ($15 million) to the Southern African Development Community (SADC) mission to Mozambique (SAMIM), which is fighting the insurgency&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL8N2ZR1SZ&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a>.



In an internal report seen by Reuters, the EU had warned of a &#8220;very volatile&#8221; situation in north Mozambique despite the SADC mission and a separate intervention by troops from Rwanda managing to contain the militants.



The financial support was announced a day after Mozambique said that at least six people were beheaded and an Italian nun killed by insurgents in northern Nampula province&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL8N2ZR1SZ&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a>.



The funds come in addition to 1.9 million euros already provided by the EU to SAMIM and 89 million euros for the Mozambican armed forces.



The additional funds will be used to acquire camp fortifications and storage containers, medical equipment, vehicles and boats, as well as technological devices, the EU statement said.



In its internal report, the EU had said support would be limited to non-lethal equipment despite SADC&#8217;s need for such.<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL8N2ZR1SZ&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a>.



The report said that EU support for the Rwandan mission in Mozambique would also be proposed in coming months.



($1 = 1.0004 euros)



(Reporting by Francesco Guarascio; editing by David Evans and Andrew Cawthorne)

ICIUDHNRKBMGVDJHG44RQ4363M

EU boosts military support to gas-rich Mozambique amid energy crisis

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="547" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/GettyImages-1237649604-820x547.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-417697" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/GettyImages-1237649604-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/GettyImages-1237649604-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/GettyImages-1237649604-135x90.jpg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/GettyImages-1237649604-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/GettyImages-1237649604-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/GettyImages-1237649604-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>The seal for the International Monetary Fund is seen near the World Bank headquarters (R) in Washington, DC on January 10, 2022. (Photo by Stefani Reynolds / AFP) (Photo by STEFANI REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>



LUSAKA, Sept 7 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;The International Monetary Fund (IMF) does not anticipate any relief for Zambia after the end of a 2022-2025 debt programme, its mission chief Allison Holland said at a briefing on Wednesday.



<a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2022/imf-zambia-to-seek-8-4-bln-debt-relief-for-2022-25/">Zambia is seeking $8.4 billion of debt relief from 2022 to 2025</a>, the IMF said on Tuesday in a report on the first African country to default on its debt in the pandemic era. <a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL8N30D3SE&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a>



Zambia is struggling with debt that reached 120% of its GDP and its debt restructuring is seen as a test case for the Group of 20 leading economies Common Framework process, which has been criticised for delays.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL1N30734Z&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a>



&#8220;We don&#8217;t anticipate any relief for Zambia post-programme,&#8221; Holland said in an online media briefing.



&#8220;We expect the debt relief to be provided now will be sufficient to meet the need &#8230; of the goals that we have outlined,&#8221; she said.



Holland said Zambian authorities outlined a goal to have a memorandum of understanding with the official creditor committee by the end of 2022.



&#8220;The memorandum of understanding will be a joint agreement and Zambia will have to reach specific bilateral agreements with all the bilateral creditors to operationalise it,&#8221; she said.



&#8220;The targets that we have set for the debt relief encompass the whole of Zambia’s debt,&#8221; Holland said.



Separately, Finance Permanent Secretary Mukuli Chikuba told reporters Zambia would have needed to pay 70 billion Zambian Kwachas ($4.53 billion) in debt servicing this year out of an available 100 billion kwacha.



The debt service payment for 2023 was estimated slightly lower at 62 billion kwacha, he said.



&#8220;This is the amount of money that we need to restructure of the $14.6 billion,&#8221; Chikuba said, referring to the central government external debt, including guarantees.



The debt restructuring would take the form of haircuts, extended maturity periods and interest adjustments, Chikuba said.



($1 = 15.4632 Zambian kwachas)



(Additional reporting by Anait Miridzhanian; Writing by Nellie Peyton; Editing by James Macharia Chege and Jane Merriman)

IMF anticipates no further relief needed for Zambia post-debt programme

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="547" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/BE2FA7DW6VJP3AYQ5S5CUCMQO4-820x547.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-414305" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/BE2FA7DW6VJP3AYQ5S5CUCMQO4-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/BE2FA7DW6VJP3AYQ5S5CUCMQO4-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/BE2FA7DW6VJP3AYQ5S5CUCMQO4-135x90.jpg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/BE2FA7DW6VJP3AYQ5S5CUCMQO4-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/BE2FA7DW6VJP3AYQ5S5CUCMQO4.jpg 960w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>The International Monetary Fund (IMF) logo is seen outside the headquarters building in Washington, U.S., September 4, 2018. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas/File Photo</figcaption></figure>



LONDON, Sept 6 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;Zambia is seeking $8.4 billion of&nbsp;debt relief from&nbsp;2022 to 2025, the International Monetary Fund said on Tuesday in a report on the first African nation to default on its debt in the pandemic era.



