<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)

J5BN3D2TZVLIXGJZS2ZGCFXT5Y

Lavrov denigrates West’s stance towards Africa during Ethiopia visit

<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/GettyImages-1242090694-820x547.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-418734" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/GettyImages-1242090694-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/GettyImages-1242090694-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/GettyImages-1242090694-135x90.jpg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/GettyImages-1242090694-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/GettyImages-1242090694-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/GettyImages-1242090694-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>CAIRO, EGYPT &#8211; JULY 24: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Hassan Shoukry (not seen) hold joint press conference after their meeting in Cairo, Egypt on June 24, 2022. (Photo by Mohamed Abdel Hamid/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>



ENTEBBE, Uganda, July 26 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni said on Tuesday he saw no reason to criticise Russia over the invasion of Ukraine, extolling Russian-African friendship in remarks that will have delighted his visitor, Russia&#8217;s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.



Speaking alongside Lavrov, who is on a four-nation African tour seeking support for Moscow at a time of confrontation with Western powers, Museveni praised Russia as a partner in the struggle against colonialism going back a century.



&#8220;If Russia makes mistakes then we tell them,&#8221; Museveni said, citing his participation in student demonstrations against the crushing of the Prague Spring by the Soviet Union in 1968.



&#8220;But when they have not made a mistake we cannot be against them,&#8221; he said.



Many African countries, which import Russian grain and energy while also buying Ukrainian grain and benefitting from Western aid flows and trade ties, have avoided taking sides over the war in Ukraine.



Uganda was among 17 African nations that abstained in a March vote on a United Nations resolution condemning the Russian invasion, which was supported by 141 countries out of 193.



Lavrov praised what he described as &#8220;the responsible and balanced position taken by Uganda and other African states&#8221;, accusing the West of displaying a colonial mindset by demanding that Africa adopt an anti-Russian stance.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-read-more-russia-s-lavrov-courts-africa-in-quest-for-more-non-western-friends">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2022/russias-lavrov-courts-africa-in-quest-for-more-non-western-friends/">Russia’s Lavrov courts Africa in quest for more non-Western friends</a></h3>



This chimed with Museveni&#8217;s remarks, in which he drew heavily on historical events to explain his preference for staying on good terms with both Russia and the West.



&#8220;Whenever issues come up and some people want us to take positions against Russia, we say &#8216;but you people, these people have been with us for the last 100 years, how can we be automatically against them?'&#8221; Museveni said.



&#8220;We have even forgiven our former enemies, the colonialists, the ones who have colonised us, the ones who had actually taken slaves from here and who did bad things. We have forgiven them and we are working them,&#8221; he said.



Harking back to the Cold War, Museveni, who has been in power for 36 years, said that when asked if he was pro-West or pro-East he rejected the question as idiotic.



&#8220;I am pro-myself. And I deal with other people according to how they relate with my own interest,&#8221; he said.



Lavrov has already visited Egypt and Congo Republic.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL1N2Z50EY&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a><a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL1N2Z616B&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a>



From Uganda, he will head to Ethiopia, which has long been a stalwart ally of the West but has recently rowed with the United States over its conduct of a conflict in its northern region of Tigray.



(Reporting by Isaac Kasamani in Entebbe and Alexander Winning in Johannesburg; Writing by Estelle Shirbon)

Russian FM Lavrov – Egyptian FM Shoukry

Ugandan leader extols Africa-Russia friendship during visit by Lavrov

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="527" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/BTQI2SSX6ZIXZJ2J2MGDY565F4-820x527.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-418672" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/BTQI2SSX6ZIXZJ2J2MGDY565F4-820x527.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/BTQI2SSX6ZIXZJ2J2MGDY565F4-300x193.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/BTQI2SSX6ZIXZJ2J2MGDY565F4-140x90.jpg 140w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/BTQI2SSX6ZIXZJ2J2MGDY565F4-768x494.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/BTQI2SSX6ZIXZJ2J2MGDY565F4.jpg 960w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>Turkana tribe women carry jerrycans as they search of water at the Lorengo village of Turkana North in Turkana county Kenya, July 19 2022. REUTERS/Monicah Mwangi</figcaption></figure>



NAIROBI, July 22 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;The U.S. development agency USAID&nbsp;on Friday said it would&nbsp;give Kenya $255 million in emergency assistance to tackle severe drought.



