Politics

Former Kenyan PM, Raila Odinga, cleared to run for presidency. Will he be 6th time lucky?

Published

3 years ago

June 6, 2022

Former Kenyan Prime Minister, Raila Odinga, has been cleared to contest for president in the country’s presidential election due to hold in August.

The veteran politician who had contested the position five times already, is hoping to be lucky in his sixth attempt after he picked popular female politician, Martha Karua, also known as ‘Iron Lady,’ as his running mate on Monday.

The 77-year-old Odinga who has become a mainstay in Kenyan politics, has the backing of current President Uhuru Kenyatta who decided to back him against his Deputy, William Ruto, and his combination with Karua, a lawyer and former Justice Minister, is seen as a master stroke as she is from the majority Kikuyu ethnic group and could swing the votes in Odinga’s favour.

While announcing Karua as his running mate, Odinga said:

“Following tense consultations, we have decided that the holder of this office has to be a woman.

“History is calling us to close the gender gap in our country… cometh the hour, cometh the lady,” Odinga said, going on to describe Karua as a reformist, fighter and a safe pair of hands.

In response, Karua, herself a former presidential candidate, said she was “deeply honoured” to accept the nomination, describing it as “a moment for the women of Kenya.”

“Together, we can finally bring to life the dreams deferred,” she told thousands of cheering supporters in the capital, Nairobi.

Karua, 64, is also a veteran of Kenya’s pro-democracy movement, having risen through the ranks to become a mainstay in the male-dominated East African country’s politics and became famous when she once walked out on the country’s former autocratic leader Daniel arap Moi at a public function, earning her the moniker ‘Iron Lady.’

As it stands, all fingers are pointing at Odinga winning the election with the support from President Kenyatta and the master stroke of naming Karua as his running mate, paving a clear path for his sixth attempt at getting the country’s top job.

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Politics

Burkina Faso releases 4 French spies after Moroccan intervention

Published

3 days ago

December 20, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

In a diplomatic spat over their imprisonment, France and Morocco announced Thursday that four French nationals detained in Burkina Faso for a year had been freed after mediation from Morocco.

They were spies, according to a prior statement made by the director of France’s foreign intelligence organisation, the DGSE.

A request for comment was not answered by the DGSE or a representative of the French military, which is in charge of the agency.

Since December 2023, they have been held in Ouagadougou.

President Emmanuel Macron hailed King Mohammed of Morocco on Wednesday for his intervention, “which made possible the liberation of our four countrymen who had been held in Burkina Faso for a year,” according to a statement from the French administration.

King Mohammed and President Ibrahim Traore of Burkina Faso were also commended by Morocco’s foreign ministry, which stated that “this humanitarian act” was made possible by their positive bilateral ties.

In October, France made peace with Morocco, one of its former protectorates, after three years of hostilities between Paris and Rabat stoked by immigration concerns and the disputed Western Sahara region.

Morocco offers Burkina Faso and other military-ruled Sahel republics Atlantic trade.

However, France’s relations with former West and Central African colonies, such as Burkina Faso, remain difficult. In Ouagadougou, French troops and diplomats were ejected, the defence attache and ambassador were asked to depart, and certain French media were suspended.

The military junta that took control in 2022 in Burkina Faso has been criticized by international rights groups for cracking down on free expression and harassing dissidents to handle a security crisis precipitated by Al Qaeda and Islamic State extremists.

Politics

Ghana: President-elect Mahama appoints anti-corruption team

Published

4 days ago

December 19, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

According to a statement released by his transition team on Wednesday, Ghana’s President-elect, John Dramani Mahama, has designated an anti-corruption committee to investigate allegations of wrongdoing.

When he takes office next month, Mahama, the leading opposition candidate in the presidential election held on December 7 and who received almost 56% of the vote, has pledged to reclaim the proceeds of corruption and hold those responsible for it accountable.

In anticipation, an anti-graft squad has been established. The parliament’s Committee on Assurances, which has previously raised suspicions of governmental corruption, is chaired by MP Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwah.

An investigative journalist, a private attorney, a former auditor general, and a former police officer with experience in high-profile robbery cases make up the other three members.

After looking into alleged financial irregularities that took place during the previous administration, Daniel Dumelovo, the former auditor general, was fired.

Recovering lost assets and fighting corruption were two of Mahama’s main campaign pledges.

“He intends to hit the ground running on these commitments,” the statement said.

Eight years after leaving office, former President Mahama is back to head the West African country. Despite not being personally contaminated, he faced criticism during his 2012–2016 administration due to claims of political corruption.