Zambia needs to bring down its debt service-to-revenue ratio to 14% by 2025 and then maintain that level on average until 2031, compared to 61% now, the IMF said.&nbsp;The report will form the basis of negotiations to restructure Zambia&#8217;s debts following its 2020 default.



Last week, the IMF approved a $1.3 billion, three-year loan to Zambia, whose debt restructuring is seen as a test case for the Group of 20 leading economies Common Framework process, which has been criticised for delays.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL1N30734Z&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a>



The fund said there were &#8220;sufficient assurances&#8221;&nbsp;from creditors and the government to&nbsp;bring its debt,&nbsp;which the IMF said reached 133% of GDP at the end of 2021,&nbsp;to a sustainable level.



Campaign group Debt Justice estimated that $8.4 billion of debt relief for 2022 to 2025 would represent 90% of scheduled payments to external creditors. It called for the debt to be cancelled permanently rather than rescheduled for payment in the 2030s.



TheIMF projected that Zambia&#8217;s debt-to-GDP ratio would fall to&nbsp;104.7% by&nbsp;2025, with&nbsp;annual growth&nbsp;expected to average around 4.5% until&nbsp;2031.&nbsp;A budget surplus of 3.2% is targeted for 2025, compared to a 6% deficit last year.



&#8220;I expected a larger adjustment over the (three year) period of the IMF (programme),&#8221; Kevin Daly of Abrdn, who chairs a committee of holders of Zambia&#8217;s $3 billion of Eurobonds, said by email, referring to the debt forecasts.



But, he added: &#8220;There are no big surprises.&#8221;



Zambia&#8217;s external debt reached $20 billion at the end of 2021, the IMF said, or $16.8 billion after removing foreign holdings of local currency debt.



Restructuring local currency debt is off the table, the report said, as it could mean local banks needing bailouts.



Zambia had $1.3 billion of arrears to bilateral creditors at the end of 2021, the report said.



Zambia must now negotiate the specifics of&nbsp;debt relief with&nbsp;each of its many creditors.



(Reporting by Rachel Savage and Marc Jones; Additional Reporting by David Lawder in Washington, Chris Mfula in Lusaka and Anait Miridzhanian in Johannesburg; Editing by Estelle Shirbon, Angus MacSwan and Deepa Babington)

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IMF: Zambia to seek $8.4 bln debt relief for 2022-25

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="547" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/SO2M3UJ3TRJ5HMUCD5UPH7R2V4-820x547.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-419614" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/SO2M3UJ3TRJ5HMUCD5UPH7R2V4-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/SO2M3UJ3TRJ5HMUCD5UPH7R2V4-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/SO2M3UJ3TRJ5HMUCD5UPH7R2V4-135x90.jpg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/SO2M3UJ3TRJ5HMUCD5UPH7R2V4-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/SO2M3UJ3TRJ5HMUCD5UPH7R2V4-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/SO2M3UJ3TRJ5HMUCD5UPH7R2V4-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>Kenya&#8217;s Supreme Court Chief Justice Martha Koome presides to deliver the ruling on a petition seeking to invalidate the outcome of the recent presidential election, at the Supreme Court in Nairobi, Kenya September 5, 2022. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya</figcaption></figure>



NAIROBI, Sept 5 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;Kenya&#8217;s Supreme Court on Monday unanimously upheld William Ruto&#8217;s presidential win in a scathing judgment that blasted opposition leader Raila Odinga&#8217;s accusations of cheating.



Soon after, Odinga tweeted that he would respect the ruling even though he disagreed with it, easing fears that Kenya would see any repeat of the violence that followed disputed votes in 2007 and 2017.



Several public figures and anti-corruption campaigners &#8211; including some who had backed Odinga &#8211; welcomed the judgment, saying it bolstered the court&#8217;s reputation for independence.



&#8220;This decision is good for the judiciary. This election result is bad for Kenya. Two things can be true at the same time,&#8221;&nbsp;tweeted&nbsp;author Nanjala Nyabola,&nbsp;who had not backed either candidate.



There were no immediate signs of protest in Odinga&#8217;s stronghold of Kisumu city or the low-income neighbourhoods of Nairobi that traditionally support the left-wing politician.



“There is nothing we can do, the judgment has been made,” Geoffrey Omondi, a 33-year-old electrical engineer who supported Odinga, said.



Ruto&#8217;s jubilant supporters danced and waved flags in his party colours of yellow and green.



East Africa&#8217;s most wealthy and influential nation had been on tenterhooks since the Aug. 9 elections, which pitted Ruto &#8211; a former chicken seller &#8211; against two of nation&#8217;s two most powerful political families.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL1N2ZR0H1&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a>



Similar accusations of cheating triggered deadly election violence, often with ethnic undertones, during the two previous polls.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL1N2ZS0HB&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-scathing-judgement">SCATHING JUDGEMENT</h2>



Chief Justice Martha Koome, who heads the seven-member Supreme Court,&nbsp;left no ambiguity about the court&#8217;s position on key arguments brought by Odinga&#8217;s team and other complainants.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL1N2ZY09L&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a>



She&nbsp;dismissed&nbsp;some affidavits&nbsp;alleging that polling stations results forms had been tampered with as &#8220;double hearsay&#8221;&nbsp;&#8211; and one&nbsp;as &#8220;no more than hot air &#8230; a wild goose chase&#8221;.



