DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Kenya Explodes in Violence as Protesters Breach the Parliament Building
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-25 | by ( The New York Times | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Kenya exploded in violence on Tuesday as demonstrators clashed with police officers in the streets and stormed the national Parliament building after lawmakers passed a bill to increase taxes. Columns of thick smoke poured out of the Parliament compound. Protesters furious about tax hikes included in the finance bill hurled rocks and blocked roads. The protests paralyzed Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, and images of demonstrators swarming the Parliament and getting inside the gated compound shocked the nation. More than 30 protesters were hurt and at least five were killed, according to several civic groups.

Locations: Kenya, Nairobi, Nakuru, Mombasa, Eldoret

☆ Kenya: Hundreds arrested as protests flare over tax hikes
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-19 | by ( Nimi Princewill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Protests have erupted in parts of Kenya, with hundreds detained by police as citizens rejected planned tax hikes in the East African nation already grappling with escalating living costs. Civil society groups said that at least 283 people have been arrested since Tuesday as protests flared over the proposed hikes. Among the taxes suspended was a 16% value-added tax on bread and a 2.5% tax on motor vehicles, a statement from Kenya’s presidency said. Amnesty International’s Kenya office said it was “deeply outraged by the arbitrary arrest of peaceful protestors” in Nairobi on Tuesday. An alliance of civil society groups called for the unconditional release of detained protesters, which it said included journalists.

Persons: Kenyan John Wills Njoroge, It’s, “, ” Organizations: CNN, Kenyan, NTV, Kenyan Police Service, ” CNN Locations: Kenya, East, Nairobi, Mombassa, Mombasa, Kenya’s

☆ Safaris aren't the only tourist attraction in Africa. From cruises to wine tasting, here's what else you can do
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-28 | by ( Harriet Akinyi | Penny Sadler | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Bungy jumping at Soweto Towers, a decommissioned power station in Johannesburg, South Africa. Explore the beachAfrican beach towns combine beauty and culture, in places like Seychelles, Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, Mozambique, Mauritius, Zanzibar, Ghana, Namibia and Egypt. In addition to being a popular stop for world cruises, East and South Africa have their own ocean cruise routes which follow the coastlines and visit offshore islands. But South Africa is the continent's crown jewel. The wine country of Franschhoek, outside of Cape Town, South Africa.

Persons: Toubkal, there's, Thomas Janisch, Zina Bencheikh, Madagascar's Tsingy, Carlo Morucchio, Kenya's Masai Mara, King Charles III, Queen Camilla, Mombasa's, Samir Hussein, Luciemarie Swanepoel, Jeremy Villasis, Peter Unger, Kate Powell, Intrepid's Bencheikh, Kevin Bubolz, Wrenelle Stander, Michele Westmorland Organizations: bungie, Getty, Intrepid Travel, UNESCO, Heritage, Wireimage, Diamonds, Sainte, Cruises, Stone, Queen, Cruise Line, MSC, Continental, Penguin Locations: Africa, Morocco's, Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, Nyangani, Zimbabwe, Soweto, Johannesburg, South Africa, Europe, East, Namibia, Victoria Falls, Zambia, Jinja, Uganda, Morocco, Seychelles, Kenya, Mozambique, Mauritius, Zanzibar, Ghana, Egypt, Mombasa, Mombasa's Fort Jesus, Fort Jesus, Kaya, Zanzibar's Stone, Madagascar, Swanepoel, Durban, Cape, Kivu, Silversea, Continental Europe, Middle East, Port, Ethiopia, Wesgro, Stellenbosch, Franschhoek, Cape Town , South Africa

☆ Inside the Factory Supplying Half of Africa’s Syringes
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-27 | by ( Apoorva Mandavilli | Brian Otieno | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

On the stunning Kenyan coast, about halfway between 15th-century ruins and the vibrant city of Mombasa, a small factory is helping to achieve one of Africa’s biggest health care goals: self-reliance. With fewer than 700 employees, Revital Healthcare makes 300 million syringes a year, enough to meet more than half of Africa’s routine immunization needs. In the throes of the coronavirus pandemic, when governments were faced with vaccinating millions of people amid severe shortages, Revital shipped syringes to Sri Lanka, Sweden, the United Arab Emirates and Uzbekistan — and even sent 15 million syringes to India, said Roneek Vora, the company’s director of sales and marketing. “This is the first time ever in the life of Africa that a medical industry is exporting syringes to India, when we know India is a powerhouse of syringe manufacturing,” Mr. Vora said. “This was a very big deal for us — it broke a lot of barriers,” he added.