Some 4.1 million people in the East African nation&nbsp;are facing acute food shortages,&nbsp;the government says,while&nbsp;the number of cases of child malnutrition has surged by half in parts of the country to 942,000 in the last three months.



The funding commitmentcomes&nbsp;in addition to $65 million that USAID had already provided this year,&nbsp;USAID administrator Samantha Power said.



&#8220;We need other countries to step up and join us,&#8221; she said, warning that the food crisis could spill over into other areas like education since hungry children can&#8217;t go to school.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-read-more-imf-approves-235-6-million-disbursement-to-kenya-on-loan-review">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2022/imf-approves-235-6-million-disbursement-to-kenya-on-loan-review/">IMF approves $235.6 million disbursement to Kenya on loan review</a></h3>



The government&nbsp;has so far spent 12.6 billion shillings ($106.28 million) to help people affected by drought but&nbsp;it has&nbsp;a shortfall of&nbsp;more than&nbsp;15 billion shillings,&nbsp;said Margaret Kobia, the minister responsible for special programmes.



Russia&#8217;s invasion of Ukraine, which has hit the global food supply chain, was increasing drought-related suffering in Kenya and the rest of the region, Power said.



More than 50 million people are expected to face acute food insecurity this year in Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda, the World Food Programme said in a joint statement with other agencies on Friday.



The catastrophe has been caused by the failure of rainfall in most parts of the region, and compounded by the crisis in Ukraine, which has sent prices of wheat and maize higher.



(Reporting by Duncan Miriri; Editing by Nick Macfie)

BTQI2SSX6ZIXZJ2J2MGDY565F4

USAID pledges Kenya $255 mln to fight drought, appeals to rich countries to help

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="543" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/SF4EAWJFM5MEJL6MPGZVITISBM-820x543.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-418602" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/SF4EAWJFM5MEJL6MPGZVITISBM-820x543.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/SF4EAWJFM5MEJL6MPGZVITISBM-300x199.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/SF4EAWJFM5MEJL6MPGZVITISBM-136x90.jpg 136w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/SF4EAWJFM5MEJL6MPGZVITISBM-768x509.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/SF4EAWJFM5MEJL6MPGZVITISBM-1536x1017.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/SF4EAWJFM5MEJL6MPGZVITISBM-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>Kenya&#8217;s Deputy President William Ruto of United Democratic Alliance (UDA) and Kenya Kwanza political coalition speaks at an interview with Reuters ahead of the forthcoming presidential elections, at his Karen residence in Nairobi, Kenya, July 20, 2022. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya</figcaption></figure>



NAIROBI, July 20 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;Kenya&#8217;s deputy president and presidential aspirant William Ruto said he will publish government contracts with China and deport Chinese nationals working illegally if he is elected on August 9, promises likely to resonate with citizens pummeled by mounting debt and the skyrocketing cost of living.



Kenya, whose 2022/23 budget of 3.3 trillion shillings ($27.86 billion) has a deficit of 6.2% of gross domestic product, owes China about $8 billion.



Ruto has promised to slash the government borrowing that has funded President Uhuru Kenyatta&#8217;s infrastructure building spree.



The contracts are not public and some Kenyan organisations have lodged court cases to try to force full disclosure of the deals.



Ethiopia has restructured its Chinese debt and Zambia is seeking to do &#8211; something Ruto said he would not do.



&#8220;Kenya has the capacity to handle its debt situation,&#8221; he told Reuters in an interview, explaining his intent not to re-organise debt if he wins.