&#8220;Some of the (computer) logs presented as evidence &#8230; were either from logs arising from the 2017 election or were outright forgeries,&#8221; she said.



Koome raised the possibility of perjury, noting that two people who filed affidavits allegedly on behalf of polling stations agents had not spoken to the agents.



&#8220;Swearing to falsehoods is a criminal offence,&#8221; she said.



She also called for reforms at the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, saying that a &#8220;boardroom rupture&#8221; between the commissioners had undermined public confidence.



Four of the seven election commissioners&nbsp;had disowned&nbsp;Ruto&#8217;s win minutes before it was formally announced, saying the tallying process was opaque. But the dissenting commissioners had previously participated in the tallying without raising any concerns, Koome said.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL1N2ZR0DS&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a>



“We uphold the Supreme Court decision,” dissenting commissioner Juliana Cherera told Reuters.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">PERSONAL POLITICS</h2>



The history between Odinga, Ruto and outgoing President Uhuru Kenyatta underscores the tangled ties&nbsp;between elite&nbsp;families and the primacy of personality over politics.



Ruto was Kenyatta&#8217;s vice president, but the two fell out and Kenyatta backed Odinga in the vote.



In a speech after the judgment, Ruto poked gentle fun at his predecessor and former ally, saying: &#8220;I&#8217;ve not yet spoken to my &#8230; friend Uhuru Kenyatta.&#8221;



Ripples of laughter spread through the audience before Ruto dissolved into uncontrollable chuckles at the podium.



Later he promised to respect both Kenyatta and Odinga, and said he would stop law enforcement mounting any politically-motivated corruption investigations &#8211; something he accused Kenyatta&#8217;s government of doing.



Ruto said he would not recruit Odinga to serve in his government, saying that the country needed a functioning opposition and such alliances created a &#8220;mongrel of a government.&#8221;



Kenyatta is the son of the country&#8217;s first president and Odinga the son of the first vice president.



Ruto, now a wealthy businessman, portrayed himself as an underdog battling the elite &#8211; a message resonating with chronically underemployed youth and families squeezed by global inflation and rampant graft.



Ruto will be sworn in on Sept. 13.



(Additional reporting by James Macharia Chege, Humphrey Malalo, Aaron Ross and Ayenat Mersie; Editing by William Maclean and Andrew Heavens)

Kenya’s Supreme Court upholds Ruto’s presidential victory

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="489" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/LMLR2LON6FLMXMZMDMQLQSY7U4-820x489.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-419525" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/LMLR2LON6FLMXMZMDMQLQSY7U4-820x489.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/LMLR2LON6FLMXMZMDMQLQSY7U4-300x179.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/LMLR2LON6FLMXMZMDMQLQSY7U4-151x90.jpg 151w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/LMLR2LON6FLMXMZMDMQLQSY7U4-768x458.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/LMLR2LON6FLMXMZMDMQLQSY7U4.jpg 960w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>Voters stand inside voting booths during the general elections conducted by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) in Kibera slums of Nairobi, Kenya August 9, 2022. REUTERS/Monicah Mwangi/File Photo</figcaption></figure>



NAIROBI, Aug 30 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;Kenya&#8217;s Supreme Court on Tuesday laid out eight questions it will answer when it rules on this month&#8217;s disputed presidential election result, including whether the commission&#8217;s website was hacked.



Opposition leader Raila Odinga, who is seeking the presidency for the fifth time, is contesting the result of a tight vote after which the election commission chairman declared Deputy President William Ruto the winner. Four out of the seven commissioners disowned the result.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL1N3050TO&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a>



The disagreement has raised fears it could trigger the type of violence that followed disputed polls in 2007 and 2017.



Odinga&#8217;s legal team lodged a case alleging that a team working for Ruto hacked into the election system and replaced genuine pictures of polling station result forms with fake ones, thus increasing Ruto&#8217;s share.



Ruto denied the allegations. The election commission has filed competing responses, with three commissioners supporting the process and four questioning it.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-read-more-kenya-s-odinga-says-he-won-election-but-will-respect-court-ruling">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2022/kenyas-odinga-says-he-won-election-but-will-respect-court-ruling/">Kenya’s Odinga says he won election, but will respect court ruling</a></h3>



The Supreme Court will also decide if the polling station returns were interfered with and whether the postponement of eight gubernatorial and legislative elections disadvantaged any candidate, said Chief Justice Martha Koome, the president of the seven-member court.



Kenya is a key western ally in an unstable region and it hosts the regional headquarters of many global companies and organisations.