Persons: Roneek Vora, Mr, Vora Organizations: Kenyan, Revital Healthcare, United Arab, Uzbekistan — Locations: Mombasa, Sri Lanka, Sweden, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, India, Africa

☆ Biden looks to counter China’s influence as he rolls out red carpet for Kenya
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( Kevin Liptak | Kayla Tausche | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Among the goals of his three-day state visit in October: securing another $1 billion in loans from China to help complete infrastructure projects. On Wednesday, when he arrived at Joint Base Andrews to begin another state visit – this time to Washington – he again found a red carpet and troops. Senior administration officials acknowledge a central factor in scheduling a state visit with Kenya was the desire to counter China’s influence and financial leverage on the African continent, which has outpaced the United States in direct investment. One of the goals of Thursday’s state visit is to demonstrate the ability of democracies – like Kenya’s – to deliver for their people. “I plan on going in February,” Biden told reporters.

Persons: Washington CNN —, William Ruto, Joint Base Andrews, Washington –, Jill Biden, Joe Biden, –, Kenya –, ”, “, Biden, Ruto, ” Ruto, he’s, João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço, Jake Sullivan, ” Biden, Xi Jinping, Donald Trump –, ” Sullivan, Ariel Henry Organizations: Washington CNN, Kenyan, Joint Base, East, Kenya, NATO, Africa –, White, Initiative, Loans, Washington, World Bank, Group, European Union, Democratic, White House, Angolan, Advisers, CNN, Haitian Locations: Beijing, China, Africa, Kenya, United States, China’s, Nairobi, Mombasa, Boston, US, Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia, Washington, East, Ukraine, ”, Russia, –, combatting al, Shabab, Somalia, Yemen, Haiti

☆ Damage to Cables Under Red Sea Highlights Mideast Conflict’s Broader Threat
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-05 | by ( Stanley Reed | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Mysterious damage to vital communications cables under the Red Sea has raised concerns about whether the conflict in the Middle East is now beginning to threaten the global internet. Just as the waters off Yemen hold crucial shipping lanes, they are also a critical location for undersea cables that carry email and other digital traffic between Asia and the West. Around a dozen cables run through the area, and more are planned. “Over 90 percent of all communications traffic between Europe and Asia goes through those” cables. Late last month, Seacom, a company that specializes in providing communications to African countries, noticed that data had stopped flowing through its line that runs from Mombasa, Kenya, up through the Red Sea to Zafarana in Egypt.

Persons: ”, Tim Stronge Locations: East, Yemen, Asia, Europe, Mombasa, Kenya, Zafarana, Egypt

Reliable and affordable food and commodity imports are more important to a net food importer like Kenya than to some other countries. Perhaps more importantly, a critical part of the world's food supply system remains disrupted, undermining food security and raising the underlying costs of cross-border trade. The governments of Kenya and Ukraine are also working together on food security. Meanwhile, Russia's own efforts to play a part in rebuilding food security have been more a public relations exercise than real action. Although Russian sources have claimed that such shipments have begun, there is still little evidence of Russian food aid arriving in Africa.

Persons: Timothy Njagi Njeru, Kalya Kiptiony, Dr Abraham Korir SingOei, William Ruto, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Russia's, Dr Njeru, Lensa Omune Organizations: Tegemeo Institute, Kenyan, Initiative, Kenya's Ministry of Foreign, Diaspora Affairs, International Food Policy Research Institute, Insider Studios, Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Locations: East Africa, Ukraine, Kenya, Russian, Nairobi, Russia, Africa, Horn, Port, Mombasa

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Tanzania on Monday announced it had withdrawn approval for neighboring Kenya's flagship carrier Kenya Airways to operate a passenger service between the countries beginning next week. A statement from the Tanzanian Civil Aviation authority said the move was in response to Kenya Civil Aviation Authority denying Air Tanzania the approvals it needed to operate all cargo flights between the two countries. The statement said the ban on Kenya Airways passenger flights will start on Jan. 22. Political Cartoons View All 253 ImagesKenya has previously blocked the importation of milk from Uganda and farm produce from Tanzania. Tanzania has restricted importation of onions to Kenya, leading to skyrocketing prices for the essential commodity.

