<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="542" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/CXBMKBRDJNK6JAACKHMRBUQ5AE-820x542.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-419120" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/CXBMKBRDJNK6JAACKHMRBUQ5AE-820x542.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/CXBMKBRDJNK6JAACKHMRBUQ5AE-300x198.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/CXBMKBRDJNK6JAACKHMRBUQ5AE-136x90.jpg 136w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/CXBMKBRDJNK6JAACKHMRBUQ5AE-768x508.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/CXBMKBRDJNK6JAACKHMRBUQ5AE-1536x1015.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/CXBMKBRDJNK6JAACKHMRBUQ5AE-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>A memeber of polling staff walks among sealed ballot boxes containing electoral materials at an Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) tallying centre after the general election in Nairobi, Kenya August 11, 2022. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya</figcaption></figure>



NAIROBI, Aug 11 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;Two days after Kenya&#8217;s general election, officials&nbsp;had yet&nbsp;to announce who is leading the presidential race in East Africa&#8217;s regional powerhouse, as confused citizens struggled to make sense of divergent tallies from the media in a nail-bitingly close race.



Media houses are&nbsp;tallying results from&nbsp;images of forms&nbsp;that the election commission uploaded from&nbsp;more than 46,229 polling stations, a mammoth task that means their tallies lag far behind the amount of raw data available.



Some citizens worried the&nbsp;media&#8217;s differing&nbsp;tallies could inflame claims of rigging, which have sparked violence in past elections. Many urged fellow citizens to wait for the official results.



“There is so much impatience due to media reports, because they are varying. Given the experience that we have in Kenya, we have to be patient and just wait,&#8221; said Ongao Okello, as he scrutinized newspapers being sold on a street corner in the western town of Eldoret.



Results are being watched carefully: Kenya is the region&#8217;s richest economy, a stable nation in a volatile region and a close Western ally that hosts regional headquarters for Alphabet&nbsp;GOOGL.O, Visa&nbsp;V.N&nbsp;and other international groups.



Veteran opposition leader and former political prisoner Raila Odinga, 77, is making his fifth stab at the presidency. He is neck and neck with Deputy President William Ruto, 55.



Outgoing President Uhuru Kenyatta has reached his two-term limit. He has endorsed Odinga for president after falling out with Ruto after the last election.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-read-more-early-signs-show-tight-kenyan-presidential-election">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2022/early-signs-show-tight-kenyan-presidential-election/">Early signs show tight Kenyan presidential election</a></h3>



Kenyan election authorities have preceded with tallying cautiously, wary of the mistakes that caused the Supreme Court to nullify the results last time and order a re-run.



Media houses have filled the information gap by recruiting hundreds of people to manually input results from the images of results forms into spreadsheets.



Their tallies differ because results from polling stations were uploaded as they came in, and so each media group is counting slightly different portions of the vote.



By&nbsp;1000&nbsp;GMT on Thursday, the privately-owned Nation group had tallied results from&nbsp;three-quarters&nbsp;of polling stations and put Odinga ahead with 50.90% of the vote and Ruto at 48.42%.



At the same time, privately-owned Citizen gave Ruto 49.48% of the vote and Odinga 49.12%.



The winning candidate must get 50% of the vote plus one to win, and at least a quarter of votes in 24 out of Kenya&#8217;s 47 counties. If there is no outright winner, there will be a second round of voting without the two presidential candidates currently receiving fractions of a point.



Many Kenyans, frustrated by the shifting alliances of the elites and fed up of rising prices and corruption, didn&#8217;t bother to vote at all.



The commission said about 65% of registered voters turned out for the legislative, local and presidential elections &#8211; a big drop from 2017 when voter participation was nearly 80%.



The elections have largely been peaceful so far; major protests and clashes usually only follow result announcements. More than 1,200 people were killed after the 2007 elections, and more than 100 after the 2017 polls.



Author and political commentator Nanjala Nyabola said the lack of violence should not be the standard for a success.



&#8220;People are just looking for the absence or presence of violence and as a Kenyan it&#8217;s a really demoralising standard to be told we should only aspire to the bare minimum,&#8221; she said. &#8220;We are trying to hold ourselves to a higher standard.&#8221;



(Additional reporting by Duncan Miriri in Nairobi, Ayenat Mersie in Eldoret, Daud Yussuf in Garissa; Writing by Katharine Houreld; Editing by Toby Chopra)

Kenya’s electoral commission relays election results in Nairobi

Dead heat for Kenya presidency as election results trickle in

<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/G7DUP3LMAVNTZBUNLWT7A3JDI4-820x547.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-419113" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/G7DUP3LMAVNTZBUNLWT7A3JDI4-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/G7DUP3LMAVNTZBUNLWT7A3JDI4-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/G7DUP3LMAVNTZBUNLWT7A3JDI4-135x90.jpg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/G7DUP3LMAVNTZBUNLWT7A3JDI4-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/G7DUP3LMAVNTZBUNLWT7A3JDI4-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/G7DUP3LMAVNTZBUNLWT7A3JDI4-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets Rwandan President Paul Kagame at the President’s Office in Urugwiro Village in Kigali, Rwanda August 11, 2022. Andrew Harnik/Pool via REUTERS</figcaption></figure>



KIGALI, Aug 11 (Reuters) &#8211; U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is on a visit to Kigali less than a week after it emerged United Nations experts had found &#8220;solid evidence&#8221; Rwanda has been interfering militarily in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.



Regional analysts expect Blinken, who arrived on Wednesday evening, to privately exert pressure to stop Rwanda&#8217;s alleged support for the M23 rebel group without immediately implementing sanctions or blocking military aid, as the United States did in similar circumstances in 2013.



A confidential report sent to the United Nations Security Council last week said Rwandan troops have been fighting alongside the M23 rebels in Congo, and that Kigali has been providing the group with weapons and support since November.



Rwanda&#8217;s government has said the U.N. findings, based on evidence including witness testimony and drone images, were false, and that the M23 was Congo&#8217;s responsibility.



The United States is a longstanding ally of Rwanda&#8217;s President Paul Kagame, but Blinken told reporters on Tuesday in Kinshasa he was very concerned about &#8220;credible reports&#8221; Rwanda has provided support to M23.



Last year the U.S. administration gave Rwanda $147 million in bilateral assistance, and $500,000 for peace and security. 



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-read-more-u-s-africa-strategy-stresses-china-russia-threats">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2022/u-s-africa-strategy-stresses-china-russia-threats/">U.S. Africa strategy stresses China, Russia threats</a></h3>



&#8220;Rwanda&#8217;s most important export is its reputation; that&#8217;s what attracts Starbucks, that&#8217;s what attracts Bill Gates and that reputation is being battered at the moment,&#8221; said Jason Stearns, director of New York University&#8217;s Congo Research Group.



Blinken&#8217;s visit &#8220;will lead to a re-evaluation of what&#8217;s happening on the ground,&#8221; Stearns told Reuters by telephone.



A statement from Rwanda&#8217;s foreign affairs ministry on Blinken&#8217;s visit said the country was committed to addressing security challenges in the Great Lakes Region.



Rwanda has earned recognition for its stability, ease of doing business and developmental gains since the 1994 genocide, but Kagame has also drawn criticism for cracking down on opponents at home and abroad.



The U.S. top diplomat has said he would raise the fate of Paul Rusesabagina, a U.S. resident who was sentenced by Kigali court to 25 years in prison on terrorism charges.



Rusesabagina refused to take part in what he called a &#8220;sham&#8221; trial, saying he had been kidnapped and brought to Kigali against his will.



Rwanda&#8217;s foreign affairs ministry said Rusesabagina&#8217;s arrest and conviction were lawful under Rwandan and international law. 