The court, whose decision on presidential election petitions is final, will also consider if there were unexplained disparities in votes cast for presidential and other downballot races like for members of parliament, she said. It will also decide if the tallying of presidential votes met the constitutional standards.



The court will also decide if Ruto attained the constitutional threshold of 50% plus one of the votes cast, Koome said, and whether any irregularities were substantial enough to nullify the poll.



The court will issue its verdict on those questions on Monday.



(Reporting by Duncan Miriri, Editing by Katharine Houreld and Ed Osmond)

LMLR2LON6FLMXMZMDMQLQSY7U4

Kenya’s top court to rule on hacking allegations, votes disparity in election dispute

<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="728" height="498" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/TDTLKA7ITRJVXFCMNYIE5KYYCI.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-419493" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/TDTLKA7ITRJVXFCMNYIE5KYYCI.jpg 728w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/TDTLKA7ITRJVXFCMNYIE5KYYCI-300x205.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/TDTLKA7ITRJVXFCMNYIE5KYYCI-132x90.jpg 132w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 728px) 100vw, 728px" /><figcaption>Kenya&#8217;s opposition leader and presidential candidate Raila Odinga, of the Azimio La Umoja (Declaration of Unity) One Kenya Alliance, speaks during a Reuters interview in Nairobi, Kenya August 29, 2022. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya</figcaption></figure>



NAIROBI, Aug 29 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga, who is contesting this month&#8217;s election result, said he will respect the ruling of the court and fight corruption in the opposition if needed &#8211; but still believes he should be declared the winner.



A week ago, Odinga&#8217;s legal team lodged a case in the Supreme Court alleging that a team working for Deputy President William Ruto hacked into the election system and replaced genuine pictures of polling station result forms with fake ones, thus increasing Ruto&#8217;s share of the vote.



Ruto denied the allegations. The election commission has split and filed competing responses: four commissioners disowned the result, and the chairman and two others supported it.



The court must rule by Sept. 5.



(Reporting by Katherine Houreld; Editing by Nick Macfie)

TDTLKA7ITRJVXFCMNYIE5KYYCI

Kenya’s Odinga says he won election, but will respect court ruling

<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="501" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/download-50.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-419363" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/download-50.jpg 800w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/download-50-300x188.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/download-50-144x90.jpg 144w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/download-50-768x481.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption>FILE PHOTO: Kenya&#8217;s Chief Justice Martha Koome addresses members of the Judiciary during a reception after her Swearing-in ceremony, outside the Supreme Court building in Nairobi, Kenya May 21, 2021. REUTERS/Monicah Mwangi/File Photo</figcaption></figure>



NAIROBI, Aug 22 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;In a country once known for political interference in the judiciary, Kenya&#8217;s Chief Justice Martha Koome is no pushover: she built her career defending dissidents, and this year her court torpedoed constitutional changes proposed by the president who appointed her.



But her own reputation for independence and fairness is on trial after opposition leader Raila Odinga filed a Supreme Court case on Monday seeking to overturn the results of the Aug. 9 presidential election.



The election commission is split: the chairman announced that Deputy President William Ruto won by about 233,000 votes, but four out of the seven commissioners dissented, saying results were not aggregated correctly. Kenya&#8217;s largest civil society election observation group says its count supports the chairman.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL1N2ZS0HB&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a>



Any perceived misstep in the ruling by Koome or the six judges she presides over could damage public faith in the judiciary and imperil the peaceful transfer of power in East Africa&#8217;s richest and most stable nation.



The dispute has raised tensions in a nation with a history of deadly election disputes.



&#8220;We urge the judiciary to remain an impartial arbiter,&#8221; the Angaza Movement, a Kenyan civic and human rights consortium, said on Friday, adding the &#8220;tranquillity and peace of the nation&#8221; depended upon it.



The stakes are also high for the judges themselves: when Kenya&#8217;s Supreme Court nullified the 2017 election results, judges faced a torrent of abuse, were called &#8220;crooks&#8221; by the president and one of their bodyguards was shot and injured.



Koome, appointed in May 2021 by outgoing President Uhuru Kenyatta, has a reputation for integrity.



Months after her appointment, she quashed broad constitutional reforms backed by both Odinga and Kenyatta, which were widely seen as an attempt to sideline Ruto. Kenyatta fell out with Ruto after the 2017 elections and formed an alliance with Odinga.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL2N2VY0CZ&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a>



Koome&#8217;s ruling prompted praise even from critics like Ahmednasir Abdullahi, a lawyer who has frequently questioned Koome&#8217;s independence and who supports Ruto.



&#8220;On the whole, good judgment by the Supreme Court,&#8221; he tweeted, praising Koome and a second judge for being &#8220;outstanding in their reasoning&#8221;.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-challenging-power">CHALLENGING POWER</h2>



In 2017, the Supreme Court became the first African court to scrap the re-election victory of a sitting president, after it annulled on procedural grounds results giving Kenyatta a second term. Kenyatta won the rerun after Odinga boycotted it.



