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☆ Period poverty: How air pollution in Kenya could make periods heavier, more painful and more expensive
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Elizabeth Wells | Eoin Mcsweeney | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

Studies have linked air pollution to an increased risk of endometriosis , a condition that causes tissue like what lines the womb to grow outside of the uterus. Compared with Kenya, women can more easily access anti-inflammatory drugs and birth control commonly used to manage painful periods. She believes that the new research on air pollution should be a major concern for the millions of women struggling to manage their periods in Nairobi. Kenyan Senator Gloria Orwoba is calling for more research on the link between air pollution and women's reproductive health. Now, she tells CNN, targeted government intervention is needed to address the possible effects of air pollution on menstrual cycles.

Persons: Alice Shikuku, Shikuku, Mercy, Audrey Gaskins, we've, Gaskins, Oscar Lee, Lee, Emmie Erondanga, Miss Koch, Erondanga, Wanjiru Kepha, Kepha, Wanjiru, Damaris Atieno, Atieno, Sen, Gloria Orwoba, Orwoba, William Ruto's, she's, I'm Organizations: CNN, US Agency for International Development, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, China Medical University, World Health Organization, Miss, Huru International, Kenya, Kenyan, William Ruto's United Democratic Alliance Locations: Nairobi, Kenya, Korogocho, United States, Taiwan, Taichung, Shikuku's, Dandora, Miss Koch Kenya, Mukuru, Miss, Wanjiru Kepha

☆ Developing countries facing a debt crunch
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

EGYPTNorth Africa's largest economy needs to repay some $100 billion of hard-currency debt over the next five years. Egypt has a $3 billion IMF programme and has devalued the pound by roughly 50% since February 2022. Its progress in restructuring both domestic debt and $30 billion in external debt has been fairly swift and it secured a $3 billion IMF bailout in May. The next tranche of a $2.9 billion IMF bailout package could be delayed over a potential government revenue shortfall. A repair plan finally appeared imminent after Zambia clinched a $6.3 billion debt rework deal with the Paris Club creditor nations and China, its other big bilateral lender, in June.

Persons: Moody's, William Ruto's, Kais Saied, Libby George, Shri Navaratnam Organizations: World Bank, African Development Bank, IMF, UAE, SRI, SRI LANKA Sri, European Union, Zambia, Paris Club, Sri, Thomson Locations: Marrakech, EGYPT, Cairo, Egypt, ETHIOPIA, Ethiopia, China, GHANA Ghana, Accra, KENYA, Kenya, LEBANON Lebanon, PAKISTAN Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, SRI LANKA, SRI LANKA Sri Lanka, TUNISIA, Tunisia, UKRAINE Ukraine, Ukraine, United States, ZAMBIA, Zambia

☆ Factbox: Developing countries in the grip of debt problems
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

In June, it clinched a $6.3 billion debt rework deal with the "Paris Club" creditor nations and its other big bilateral lender China. Another part of the domestic debt plan has faced delays, though, with a key deadline on a Treasury bond exchange delayed three times and now set for Sept. 11. Failure to complete the domestic debt overhaul by then could result in delays both in terms of IMF disbursements and talks with creditors. The government recently agreed to tackle roughly $4 billion of its domestic debt via a pension fund debt swap operation and a dollar-denominated bonds exchange. Cairo has a $3 billion IMF programme and has devalued the pound by roughly 50% since February 2022.

Persons: Adnan Abidi, Nandalal Weerasinghe, Kais Saied, Nayib Bukele, William Ruto's, Donald Trump, Libby George, Marc Jones, Mark Potter Organizations: REUTERS, China, SRI, SRI LANKA Sri, Sri Lanka Development, Sri, Monetary Fund, IMF, UAE, Observers, European Union, SALVADOR, World Bank, African Development Bank, Presidential, Republican, Thomson Locations: New Delhi, India, Delhi, ZAMBIA Zambia, SRI LANKA, SRI LANKA Sri Lanka, China, GHANA Ghana, Zambia, Ghana, PAKISTAN Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, TUNISIA, North, Tunisia, EGYPT Egypt, Cairo, Salvador, KENYA, Kenya, UKRAINE Ukraine, Ukraine, Russia, LEBANON Lebanon

☆ Kenya's opposition holds vigils for slain and injured protesters
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Opposition leader Raila Odinga has repeatedly called for acts of civil disobedience against a government he accuses of raising the cost of living and consolidating power. Police killed 37 people during the protests, Kenyan rights group Independent Medico-Legal Unit said earlier this week, while Azimio claims at least 50 people were slain. The interior ministry said on Wednesday claims that security forces committed extrajudicial killings or used excessive force were false and malicious. On Wednesday Odinga, Musyoka and other opposition figures visited injured protesters at two hospitals in the capital Nairobi. Ruto has said he also would not allow Odinga into his government, but was open to meeting him.