(Writing by Hereward Holland; Editing by James Macharia Chege and Deepa Babington)

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visits Rwanda

Blinken visits Rwanda in testing moment for old U.S. ally Kagame

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="429" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/5GAQQQRBNNJAXCQTT2VMGKLBAQ-820x429.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-419066" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/5GAQQQRBNNJAXCQTT2VMGKLBAQ-820x429.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/5GAQQQRBNNJAXCQTT2VMGKLBAQ-300x157.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/5GAQQQRBNNJAXCQTT2VMGKLBAQ-160x84.jpg 160w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/5GAQQQRBNNJAXCQTT2VMGKLBAQ-768x402.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/5GAQQQRBNNJAXCQTT2VMGKLBAQ-1536x804.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/5GAQQQRBNNJAXCQTT2VMGKLBAQ.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>Martha Karua, the running mate to Kenya&#8217;s opposition leader and presidential candidate Raila Odinga of the Azimio la Umoja (Declaration of Unity) party addresses a campaign rally ahead of the forthcoming general election in the Rift Valley town of Suswa, Narok county, Kenya July 30, 2022. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya</figcaption></figure>



MOMBASA, Kenya Aug 9 (Reuters) &#8211; As Kenyans await the outcome of Tuesday&#8217;s election, they are wondering if Martha Karua might be their first female vice president, becoming the highest ranking woman in the history of a country where female candidates are often physically attacked.



Giant billboards adorn the capital Nairobi showing the 64-year-old former justice minister accompanied by presidential candidate and veteran opposition leader Raila Odinga, a former political prisoner.



The two head the Azimio La Umoja (One Kenya Alliance) coalition and faced off against Deputy President William Ruto and lawmaker Rigathi Gachagua, both men, in the Aug. 9 presidential, legislative and local elections.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL1N2ZL044&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a>



Provisional results start trickling in on Tuesday night but an official outcome will take days.



The elections are seen as a key test for stability in East Africa&#8217;s biggest economy, after two of its three last polls were marred by violence following disputes over alleged rigging.



Karua has said Azimio&#8217;s priority would be to stamp out corruption, estimated to cost the government a third of its budget every year, about 800 billion shillings ($6.8 billion). She said Azimio also wants closer scrutiny of private wealth of public sector workers and political leaders.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2022/what-is-at-stake-for-investors-in-kenyas-elections/">What is at stake for investors in Kenya’s elections?</a></h2>



The recovered money would fund her coalition&#8217;s plan to offer direct monthly support to 2 million of Kenya&#8217;s poorest people.



&#8220;Corruption is strangling or choking the nation,&#8221; she said.



Angeline Koome, a primary school teacher in the southeastern port city of Mombasa, said she had decided not to vote but changed her mind when Odinga made Karua his running mate.



&#8220;It was a breath of fresh air to have such a woman who is not only smart and forward thinking but also very dedicated to good leadership. Kenya is safe with her as deputy president,&#8221; Koome told Reuters.



&#8220;She is very tough and for the first time in a long time, I believe we as a country are winning the war on corruption which has been our biggest disaster.&#8221;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-attacks-on-women">ATTACKS ON WOMEN</h2>



Odinga has also designated Karua as his justice minister if they win, capitalising on her reputation for standing up to power. As a lawyer in the early 1990s, Karua said she helped lay the ground for Kenya&#8217;s constitutional charter and fought for multi-party democracy.



In 2001, she defiantly walked out of a rally by former authoritarian president Daniel arap Moi after she was denied a chance to speak.



She also resigned from the government in 2009, citing differences with then president Mwai Kibaki on human rights, tackling corruption and judicial appointments.



But Karua has dismissed her nickname &#8220;Iron Lady&#8221; as a sexist trope, telling Reuters in a June interview that &#8220;strong leadership in women is seen as an exception&#8221;.



Women are under-represented in Kenyan politics and frequently face violence: a parliamentary group said there had been dozens of attacks on women candidates this election cycle. <a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL8N2ZA39A&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2022/early-signs-show-tight-kenyan-presidential-election/">Early signs show tight Kenyan presidential election</a></h3>



&#8220;She will turn tables. The next generation will be lucky to have her at the helm, and yet I am a man, so imagine what other women are feeling,&#8221; Martin Anyanga, a businessman in Mombasa, said of Karua.



Karua has also promised to rein in public debt, which has more than tripled by 7 trillion shillings ($61.3 billion) since Kenyatta assumed office in 2013, pushing against the nation&#8217;s debt ceiling.



FACTBOX-Kenya&#8217;s 2022 presidential election contenders<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL8N2Z02XF&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a>



Old scars and new hopes as Kenya votes and holds its breath<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL4N2ZL2Z0&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a>



(Additional reporting by Katharine Houreld in Nairobi; Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise)

5GAQQQRBNNJAXCQTT2VMGKLBAQ

Kenyans ponder a first female vice president as results awaited

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="550" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/NS4CWVIJNVPVFLWRG2XTDBSFQE-820x550.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-419062" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/NS4CWVIJNVPVFLWRG2XTDBSFQE-820x550.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/NS4CWVIJNVPVFLWRG2XTDBSFQE-300x201.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/NS4CWVIJNVPVFLWRG2XTDBSFQE-134x90.jpg 134w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/NS4CWVIJNVPVFLWRG2XTDBSFQE-768x515.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/NS4CWVIJNVPVFLWRG2XTDBSFQE.jpg 960w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>An electoral official empties cast ballot papers from a Presidential ballot box during the general election conducted by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) at the close of the voting process at the Kilimani Primary School in Nairobi, Kenya August 9, 2022. REUTERS/Monicah Mwangi</figcaption></figure>



NAIROBI, Aug 10 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;Preliminary results from Kenya&#8217;s presidential election showed a tight race between the two main candidates vying to replace outgoing President Uhuru Kenyatta.



The Tuesday election is an important test for stability in East Africa&#8217;s biggest economy after two of its three last elections were marred by violence following disputes over accusations of rigging.



The frontrunners, Deputy President William Ruto and veteran opposition leader Raila Odinga, were neck and neck with 1.2 million votes each, results tabulated by the private Citizen Television early on Wednesday showed, putting them at just over 49% each.



The winning candidate must get 50% plus one vote.



The election commission, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), posted images of more than 90% of election result forms, from a total of 46,663 polling stations.



But for now, the commission is only posting pictures, not numbers. Only two constituency-level results are available on the commission&#8217;s website.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-read-more-kenya-s-2022-presidential-election-contenders">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2022/kenyas-2022-presidential-election-contenders/">Kenya’s 2022 presidential election contenders</a></h3>



The constituency result forms have to be physically taken to the national tallying centre in the capital, Nairobi, and verified before the commission issues them as official results.



The process is partly the result of a Supreme Court ruling in 2017 that overturned the initial re-election of Kenyatta in August that year, citing the commission&#8217;s failure to follow the process to the letter.



The final result from the IEBC is expected in days, although legally, it has up to a week.



Turnout was low on Tuesday, when voters also chose legislative and local authority representatives.



The commission said it believed that about 60% of the 22.1 million registered voters cast ballots. Turnout was nearly 80% in the last election in 2017.



Several factors were blamed for the disappointing turnout including drought in the north and voter frustration with the government&#8217;s failure to tackle economic problems such as rising food and fuel prices.



Kenyatta fell out with his deputy Ruto after their re-election in 2017. He has endorsed Odinga.



(Reporting by Duncan Miriri; Editing by Katharine Houreld, Robert Birsel)

NS4CWVIJNVPVFLWRG2XTDBSFQE

Early signs show tight Kenyan presidential election

<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/IQISG7TMCJLHZCX2UNITHIHAFM-820x547.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-419039" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/IQISG7TMCJLHZCX2UNITHIHAFM-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/IQISG7TMCJLHZCX2UNITHIHAFM-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/IQISG7TMCJLHZCX2UNITHIHAFM-135x90.jpg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/IQISG7TMCJLHZCX2UNITHIHAFM-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/IQISG7TMCJLHZCX2UNITHIHAFM.jpg 960w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>Banners of Kenya&#8217;s opposition leader and presidential candidate Raila Odinga of the Azimio la Umoja (Declaration of Unity) coalition (L), and Kenya&#8217;s Deputy President William Ruto and presidential candidate for the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) and Kenya Kwanza political coalition, are seen in Nairobi, Kenya, August 4, 2022. REUTERS/Baz Ratner</figcaption></figure>



NAIROBI, Aug 8 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;Millions of Kenyans will head to the polls on Tuesday to pick a new president in a fiercely contested election that pitches veteran opposition leader Raila Odinga against Deputy President William Ruto.



