East Africa

Details: East Africa; 01 August 2025; 221

Initiative seeks to inspire a continental movement that redefines tourism across Africa

In Summary

“It’s time we stop looking outward and start exploring the richness of our own continent.”
With on-ground teams based in Nairobi, Cape Town, and Addis Ababa, Destination Africa is leading a shift toward Africa-for-Africa travel solutions.

The spirit of pan-African travel came alive at Two Rivers Mall as Destination Africa and Kenya Airways teamed up to host the vibrant #TwendeSouthAfrica tourism showcase.

The initiative is aimed at promoting intra-African tourism and encouraging Kenyans to discover the beauty, history, and culture of South Africa, now accessible visa-free with direct flights from Nairobi.

The campaign highlighted affordable, all-inclusive travel packages, offering families, schools, and companies a stress-free alternative to navigating unreliable booking platforms or international middlemen.

With on-ground teams based in Nairobi, Cape Town, and Addis Ababa, Destination Africa is leading a shift toward Africa-for-Africa travel solutions.

“It’s time we stop looking outward and start exploring the richness of our own continent,” said Duncan Muriuki, CEO of Destination Africa.

“There’s enormous interest and spending power within Africa that’s been largely overlooked.”

A major highlight of the showcase was a giveaway sponsored by Kenya Airways and Destination Africa — an all-expenses-paid trip to South Africa. The lucky winner? Popular Kenyan actor and musician Pascal Tokodi.

Overjoyed at the news, Tokodi shared his excitement for immersing himself in South Africa’s scenic landscapes, vibrant cities, and rich history.

He even revealed plans to extend his stay, making time to fully explore what the country has to offer.

“We’re excited to watch Pascal Tokodi’s journey as he documents his experience for fellow Kenyans,” said Rune Engstrom, Director at Destination Africa.

“Through this partnership with Kenya Airways, we’re opening doors — no visa needed, direct flights from Nairobi, and value-packed deals.”

Unlike standard tour operators, Destination Africa curates deeply personal, historically rooted travel experiences. Visitors are introduced to individuals whose lives shaped — and were shaped by — South Africa’s complex past.

They include Antoinette Sithole, sister of the late Hector Pieterson, shares firsthand accounts of the 1976 Soweto Uprising, bringing to life a chapter that defined the anti-apartheid movement.

Visitors are also introduced to Christo Brand, once Nelson Mandela’s young prison warder on Robben Island, offers rare, humanising insights into the life of South Africa’s founding father and Igshaan Amlay, a former political prisoner and member of the Wynberg Seven, recounts stories of forced removals and community resistance during apartheid.

These encounters give travelers more than just a sightseeing tour — they provide an education in courage, resilience, and shared African history.

Through its partnership with Kenya Airways, Destination Africa is offering favourable rates to Kenyan families, students, corporate groups, and travel agents who book trips to South Africa through the Destination Africa platform.

The packages include flights, accommodation, cultural experiences, and expert guides — all tailored to fit various budgets and interests. By Allan Kisia, The Star

Details: East Africa; 01 August 2025; 232

Lycopodium, an engineering and project management firm, has been awarded an EPCM (engineering, procurement and construction management) contract worth approximately AUD48mn ($30.9mn) for the Nyanzaga gold project in Tanzania.

The project, owned by fellow ASX-listed peer Perseus Mining, is situated about 60km from Mwanza, Tanzania’s second-largest city. Lycopodium’s scope includes designing and managing the construction of a carbon-in-leach processing plant with a 5mn tonnes per annum capacity, along with associated infrastructure such as power distribution, water supply from Lake Victoria, tailings pipelines, and support facilities.

Work on the contract is set to begin immediately, with first gold production targeted for the first quarter of 2027. The initial mining phase will use open-pit methods, with provisions for underground expansion as the project advances.

Tanzania is Africa’s fourth-largest gold producer, and mining remains a major contributor to the country’s GDP. The Nyanzaga project is one of the most advanced undeveloped gold assets in East Africa. According to the project's definitive feasibility study, it holds a mineral resource of 3.07mn ounces of gold and is expected to produce over 200,000 ounces annually over its first 10 years.