Persons: Raila Odinga, Kalonzo Musyoka, Azimio, Musyoka, Odinga, William Ruto's, Ruto, Jefferson Kahinju, Humphrey Malalo, George Obulutsa, Hereward, Emelia Sithole, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Kenya Alliance, Kenyans, . Police, Kenyan, Independent Medico, Legal Unit, Wednesday Odinga, Twitter, Thomson Locations: Nairobi, Kenya, Read, NAIROBI, Unity, Hereward Holland

☆ Kenya's parliament approves appointment of new central banker
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Duncan Miriri | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

He will replace Patrick Njoroge, who is retiring after serving two terms as the central bank governor since 2015. In a voice vote, lawmakers adopted the report of the National Assembly's finance committee, which urged the house to back his appointment after vetting his suitability for the post. His predecessor, Njoroge, has maintained stable prices for most of his eight years at the helm. But the World Bank expects growth to edge up to 5.0% in 2023, underpinned by a recovery in agriculture. Reporting by Duncan Miriri; Writing by Alexander Winning; Editing by David EvansOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Thugge, William Ruto's, Kamau, Ruto, Patrick Njoroge, Duncan Miriri, Alexander Winning, David Evans Organizations: Njoroge, National, Johns Hopkins University, International Monetary Fund, Kenyan, Treasury, Bank, Thomson Locations: Ruto, U.S

☆ Kenya and Russia to sign trade pact, President Ruto says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Speaker of the National Assembly of Kenya Moses Wetangula shakes hands with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov during a meeting in Nairobi, Kenya May 29, 2023. Russian Foreign Ministry/Handout via REUTERSNAIROBI, May 29 (Reuters) - Kenya will sign a trade pact with Russia aimed at boosting cooperation between businesses, President William Ruto's office said on Monday, after hosting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Nairobi. Kenya's presidency said in a statement that bilateral trade with Russia was still low despite the potential and the pact would give business the "necessary impetus". Russia says its invasion of Ukraine, launched on Feb. 24, 2022, is aimed at protecting its own security against Ukraine's pro-Western leadership. Lavrov has visited the African continent at least three times this year, while Ukraine's foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba travelled to countries including Ethiopia, Rwanda and Mozambique last week.

☆ Anti-government protests in Kenya resume with police firing tear gas
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Dave Lucas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

A boy carries a bouquet of flowers as he walks past a bus torched by unknown people ahead of protests by supporters of Kenya's opposition leader Raila Odinga of the Azimio La Umoja (Declaration of Unity) One Kenya Alliance, in a nationwide protest...moreA boy carries a bouquet of flowers as he walks past a bus torched by unknown people ahead of protests by supporters of Kenya's opposition leader Raila Odinga of the Azimio La Umoja (Declaration of Unity) One Kenya Alliance, in a nationwide protest over cost of living and President William Ruto's government in Nairobi, Kenya May 2, 2023. REUTERS/Thomas MukoyaClose

☆ Kenyan anti-government protests resume with police firing tear gas
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Thomas MukoyaNAIROBI, May 2 (Reuters) - Kenyan police fired tear gas at a small group of protesters in the capital Nairobi on Tuesday as the opposition resumed anti-government demonstrations following a one-month pause. But he later announced that the protests would resume, accusing the government of not negotiating in good faith. The police said on Monday that the protests would be considered unlawful. Odinga's Azimio La Umoja (Declaration of Unity) coalition said the protests would go ahead. Reporting by George Obulutsa, Thomas Mukoya and Humphrey Malalo; Editing by Aaron Ross, Alexandra HudsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Kenyan police fire tear gas as anti-government protests resume
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Thomas MukoyaNAIROBI, May 2 (Reuters) - Kenyan police fired tear gas at a small group of protesters in the capital Nairobi on Tuesday as the opposition took to the streets again in anti-government demonstrations following a one-month pause. Police said they had arrested 46 people "engaging in acts of criminality" and said the protests were unlawful. The Azimio La Umoja (Declaration of Unity) coalition said some of its members of parliament were stopped on their way to the president's office and met with teargas. Our protests will resume on Thursday," the coalition said in a statement. But he later announced that the protests would resume, accusing the government of not negotiating in good faith.

[1/3] Smoke rises from the tarmac of Khartoum International Airport as a fire burns, in Khartoum, Sudan April 17, 2023 in this screen grab obtained from a social media video. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said an immediate ceasefire was needed, saying that view was shared by the international community. By Sunday it appeared that the army was gaining the upper hand in the fighting in Khartoum, using air strikes to pound RSF bases. Sudan has been affected by rising levels of hunger in recent years as an economic crisis has deepened. The WFP says it reached 9.3 million people in Sudan, one of its largest operations globally.

