Latest news with #Kenyans
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Kenyan president apologises to Tanzania over deportation row
Kenya's President William Ruto has publicly apologised to Tanzania following days of tension between the neighbouring countries. Some Kenyans on social media have been targeting Tanzania's President Samia Suluhu Hassan following the recent detention and deportation of prominent East African activists. Angry Tanzanian MPs on Monday accused Kenyans of cyberbullying and disrespecting Tanzanian sovereignty and "meddling in domestic affairs". Speaking at a national prayer breakfast on Wednesday, Ruto appeared to extend an olive branch to Tanzania. "To our neighbours from Tanzania, if we have wronged you in any way, forgive us," he said. "If there is anything that Kenyans have done that is not right, we want to apologise," the president added. Ugandan activist alleges she was raped while in Tanzanian detention Why Samia's hesitant reforms are fuelling Tanzanian political anger 'They aimed to kill' - BBC identifies security forces who shot Kenya anti-tax protesters Ruto also apologised to young Kenyans, popularly known as Gen-Zs, who have been critical of his administration since the deadly anti-tax protesters last June. The president made the remarks in response to a call by visiting American preacher Rickey Allen Bolden, who urged leaders to pursue reconciliation. The diplomatic row was triggered by the deportation of activists who had travelled to Tanzania to attend the trial of opposition leader Tundu Lissu. Among them were Kenyan Boniface Mwangi and Agather Atuhaire from Uganda. The two said they were held incommunicado for several days and tortured, before they were left at the border by Tanzanian security forces, sparking widespread condemnation across the region and from international rights groups. Tanzania is yet to comment on the torture claims but President Samia had earlier warned that she would not allow activists from neighbouring countries to "meddle" in her country's affairs and cause "chaos". Both Kenya and Ugandan had formally protested against the detention of the activists, accusing the Tanzanian authorities of denying consular access despite repeated requests. The alleged mistreatment of the activists triggered an online war, with social media users from Kenya and Tanzania clashing over the claims. In a heated debate on Monday, Tanzanian parliamentarians expressed outrage over the young Kenyans trolling President Samia. The MPs said Samia had every right to defend Tanzania's national interests. The legislators' comments angered some Kenyans who hit back by sharing lawmakers' contacts and flooding their phones with messages to express their disapproval. Tanzania's Iringa Town MP Jesca Msambatavangu said that most of the messages came via WhatsApp, forcing her to temporarily switch off her phone. Msambatavangu, however, welcomed the engagement, encouraging Kenyans on social media to "counter ideas with ideas". She asked young Kenyans to create a WhatsApp group for further engagement and promised to engage them in a live session on Saturday. "Kenyans are our neighbours, our brothers, and we cannot ignore each other," she added. El Chapo & Deputy Jesus - why Kenya's president has so many nicknames Could this be the end of the road for Tanzania's great survivor, Tundu Lissu? How Kenya's evangelical president has fallen out with churches X restricted in Tanzania after police targeted by hackers Go to for more news from the African continent. Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica Africa Daily Focus on Africa
Yahoo
17 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Kenyan president apologies to Tanzania over deportation row
Kenya's President William Ruto has publicly apologised to Tanzania following days of tension between the neighbouring countries. Some Kenyans on social media have been targeting Tanzania's President Samia Suluhu Hassan following the recent detention and deportation of prominent East African activists. Angry Tanzanian MPs on Monday accused Kenyans of cyberbullying and disrespecting Tanzanian sovereignty and "meddling in domestic affairs". Speaking at a national prayer breakfast on Wednesday, Ruto appeared to extend an olive branch to Tanzania. "To our neighbours from Tanzania, if we have wronged you in any way, forgive us," he said. "If there is anything that Kenyans have done that is not right, we want to apologise," the president added. Ugandan activist alleges she was raped while in Tanzanian detention Why Samia's hesitant reforms are fuelling Tanzanian political anger Ruto also apologised to young Kenyans, popularly known as Gen-Zs, who have been critical of his administration since the deadly anti-tax protesters last June. The president made the remarks in response to a call by visiting American preacher Rickey Allen Bolden, who urged leaders to pursue reconciliation. The diplomatic row was triggered by the deportation of activists who had travelled to Tanzania to attend the trial of opposition leader Tundu Lissu. Among them were Kenyan Boniface Mwangi and Agather Atuhaire from Uganda. The two said they were held incommunicado for several days and tortured, before they were left at the border by Tanzanian security forces, sparking widespread condemnation across the region and from international rights groups. Tanzania is yet to comment on the torture claims but President Samia had earlier warned that she would not allow activists from neighbouring countries to "meddle" in her country's affairs and cause "chaos". Both Kenya and Ugandan had formally protested against the detention of the activists, accusing the Tanzanian authorities of denying consular access despite repeated requests. The alleged mistreatment of the activists triggered an online war, with social media users from Kenya and Tanzania clashing over the claims. In a heated debate on Monday, Tanzanian parliamentarians expressed outrage over the young Kenyans trolling President Samia. The MPs said Samia had every right to defend Tanzania's national interests. The legislators' comments angered some Kenyans who hit back by sharing lawmakers' contacts and flooding their phones with messages to express their disapproval. Tanzania's Iringa Town MP Jesca Msambatavangu said that most of the messages came via WhatsApp, forcing her to temporarily switch off her phone. Msambatavangu, however, welcomed the engagement, encouraging Kenyans on social media to "counter ideas with ideas". She asked young Kenyans to create a WhatsApp group for further engagement and promised to engage them in a live session on Saturday. "Kenyans are our neighbours, our brothers, and we cannot ignore each other," she added. El Chapo & Deputy Jesus - why Kenya's president has so many nicknames Could this be the end of the road for Tanzania's great survivor, Tundu Lissu? How Kenya's evangelical president has fallen out with churches X restricted in Tanzania after police targeted by hackers Go to for more news from the African continent. Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica Africa Daily Focus on Africa