Organizations: —, Monday, Kenya Airways, Tanzanian Civil Aviation, Kenya Civil Aviation Authority, Air, Tanzanian, East African Community, Kenya, East African Court, Justice, Uganda National Oil Co Locations: NAIROBI, Kenya, — Tanzania, Air Tanzania, Tanzania, Uganda, Mombasa, Kampala

☆ East Africa floods: More than 300 killed as heavy rains wreak havoc
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Bethlehem Feleke | Nimi Princewill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The unusually heavy rains are largely caused by the El Niño weather phenomenon and are forecast to continue into the new year by the Kenya Meteorological Department. This phenomenon has been associated with severe flooding in eastern Africa, resulting in landslides, elevated waterborne diseases, and food shortages. Meanwhile, the northern and southern regions of the continent often endure prolonged periods of severe drought during El Niño events. That means the Horn of Africa may experience more drought as well as floods from heavy rain. In northern Tanzania, authorities said 49 people were killed by floods accompanied by mudslides following heavy rains in the country’s Manyara province.

Persons: William Ruto, Niño, Ruto, ”, Queen Sendiga, Samia Suluhu Hassan Organizations: CNN, Interior Ministry, Kenya Meteorological Department, Disaster, Communication, Somali, Afi, United, International Rescue Locations: East Africa, Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Mombasa, El, Africa, COP28, Dubai, Horn of Africa, Manyara, Hagadera

☆ U.N.-led talks weigh goal to reduce aviation emissions thorough less-polluting fuels
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Allison Lampert | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A TotalEnergies tanker truck with sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is pictured during the 54th International Paris Airshow at Le Bourget Airport near Paris, France, June 19, 2023. ICAO's third Conference on Aviation and Alternative Fuels (CAAF) runs this week ahead of the COP28 U.N. climate summit in Dubai, which starts on Nov. 30. CAAF delegates from more than 100 countries are debating ways to boost supply of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) made from materials like used cooking oil. SAF is key to lowering emissions from aviation, but remains costly and in short supply. Making access to financing more readily available to developing countries, another conference goal, is needed to bolster SAF production outside of the United States and Europe.

Persons: Benoit Tessier, Haldane Dodd, CAAF, Francis Mwangi, Mwangi, Allison Lampert, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Paris, REUTERS, United Nations, International Civil Aviation Organization, Aviation, Alternative Fuels, SAF, Air Transport Action, Kenya's Civil Aviation Authority, Thomson Locations: Le Bourget, Paris, France, Dubai, United States, Europe, Mombasa, Kenya, Montreal

☆ Kenya's rail operator says floods, landslide disrupting its services from port city
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] People wade through flood waters along a street following heavy rains in Kisauni district of Mombasa, Kenya November 17, 2023. Heavy rains followed by flash floods have submerged towns across East Africa, rendering hundreds of thousands of people homeless. In Kenya, the death toll from the floods stands at at least 46, and is expected to rise. Floods and a landslide on the railway route between the capital Nairobi and Mombasa has forced Kenya Railways to close all cargo services, it said in a statement. Kenya Railways said limited passenger services would continue.

Persons: Stringer, George Obulutsa, Alex Richardson Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Kenya Railways, Kenya National Bureau, Statistics, Thomson Locations: Kisauni district, Mombasa, Kenya, Rights NAIROBI, East Africa, Nairobi, Rwanda, Uganda, South Sudan

☆ Kenya's Rail Operator Says Floods, Landslide Disrupting Its Services From Port City
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-18 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

NAIROBI (Reuters) - Flooding and landslides in Kenya's coastal region has resulted in delays in delivering cargo to and from the port city of Mombasa, the state-owned rail operator said on Saturday. Heavy rains followed by flash floods have submerged towns across East Africa, rendering hundreds of thousands of people homeless. In Kenya, the death toll from the floods stands at at least 46, and is expected to rise. Floods and a landslide on the railway route between the capital Nairobi and Mombasa has forced Kenya Railways to close all cargo services, it said in a statement. Kenya Railways said limited passenger services would continue.