Ruto, 55, paints the election as a clash between &#8220;hustlers and dynasties&#8221; &#8211; a jab at Raila Odinga and Kenyatta, son of the nation&#8217;s first vice president and president respectively.



Ruto says he once hawked chickens by the roadside.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2022/u-s-kenya-launch-non-tariff-trade-and-investment-partnership-talks/">U.S., Kenya launch non-tariff trade and investment partnership talks</a></h3>



Instead of planning mammoth expressways or new railways, Ruto&#8217;s campaign is touting a plan to dish out loans to &#8220;hustlers&#8221; or small businessmen and women, symbolised by his campaign symbol of a wheelbarrow.



Ruto spoke to Reuters in his office in a compound in one of Nairobi&#8217;s wealthiest suburbs, where several armed policemen stood guard.



The compound is neatly maintained, with well-manicured lawns. A helicopter and convoy of luxury vehicles were parked there. Outside, a few supporters waited with banners proclaiming RUTO FOR PRESIDENT hung around a battered handcart.



Ruto was wearing a yellow shirt with green trim, his party&#8217;s colours, and sat in a room bedecked with several flags, including the national flag.



He sipped on tea as he dismissed comments by his chief economic adviser, David Ndii, that Ruto&#8217;s party was &#8220;not the place to look for anti-corruption champions.&#8221;



&#8220;Someone quoted him out of context,&#8221; Ruto said.



He listed the ways he would tackle graft &#8211; more money to overcome shortages of judges and magistrates, independent budgets for investigating bodies, and making sure parliament has an active opposition.



&#8220;The challenge we have at the moment is the weaponization and the politicisation of corruption.&#8221;



All sides in the campaign have accused each other of corruption and they all deny the allegations.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-political-expediency">POLITICAL EXPEDIENCY</h2>



Kenyatta has backed Odinga, a veteran opposition leader, for president in a bid to sideline Ruto, whom he describes as unfit for office.



The incumbent&#8217;s embrace of his old rival and his rejection of his deputy is not unusual for Kenyan politics, which is driven more by personality, ethnic alliances and backroom deals than ideology.



Ruto and Odinga were political allies during the disastrous 2007 elections. A dispute over the result left 1,200 Kenyans dead and Ruto and five others facing charges of at the Hague-based International Criminal Court. The case later collapsed.



He brushed off questions about whether he should have resigned if the government he served in was not serious about tackling corruption, saying he&#8217;d raised the issue repeatedly and had been able to deliver other benefits to Kenyans.



&#8220;I am not a quitter,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Instead of walking away from the people who elected me, I could still do many things.&#8221;



($1 = 118.4500 Kenyan shillings)



(Editing by Angus MacSwan, William Maclean)

Kenyan Deputy President Ruto speaks in Nairobi

Kenya presidential hopeful Ruto promises to publish contracts with China

<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/dry-dehydration-drought-rip-crack-earth-820x547.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-418561" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/dry-dehydration-drought-rip-crack-earth-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/dry-dehydration-drought-rip-crack-earth-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/dry-dehydration-drought-rip-crack-earth-135x90.jpg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/dry-dehydration-drought-rip-crack-earth-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/dry-dehydration-drought-rip-crack-earth.jpg 910w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>Photo: via pxfuel</figcaption></figure>



KAMPALA, July 19 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;More than 200 people have died from hunger this month in&nbsp;northeastern&nbsp;Uganda, where a prolonged drought and rampant insecurity have left more than half a million facing starvation, a local official and a charity worker said.



Inhabited by nomadic pastoralists, the semi-arid and remote Karamoja region on the border with Kenya has long lagged behind the rest of Uganda in terms of development.&nbsp;A surge of cattle raids by armed groups this year has worsened the situation.



&#8220;People like the elderly, lactating mothers and children, they are dying silently in their homes. They just succumb to hunger,&#8221; Jino Bornd Meri, the head of local government for Kaabong district, in Karamoja region, told Reuters.