President Uhuru Kenyatta is not running due to term limits but is backing Odinga. Lawmakers and country officials will also be elected.



The final four opinion polls published last week put Odinga ahead with a margin of 6-8 points but Ruto has dismissed them as fake and designed to sway the electorate.



Following are key topics for investors:



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-is-at-stake-for-investors">WHAT IS AT STAKE FOR INVESTORS?</h2>



One of the most advanced economies in Africa, Kenya is a commercial hub for East and Central Africa, hosting regional headquarters of global firms like Alphabet&nbsp;GOOGL.O&nbsp;and Visa&nbsp;V.N.



Its stocks, bonds and the shilling currency&nbsp;KES=&nbsp;are some of the most traded by foreign investors on the continent.



A number of flashpoints are on investors&#8217; radar for the election. Deadly violence erupted after recent elections with more than 1,200 people killed after the 2007 ballot.



The global backdrop looks also challenging: Kenya, an energy importer, has felt the pinch from elevated crude oil prices. Like other emerging economies, Kenya faces rising borrowing costs as the U.S. Federal Reserve and other major central banks hike interest rates to tame inflation.



Spreads of Kenya&#8217;s hard-currency debt over safe-haven U.S. Treasuries &#8211; the premium demanded by investors &#8211; have come down from over 1,400 basis points in mid-July, but are still in the danger zone of above 1,000 bps.&nbsp;.JPMEGDKENR



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">WHAT ARE MARKETS WATCHING OUT FOR?</h2>



Markets are closely scrutinising fiscal accounts, the balance of payments and central bank reserves. Having a current account deficit as well as a fiscal deficit, Kenya&#8217;s financial position has been a longstanding source of vulnerability.



&#8220;Fiscal consolidation is going to be paramount for the elected president,&#8221; William Blair fund manager Yvette Babb told Reuters.



Gergely Urmossy, emerging market strategist at Societe Generale, said a credible strategy could see Kenya regain full access to international capital markets, while a good relationship with the International Monetary Fund was key.



&#8220;Kenya&#8217;s next president will need to present a credible and responsible macro-financial stabilisation agenda, which addresses the wide twin deficit and promotes debt sustainability,&#8221; said Urmossy.



The IMF agreed a three-year, $2.34 billion extended fund facility and extended credit facility in April 2021. During its latest review the fund said Nairobi was on track to meet most of the program&#8217;s objectives, though urged authorities to stick to the agreed fiscal consolidation path.



Committing to structural reforms was &#8220;essential to meet the IMF&#8217;s requirements in terms of unlocking further tranches and also strengthening the market&#8217;s confidence that the new government is both willing and able to deliver,&#8221; Urmossy added.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ODINGA AND RUTO?</h2>



Pledges between the two key candidates differ on key policy priorities such as tackling debt issues, job creation and social spending.



Odinga has pledged to renegotiate debt terms to lengthen maturities and free up cash for social interventions and development.



That aim of rearranging debt to lengthen maturities could be targeted at domestic debt servicing, said Sthembiso E Nkalanga at JPMorgan, which has been higher than servicing of foreign debt.



Ruto pledges to reduce borrowing and stimulate small enterprises to help drive growth and generate revenues.



&#8220;Ruto recognizes the country&#8217;s debt problem, but envisions raising economic growth and broadening the tax base would suffice in restoring creditworthiness and ensuring fiscal prudence,&#8221; Nkalanga said.



Both broadly converge on the Big 4 Agenda &#8211; Kenya&#8217;s 2030 blueprint which divides the country&#8217;s future economic development into four pillars: Food security, affordable housing, manufacturing and affordable healthcare.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">WHAT DO LOCAL INVESTORS THINK?</h2>



Odinga and Ruto have offered differing visions for the economy, with Odinga advocating for enhanced social protections, and Ruto promising to empower small enterprises.



Local investors are optimistic: Three quarters of all business executives who took part in the central bank&#8217;s July market perception survey said they were optimistic, compared with just a third in the same survey five years ago.



This is due to outgoing President Kenyatta making peace with arch rival Odinga in March 2018 in the wake of a divisive election contest, which led to political stability.



&#8220;We have never had a more peaceful time, days to the election. The country is calm,&#8221; said Joe Mucheru, the minister for information and communication.



However, a new schism opened between Kenyatta and his estranged deputy Ruto, who Kenyatta says is not fit to be president. Meanwhile, the government has deployed extra police in areas of the Rift Valley, Ruto&#8217;s political power base and police say they are prepared for any opportunistic looting in major cities like Kisumu during and after the election.



(Reporting by Duncan Miriri in Nairobi and Karin Strohecker in London; additional reporting by Jorgelina do Rosario in London, Editing by Ros Russell)

IQISG7TMCJLHZCX2UNITHIHAFM

What is at stake for investors in Kenya’s elections?

<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/WYF3YLLTV5LD3JKHJ65ER4BBPQ-820x547.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-419024" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/WYF3YLLTV5LD3JKHJ65ER4BBPQ-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/WYF3YLLTV5LD3JKHJ65ER4BBPQ-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/WYF3YLLTV5LD3JKHJ65ER4BBPQ-135x90.jpg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/WYF3YLLTV5LD3JKHJ65ER4BBPQ-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/WYF3YLLTV5LD3JKHJ65ER4BBPQ.jpg 960w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>International Monetary Fund (IMF) logo is seen at the IMF headquarters building during the IMF/World Bank annual meetings in Washington, U.S., October 14, 2017. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas/File Photo/File Photo</figcaption></figure>



LUSAKA, Aug 5 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;Zambia&#8217;s Finance Minister Situmbeko Musokotwane said on Friday that the International Monetary Fund&#8217;s&nbsp;executive board was expected to meet at the end of the month to approve a lending plan.



The southern African country reached a staff-level agreement with the IMF on a $1.4 billion three-year extended credit facility in December, conditional upon its ability to reduce debt to levels the fund deems sustainable.



Late last month, Zambia&#8217;s official creditors pledged to negotiate a debt restructuring, a move IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva welcomed as&nbsp;enabling the fund&#8217;s board to consider signing off on the financing.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL1N2ZB04Q&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a>



Addressing the same event as Musokotwane, the permanent secretary in the finance ministry said the economy grew 2.4% in the first quarter of 2022 and that the economic environment was expected to improve because of the advanced engagements with the IMF and creditors.



Mukuli Chikuba said government revenue and grant collections were 5.5% ahead of the half-year budget target, while expenditures were 14.7% below target.



The central government&#8217;s external debt rose slightly to $13.25 billion at the end of June from $13.04 billion at the end of December, Chikuba said. He added that the government planned to remove inefficient subsidies such as on fuel over 2023-25.



(Reporting by Chris Mfula; Writing by Alexander Winning; Editing by Kim Coghill)

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Zambia sees IMF board meeting at end-August to approve loan programme

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="429" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/S3AHZMWVUNPUBBNKFYXMM7MVAI-820x429.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-419011" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/S3AHZMWVUNPUBBNKFYXMM7MVAI-820x429.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/S3AHZMWVUNPUBBNKFYXMM7MVAI-300x157.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/S3AHZMWVUNPUBBNKFYXMM7MVAI-160x84.jpg 160w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/S3AHZMWVUNPUBBNKFYXMM7MVAI-768x402.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/S3AHZMWVUNPUBBNKFYXMM7MVAI.jpg 1080w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>Kenyan presidential candidate George Wajackoyah speaks during an election campaign rally in Gatundu, Kenya, August 3, 2022. REUTERS/Baz Ratner</figcaption></figure>



NAIROBI, Aug 5 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;Sexagenarian reggae aficionado and presidential candidate George Wajackoyah is convinced he has the right medicine for the ills troubling Kenya&#8217;s voters: a dose of marijuana and some hyena testicles.