Persons: George Obulutsa, Alex Richardson Organizations: Kenya Railways, Kenya National Bureau, Statistics Locations: NAIROBI, Mombasa, East Africa, Kenya, Nairobi, Rwanda, Uganda, South Sudan

☆ Somalia floods kill at least 31, UN warns of once-in-a-100-years event
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-12 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The United Nations flag waves during preparations for the UNGA 2023 at the United Nations headquarters on September 13, 2023 in New York City. Floods caused by torrential rainfall have killed at least 31 people in various parts of Somalia, authorities said Sunday. Since October, floods have displaced nearly half a million people and disrupted the lives of over 1.2 million people, Minister of Information Daud Aweis told reporters in the capital Mogadishu. They have also caused extensive damage to civilian infrastructure notably in the Gedo region of southern Somalia, he said. Floods are also affecting neighboring Kenya, where the death toll stood at 15 on Monday, according to the Kenya Red Cross.

Persons: Daud Aweis, OCHA Organizations: United Nations, Humanitarian Affairs, Kenya, Kenya Red Cross Locations: New York City, Somalia, Mogadishu, Gedo, Kenya, Kenya Red, Mombasa, Mandera

☆ King Charles’ state visit strategy is changing Britain’s global brand
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Max Foster | Lauren Said-Moorhouse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Mombasa, Kenya CNN —A small moment during King Charles’ state visit to Kenya may have defined it. An elderly war veteran was waiting in a wheelchair for his turn to meet the British monarch at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s Kariokor cemetery in Nairobi on Wednesday morning. Because anyone back then who had supported the British colonial power became a target for the Mau Mau resistance who were on their own campaign to seize their country back. Some of the 6,000 Africans rounded up in Nairobi by police searching for Mau Mau rebels in April 1953. King Charles’ moves are a progression from the way his mother operated.

Persons: King Charles ’, Graves, Samwel Nthigai Mburia, Charles ’, Elizabeth II, Mburia, King Charles, Queen Camilla, Charles, Samir Hussein, “, ” Mburia, Evelyn Kimathi, Dedan Kimathi, she’d, Evelyn, ” he’d, Mau, Queen Elizabeth II Organizations: CNN’s Royal, Kenya CNN, Commonwealth, Guinness World Records, Royals, “, Uhuru Gardens, Keystone, Hulton, European Union Locations: Mombasa, Kenya, British, Kariokor, Nairobi, Cpl, Ethiopia, Egypt, Myanmar, United Kingdom, ”, Mau Mau, Germany, France

☆ Britain's King Charles visits Kenya with colonialism's scars in focus
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( Duncan Miriri | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/9] Britain's King Charles inspects the honour guards as he is hosted by Kenya's President William Ruto at State House in Nairobi, Kenya October 31, 2023. Accompanied by Queen Camilla on his first visit as monarch to a former colony, Charles arrived in the capital Nairobi overnight. Charles' visit comes at a time when former colonies are demanding that Britain do more to recognise the abuses of its colonial past. Nandi King Koitalel Arap Samoei led a decade-long rebellion until he was assassinated by a British colonel in 1905. Charles also plans to meet entrepreneurs from Kenya's bustling tech scene, tour wildlife facilities and travel to the southeastern port city of Mombasa.

