Politics

Kenya: After impeaching Gachagua, Ruto appoints ally as deputy

Published

2 months ago

October 18, 2024

Shortly after the Senate voted to remove the previous occupant of the position, Rigthi Gachagua, Kenya’s President William Ruto selected Interior Minister Kithure Kindiki as his new deputy on Friday.

Ruto’s choice of a close ally, who must receive parliamentary approval, follows a period of political unrest, large-scale demonstrations, and the first impeachment of a deputy president in Kenya.

“I have received a message from … the president, regarding the nomination of Professor Kithure Kindiki to fill the vacancy which has occurred in the office,” Speaker Moses Wetang’ula said in the National Assembly.

Gachagua was impeached on five of the eleven claims against him, which included inciting ethnic hate and flagrantly violating the Constitution. He refuted the allegations and wrote them off as politically motivated.

He assisted Ruto in winning a sizable portion of the votes from the populated central Kenya region by supporting him in the 2022 election. However, Gachagua has mentioned feeling marginalised in recent months, as there have been numerous rumours in the local media indicating a rupture with Ruto as political allegiances have changed.

Kindiki was a strong candidate to be Ruto’s running mate in the 2022 election and was named interior minister in September of that same year, just after the president assumed office.

The Ministry of the Interior is in charge of the police. Rights groups have charged that during rallies earlier this year demanding the repeal of the now-shelved finance law and changes to combat corruption, the police used excessive force.

Kindiki stated in a September appearance before parliament that the government did not carry out extrajudicial executions or kidnappings and that police followed the law.

Related Topics:Featured Kenya RutoKenya William Ruto

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Politics

Burkina Faso releases 4 French spies after Moroccan intervention

Published

2 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

3 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.