Four of those judges remain on the Court. The chief justice retired and Koome replaced him.



Koome &#8211; who has 34 years of legal experience &#8211; cut her teeth representing political detainees like Odinga when he protested against state repression in the 1980s and 90s.



In Odinga&#8217;s stronghold of Kisumu, faith in the courts helps keep protesters off the streets.



&#8220;Many years ago … courts seemed to be controlled by the government. But today&#8217;s courts have come out to be more independent,&#8221; said carpenter Meshack Nyamema.



Koome, 62, is already a trailblazer: her appointment made her the first female head of any Kenyan branch of government. She often discusses her Christianity and liberal social views.



One of 18 children from a polygamous family of subsistence farmers, Koome co-founded and chaired the Federation of Women Lawyers. It campaigns for women&#8217;s rights, offers poor women free legal services and contributed to a landmark 2010 constitution that guaranteed women new rights.



In another departure from orthodoxy, in 2019 she supported a ruling that it was not illegal to identify as gay. Gay sex is punishable by 14 years in jail.



This May, Koome used a national prayer breakfast to warn against settling election disputes on the streets.



&#8220;I pray for those who might be tempted to divide our nation for their selfish reasons,&#8221; she said. &#8220;This country belongs to everyone, and not just politicians.&#8221;



(Reporting by Duncan Miriri; Additional reporting by Ayenat Mersie; Editing by Katharine Houreld, William Maclean)

download-50

Kenya’s first female chief justice to preside over election petition

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="547" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/P7NJKCQO4BOB5EPZOKWQA3NVIQ-820x547.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-419359" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/P7NJKCQO4BOB5EPZOKWQA3NVIQ-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/P7NJKCQO4BOB5EPZOKWQA3NVIQ-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/P7NJKCQO4BOB5EPZOKWQA3NVIQ-135x90.jpg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/P7NJKCQO4BOB5EPZOKWQA3NVIQ-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/P7NJKCQO4BOB5EPZOKWQA3NVIQ.jpg 960w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>Kenya&#8217;s opposition leader Raila Odinga of the Azimio La Umoja (Declaration of Unity) One Kenya Alliance, who competed in Kenya&#8217;s presidential election, gestures, after addressing the nation following the announcement of the results of the presidential election, in Nairobi, Kenya August 16, 2022. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya/File Photo</figcaption></figure>



NAIROBI, Aug 22 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;Kenya&#8217;s veteran opposition leader Raila Odinga filed a challenge to the results of this month&#8217;s presidential election in the Supreme Court on Monday, his legal team said, sharpening a political clash that has gripped East Africa&#8217;s powerhouse.



&#8220;What we did this morning is to file the online copy,&#8221; lawyer Daniel Maanzo told Kenyan television channel. &#8220;After today there will be four days for the other parties to reply.&#8221;



A source at the judiciary confirmed they had received a copy of the file.



Last week the election commissioner declared Deputy President William Ruto had won the election by a slim margin, but four out of seven election commissioners dissented, saying the tallying of results had not been transparent.



Last week Odinga said the results were a &#8220;travesty&#8221; but said he would settle the dispute in court and urged supporters to remain peaceful.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL1N2ZS0HB&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a>



This is Odinga&#8217;s fifth stab at the presidency; he blamed several previous losses on rigging. Those disputes triggered violence that claimed more than 100 lives in 2017 and more than 1,200 lives in 2007.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2022/kenya-election-officials-disown-presidential-election-results/">Kenya election officials disown presidential election results</a></h3>



In 2017, the Supreme Court overturned the election result and ordered a re-run, which Odinga boycotted, saying he had no faith in the election commission.



This time, Odinga is backed by the political establishment. President Uhuru Kenyatta endorsed Odinga&#8217;s candidacy after falling out with Ruto after the last election.



At stake is control of East Africa&#8217;s wealthiest and most stable nation, home to regional headquarters for firms like General Electric, Google, and Uber. Kenya also provides peacekeepers for neighbouring Somalia and frequently hosts peace talks for other nations in the turbulent East Africa region.



The case will be heard by the seven-member Supreme Court and presided over by Martha Koome, Kenya&#8217;s first female chief justice, who was appointed by Kenyatta last year.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL8N2ZV1LN&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a>



The court will next conduct a status conference with all parties to define the hearing schedule and ground rules. The constitution requires judges to issue their decision within 14 days of the lawsuit being filed.



Due to the tight schedule, it normally issues a summary judgment within 14 days, followed by more thorough decisions from each of the seven judges at a later date.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-dispute">THE DISPUTE</h2>



One week ago, electoral commission chairman Wafula Chebukati declared Ruto the winner with 50.49% of the vote against Odinga&#8217;s 48.5%.