In one county the district has recorded at least 184 deaths from hunger this month alone, he said.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-read-more-imf-uganda-reach-agreement-on-three-year-1-bln-program">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2021/imf-uganda-reach-agreement-on-three-year-1-bln-program-2/">IMF, Uganda reach agreement on three-year, $1 bln program</a></h3>



Moses Okori, leader of the local charity Integrated Community Agriculture and Nutrition (ICAN), said he knew of at least 22 people who had died of hunger this month in Kotido, another district in the region.



The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) last month said at least 518,000 people, or 40% of the region&#8217;s population, were facing high levels of food insecurity.



Local legislator Faith Nakut estimated that at least 600 people had died of hunger in the region since early June.



A spokesman for the Prime Minister&#8217;s office, Julius Mucunguzi, said he had received reports of hunger-related deaths but was unable to give an exact toll.



The government dispatched trucks of food to the region last week, he said.



(Reporting by Elias Biryabarema; Editing by Nellie Peyton and Angus MacSwan)

dry-dehydration-drought-rip-crack-earth

More than 200 people die as drought ravages northeast Uganda

<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>



WASHINGTON, July 18 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;The International Monetary Fund said its executive board approved a $235.6 million disbursement to Kenya on Monday as it approved a third review of the country&#8217;s Extended Credit Facility and Extended Fund Facility arrangements.



The disbursement is usable for budget support and brings such payouts to $1.208 billion under the 38-month arrangements, which were worth $2.34 billion when they were approved in April 2021, the IMF said.



&#8220;Kenya’s economy has rebounded strongly in a challenging environment and is projected to grow 5.7% in 2022,&#8221; the IMF said in a statement, adding that inflation, which hit 7.5% in June, was likely to peak this year before easing back to the Central Bank of Kenya&#8217;s 2.5% target by early 2023.



&#8220;Downside risks predominate in the near-term. Uncertainties stem from the war in Ukraine, continuing drought in the semi-arid regions, unsettled global financial market conditions and the political calendar,&#8221; the IMF said. &#8220;But Kenya’s medium-term outlook remains favorable.&#8221;



The IMF said that Kenya showed &#8220;very strong&#8221; performance in tax collections during the 2021/22 fiscal year, which has created fiscal space to temporarily cushion part of the higher fuel and food costs that have hit households while still meeting the program&#8217;s fiscal targets.



&#8220;The approved fiscal year 2022/23 budget broadens tax collection and maintains careful expenditure control while protecting social spending,&#8221; the IMF said.



(Reporting by David Lawder; Editing by Sandra Maler and Sam Holmes)

BE2FA7DW6VJP3AYQ5S5CUCMQO4

IMF approves $235.6 million disbursement to Kenya on loan review

<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/NQGMTXTPZRNDPKJO4S6HOJLM6I-820x547.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-418482" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/NQGMTXTPZRNDPKJO4S6HOJLM6I-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/NQGMTXTPZRNDPKJO4S6HOJLM6I-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/NQGMTXTPZRNDPKJO4S6HOJLM6I-135x90.jpg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/NQGMTXTPZRNDPKJO4S6HOJLM6I-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/NQGMTXTPZRNDPKJO4S6HOJLM6I.jpg 960w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai testifies before a Senate Finance Committee hearing on President Biden&#8217;s trade policy agenda on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., March 31, 2022. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst</figcaption></figure>



WASHINGTON, July 14 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;The United States and Kenya on Thursday launched a strategic trade and investment partnership&nbsp;to&nbsp;pursue commitments&nbsp;to boost&nbsp;economic growth, support African regional economic integration and deepen trade cooperation.



The U.S. and Kenyan governments will start work within three months to develop a road map for engagement in areas including agriculture safety and digital trade standards, climate change, regulatory practices, and customs procedures the&nbsp;U.S. Trade Representative&#8217;s office&nbsp;said in a statement.



Kenya has long sought a full free trade agreement with the United States, and negotiations for such a deal to lower bilateral tariffs were launched by the Trump administration with the east African country in 2020. But the Biden administration, which has shunned traditional trade deals, did not resume&nbsp;those&nbsp;talks.