The project aligns with Tanzania’s push to attract more foreign investment in the sector following reforms aimed at increasing transparency and investor confidence, as noted in the United Republic of Tanzania Investor’s Guide-Mining Sector 2024, published by the Ministry of Minerals.

Lycopodium previously completed the pre-feasibility study, definitive feasibility study, and front-end engineering and design for Nyanzaga.

“Our long-standing relationship with Perseus, having worked alongside them in the development and engineering support of their current operating gold mines in Africa, including Edikan in Ghana, and Sissingué and Yaouré in Côte d’Ivoire, ensures we are well placed to provide confidence of outcome for the successful development of Nyanzaga,” said Lycopodium managing director and CEO Peter De Leo. bne IntelliNews

Details: East Africa; 31 July 2025; 191

While working on his undergraduate degree at Duke University, Faraan Rahim had the chance to travel to Ghana in west Africa for a summer project, and the 2019 Franklin Regional graduate fell in love with the challenges and rewards of global health care.

Today, Rahim is on the opposite side of the continent, working in Tanzania with a project focused on cardiovascular health during his third year at Harvard Medical School.

“Duke happened to have a longstanding collaboration with the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Center, and I started working with an emergency medicine physician there,” he said.

The project’s overall goal is to improve early diagnosis and treatment of heart attacks, in part by decreasing hypertension, or high blood pressure, among Tanzanians.

“Right now we have a trial going with a (group) of HIV patients who also have hypertension,” Rahim said. “We’ll have community health workers who counsel them and provide medications. Day-to-day, I’m shadowing patients who are getting hypertension screening and care.”

HIV is a significant health epidemic in the country, and more than 5% of Tanzanians are currently living with the disease, according to nonprofit UNAIDS. Rahim and others in the project are also interviewing the heads of local HIV clinics and interviewing community health workers to determine if the education and intervention is effective.

“In the current state of the HIV epidemic, with readily available retro-viral treatment even in Tanzania, AIDS-related mortality has decreased a great deal,” Rahim said. “But people with HIV are more susceptible to cardiovascular disease and hypertension.”

In addition, the country has a general shortage of healthcare providers and physicians, which is why Rahim was happy to have the funds in hand from a recent $10,000 U.S. Department of State grant aimed at helping boost proficiency in medical-related English.

“Students can complete their entire primary schooling using just the Swahili language,” Rahim said. “But for students interested in medicine, the vast majority of medical-school education and materials are in English. So we wanted to bolster their English, specifically in a medical context, to give them the opportunity to consider a healthcare career.”

The grant-funded program is in its fourth week, Rahim said, working with students ages 14-17 alongside three adult Tanzanian English teachers.

“We’ve taught the names for internal organs, how to describe a flu and its symptoms, very medically-focused English,” he said. “We’re really excited about both programs, and we’re looking forward to publishing the data we’re collecting.”

Patrick Varine is a TribLive reporter covering Delmont, Export and Murrysville. He is a Western Pennsylvania native and joined the Trib in 2010 after working as a reporter and editor with the former Dover Post Co. in Delaware. By Patrick Varine, Trib Live

Details: East Africa; 01 August 2025; 212

The Leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Primate Elijah Ayodele, has released prophecies regarding the elections in some countries, including Cameroon, Uganda, Côte d’Ivoire, Malawi, and Tanzania.

In a statement signed by his media aide, Osho Oluwatosin, he revealed some events that will unfold before, during, and after the election.

In Cote D’ivoire, the prophet stated that the president will do everything within his power to return as the president.

He stated that the opposition will eventually shy away from contesting.

Primate Ayodele said: “The President of Côte d’Ivoire, Ouattara, will do everything legally and constitutionally possible to be elected. Those who can defeat him will be delisted, and in the end, some will get angry and fail to contest.

“This is where the opposition will fail and not get it right. This is where the opposition will be misinformed and give the man another chance. The opposition will only protest; the president is ready for anything. He is a stooge for France, and they will back him up. A lot of things will go wrong in the election; there will be violence, and people will be praying for a coup.”