Maroc
a day ago
- Politics
- Maroc
Kenya's Backing of Morocco's Autonomy Plan Sparks Wide Coverage in Kenyan Press
Kenya's support for Morocco's autonomy plan to resolve the artificial conflict over the Moroccan Sahara has dominated national headlines, with local media hailing it as a major turning point in bilateral ties between Rabat and Nairobi. The outlet Citizen emphasized that this official position marks Kenya's alignment with the international momentum in support of Morocco's sovereignty over its southern provinces. It also recalled the opening on Monday of Kenya's embassy in Rabat, described as a new milestone in six decades of diplomatic relations between the two countries. For its part, Nation focused on the joint statement issued following the meeting between Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation, and Moroccan Expatriates Nasser Bourita, and Kenya's Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Musalia Mudavadi. The daily underscored Nairobi's explicit recognition of the Moroccan plan as the only sustainable approach to resolving the Sahara issue, breaking with previous positions. According to KBC, Kenya's decision comes in a context of growing support for the Moroccan autonomy initiative, driven by HM King Mohammed VI's leadership. The public broadcaster also noted Nairobi's commitment to cooperating with other states that share this vision to promote the implementation of the autonomy plan. Kenyans highlighted Nairobi's support for the Royal Initiative aimed at providing landlocked Sahel countries with strategic access to global trade routes through the Kingdom's Atlantic ports. This Royal Initiative, the newspaper added, aligns with Kenya's willingness to strengthen regional economic integration. MAP: 27 mai 2025
New Indian Express
2 days ago
- Sport
- New Indian Express
In-form Gulveer runs to 10,000m glory at Asian meet
CHENNAI: GULVEER Singh has continued his golden run this year. The national record holder in both 5000 metres (12:59.77s, Feb 2025) and 10,000 metres (27:00.22s, Mar 2025) added another feather to his cap by winning India's first gold medal in the 10,000m with a timing of 28:38.63 seconds at the Asian Athletics Championship in Gumi, South Korea on Tuesday. This year Gulveer has been in domineering form and he credits it to a lot of hard work and exposure trips to the United States. He has been training at Colorado Springs under India's foreign middle and long distance coach Scott Simmons and that according to him has helped him improve his timing. He has massively improved his record from the 2023 Asian meet in Bangkok where he had clocked 29:53.69s. In fact, tracing his progression is quite interesting. In November 2022 he had a personal best of 28:54.29 and in 2023 it was down to 28:17.21. In the last couple of years he has been spending more time in the US and the progress seemed quite visible. In 2024 his best was 27:14.88, bettered more than a minute and in 2025 he has hit his best strides. "Training under the coach (Scott) and practising with Kenyans and Ethiopians impacted me positively," he told this daily from Gumi. "There has been good feedback and everything has helped me improve."
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Kenyan MP found in coffee farm after alleged abduction
A Kenyan member of parliament who was allegedly abducted by unknown men after a church service on Sunday is being treated in hospital after being found on a coffee farm, former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has said. George Koimburi had been "badly beaten" and was in a "very serious condition" at the Karen Hospital in the capital Nairobi, Gachagua added. A vocal critic of the government, Koimburi is allied with Gachagua, who was impeached by parliament and removed from office last year after falling-out with President William Ruto. The alleged abduction has sparked outrage, with the opposition accusing the government of intimidation. It has not yet commented on the allegation. Police said they were investigating the incident, local media reported. A motorcycle rider who first found Koimburi early on Monday morning is said to have alerted other people and his family, the reports added added. A widely shared video clip showed the MP lying on the ground, his clothes dishevelled and seemingly in pain. On Sunday, Koimburi's wife told reporters that they were outside church, in his Juja constituency in central Kiambu county, when he was grabbed and bundled into a vehicle. Koimburi was reportedly found at a coffee farm in the nearby Ruiru constituency, less than 10km (six miles) from where he had been allegedly abducted. Speaking after visiting him in hospital, Gachagua accused the government of targeting legislators who took a "vocal stand against the government". There has been a wave of abductions in Kenya since mass protests against tax hikes broke out last year. The government has previously denied involvement in the kidnappings. Prominent opposition politician Kalonzo Musyoka said that opposition officials would meet on Tuesday to "assess the current state of political harassment and intimidation in the country by the Kenya Kwanza [governing] regime". He raised concerns over how an MP, who was entitled to security by the police, could "get abducted in broad daylight". "It means Kenyans are on their own," Musyoka added. In February, Koimburi was arrested and charged with forging his academic qualifications. He denied the charge and was released on bail. Police are reported to be also investigating him over allegations of land fraud and misuse of government funds. He denies any wrongdoing. His alleged abduction came weeks after MP Charles Ong'ondo Were was shot dead in the streets of Nairobi by gunmen on a motorcycle. Police said several suspects had been arrested following what appeared to be a "targeted and predetermined" assassination. Many Kenyans are alarmed by the deteriorating security situation. The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights says that more than 80 people have been abducted since mass protests broke out last June against an increase in taxation, in what was the biggest challenge to the authority of Ruto's government since it took office in 2022. The commission blamed the abductions on state security agencies, but they denied any involvement. Earlier this month, Ruto said the government had taken action to prevent further abductions, but did not give details. Pressure mounts to probe Kenya police and army after BBC exposé Abductions spark fears of a return to Kenya's dark past 'We live in fear' - forced expulsions taint Kenya's safe haven image Kenyan minister alleges intelligence agency behind his son's abduction Go to for more news from the African continent. Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica Africa Daily Focus on Africa