Persons: King Charles, William Ruto, Arthur Edwards, Queen Camilla, Charles, Kenya's Nandi, Buckingham, Kenya's, Nandi King Koitalel Arap Samoei, Samoei's, Kipchoge araap Chomu, Aaron Ross, Hereward, Hereward Holland, Michael Perry, John Stonestreet Organizations: Kenya's, State House, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Kenyan, Commonwealth, Kenya Human Rights, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Nairobi, Kenya, Rights NAIROBI, Uhuru Gardens, Barbados, Jamaica, British, Mombasa, Hereward Holland

☆ Dispossessed Kenyans demand compensation ahead of King Charles' visit
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( Aaron Ross | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Before Elizabeth could make it to Lake Victoria, word came that her father, King George VI, had died. More than 70 years later, Elizabeth's son, King Charles, will visit Kenya this week on a state visit. Buckingham Palace has said Charles' visit, which begins on Tuesday, will acknowledge "painful aspects of the UK and Kenya's shared history". The colonial administration took hundreds of square kilometres of land that communities in western Kenya had lived on for generations and handed it to British settlers. The British government has not been receptive in the past to requests by the Kipsigis and Talai to discuss compensation.

Persons: Britain's King Charles ', Camilla's, King Charles, Princess Elizabeth, Kibore Cheruiyot Ngasura, Elizabeth, King George VI, Elizabeth's, Ngasura, Charles, Kenya's, Joel Kimetto, “, Talai, Aaron Ross, Michael Holden, Alison Williams Organizations: Reuters, Kenyan, British, Foreign, Commonwealth, Development Office, Thomson Locations: Britain's, Kenya, Tugunon, Kericho County, KERICHO, Lake Victoria, Gwassi, London, Buckingham, British, Kericho, Nairobi, Mombasa

☆ The World Is Becoming More African
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-28 | by ( Declan Walsh | Hannah Reyes Morales | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +37 min

Old World Young Africa As the world grays, Africa blooms with youth. The World Is Becoming More African Part one of a series on how the youth boom is changing the continent, and beyond. But while a handful of African countries are poised to ride the demographic wave, others risk being swamped by it. In the West, racists and right-wing nationalists stoke fears of African population growth to justify hatred, or even violence. The age gap between geriatric leaders and restless youth is “a major source of tension” in many African countries, said Simon Mulongo, a former African Union diplomat from Uganda.

Persons: Lauren Leatherby, ”, Jean, Patrick Niambé, Hilton, Edward Paice, “, Keziah Keya, Keya, Paul R, Ehrlich, stoke, Lauren Leatherby “, Carlos Lopes, Burna, Weeks, “ It’s, Laolu Senbanjo, Tems, Toulaye Sy, Pritzker, Abdulrazak Gurnah, “ Africa’s, ” Long, exotica, Mulendema, Hannah O’Leary, “ We’re, Sipho Dlamini, Dlamini, Moawad, Optimists, Mo Ibrahim, Aubrey Hruby, birthrates, India’s, China’s, Akinwumi Adesina, States —, William Ruto, Paul Biya of, Biya, Wole Soyinka, Paul Kagame of, Nourdine, Nigeriens, Awade, Ali Bongo Ondimba, Simon Mulongo, Nuha Abdelgadir, Abdelgadir, gesturing, “ We’ve, ” Weeks, Abdelgadir’s, Modu Ali, Young, Saidu, Habiba Mohammed, Ms, Ha, Joon Chang, Nobody, Chang, Ibrahim, Touré Organizations: Young, United Nations, Southern, Northern, Western Asia Northern, United, Ivory Coast, African Union, Group, European Union ., Suisse, Africa Research Institute, Nigeria Mozambique Kenya “, Russia Canada Germany United, Russia Canada Germany United States Japan China Iran Egypt India Mexico Nigeria Ethiopia Ethiopia Dem, Russia Germany, China Egypt India Nigeria D.R.C, Russia Canada Germany United States Japan China Iran Egypt India Mexico Nigeria Ethiopia Dem, Bank, Nations, International, Bryn Mawr College, Angola, Angola Ivory Coast, Angola Ivory Coast Cameroon Dem, Africa Middle Africa Southern, Economic Commission, New, Citi, Spotify, Cannes Film, Burkina Faso, UNESCO, Disney, Amazon Prime, Netflix, “, Apple, Cape Town, Microsoft, Google, Infrastructure, McKinsey & Company, Pew Research Center, African Development Bank, Greek Coast Guard, Saudi, Africa Climate, Young Voters, Freedom House, University of Denver, United Arab, Japan Cuba Vatican City, Netherlands South Korea Belgium U.A.E, Islamic, Global, Center for Girls Education, School of Oriental, Studies Locations: grays, Africa, India, China, United States, Southern Asia, Asia, America, Caribbean, Northern America, Western Asia, Western Asia Northern America, Europe, London, New York, West Africa, Ivory, Abidjan, Russia, Turkey, Gulf, Nairobi, Nigeria Mozambique Kenya, Italy, Japan, Russia Canada Germany United States Japan China Iran Egypt India Mexico Nigeria Ethiopia Ethiopia, Congo Indonesia Brazil Australia South Africa Argentina, Russia Germany U.S, China Egypt India Nigeria, Brazil South Africa Australia, Russia Canada Germany United States Japan China Iran Egypt India Mexico Nigeria, Nigeria, Africa’s, Young, South Africa, Somalia, Mozambique, Mali, Gabon, Niger, Mozambique Nigeria Kenya, Kenya, Pennsylvania, Angola Ivory, Angola Ivory Coast Cameroon, Congo Algeria Egypt, Ghana Kenya Madagascar Mozambique Niger Nigeria, Tanzania Uganda South Africa, Northern Africa Eastern Africa, Africa Middle Africa, Africa Middle Africa Southern Africa, Guinea, Bissau, African, Qatar, Nigerian, Brooklyn, Target, French, Senegalese, Paris, Milan, Venice, Burkina, Tanzania, Saharan Africa, Nigeria Kenya Senegal In Lagos, Dakar, Zambia, South Korea, Sotheby’s, Lagos, Zimbabwe, Watford, Cape, Mombasa, Zanzibar, Cairo, Morocco, East Africa, Nigeria Mozambique Morocco, Sudanese, North Africa, East Asia, Thailand, Rwanda, Ivory Coast, States, Namibia, Kenyan, Paul Biya of Cameroon, Paul Kagame of Rwanda, United Arab Emirates, United States France Turkey, Germany, Russia India, Brazil, Japan Cuba, Japan Cuba Vatican City Spain Italy Saudi Arabia Qatar, Netherlands South Korea Belgium, Iran Canada, Niger’s, Niamey, Senegal Kenya Kenya, X’s, Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Senegal, Uganda, Khartoum, Sudan, Ethiopia, Al Qaeda, Islamic State, Chad, Burkina Faso, Nigeria Nigeria Morocco, hijabs, Zaria, American, Korea, South, England