East Africa&#8217;s wealthiest country is holding elections on Aug. 9. A tight race between the two leading presidential candidates &#8211; veteran opposition leader Raila Odinga and Deputy President William Ruto &#8211; has thrust a spotlight on Wajackoyah&#8217;s small but committed band of followers, who could force a run-off if neither side gets more than 50% of the vote.



Voter registration among young people has fallen sharply, with many saying conventional politicians have failed to tackle rampant corruption, runaway inflation or joblessness.



Wajackoyah&#8217;s bid for the presidency has caught the imagination of younger voters. The grave-digger-turned-adjunct-law-professor is trailing a distant third in the polls at around 2% but he could tip the balance if he endorses one candidate, or takes enough votes from another.



His no-frills campaign promises to wipe out Kenya&#8217;s debt of roughly $70 billion by establishing a medical cannabis industry and exporting animal parts to China, including hyena testicles, which Wajackoyah says the Chinese consider a delicacy.



&#8220;I&#8217;ve created a new tribe, known as the ganja tribe,&#8221; he said, explaining his popularity. &#8220;These (politicians), they have helicopters, they have money, they have painted cars. I don&#8217;t even have a single poster.&#8221;



The Kenyan media&#8217;s infatuation with colouful Wajackoyah, also a well-known figure from Nairobi&#8217;s club scene, has prompted speculation that he is backed by a bigger campaign to try to peel away some of the youth vote &#8211; a prospect he airily dismisses.



Many candidates have offered him cash for support, he said, but he has turned them all down. Instead, he said he dreams of lighting up in the president&#8217;s office.



&#8220;We shall go to state house and smoke it around to remove the colonial impurities,&#8221; 62-year-old Wajackoyah said in his wood-panelled office, sporting a du-rag bandanna and listening to a Hare Krishna prayer.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-read-more-weary-and-wary-kenyans-gear-up-for-national-elections">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2022/weary-and-wary-kenyans-gear-up-for-national-elections/">Weary and wary, Kenyans gear up for national elections</a></h3>



He checked his phone to recall the other points on his manifesto, which veer from federalising government and renegotiating the country&#8217;s debts with China, to hanging the corrupt and throwing out Chinese nationals.



&#8220;We&#8217;ve come in with the ganja solution,&#8221; he said.



By his latest count, Wajackoyah said he has picked up 14 law degrees and certificates from England, where fled as a refugee, the United States, where he met his wife, and back in Kenya where he runs a law firm specialising in migration.



Getting elected in Kenya is an expensive business, costing an estimated $31,000 to sit on a county assembly, up to $390,000 to sit in the senate, based on a study by the Institute for Development Studies at the University of Nairobi.



Wajackoyah is bucking the trend by running on a shoestring budget, with supporters creating their own posters featuring his snow-white beard and the slogan &#8220;Wajackoyah the 5th,&#8221; in reference to his bid to be the nation&#8217;s fifth president.



&#8220;If I showed you the amount of money I have, you would laugh,&#8221; Wajackoyah said.



With no donors or war-chest to draw on, his rallies consist of him arriving at markets unannounced, popping his head through the sunroof of his car to blaring reggae music, and making his pitch to startled onlookers.



On Wednesday, with six days to go until the election, Wajakoyah&#8217;s small convoy rolled into Gatundu, around 30 km north of the capital Nairobi. A smiling crowd of around 400 quickly gathered, waving smart phones and jostling for selfies.



&#8220;Every election cycle everybody just comes here with their propaganda,&#8221; said Jeff Mwangi, a labourer. &#8220;If this man can do what he&#8217;s actually saying&#8230; we will go very far as a country.&#8221;



($1 = 119.0500 Kenyan shillings)



FACTBOX-Kenya&#8217;s 2022 presidential election contenders<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL8N2Z02XF&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a>



(Reporting by Hereward Holland; Additional reporting by Ben Makori; Writing by Hereward Holland. Editing by Jane Merriman)

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Kenya presidential wildcard vows to erase debt with ‘ganja solution’

<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/MLNDWSRC4VN33AJN5K7MFVJTUI-820x547.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-418987" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/MLNDWSRC4VN33AJN5K7MFVJTUI-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/MLNDWSRC4VN33AJN5K7MFVJTUI-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/MLNDWSRC4VN33AJN5K7MFVJTUI-135x90.jpg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/MLNDWSRC4VN33AJN5K7MFVJTUI-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/MLNDWSRC4VN33AJN5K7MFVJTUI-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/MLNDWSRC4VN33AJN5K7MFVJTUI.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>Kenya&#8217;s Deputy President and presidential candidate William Ruto attends an election rally in Eldoret, Kenya August 1, 2022. REUTERS/Baz Ratner/File Photo</figcaption></figure>



NAIROBI, Aug 4 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;East Africa&#8217;s economic powerhouse will hold elections on Aug. 9 to select a new president, parliament, county governors and assemblies. President Uhuru Kenyatta will be stepping down after serving his constitutionally allowed 10 years.



Many voters want change, frustrated by corruption and skyrocketing prices. But both frontrunners vying to succeed Kenyatta have ties to him.



Veteran opposition leader Raila Odinga has received Kenyatta&#8217;s endorsement. William Ruto has been Kenyatta&#8217;s deputy president for the past decade, although the two men fell out.



Odinga, a left-leaning former political prisoner, has served as prime minister and is the son of the nation&#8217;s first vice president.



Ruto, a gifted orator who says he once sold chicken by the roadside, has portrayed the election as a fight between common &#8220;hustlers&#8221; and elite &#8220;dynasties&#8221;.



Both are wooing voters in East Africa&#8217;s richest and most stable nation by promising to reign in ballooning foreign borrowing and help the poor. Less than 0.1% of Kenyans own more wealth than the bottom 99.9% combined, according to Oxfam. The global spike in fuel and food prices has hit families hard.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL8N2Z02XF&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a>



The candidates have also stitched together alliances of ethnic voting blocs. Such ethnic rivalries led to deadly violence in previous elections after results were disputed.



But unlike the past four elections, Kenyatta&#8217;s Kikuyu ethnic group, the nation&#8217;s largest, has no presidential candidate to unify behind. Both Odinga and Ruto have chosen Kikuyu vice-presidential running mates.



The potential fracturing of Kenya&#8217;s biggest ethnic voting bloc makes for an unpredictable election, said Murithi Mutiga, Africa head for global think tank International Crisis Group.



&#8220;The public has grown weary of all the byzantine alliances among the political elites,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Politicians are being forced to discuss issues that really matter.&#8221;



Young citizens are particularly disenchanted, he said; many have not bothered registering to vote.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-voter-apathy">VOTER APATHY</h2>



Those are Kenyans like 30-year-old motorbike taxi driver Calvince Okumu, who falls into a demographic courted by both camps.



He is one of the country&#8217;s 1.6 million motorcycle taxi drivers – the kind of young, hardscrabble entrepreneur Ruto promises to give loans to. He also hails from Western Kenya, Odinga&#8217;s stronghold, and could benefit from his promise to provide a basic income to the poorest families.



He&#8217;s not interested.



&#8220;Why should I line up for four hours to vote?&#8221; asked Okumu, a part-time student. &#8220;There&#8217;s no difference between the two.&#8221;



The number of registered voters aged 18-34 has dropped more than 5 percent since the 2017 election, despite population growth of around 12 percent.



Okumu&#8217;s more concerned about finding steady work. More than a tenth of Kenyans aged 18 &#8211; 64 are unemployed and nearly one in five are out of the labor force &#8211; meaning they are not looking for work, according to the World Bank.



Endemic corruption has also angered voters; both camps include officials charged with or even convicted of corruption.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL4N2Z12DD&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a>



In the northeast, the worst drought in 40 years has forced parched grazing lands and forced 4.1 million people to depend on food aid. Their plight has barely been mentioned as would-be leaders buzzed across the country in fleets of helicopters.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL8N2ZA3DD&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">UNREST</h2>



The shadow of the violence following disputed 2007 elections, which killed 1,200 people and displaced around 600,000, hangs over each election cycle.



