Kenya

In Kenya slums, women risk rape daily to get to a bathroom

Only 24 percent of homes in Nairobi's slums have a bathroom, forcing many women on dangerous journeys to find a communal lavatory, according to a report from Amnesty International.
Kenya on high alert after Uganda bombings

East Africa trade hub Kenya is on high alert after Somalia's Al Shabab Islamist group killed 76 in neighboring Uganda Sunday night. The Uganda bombings marked Al Shabab's first attack outside Somalia.
Kenya: Iraq, Afghan, Pakistan fighters in Somalia

Veteran insurgents from Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan have relocated to the chaotic country of Somalia in large enough numbers to spark worry inside the international community.
Should Kenya lawmakers earn $175,000 a year salary?

Kenya's members of parliament voted to give themselves a 40 percent pay hike, to more than $175,000 a year in a country where the average national income is $1,600. That's more than US lawmakers make.
Kenya reins in hate speech ahead of constitution vote

Fears are rising of a repeat of the inflammatory speech seen ahead of the 2007 elections, which unleashed a wave of deadly ethnic violence. The recent arrests of three members of parliament for hate speech is a positive change.
Kenya police assault, seek bribes from Somalia refugees, report says

Human Rights Watch says that thousands of Somali refugees fleeing the war in Somalia are met by Kenyan police who harass, assault, and even rape them. Kenyan officials deny the allegations.
Conspiracy theories rife in wake of Kenya bomb blasts

Kenya analysts say Sunday's Kenya bomb blasts are an attempt to rile the political environment ahead of a referendum on a new draft constitution. Conspiracy theories abound.
Terrorism & Security
Kenya bomb attacks kill six at constitution rally

Church leaders who oppose a new draft constitution are blaming the Kenyan government for a hand in the Kenya bomb attacks Sunday night in Nairobi that killed six and wounded more than 100 people.
Kenya's draft constitution under fire for Islamic courts

Kenya judges ruled this week that an Islamic ‘khadi’ court system that could expand under the new constitution is discriminatory. Human rights advocates say the issue has been ‘hijacked’ by those opposed to the draft constitution.
Powerful churches target Kenya's Constitution over abortion

Kenya's churches are opposing a draft Kenyan Constitution they see as encouraging abortion. Three US lawmakers – targeting the abortion issue – have also sent a letter to the State Department questioning US support of the constitution process in Kenya.
In Kenya, International Criminal Court to try six top Kenyans

During a visit to Kenya, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, chief prosecutor for the International Criminal Court, says he plans to put six top Kenyans on trial for the post-election violence in 2008 that left 1,300 people dead and 300,000 homeless.
How the Iceland volcano ash cloud is crippling Kenya's flower industry

Kenya's flower and vegetable industry, which employs tens of thousands of workers and contributes over a fifth of the country’s GDP, is losing $3 million per day because ash from the Iceland volcano has grounded freight flights.
Somalia's Al Shabab recruits 'holy warriors' with $400 bonus

The Al Qaeda-linked militant group, Al Shabab, is recruiting new 'holy warriors' in Somalia with cash bonuses. One former fighter says its more about the money than Islamic militant ideology.
ICC to investigate Kenya election violence. Will leaders cooperate?

The International Criminal Court has told Luis Moreno Ocampo to investigate the role of senior politicians in 2008 Kenya election violence. But some are already suspected of working to undermine the ICC.
Terrorism & Security
Kenya police mistakenly release Australia terror suspect

Kenya police say they have 'mistakenly' released an alleged member of Somalia insurgent group Al Shabaab who is wanted on terrorism charges in Australia.
World Water Day: Dirty water kills more people than violence, says UN

Saving half the water lost through leaky pipes and ill-maintained sewage networks could supply 90 million people with clean water, says a UN report released on World Water Day.
Kenya travels: A remote Masai village welcomes its first white guests

Word of an American couple’s visit attracts villagers from across the valley curious to see their white skin and smooth nylon tent.
Farm aid from space

Satellite data of climate activity enable remote herders to obtain drought insurance.
Kenya political crisis: Youths yearn for their own 'Obama'

As a corruption scandal threatens to derail Kenya's fragile coalition government, some young Kenyans are reaching across ethnic lines and saying they'll no longer be tools of cynical politicians.
Kenya political crisis: Kofi Annan to the rescue – again?

A corruption scandal threatens to tear apart the fragile coalition government, prompting fear of a return to the ethnic violence that killed 1,300 and displaced hundreds of thousands after the disputed elections of December 2007.
Global News Blog
Why is Kenya moving 7,000 zebras and wildebeest?

Kenyan officials are spending $1.35 million to round up 4,000 zebras and 3,000 wildebeest and haul them across the country to feed hungry lions. Why is that necessary?
Obama's Kenyan aunt fights deportation, seeks US asylum

Zeituni Onyango, President Obama's Kenyan aunt, has been living illegally in Boston. She is fighting a deportation order, seeking US asylum based on tribal conflict in Kenya and a medical condition.
Land disputes at the root of African wars

A selection of the African continent's fights over land that have turned into violent, conflict, or threaten to.
Roll over Snoop Dogg, Ocampo is new king of the matatu

Images on Kenyan minivan taxis are a good indicator of public trends. Now, along with Snoop Dogg and Tupac Shakur, people are adorning their vehicles with the spray-painted face of Luis Moreno-Ocampo, chief prosecutor for the International Criminal Court.
It wasn't us: Somali militants disavow Kenya threat

Al Shabab, the Somali militant group with ideological links to Al Qaeda, says the threat to attack Kenya – posted on its website this week – is fake.