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Kenya’s President William Ruto sought $1 billion more in loans from China Monday, despite rising public debt that has now reached $70 billion in the Eastern African country, according to National Treasury figures for 2022/2023. President Ruto was was one of a number of global leaders in Beijing to attend the tenth anniversary meeting of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, the ambitious plan that aims to connect Africa, Asia and Europe through massive infrastructure and energy projects. Kenya has been struggling with ballooning public debt, with $6 billion owed to Chinese creditors, according to national data. However, it’s not clear if President Ruto and his delegation will be granted a restructuring or extension of the interest payments. Last week, legislators tabled a motion asking the government to reveal details of all the loans it had accumulated since President Ruto came into power in September 2022.

Persons: — Kenya’s, William Ruto, Ruto, Hussein Mohammed, “, ”, SGR, Rigathi Gachagua, Kenya SGR, Aly Khan Satchu, it’s, ” Satchu Organizations: National Treasury, Initiative, Kampala, Kenyan Locations: NAIROBI, Kenya, China, Beijing, Africa, Asia, Europe, Mombasa, Nairobi, Uganda, Central Africa, Turkish, Congo, Satchu

☆ Kenya to ask China for $1 bln loan to complete road projects, longer debt repayments
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A view shows the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport toll station on the Nairobi Expressway undertaken by the China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) on a public-private partnership (PPP) basis, along Mombasa road in Embakasi district of Nairobi, Kenya May 7, 2023. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNAIROBI, Oct 6 (Reuters) - Kenya's President William Ruto will ask China for a $1 billion loan to complete stalled road construction projects when he travels to Beijing later this month, his deputy said on Friday. "At the moment we are paying debt and people are not using roads because many of them are half finished," Gachagua said. Kenya owes China more than $8 billion in loans for infrastructure projects such as railways and roads. Reporting by Duncan Miriri and George Obulutsa; Editing by Mark Potter and Kim CoghillOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Thomas Mukoya, William Ruto, Ruto, Rigathi Gachagua, Gachagua, Duncan Miriri, George Obulutsa, Mark Potter, Kim Coghill Organizations: Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, China, Bridge Corporation, REUTERS, Rights, Thomson Locations: Nairobi, Mombasa, Embakasi district, Kenya, Rights NAIROBI, Beijing, East, China