Kenyatta and Ruto were among six Kenyans charged at the International Criminal Court over their alleged roles in the 2007 violence. Both denied the charges and their cases collapsed.



Violence also followed the 2017 polls, when more than 100 people were killed.



This time, there&#8217;s been less pre-election violence; communities are working hard to defuse tensions.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL4N2ZE1A8&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a>&nbsp;The Supreme Court&#8217;s decision to nullify and re-run the last election also means there&#8217;s higher confidence in the justice system &#8211; so disputes are more likely to go to the courts than the streets.



In Kenya&#8217;s sugar country, volunteers keep election relations sweet&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL4N2ZE1A8&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a>



In northern Kenya, drought may keep some herders from voting<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL8N2ZA3DD&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a>



Women candidates in Kenyan elections endure abuse and attacks<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AnL8N2ZA39A&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a>



Debt shadow may hang over Kenya&#8217;s next president<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL8N2Z644Z&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a>



Corruption convictions no bar to running in Kenya&#8217;s elections<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL4N2Z12DD&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a>



Kenyan health activist moves from mangrove swamps to politics<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL8N2YZ18R&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%3AL4N2Z11YF&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a>



Kenya presidential contenders pick rights champion, political campaigner as running mates<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL5N2X80NQ&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a>



FACTBOX-Kenya&#8217;s 2022 presidential election contenders&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL8N2Z02XF&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a>



(Editing by Alexandra Hudson)

MLNDWSRC4VN33AJN5K7MFVJTUI

Weary and wary, Kenyans gear up for national elections

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="547" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/GettyImages-1236313690-820x547.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-416649" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/GettyImages-1236313690-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/GettyImages-1236313690-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/GettyImages-1236313690-135x90.jpg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/GettyImages-1236313690-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/GettyImages-1236313690-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/GettyImages-1236313690-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>IMF managing director Kristalina Georgieva speaks during a panel discussion at the COP26 UN Climate Summit in Glasgow on November 3, 2021. (Photo by Daniel LEAL / AFP) (Photo by DANIEL LEAL/AFP via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>



LUSAKA, Aug 4 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;China invited Zambia&#8217;s private creditors to discuss the nation&#8217;s debt later this month after official creditors agreed to a restructuring of its debt, Chinese Ambassador to Zambia Du Xiaohui said on Thursday.



Zambia&#8217;s creditors have pledged to negotiate a restructuring of the country&#8217;s debts in a move welcomed by International Monetary Fund managing director Kristalina Georgieva as &#8220;clearing the way&#8221; for a $1.4 billion fund programme.<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL1N2ZB04Q&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a>



The creditor committee, co-chaired by China and France, also called on private creditors to &#8220;commit without delay&#8221; to negotiating debt relief on terms at least as favourable.



&#8220;If the official creditors from China agree with the restructuring process, then the private sector from China will follow comparable terms to deal the debt issue for Zambia,&#8221; Du said at a public discussion.



&#8220;There is an invitation from co-chair China to other private creditors to have a friendly conversation on the Zambian debt issue this month,&#8221; he added.



In 2020, Zambia became the first African country in the pandemic era to default. The restructuring of its external debt, which amounted to more than $17 billion at the end of 2021, is seen by many analysts as a test case.



The first bilateral creditor meeting was held in June after Zambia&#8217;s government complained of delays to the restructuring. Talks are taking place under the Common Framework, a debt relief process launched by the Group of 20 major economies in 2020 which has been criticised by some for being slow to yield results.



(Reporting by Chris Mfula; Editing by Olivia Kumwenda-Mtambo and Mike Harrison)

BRITAIN-UN-CLIMATE-COP26

China invites Zambia’s private creditors for debt restructuring talks

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="542" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/ECB4OPDDZZN4BFGO5UAGZLUSSE-820x542.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-418973" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/ECB4OPDDZZN4BFGO5UAGZLUSSE-820x542.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/ECB4OPDDZZN4BFGO5UAGZLUSSE-300x198.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/ECB4OPDDZZN4BFGO5UAGZLUSSE-136x90.jpg 136w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/ECB4OPDDZZN4BFGO5UAGZLUSSE-768x507.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/ECB4OPDDZZN4BFGO5UAGZLUSSE.jpg 960w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>Kenya&#8217;s opposition leader and presidential candidate Raila Odinga of the Azimio la Umoja (Declaration of Unity) coalition, joins performers at a campaign rally ahead of the forthcoming general election at the Kirigiti Stadium in Kiambu, Kenya August 1, 2022. REUTERS/Monicah Mwangi/File Photo</figcaption></figure>



NAIROBI, Aug 4 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;Kenya holds a presidential election on Aug. 9 with opinion polls predicting a tight race between veteran opposition leader Raila Odinga and serving Deputy President William Ruto.



Incumbent President Uhuru Kenyatta, constitutionally barred from seeking a third five-year term,&nbsp;has publicly criticised his deputy&nbsp;and endorsed Odinga.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL8N2V02ZC&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a>



Kenyatta&#8217;s Kikuyu ethnic group, the nation&#8217;s most populous, has produced three of four presidents since independence from Britain in 1963, but does not have a presidential candidate this time. Recognising the importance of ethnic voting blocs, both frontrunners have picked a Kikuyu vice president.



Presidential candidates George Wajackoyah and David Mwaure Waihiga are polling in low single-digit numbers, but votes going their way might mean neither Odinga nor Ruto secure a majority, pushing the race to a second round.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">WILLIAM RUTO</h2>



Ruto heads the Kenya Kwanza (Kenya First) Alliance and served as a lawmaker and minister for agriculture before becoming deputy president.



In the 2007 election, Ruto sided with Odinga and lost. Around 1,200 people were killed in the violence that followed.



He was later charged with crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court for his alleged role in the violence, but the case collapsed. He denied any wrongdoing.



In 2013 and 2017, he teamed up with Kenyatta to defeat Odinga.



An eloquent orator, 55-year-old teetotaller Ruto has pledged to boost spending for small farmers and private businesses, and reform national health insurance and social security funds.



Ruto portrays himself as a former roadside chicken seller representing working-class &#8220;hustlers&#8221; against wealthy political &#8220;dynasties&#8221;.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL2N2VI13S&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">RAILA ODINGA</h2>



Odinga is running for president under the Azimio La Umoja (Declaration of Unity) Alliance, which includes Kenyatta&#8217;s Jubilee party. Odinga is the son of the nation&#8217;s first vice president, while Kenyatta is the son of the first president.



A former political prisoner, Odinga says the last three elections were stolen from him. Deadly violence followed the disputed 2007 and 2017 votes.



Odinga has pledged to stamp out widespread graft and give a monthly stipend to the unemployed, universal healthcare and free education to all. He named his eldest son Fidel in a nod to his left-wing sympathies.



His political heartland is in western Kenya, whose residents have in the past complained of neglect by the government due to their support for the opposition.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">GEORGE WAJACKOYAH</h2>



Wajackoyah, 63, who describes himself as a lawyer, academic and former spy, is running under the Roots Party of Kenya banner.



He pledges to legalise cultivating marijuana for industrial and medicinal use, and export hyena testicles and snake venom to help pay Kenya&#8217;s external public debt.



He also plans to suspend parts of the constitution for six months and hang anyone convicted of corruption.



He has attracted some young voters and enraged many religious leaders.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-david-mwaure-waihiga">DAVID MWAURE WAIHIGA</h2>



Waihiga, also a lawyer, is running on the Agano Party of Kenya ticket.



He pledges to tackle government graft, and publish the government contracts for major infrastructure projects such as railways, ports and highways.



