Some young East Africans believe that there is nothing wrong with corruption – except in Rwanda.
A Somali man talks to Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) soldiers as they secure an area in the coastal town of Kismayu in southern Somalia.
Reuters/Siegfried Modola
Kenya cited national security when it crossed into Somali territory in pursuit of Al-Shabaab militants. But there were numerous other potential aims at play.
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni speaks during a presidential campaign rally in the capital Kampala in 2016.
Reuters/James Akena
As a young radical in the 1980s, Museveni publicly scorned African rulers who clung to power. Now, after 30 years in office, he is clearly clinging pretty hard himself.
An elderly woman displays her inked finger after casting her vote during the 2016 presidential elections in Uganda.
Reuters/James Akena
The outcome of the race between increasingly artful electoral manipulation and limitless possible manifestations of democratic expression is never entirely certain.
Uganda’s small and medium sized enterprises would facilitate firm growth.
REUTERS/James Akena
A Trump presidency brings into question America’s traditional approach to Africa, especially Rwanda. But a true shift in US foreign policy in Africa is not a priority for the Trump administration.
The Gambia’s Yahya Jammeh is under pressure from regional leaders to cede power.
Reuters/Thierry Gouegnon
The Gambian election dispute is not the first that ECOWAS has confronted. Côte d’Ivoire’s 2010 presidential election is a case in point. There it resorted to military action to enforce the outcome.
A police officer takes a picture of a royal guard to Charles Wesley Mumbere, king of the Rwenzururu kingdom, during the November crackdown.
Reuters/James Akena
It comes as no surprise that nationhood in Uganda is still an elusive idea. Many people associate with their ethnic groups more affectionately than with their country.
Kenyans rally for a new constitution in 2010. The constitution guaranteed shared power and resources for 47 county governments.
Reuters/Moses Eshiwani
The Kenyan example illustrates the importance of constitutional guarantees for devolution. But it also shows that devolution is no magic bullet for the problems of corruption and ethnic politics.
Jimmy Spire Ssentongo is an Associate Dean (Research and Publication), School of Postgraduate Studies and Research at Uganda Martyrs University, Uganda Martyrs University