☆ Kenya's President Ruto asks opposition to give talks a chance
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Monicah MwangiNAIROBI, April 16 (Reuters) - Kenya's President William Ruto asked the opposition on Sunday to give talks with the government a chance while his main opponent urged his followers to protest again over electoral reforms and the high cost of living. The protests partly stem from accusations of fraud in August's presidential election in which Ruto narrowly beat Raila Odinga. Odinga's Azimio La Umoja (Declaration of Unity) Alliance and Ruto's Kenya Kwanza (Kenya First) alliance disagree about the content of the talks and who should steer them. Kenya Kwanza wants the talks to involve only lawmakers and discuss only the selection of electoral officials. "If we don't hear from Ruto next week, when Ramadan ends, we are going back to the streets," he said.

☆ Kenya police, crowds clash in third wave of price rise protests
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Ayenat Mersie | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Thousands joined marches called by opposition leader Raila Odinga against high living costs and alleged fraud in last year's vote. The government has said the vote was fair, defended its economic record and called for the protests to stop. "We are telling our elder Raila Odinga, the only way to get into government is through the ballot." Odinga's spokesperson Dennis Onyango accused Malala of "ethnic profiling", saying he had assumed the attackers were Odinga supporters because they were from his ethnic group. Odinga, who has run for president five times, challenged Ruto's victory in August's election, but the Supreme Court upheld the result unanimously.

☆ Renewed protests in Kenya as authorities vow to 'halt the descent'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

In Mathare, a low-income settlement in Nairobi, protesters used improvised catapults to launch stones at police in riot gear, footage on Kenyan television showed. Local television stations on Thursday showed tires ablaze in Kibera and in Kisumu, near Odinga's ancestral home. During the previous two protests, they have fired tear gas and water cannon. The government says two civilians have been killed and more than 130 people, including 51 police officers, injured in protests since last week. Reporting by Ayenat Mersie; Editing by Aaron Ross and Christina FincherOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

REUTERS/Monicah MwangiNAIROBI, March 20 (Reuters) - Kenyan police fired tear gas and arrested several senior opposition politicians as hundreds of people protested against President William Ruto, the high cost of living and claims of cheating in last year's election. Raila Odinga, who lost to Ruto in August's poll, has urged nationwide protests as he attempts to harness dissatisfaction with the president. Police officers in riot gear fired tear gas at hundreds of rock-throwing protesters in the capital Nairobi's vast Kibera slum, who chanted: "Ruto must go." They also used tear gas to disperse demonstrators trying to gather in the Central Business District, from where Odinga has called for a march toward the president's State House residence, Reuters reporters said. In the western city of Kisumu, an Odinga stronghold, police fired barrages of tear gas in the direction of protesters who had started fires in the road, footage on Citizen TV showed.

REUTERS/Thomas MukoyaNAIROBI, March 20 (Reuters) - Kenyan police tear gassed the leader of the opposition on Monday and arrested senior lawmakers in his parliamentary faction, as protesters took to the streets to march against President William Ruto and the high cost of living. Police officers in riot gear fired tear gas at hundreds of rock-throwing protesters in the capital Nairobi's vast Kibera slum, who chanted: "Ruto must go." We've had enough," said one protester, who asked not to be identified, as tear gas swirled around her. Police used tear gas and a water cannon to prevent Odinga's convoy from driving towards the president's State House residence to deliver a petition. Tear gas engulfed the vehicle as he spoke, calling for protests every Monday until the cost of living comes down.

☆ Kenya tweaks 2022/23 spending, deficit estimates in supplementary budget
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

NAIROBI, Feb 7 (Reuters) - Kenya's finance ministry has tweaked its spending and budget deficit estimates for the current fiscal year that ends in June to show a slight increase in overall expenditure but a narrower deficit. Supplementary budget documents submitted to parliament showed overall spending was projected at 3.37 trillion shillings ($26.98 billion), from the 3.36 trillion shillings contained in the original budget presented to parliament in April last year. The deficit for the 2022/23 fiscal year is now seen at 5.7% of gross domestic product (GDP), compared with 6.2% originally. The supplementary budget said net foreign financing was expected to be at 2.7% of GDP from the original 2% seen in April 2022. Lawmakers are yet to approve the supplementary budget.

CNN —Kenya’s Supreme Court on Monday upheld results declaring William Ruto winner of last month’s presidential elections. However, the Supreme Court unanimously rejected his claims and decided the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) held a credible election last month. We commend Raila Odinga and other candidates for abiding by the Supreme Court ruling. It was Odinga’s fifth time running and his third time challenging his loss in presidential elections through the Supreme Court, having filed a case after the last two elections in 2013 and 2017. But the Supreme court said the commission needed “far-reaching reforms” due to major dysfunction and governance failures.

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