(Reporting by George Obulutsa; Editing by Katharine Houreld and Kenneth Maxwell)

ECB4OPDDZZN4BFGO5UAGZLUSSE

Kenya’s 2022 presidential election contenders

<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-536213350-820x547.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-418941" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/GettyImages-536213350-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/GettyImages-536213350-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/GettyImages-536213350-135x90.jpg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/GettyImages-536213350-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/GettyImages-536213350-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/GettyImages-536213350-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>The Stars Foundation visiting Action in the Community Environment (ACE) in Bungoma, Kenya. A man is transporting sugar canes on his bicycle. The area around Bungoma is very fertile but most of the land is used to grow sugar canes. Sugar cane is what is called a cash crop (or a man&#8217;s crop), it is easy to grow and can be sold off in one go earning the farmer some easy cash. The trouble in Bungoma is that few women and children get to benefit from the cash and since the land is full of sugar canes they often go hungry and malnourished. | Location: Bungoma, Kenya. (Photo by In Pictures Ltd./Corbis via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>



KIBIGORI, Kenya, Aug 3 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;The khaki-coloured road slicing through Kibigori town in Kenya&#8217;s sugar-growing country is more than a county boundary, it is also a faultline dividing communities fielding rival presidential candidates in the Aug. 9 election.



The town&#8217;s split loyalties and history of unrest make it a potential flashpoint where armed police are conducting daily patrols. But it is also a test case for home-grown community peace-building in a country wary of the violence that followed the disputed 2007 and 2017 elections.



In 2017, tit-for-tat violence erupted in the town between two of the nation&#8217;s largest ethnic groups – the Luo and the Kalenjin. Houses were torched, cattle stolen and six people killed.



This time, religious leaders and volunteer peace ambassadors from both sides are trying to stop problems before they start. The peace ambassadors are part of a nationwide initiative &#8211; the Peace Ambassadors Integration Organisation.



On the southern side of the town, residents from the Luo community largely back their ethnic kinsman and veteran opposition presidential hopeful Raila Odinga. Their neighbours to the north overwhelmingly support Deputy President William Ruto, a fellow ethnic Kalenjin.



No politician is worth a life, the peace ambassadors say.



&#8220;Every five years politicians come and make more promises&#8230; but when you elect them they disappear,&#8221; said Willis Oundo, who has volunteered as a peace ambassador with the Luo community for 14 years.



Local politicians from both sides promise to move the county boundary north or south, he said, giving their supporters a larger share of fertile lands rich with sugar cane and grazing grounds.



Oundo tells voters to ignore politics and focus on shared interest: the sugar plantations and factories where residents work side by side.



&#8220;When we fight, the economy collapses,&#8221; he said.



Prisca Rono, one of Oundo&#8217;s counterparts from the Kalenjin community, says the same.



&#8220;If we don&#8217;t have peace, industry will close. No peace, no work,&#8221; she said.



Some residents are still worried. Shopkeepers from both sides plan to close their business two days before the vote.



At the Grace Gospel Ministry, a corrugated iron church on the southern side of town, pastor Moses Agolla said Kalenjin parishioners stopped coming as political tensions rose three months ago. Agolla was injured in 2017 when a mob attacked him and torched his house.



Several weeks ago, in a nearby town, leaflets were distributed ordering people to vote for Ruto or leave town. On Tuesday, police arrested eight people in a different area for distributing incendiary leaflets in the Rift Valley.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-vote-for-peace">VOTE FOR PEACE</h2>



To help improve ties, Agolla has sent parishioners door-to-door to preach peace, and held meetings with likeminded pastors from across the street.



&#8220;My message is to vote for peace,&#8221; Agolla said.



Rono and Oundo agree there&#8217;s far less hate-speech or threats to seize land than before the 2017 election. Cattle-rustling, often a spark for revenge, has reduced.



Nationally, pre-election violence such as hate leaflets, civil unrest, intimidation, attacks on candidates, has fallen by more than two-thirds between January and end of July compared with the same period in the run-up to the 2017 polls, said Declan Galvin of risk advisory company WS Insight.



The peace ambassadors also liaise between citizens and security forces, who are frequently accused by rights groups of using excessive force to quell protests.



&#8220;This election is a bit volatile,&#8221; Oundo said. &#8220;You never know what will happen&#8230; we&#8217;ll keep on talking.&#8221;



(Reporting by Baz Ratner; Writing by Hereward Holland. Editing by Jane Merriman)

Kenya – Bungoma – Action in the Community Environment

In Kenya’s sugar country, volunteers keep election relations sweet

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="526" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/QUX23WWM4RIVJG2ZBRJX5ACL5I-820x526.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-418894" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/QUX23WWM4RIVJG2ZBRJX5ACL5I-820x526.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/QUX23WWM4RIVJG2ZBRJX5ACL5I-300x192.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/QUX23WWM4RIVJG2ZBRJX5ACL5I-140x90.jpg 140w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/QUX23WWM4RIVJG2ZBRJX5ACL5I-768x493.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/QUX23WWM4RIVJG2ZBRJX5ACL5I-1536x985.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/QUX23WWM4RIVJG2ZBRJX5ACL5I-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>Samburu tribes people walk home after receiving relief meat in the de-stocking of emaciated animals in a program by the government and the Kenya Red Cross to buy livestock, slaughter and distribute the meat as relief food to the most affected families following a prolonged drought near Lengusaka in Wamba, Samburu county, Kenya July 27, 2022. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya</figcaption></figure>



LENGUSAKA, Kenya, Aug 2 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;In Kenya&#8217;s northern Samburu County, severe drought has forced herders to migrate hundreds of kilometres in search of pasture and water, meaning some may have to skip voting in elections set for Aug. 9.



People are more focused on trying to save their animals and livelihoods than on casting their ballots.



&#8220;The problem is that our pastoralists have gone very far to look for pasture&#8230; They will not get a chance of coming back to vote,&#8221; said Paul Paradisi, administrator of Koiting Location in Samburu County with about 6,800 residents.



Poor rainfall means around four million people in Kenya are currently facing acute food shortages, and cases of child malnutrition have surged by half in parts of the country. <a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL8N2Z337V&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-read-more-usaid-pledges-kenya-255-mln-to-fight-drought-appeals-to-rich-countries-to-help">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2022/usaid-to-give-kenya-255-mln-for-drought-administrator/">USAID pledges Kenya $255 mln to fight drought, appeals to rich countries to help</a></h3>



To cushion the impact, the government and Kenya Red Cross will spend some 24 million shillings ($202,190) to buy livestock for slaughter in Samburu County.



The meat from the animals will be given back to the herders after they have been killed.



Mary Yanaiyo, mother of eight from Koiting Location, told Reuters that people were suffering because the rains had failed and food prices skyrocketed.



&#8220;The children went to graze the cows far away and we don&#8217;t know when they will come back,&#8221; she said, as government officials and Red Cross personnel distributed meat behind her.



Kenya holds presidential, parliamentary and local government elections on Aug. 9.



($1 = 118.7000 Kenyan shillings)



(Reporting by Thomas Mukoya; Writing by George Obulutsa; Editing by Alexander Winning and Gareth Jones)

In northern Kenya, drought may keep some herders from voting in Samburu

In northern Kenya, drought may keep some herders from voting

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="615" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/XLCCCJF7SRMX5PJLAV6X4DBERI-820x615.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-418859" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/XLCCCJF7SRMX5PJLAV6X4DBERI-820x615.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/XLCCCJF7SRMX5PJLAV6X4DBERI-300x225.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/XLCCCJF7SRMX5PJLAV6X4DBERI-120x90.jpg 120w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/XLCCCJF7SRMX5PJLAV6X4DBERI-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/XLCCCJF7SRMX5PJLAV6X4DBERI-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/XLCCCJF7SRMX5PJLAV6X4DBERI-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>Kenyan Cabinet Secretary in the Ministry of Information and Communications Joe Mucheru uses his cell phone on the Loon technology internet to stream a live video call of Kenya&#8217;s President Uhuru Kenyatta addressing villagers as Alphabet Inc begins offering the world&#8217;s first commercial high-speed internet using balloons to villagers in Radad, Baringo, Kenya July 8, 2020. REUTERS/Jackson Njehia</figcaption></figure>



NAIROBI, Aug 1 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;Kenya has no intention of shutting down Facebook, which is owned by Meta&nbsp;META.O, its ICT minister said on Monday after the national cohesion watchdog gave the platform seven days to comply with rules on hate speech or face suspension.