But minutes earlier, his deputy Juliana Cherera had told media at a separate location that she and three other commissioners disowned the results.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL1N2ZR0DS&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a>



She said the elections had been conducted in a proper manner &#8211; and most international observers agreed &#8211; but that results were erroneously aggregated.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL1N2ZS0HB&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a>



Public confusion reigned over the tallying after the Kenyan media suspended a count of 46,229 polling-station level results with around 80% of the vote counted.



The election commission&#8217;s website still does not display the correct forms for all 291 constituencies. In some cases, the form is incomplete or only partially loaded, making it impossible for the public to confirm the commission&#8217;s count.



The legal procedure for contesting Kenyan election results<a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/legal-procedure-contesting-kenyan-election-results-2022-08-16/">https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/legal-procedure-contesting-kenyan-election-results-2022-08-16/</a>



(Additional reporting by Duncan Miriri, Humphrey Malalo and Edwin Waita; Editing by Toby Chopra, William Maclean)

P7NJKCQO4BOB5EPZOKWQA3NVIQ

Kenya’s Odinga challenges presidential poll result in Supreme Court

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="547" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/B3MUXY3VX5PSPMO6BW7Z6FDNFY-820x547.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-419267" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/B3MUXY3VX5PSPMO6BW7Z6FDNFY-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/B3MUXY3VX5PSPMO6BW7Z6FDNFY-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/B3MUXY3VX5PSPMO6BW7Z6FDNFY-135x90.jpg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/B3MUXY3VX5PSPMO6BW7Z6FDNFY-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/B3MUXY3VX5PSPMO6BW7Z6FDNFY.jpg 960w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>Kenya&#8217;s Deputy President William Ruto and presidential candidate for the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) and Kenya Kwanza political coalition, speaks after being declared the winner of Kenya&#8217;s presidential election, at the IEBC National Tallying Centre at the Bomas of Kenya, in Nairobi, Kenya August 15, 2022. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya</figcaption></figure>



NAIROBI, Aug 17 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;Kenya&#8217;s president-elect William Ruto said on Wednesday there was no time to waste in tackling an economic crisis, as defeated rival Raila Odinga prepared a legal challenge to overturn his loss in Aug. 9&#8217;s election.



Ruto was declared president-elect on Monday by Kenya&#8217;s election commission chairman after a closely fought race to lead East Africa&#8217;s richest country, but four of the seven election commissioners have challenged the results.



Odinga has said he will contest the decision in court, calling it a &#8220;travesty&#8221;.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL1N2ZS0HB&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a>



Ruto nevertheless said he was forging ahead with creating an administration, promising that no Kenyan would be excluded, whatever their political or ethnic affiliation.



&#8220;I really want us to know that the expectations of the people of Kenya are huge. We don&#8217;t have the luxury of wasting time,&#8221; Ruto, currently deputy president, said after meeting elected officials from his alliance at his official residence.



The 55-year-old did not directly address Odinga&#8217;s plan to challenge his victory, but said: &#8220;If there will be court processes, we will engage because we adhere to the rule of law.&#8221;



President Uhuru Kenyatta&#8217;s successor will have to quickly address an economic crisis that has left Kenyans struggling with soaring prices and rising unemployment.



His ability to do so will be hampered by debt built up to finance development through Kenyatta&#8217;s 10 years in office, during which economic output doubled.



At a separate meeting in the capital, elected officials from Odinga&#8217;s alliance met to chart their next steps in what is likely to be a bruising legal battle over the election result.



Odinga did not speak at the event but his running mate, Martha Karua, a former justice minister, said: &#8220;Ours is victory deferred.&#8221;



&#8220;As we explore legal and constitutional avenues, let everybody know, victory is coming home,&#8221; Karua told the meeting.



Odinga, a veteran presidential candidate who was making his fifth stab at the office, has until Monday to file a petition at the Supreme Court.



He has gone down this path before, in 2013 and in 2017, when the presidential election result was quashed.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL8N2ZS3ZW&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a>



The court said on Wednesday it was ready to handle any petition and was making preparations just in case.



(Reporting by George Obulutsa; Writing by James Macharia Chege;Editing by Catherine Evans)

B3MUXY3VX5PSPMO6BW7Z6FDNFY

Kenya’s Ruto says no time to waste after election as rival prepares court challenge

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="547" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/JEDAY5REWZPNBHDPC3ZS3XKIYU-820x547.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-419247" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/JEDAY5REWZPNBHDPC3ZS3XKIYU-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/JEDAY5REWZPNBHDPC3ZS3XKIYU-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/JEDAY5REWZPNBHDPC3ZS3XKIYU-135x90.jpg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/JEDAY5REWZPNBHDPC3ZS3XKIYU-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/JEDAY5REWZPNBHDPC3ZS3XKIYU-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/JEDAY5REWZPNBHDPC3ZS3XKIYU-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>Kenya&#8217;s opposition leader Raila Odinga of the Azimio La Umoja (Declaration of Unity) One Kenya Alliance, who competed in Kenya&#8217;s presidential election, addresses the nation following the announcement of the results of the presidential election, in Nairobi, Kenya August 16, 2022. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya</figcaption></figure>



NAIROBI/KISUMU, Aug 16 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;Kenyan politician Raila Odinga rejected as a &#8220;travesty&#8221; the result of the Aug. 9 presidential election he was declared to have lost to Deputy President William Ruto and warned on Tuesday of a long legal crisis facing Kenya&#8217;s democracy.