Renewable energy is more reliable but its promise for the region still remains largely unmet. Most households have depended on gasoline generators for power, but recently the government removed a gasoline subsidy, prompting increased interest in solar power, according to dealers. The Nigerian government has not announced incentives to promote solar energy, such as reducing import taxes on solar equipment as demanded by dealers. “The problem was affordability, but now customers can pay installments over a period of 18 months,” said Tunde Oladipupo, an agent for Sun King, a solar power company. Another example of this shift is the Ford vehicle assembly plant in Silverton, Pretoria, which currently sources over 35% of its electricity from solar power.

Persons: Rashmi Shah, ”, William Ruto, Tunde Oladipupo, Sun King, Monsurat Qadri, ” Qadri, ” Mohammed Ettu, Shah, ” Shah, ___ Adebayo, Magome Organizations: Climate Summit, World Bank, CP Solar’s, Associated Press, Kenyan, Solutions, Ford, South, CP, Kenya Power, Lighting Company, Supersport, AP Locations: NAIROBI, Mombasa, Nairobi, Kisii County, Kenya, Africa, Nigeria, Oyo, Lagos, Saharan Africa, South Africa, Stillwater, American, Silverton , Pretoria, Mpumalanga, Kenya —, Abuja, Johannesburg

☆ Africa Climate Summit: Electric motorcycle startup Spiro expands into Kenya
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-04 | by ( Nell Lewis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Spiro, a startup looking to eliminate fuel-guzzling motorbikes and scooters from the roads by trading them in for electric two-wheelers, is expanding to Kenya. Ahead of the first Africa Climate Summit, which kicked off in Kenya’s capital Nairobi today, the host government announced on Friday that the e-bike and battery-swapping startup would be entering the East African country with its biggest deployment yet: 1.2 million electric vehicles. In Kenya, they will be offered 50,000 Kenyan shillings (about $344) – around a third of the price of a new electric bike – to swap their existing bike for an electric one. Last week, US company Uber also launched an electric motorbike service in Kenya, promising to roll out 3,000 bikes within six months. “We’re surpassing the symbolic but significant milestone of one million electric bikes signed with a government,” says Samain.

Persons: CNN — Spiro, Jules Samain –, polluters, Samain, Spiro, CLEMENT, CLEMENT DI ROMA, ”, ” Spiro, William Ruto, Ampersand, Uber Organizations: CNN, Africa Climate, CLEMENT DI, AFP, Getty, FIA Foundation, Spiro, McKinsey Locations: Kenya, Africa, Kenya’s, Nairobi, West, Benin, Togo, Rwanda, Uganda, China, Mombasa, Saharan Africa, Swedish, Kenyan, East

☆ The Iten killings: Deaths of elite athletes casts spotlight on domestic violence
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( Faith Karimi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

Iten, Kenya (CNN) Martin Tirop pumps his fists in the air as Faith Kipyegon wins her third 1,500-meter gold medal at the World Athletics Championships on Tuesday in Budapest. Instead, on October 13, 2021, Martin Tirop made a gruesome discovery inside his sister's three-bedroom bungalow in Kenya's capital of distance running. In October 2021, Martin Tirop found the body of his sister, Agnes Tirop. In fact, their March 2016 marriage had been a secret, with Agnes' family only finding out after her death at 25. "Agnes Tirop.