The National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) on Friday accused Facebook of contravening Kenya&#8217;s constitution and laws for failing to tackle hate speech and incitement on the platform ahead of Aug. 9 national elections.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL1N2ZA0PN&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a>



&#8220;We do not have a plan to shut down any of these platforms,&#8221; Joe Mucheru, the minister for information, communication and technology, told Reuters. &#8220;Press freedom is one we cherish, whether it is (traditional) media or social media.&#8221;



His statement echoed that of the interior minister, Fred Matiangi, who accused the NCIC of making haphazard decisions over the weekend, and vowed that the platform will not be shut down.



&#8220;They (NCIC) should have consulted widely because they don&#8217;t have the power to shut anybody down. They don&#8217;t licence anybody,&#8221; Mucheru said.



When it issued its ultimatum, the NCIC said it was consulting with the Communication Authority of Kenya, which regulates the industry, adding that it would recommend suspension of Facebook&#8217;s operations if it does not comply.



Meta has taken &#8220;extensive steps&#8221; to weed out hate speech and inflammatory content, and it is intensifying those efforts ahead of the election, a company spokesperson told Reuters.



Mucheru agreed, adding that the platform has deleted 37,000 hate speech related posts during the electioneering period.



Supporters of the leading presidential candidates, veteran opposition leader Raila Odinga and deputy president William Ruto, have used social media platforms to praise their candidates, persuade others to join them or to accuse opposing sides of various misdeeds.



Some of Kenya&#8217;s 45 tribes have targeted each other during violence in past polls, but Mucheru said this election is different and the country is enjoying peace and calm in spite of the heightened political activities.



(Reporting by Duncan Miriri; Editing by Toby Chopra)

toKenyan Cabinet Secretary in the Ministry of Information and Communications Joe Mucheru uses his cell phone on the Loon technology internet in Radad

Kenyan ministers rally around Meta’s Facebook after watchdog’s ultimatum

<figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Rigathi_Gachagua_Potrait.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-418815" width="600" height="600" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Rigathi_Gachagua_Potrait.jpg 600w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Rigathi_Gachagua_Potrait-300x300.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Rigathi_Gachagua_Potrait-90x90.jpg 90w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /><figcaption>Rigathi Gachagua, Mathira MP, Kenya Kwanza Running mate Photo: via Wikimedia </figcaption></figure>



NAIROBI, July 28 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;A Kenyan court has ordered&nbsp;vice presidential nominee&nbsp;Rigathi Gachagua to&nbsp;repay&nbsp;202 million shillings ($1.7 million)&nbsp;which it determined were&nbsp;the proceeds of corruption,&nbsp;local&nbsp;media reported on Thursday.



High Court Judge Esther Maina ruled the money&nbsp;came&nbsp;from government agencies&nbsp;but there was no evidence that Gachagua had&nbsp;supplied any goods or&nbsp;services, the Business Daily newspaper&nbsp;reported.



Reuters was unable to obtain court documents for the ruling.



Gachugua&nbsp;said the judgement was intended to undermine his&nbsp;candidacy&nbsp;in the Aug. 9 election on&nbsp;presidential candidate William&nbsp;Ruto&#8217;s ticket.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL8N2Z644Z&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a>



&#8220;The judge was biased against us from the word go and threw caution to the wind by conducting a sham trial,&#8221; he wrote on Twitter.



Gachagua said he&nbsp;has&nbsp;instructed his lawyers to appeal, claiming Maina had refused his lawyers&#8217; bid to challenge the evidence brought against him.



Ruto is the deputy president under&nbsp;current President Uhuru Kenyatta,&nbsp;who&nbsp;has denounced&nbsp;Ruto&#8217;s&nbsp;candidacy and backed veteran opposition leader Raila Odinga instead. Ruto and Odinga, the favourites on the ballot, have both pledged to stamp out corruption if elected.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL1N2Z11X0&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a><a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL5N2X80NQ&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a><a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL8N2Y14P3&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a>



Gachagua&#8217;s&nbsp;accounts were frozen in 2020 following a request by the government&#8217;s Asset Recovery Agency.



Gachagua, a first-time lawmaker and former government administrator, told a campaign meeting in late June that if&nbsp;elected, he will unfreeze the cash and build a rural home to host his supporters for entertainment sessions over roasted meat and porridge.



($1 = 118.7000 Kenyan shillings)



(Reporting by Humphrey Malalo, George Obulutsa and Duncan Miriri; Writing by George Obulutsa; Editing by Hereward Holland and Josie Kao)

Rigathi_Gachagua_Potrait

Kenya vice presidential nominee ordered to pay back corruption funds

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="551" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/WH675YVHBZPIZNYJUJB4CMI73E-820x551.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-418774" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/WH675YVHBZPIZNYJUJB4CMI73E-820x551.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/WH675YVHBZPIZNYJUJB4CMI73E-300x202.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/WH675YVHBZPIZNYJUJB4CMI73E-134x90.jpg 134w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/WH675YVHBZPIZNYJUJB4CMI73E-768x516.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/WH675YVHBZPIZNYJUJB4CMI73E.jpg 960w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>A view shows a toll station on the Expressway undertaken by the China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) on a public-private partnership (PPP) basis, in Nairobi, Kenya May 8, 2022. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya</figcaption></figure>



NAIROBI, July 28 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;Kenya&#8217;s economic output has more than doubled during President Uhuru Kenyatta&#8217;s 10 years in office, but a debt binge that fuelled growth and investment could cramp his successor&#8217;s ability to tackle growing hunger and soaring prices.



Some 22 million voters will pick a new president, lawmakers and county officials on Aug. 9. The election is being overshadowed by a drought that has left 4 million people dependent on food aid while Russia&#8217;s invasion of Ukraine drives up global grain and fuel prices.



Kenya&#8217;s economy is now Africa&#8217;s sixth biggest, up from 13th when Kenyatta took power in April 2013. Annual growth averaging 3.8% over nine years has boosted gross domestic product to 11 trillion shillings ($92.75 billion) from under 5 trillion.



A close Western ally, East Africa&#8217;s most stable country also hosts the regional headquarters of international firms like Alphabet Inc&nbsp;GOOGL.O&nbsp;and Visa&nbsp;V.N.



Debt levels have surged, however, to 9 trillion shillings, or 67% of GDP, from just 2 trillion, or 40% of GDP, when Kenyatta was elected.



&#8220;The increase in debt has been alarmingly fast,&#8221; said Robert Shaw, an independent economic policy analyst based in Nairobi.



Kenyatta, who must stand down after serving two terms, says borrowing &#8211; including $8 billion from China &#8211; funded much-needed infrastructure and helped spur development.



His government has modernised Kenya&#8217;s crumbling, century-old railway network and built more kilometres of paved roads than the previous four administrations combined &#8211; over 10,000, Kenyatta told parliament in November.



He also said then that the number of households connected to the electricity grid had tripled to more than 8 million.



In 2018, the International Monetary Fund classified Kenya as at high risk of debt distress. That risk remains, the Fund&#8217;s Kenya head of mission Mary Goodman told journalists last week.



The yield on Kenya&#8217;s dollar Eurobond due 2024&nbsp;XS1028952403=TE&nbsp;hit a record high of 22% on July 15, as rising U.S. interest rates and the Ukraine war make riskier assets less attractive to investors.



But Julius Muia, principal secretary in the ministry of finance, said debt is sustainable below 70% of GDP, adding: &#8220;The concern about debt is very misplaced.&#8221;



Tabitha Karanja, an opposition United Democratic Alliance candidate for the senate, said the government&#8217;s focus on infrastructure had left many vulnerable people behind.