His first comments on the result came after four of the seven election commissioners said they stood by their decision a day earlier to disown figures announced by electoral commission chairman Wafula Chebukati.



The dramatic series of events has raised fears of violence similar to what followed disputed polls in East Africa&#8217;s richest country in 2007 when more than 1,200 people were killed and again in 2017 when more than 100 people died.



Overnight, Odinga&#8217;s supporters battled police and burned tyres in the western city of Kisumu and the capital Nairobi&#8217;s huge Kibera slum, but calm had returned to the streets by Tuesday morning.



&#8220;Our view is that the figures announced by Chebukati are null and void and must be quashed by a court of law,&#8221; said Odinga, a veteran opposition leader and five-time presidential candidate who was backed this time by outgoing President Uhuru Kenyatta.



&#8220;What we saw yesterday was a travesty,&#8221; he told reporters, but appealed to his supporters to remain peaceful. &#8220;Let no one take the law into their own hands,&#8221; he said.



Odinga broadcast the dissenting commission members&#8217; news conference at his own venue before taking the stage. He said he was not yet prepared to announce specific legal steps.



Odinga has until next Monday to file a challenge with the supreme court.



Speaking for the four commissioners, electoral commission deputy chair Juliana Cherera said the results showing Ruto winning with 50.49% were erroneously aggregated and that Chebukati had disregarded concerns about the tally raised by other commissioners.



Cherera later said that one of her main claims was based on a mathematical error. She had originally highlighted that the vote percentages for the race&#8217;s four candidates added up to 100.01%, saying the additional 0.01% represented 142,000 votes, enough to potentially sway the election.



Ruto defeated Odinga by about 233,000 votes.



Responding to a Reuters query, Cherera later acknowledged that 0.01% of the 14.2 million votes cast was actually 1,420, but said the tally still showed a lack of quality control of the data.



Reuters was unable to reach the election commission&#8217;s spokesperson for comment.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-streets-quiet">STREETS QUIET</h2>



With memories still fresh of post-election bloodshed, Odinga has faced calls from home and abroad to commit to resolving any concerns in the courts.



U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres spoke with Ruto on Tuesday and hopes to speak with Odinga on Wednesday, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said, adding Guterres hoped the electoral process would be completed in accordance with the law.



U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price urged parties to work together to &#8220;peacefully resolve any remaining concerns about the election&#8221; through existing dispute resolution mechanisms and called on political party leaders to urge supporters to remain peaceful.



&#8220;We hope to see that calm and patience prevail,&#8221; Price told reporters, adding that Washington will continue to be in close touch with Kenyan partners.



At a crowded restaurant in Odinga&#8217;s stronghold of Kisumu there was sporadic applause as supporters watched his statement rejecting the results and calling for peace. Outside the streets were quiet.



&#8220;There is no need for protest because we have evidence that Ruto rigged this thing,&#8221; said Justin Omondi, a businessman and Odinga supporter.



Even so, the protests overnight showed how quickly tensions could escalate. Many shops in Kisumu were shuttered on Tuesday, and roads were dotted with stones and marks from burned tyres.



Nancy Achieng arrived on Tuesday morning to find her roadside food stall in the Kondele neighbourhood destroyed.



&#8220;I&#8217;ve lost the election and I&#8217;ve also lost my business,&#8221; said Achieng, who had been selling beans, chapati and roasted maize there for two years.



Kenya&#8217;s Eurobonds slipped after the statements by Odinga and the commissioners but were still up on the day having recovered some of the sharp losses seen on Monday.



Its 2024 dollar-denominated bond&nbsp;US491798AE43=TE&nbsp;was up 1.86 cents on the dollar at 88.5 cents at 1400 GMT compared to over 92 cents late last week.



Ruto would face an economic and social crisis as well as rising debt. Poor Kenyans already reeling from the impact of COVID-19 have been hit by soaring food and fuel costs while a devastating drought in the north has left 4.1 million people dependent on food aid.



The 55-year-old Ruto made Kenya&#8217;s class divisions the centrepiece of his campaign to become Kenya&#8217;s fifth president, promising to reward low-income &#8220;hustlers&#8221;, but in his victory speech on Monday vowed to be a president for all Kenyans.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL1N2ZR0H1&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a>



Outgoing president Kenyatta, who could not run after serving two five-year terms, fell out with his deputy Ruto and backed Odinga.