Persons: Martin Tirop, Kipyegon, Agnes, Agnes Tirop, she'd, Martin, gurney, Jurkenaite, David Blood, Iten, Joan Chelimo, they're, Weeks, Eliud Kipchoge, She'd, Irungu Houghton, Njeri Migwi, Martin Tirop's, Ibrahim Rotich, Rotich, Tirop, Richard Warigi, Ngigi Mbugua, Mutua, CNN's, Houghton, Joan Chelimo's, Agnes Tirop's, Chelimo, Dinah, Vincent Tirop, Dinah Tirop Organizations: CNN, Adidas, Tokyo, Toyota, David Blood Investigators, crowing roosters, Boston Marathon, New, New York City Marathon's, Amnesty International, Kenyan, Criminal Investigations, Bahraini, Investigations, Investigators, Amnesty, Tirop's, Tirop's Angels, UN Locations: Iten, Kenya, Budapest, Kenya's, Switzerland, Germany, Nairobi, It's, Kaptagat, New York, Amnesty International Kenya, Mombasa, Ethiopia, Nandi County

☆ Uganda to reopen century-old rail link after China fails to fund new line
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( Elias Biryabarema | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The line, which has been out of use for roughly 40 years, is part of the East Africa rail network that stretches from Kenya's Indian Ocean seaport of Mombasa. It was built by Kenya and Uganda's former colonial ruler Britain around the beginning of the 20th-century. Uganda decided to revamp the old network after plans to build a separate modern standard gauge railway (SGR) failed to secure financing from China. The European Union funded construction of the Gulu hub, completed in late 2021, as part of the effort to revamp Uganda's railway network, which fell into disrepair during the country's economic collapse in 1970s and early 80s. Ugandan officials hope once the link is restored, rail will replace trucks in shipping transit goods to South Sudan and northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

Persons: Thomas Mukoya, John Linnon Sengendo, Sengendo, Elias Biryabarema, George Obulutsa, Barbara Lewis Organizations: REUTERS, Democratic, Uganda Railways Corporation, Reuters, China Harbour, Engineering Company, Bridge Corporation, European Union, Thomson Locations: Kenya, Uganda, Kibera, Nairobi, South Sudan, DRC Kenya, KAMPALA, Democratic Republic of Congo, East Africa, Mombasa, Britain, China, Ugandan, Tororo, Uganda's, Gulu, Kampala

At least 300 people were arrested, including several senior opposition leaders, and several people were reported shot, some possibly fatally, in clashes with police on Wednesday. The demonstrations, planned for Wednesday to Friday, are the third round of protests that the opposition has called this month. Protests this year have cost the economy more than $20 million per day, according to a private sector lobby group. Veteran opposition leader Raila Odinga did not make a public appearance on Wednesday or Thursday as he did during previous protests. A Kenyan court froze the tax hikes late last month, pending a ruling by senior judges.

Persons: Raila Odinga, Ruto, Odinga, William Ruto, Paul Ongili, Aaron Ross, George Obulutsa, Humphrey Malalo, Monicah Mwangi, Anne Mawathe, Joseph Akwiri, Alexander Winning, Emelia, Bernadette Baum, Mike Harrison, Conor Humphries Organizations: Kenya Alliance, REUTERS, NAIROBI, La, NTV Kenya, Kenyan, Civic, Thomson Locations: Nairobi, Kenya, Kibera, Mombasa, Kisumu, Isiolo, Ruto's

☆ Protesters clash with Kenya police over tax hikes, two killed, officers say
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Police fired tear gas to disperse protesters in the capital Nairobi, the port city of Mombasa and several other towns, according to Reuters reporters and footage aired on Kenyan television stations. Police officers patrolling the expressway, who did not give their names, told Reuters they had shot dead two protesters as they sought to repel an advancing crowd. You promised them that you are going to help them, but you didn't," Bernard Ochieng, a protester in Nairobi's informal Kibera settlements, told Reuters. The government says the tax hikes, which include a doubling of the fuel tax and the introduction of a levy to fund affordable housing, are needed to deal with growing debt repayments and to fund job-creation initiatives. At least six people were killed last Friday during protests called for by opposition leader Raila Odinga.

Persons: Raila Odinga, William Ruto, Young, Bernard Ochieng, Odinga, Thomas Mukoya, Jefferson Kahinju, Humphrey Malalo, Aaron Ross, Alex Richardson, Peter Graff, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: Kenya Alliance, Police, Kenyan, Reuters, Kenya's, Thomson Locations: Read, NAIROBI, Nairobi, Mombasa

Search resuls for: "Mombasa"

25 mentions found