Kenya&nbsp;enjoys substantial duty-free access to the U.S. market through the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), a trade preference program for sub-Saharan African countries, but it expires in September 2025.



Kenya exported $685.1 million worth of goods to the United States in 2021, of which more than 75% entered duty free under AGOA, according to the Congressional Research Service &#8212; chiefly apparel, macadamia nuts, coffee, tea and titanium ores. The U.S. exported $561.6 million in goods to Kenya in 2021, with aircraft, plastics, machinery and wheat among the biggest categories.



The partnership announced by the two countries on Thursday&nbsp;made no mention of reducing tariffs or enhancing market access, in line with&nbsp;other recently&nbsp;launched U.S. trade dialogues with Britain, the European Union and Indo-Pacific nations.



The Kenya dialogue will include efforts to develop micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises and discussions on enforcement of labor laws and promoting workers&#8217; rights &#8211; central components of the Biden administration&#8217;s other trade initiatives.



U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai, who launched the partnership with Kenyan Cabinet Secretary Betty Maina during a virtual meeting on Thursday, said in a statement that she wants the partnership to &#8220;grow our trade and investment relationship in a way that promotes resilience and facilitates sustainable and inclusive economic growth.&#8221;



&#8220;We also hope that this initiative can serve as a model for trade policy engagement in Africa, one of the most dynamic and fastest-growing regions in the world,&#8221; Tai added.



U.S. Representative Richard Neal, who chairs the trade and tax-focused House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee, held out hope that the U.S.-Kenya talks could develop into a full trade deal. &#8220;This initiative will lay the groundwork for a comprehensive free trade agreement that includes market access, builds off AGOA, and complements both regional and continental integration,&#8221; he said in a statement.



Neal said the United States should &#8220;embrace&#8221; Kenya&#8217;s willingness to deepen its economic ties with the United States.



(Reporting by David Lawder and Chris Gallagher; editing by Kanishka Singh, Marguerita Choy and Leslie Adler)

NQGMTXTPZRNDPKJO4S6HOJLM6I

U.S., Kenya launch non-tariff trade and investment partnership talks

<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>



WASHINGTON, July 12 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;Creditor committees for the debt restructurings of Chad, Ethiopia and Zambia are expected to meet within the next 10 days, International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said on Tuesday.



Georgieva, speaking to a forum sponsored by the Devex development media group, said the risks of a debt crisis among developing countries were rising because of interest rate hikes in advanced countries to control inflation.



She said a positive outcome from the negotiations was crucial for Chad, Ethiopia and Zambia &#8220;and to energize other countries to step forward&#8221; to seek restructurings.



She also said she would make clear the need for more cooperation on debt relief at a G20 finance leaders&#8217; meeting later this week in Bali, Indonesia.



&#8220;There is a growing risk of a debt crisis. I want to spell it out as clearly as I can and I will do that in the next days over there&#8221; in Indonesia, she said. &#8220;Why? Because the level of debt has gone up during the pandemic, financial conditions are tightening &#8211; more expensive to service it.&#8221;



She said that 30% of the developing and emerging markets are at or near debt distress levels, while that rate doubles to 60% for low-income counties.



&#8220;So if we don&#8217;t act, guess what is going to happen? Not good for these countries and certainly not good for financial stability,&#8221; Georgieva said.



(Reporting by David Lawder; editing by Philippa Fletcher and Barbara Lewis)

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East Africa

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

Ugandan leader extols Africa-Russia friendship during visit by Lavrov

USAID pledges Kenya $255 mln to fight drought, appeals to rich countries to help

Kenya presidential hopeful Ruto promises to publish contracts with China

More than 200 people die as drought ravages northeast Uganda

IMF approves $235.6 million disbursement to Kenya on loan review

U.S., Kenya launch non-tariff trade and investment partnership talks

IMF’s Georgieva says Chad, Ethiopia, Zambia creditor committees to meet soon

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