NEWSMAKER-Kenya&#8217;s Ruto: From village chicken seller to president<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL1N2ZR0H1&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a>



Kenya presidential hopeful Ruto promises to publish contracts with China<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL1N2Z11X0&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a>



EXPLAINER-The legal procedure for contesting Kenyan election results<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL8N2ZS3ZW&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a>



(Reporting by Duncan Miriri, George Obulutsa and David Lewis in Nairobi, Ayenat Mersie and Kevine Omollo in Kisumu; Additional reporting by Rachel Savage in London, Michelle Nichols in New York and Daphne Psaledakis in Washington; Writing by James Macharia Chege and Aaron Ross; Editing by Catherine Evans, Tomasz Janowski and Cynthia Osterman)

Kenya’s opposition leader Odinga addresses the nation after Ruto declared president-elect

Kenya’s Odinga says presidential election result a ‘travesty’

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="547" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/GettyImages-1242420790-820x547.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-419241" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/GettyImages-1242420790-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/GettyImages-1242420790-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/GettyImages-1242420790-135x90.jpg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/GettyImages-1242420790-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/GettyImages-1242420790-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/GettyImages-1242420790-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>tTIHANGE, BELGIUM &#8211; AUGUST 10: Electricity pylon is seen near from the Tihange Nuclear Power Station on August 10, 2022, in Tihange, Belgium. As the European Union prepares for the drastic reduction of Russian gas imports, some users are concerned about the risk of heating and electricity cuts next winter. (Photo by Thierry Monasse/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>



KAMPALA, Aug 16 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;Uganda said on Tuesday a hydropower plant representing some 15% of its electricity generating capacity had been put under an emergency shutdown due to &#8220;operational challenges&#8221;, cutting the supply of power to the country&#8217;s grid.



Authorities will now implement a series of measures including power cuts &#8211; known as load shedding &#8211; to minimise demand on the grid to match the reduced supply, a statement from the energy ministry said.



Measures to restore operations were already being undertaken, but the plant was not expected to restart for another three weeks, it added.



The state-run Isimba hydropower dam on the River Nile, which has generating capacity of 183 megawatts, was constructed by a Chinese contractor with a loan secured from China&#8217;s Exim bank, and was commissioned in 2019.



&#8220;The shutdown was due to operational challenges that led the flow of water into the power house,&#8221; the ministry said in the statement. It said the shutdown was to protect staff and prevent damage to critical equipment.



Uganda has total generating capacity of about 1,200 megawatts, mostly from hydropower plants built along the Nile river.



Another large dam, Karuma, being built by China&#8217;s Synohydro on the Nile is expected to be commissioned later this year and will generate 600 megawatts.



(Reporting by Elias Biryabarema; Editing by Jan Harvey)

East Africa

Ex-central bank chief named Kenyan finance minister amid rising inflation

IMF team heads to Ghana today to discuss loan programme request

Ghana reschedules interest rate decision to coincide with end of IMF mission

Zambia’s bondholders slam IMF debt relief targets as ‘arbitrary’

Kenya’s women leaders look to new president to keep his promises

“Hustler” Ruto becomes Kenya’s fifth president after close election

EU boosts military support to gas-rich Mozambique amid energy crisis

IMF anticipates no further relief needed for Zambia post-debt programme

IMF: Zambia to seek $8.4 bln debt relief for 2022-25

Kenya’s Supreme Court upholds Ruto’s presidential victory

Kenya’s top court to rule on hacking allegations, votes disparity in election dispute

Kenya’s Odinga says he won election, but will respect court ruling

Kenya’s first female chief justice to preside over election petition

Kenya’s Odinga challenges presidential poll result in Supreme Court

Kenya’s Ruto says no time to waste after election as rival prepares court challenge

Kenya’s Odinga says presidential election result a ‘travesty’

Uganda faces power cuts after major hydropower plant suspends operations

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East Africa

Ex-central bank chief named Kenyan finance minister amid rising inflation

IMF team heads to Ghana today to discuss loan programme request

Ghana reschedules interest rate decision to coincide with end of IMF mission

Zambia’s bondholders slam IMF debt relief targets as ‘arbitrary’

Kenya’s women leaders look to new president to keep his promises

“Hustler” Ruto becomes Kenya’s fifth president after close election

EU boosts military support to gas-rich Mozambique amid energy crisis

IMF anticipates no further relief needed for Zambia post-debt programme

IMF: Zambia to seek $8.4 bln debt relief for 2022-25

Kenya’s Supreme Court upholds Ruto’s presidential victory

Kenya’s top court to rule on hacking allegations, votes disparity in election dispute

Kenya’s Odinga says he won election, but will respect court ruling

Kenya’s first female chief justice to preside over election petition

Kenya’s Odinga challenges presidential poll result in Supreme Court

Kenya’s Ruto says no time to waste after election as rival prepares court challenge

Kenya’s Odinga says presidential election result a ‘travesty’

Uganda faces power cuts after major hydropower plant suspends operations

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