&#8220;You can&#8217;t build roads for people who are hungry,&#8221; she said.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">DEBT DILEMMA</h2>



Kenyatta&#8217;s preferred successor, veteran opposition leader Raila Odinga, has pledged to renegotiate terms for the debt to lengthen its maturity and free up cash to fund social interventions and development.



His main opponent, Kenyatta&#8217;s estranged deputy president William Ruto, says he would reduce borrowing and stimulate small enterprises to help drive growth and generate revenues.



But surging living costs, which many Kenyans blame on corruption, are uppermost in voters&#8217; minds.



&#8220;Parents with children in school are suffering a lot. Food prices are also hurting them,&#8221; said Steve Otiende, a small shop owner in Nairobi.



The government has spent 12.6 billion shillings providing food for hunger-stricken communities, but says it needs more.



&#8220;The persistent drought has left us with a resource gap of more than 15 billion shillings required for interventions,&#8221; said Margaret Kobia, the minister in charge of special programmes.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-elevated-yields">ELEVATED YIELDS</h2>



Like other frontier economies, Kenya&#8217;s troubles have been compounded by stress in global markets, as major central banks start to reverse years of cheap money policies.



Kenya&#8217;s international bonds have lost 29% of their value this year, with only Ghana&#8217;s faring worse in Africa.



Market turmoil forced Kenya to abandon a $1 billion bond sale last month. The government is examining alternative financing and spending cuts, Muia at the finance ministry said.



But the risk premium over U.S. Treasuries paid by Kenya&#8217;s debt is now over the 1,000 basis points traditionally seen as a marker of distress.



Investor confidence could be shaken further by the election: two of the last three presidential polls were marred by violence, with 1,200 people killed in post-election clashes in 2007.



&#8220;It is very much unclear if the economy has the resilience to manage the coming quarters without crisis,&#8221; said Matthew Vogel, a London-based fund manager at FIM Partners, which specializes in frontier markets.



($1 = 118.6000 Kenyan shillings)



Kenya&#8217;s hard hit government bonds<a href="https://tmsnrt.rs/3cG8mMj">https://tmsnrt.rs/3cG8mMj</a>



Kenya&#8217;s stocks underperform<a href="https://tmsnrt.rs/3op0Vfb" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://tmsnrt.rs/3op0Vfb</a>



The pain has spread<a href="https://tmsnrt.rs/3cfEia9" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://tmsnrt.rs/3cfEia9</a>



Kenya&#8217;s bond worries<a href="https://tmsnrt.rs/3or2fxR">https://tmsnrt.rs/3or2fxR</a>



(Reporting by Duncan Miriri; Additional reporting by Marc Jones in London; Editing by Katharine Houreld and Catherine Evans)

WH675YVHBZPIZNYJUJB4CMI73E

Debt shadow may hang over Kenya’s next president

Africa Health Check S2 EP12: Achieving self-sufficiency in Africa’s vaccination drive

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="547" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/J5BN3D2TZVLIXGJZS2ZGCFXT5Y-820x547.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-418762" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/J5BN3D2TZVLIXGJZS2ZGCFXT5Y-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/J5BN3D2TZVLIXGJZS2ZGCFXT5Y-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/J5BN3D2TZVLIXGJZS2ZGCFXT5Y-135x90.jpg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/J5BN3D2TZVLIXGJZS2ZGCFXT5Y-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/J5BN3D2TZVLIXGJZS2ZGCFXT5Y.jpg 960w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>Officials, including Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Ethiopian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Demeke Mekonnen, attend a meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, July 27, 2022. Russian Foreign Ministry/Handout via REUTERS</figcaption></figure>



ADDIS ABABA, July 27 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday that Moscow supported Ethiopia&#8217;s efforts to stabilise its internal political situation in remarks that sought to draw a contrast with what he presented as meddling by the West.



Lavrov was in Addis Ababa wrapping up a four-nation African tour aimed at drumming up support for Moscow at a time of confrontation with Western powers over the Russian invasion of Ukraine.



Most African nations, mindful of economic interests and historical ties with both Russia and the West, have declined to take sides over Ukraine.



Ethiopia was considered a stalwart ally of the West until conflict broke out in November 2020 in its northern region of Tigray. The Ethiopian government has come under pressure from the United States and European Union over its conduct of the conflict, which has killed thousands and displaced millions.



&#8220;We confirmed our firm support for those efforts which the government is making to stabilise the situation and launch inclusive national dialogue to solve the key questions,&#8221; Lavrov said during a joint media briefing with his Ethiopian counterpart Demeke Mekonnen.



Lavrov described African countries trying to define their own futures and solve their own problems as part of a trend towards a multipolar world which he accused the West of opposing in its pursuit of U.S. hegemony.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-read-more-ugandan-leader-extols-africa-russia-friendship-during-visit-by-lavrov">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2022/ugandan-leader-extols-africa-russia-friendship-during-visit-by-lavrov/">Ugandan leader extols Africa-Russia friendship during visit by Lavrov</a></h3>



Demeke said his country was grateful for &#8220;Russia&#8217;s unwavering support in helping us in safeguarding Ethiopia&#8217;s sovereignty&#8221;.



The Ethiopian government has accused its foreign critics of seeking to unduly interfere in its internal affairs.



Presenting Russia as a respectful friend to Africa, as opposed to overbearing Western powers with a colonial mindset, was a leitmotif of Lavrov&#8217;s remarks during previous stops in Congo Republic and Uganda.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL1N2Z616B&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a><a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL8N2Z748C&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a>



He expanded on the theme during a half-hour speech to diplomats at the Russian embassy in Addis Ababa in which he presented the Russian government&#8217;s positions on Ukraine and international relations in general.



&#8220;I am sure the overwhelming majority of world countries do not want to live as if the colonial times (have) come back,&#8221; he said.



The Russian embassy declined to say which ambassadors had been invited to the event. Questions were asked by diplomats from South Sudan, Algeria and Pakistan before Lavrov left.



(Additional reporting by Alexander Winning in Johannesburg; Writing by Estelle Shirbon and Angus MacSwan)

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Dead heat for Kenya presidency as election results trickle in

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Kenyans ponder a first female vice president as results awaited

Early signs show tight Kenyan presidential election

What is at stake for investors in Kenya’s elections?

Zambia sees IMF board meeting at end-August to approve loan programme

Kenya presidential wildcard vows to erase debt with ‘ganja solution’

Weary and wary, Kenyans gear up for national elections

China invites Zambia’s private creditors for debt restructuring talks

Kenya’s 2022 presidential election contenders

In Kenya’s sugar country, volunteers keep election relations sweet

In northern Kenya, drought may keep some herders from voting

Kenyan ministers rally around Meta’s Facebook after watchdog’s ultimatum

Kenya vice presidential nominee ordered to pay back corruption funds

Debt shadow may hang over Kenya’s next president

Africa Health Check S2 EP12: Achieving self-sufficiency in Africa’s vaccination drive

Lavrov denigrates West’s stance towards Africa during Ethiopia visit

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East Africa

Dead heat for Kenya presidency as election results trickle in

Blinken visits Rwanda in testing moment for old U.S. ally Kagame

Kenyans ponder a first female vice president as results awaited

Early signs show tight Kenyan presidential election

What is at stake for investors in Kenya’s elections?

Zambia sees IMF board meeting at end-August to approve loan programme

Kenya presidential wildcard vows to erase debt with ‘ganja solution’

Weary and wary, Kenyans gear up for national elections

China invites Zambia’s private creditors for debt restructuring talks

Kenya’s 2022 presidential election contenders

In Kenya’s sugar country, volunteers keep election relations sweet

In northern Kenya, drought may keep some herders from voting

Kenyan ministers rally around Meta’s Facebook after watchdog’s ultimatum

Kenya vice presidential nominee ordered to pay back corruption funds

Debt shadow may hang over Kenya’s next president

Africa Health Check S2 EP12: Achieving self-sufficiency in Africa’s vaccination drive

Lavrov denigrates West’s stance towards Africa during Ethiopia visit

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