In Uganda, Primate Ayodele stated that it is only God who can remove Museveni and his family from power because he has positioned himself to be in power for life.

“Uganda: Museveni will hold Bobi Wine to ransom. He will contest again but won’t win. Museveni will still win no matter what; he will do all that is needed to win the election. Uganda wants to run a one-party system, and only God can remove the family of Museveni from power because he has positioned himself to be a life president,” he said.

In Cameroon, Primate Ayodele stated that the opposition will shun the election and give Paul Biya a landslide victory. However, he made it known that the president would not complete his tenure.

“Cameroon: What is happening in Côte d’Ivoire will happen in Cameroon. The opposition will want to shun the election and give Paul Biya power to win a landslide victory. Biya will go all out to win, but he will not finish his tenure.

“He will be another president to die on the throne. Notwithstanding, these old presidents—if they continue to rule—some of them will start dying. Biya has mortgaged Cameroon, and the Anglophone areas will continue to suffer until they pull out.”

In Malawi, Primate Ayodele foresees massive protest against the government, while stating that the current vice president will pull out at some point to contest for the position of a president. He also foresees a new vice president coming up.

“Malawi: There is going to be a protest against the Malawian government. There will be a lot of crises and problems in the country. The country will be unstable and fluctuating. They will rise against the president; he needs a lot of prayers for good health.

“There is a need for the country to be stable economically and politically. They need a lot of prayers to succeed and actualize their vision. The current vice president will pull out from the government to contest for the position of president, as I see another vice president coming up. However, the incoming vice president will have issues with the president.”

Likewise, in Tanzania, Primate Ayodele foresees clashes between the opposition and the current president. He also warned against the Ebola crisis in the country.

“Tanzania: The opposition will do a lot to fight the Tanzanian president. The woman will go all out to fight the opposition, and I see her frustrating the opposition. She is desperate to win the election and believes she’s being cheated because of her gender.

“She will deal with the opposition regardless of who they may be or what they want to achieve. I see disaster and Ebola recurring in the country. There will be mass protests against the president.” By Seun Opejobi, Daily Post

Details: East Africa; 31 July 2025; 220

Collage Image of Cop Shakur protesting in full Police regalia and Shakur on duty

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has confirmed the arrest of two former security officers, including a United States Army veteran, over suspected terrorism offenses.

The arrests were carried out on Tuesday and Wednesday, July 30.

The DCI identified the suspects as Patrick Nyambaka Osoi, a former Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) soldier and US Army veteran, and Jackson Kuria Kihara, a former prison officer also known by his alias 'Cop Shakur.'

Authorities stated that both are under active investigation for their alleged involvement in subversive activities.

Osoi was initially apprehended on Tuesday and subsequently charged with terrorism and other felony offenses. His associate, Cop Shakur, was then arrested on the afternoon of Wednesday, July 30, as he attempted to attend court in support of Osoi.

During Shakur's arrest, detectives recovered a distinctive red beret bearing the symbol 'FBI,' linked to the 'Fighting Brutality and Impunity' movement.

Cop Shakur was on his way to the Kahawa Law Courts, and he filmed his arrest.

In the video that was posted on social media, Cop Shakur is heard in a verbal confrontation with the officers while inside his vehicle before being detained.

At some point, he was adamant he would not surrender to authorities since they allegedly failed to provide grounds to detain him.

The detectives confirmed that Shakur was arrested in Kahawa West, while Osoi was arrested during a well-coordinated operation along Lang’ata Road.

“In a related development, Jackson Kuria Kihara, alias Cop Shakur, was also arrested in Kahawa West in connection with the same offences."

"Detectives have arrested Patrick Nyambaka Osoi, a founding member of the Fighting Brutality and Impunity movement (FBI), during a well-coordinated operation along Lang’ata Road,” the DCI said.

According to DCI, Shakur is expected to appear at the Kahawa Law Courts on Thursday, July 31, 2025. By Mercy Sowek. Kenyans.co.ke