AFRICA

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Kenyans began voting Tuesday in general elections headlined by a too-close-to-call battle between incumbent Uhuru Kenyatta and his rival Raila Odinga, sparking fears of violence in east Africa’s richest economy. Long lines of voters snaked outside of polling stations around the country, many of them camping …

#ElectionsKE: Kenyans to vote in tight, tense elections Nairobi, Kenya | AFP |  Kenyans vote Tuesday in general elections headlined by a too-close-to-call battle between incumbent Uhuru Kenyatta and his rival Raila Odinga, sparking fears of violence in east Africa’s richest economy. Tensions soared in the last days of the …

Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | Twelve people were killed Monday by stray gunfire in a wave of violence in Kinshasa, a spokesman for the national police said, accusing a political-religious sect opposed to President Joseph Kabila. The toll was a provisional estimate, Pierrot Rombaut Mwanamputu said in an emergency broadcast …

Abuja, Nigeria | AFP | Nigerian protesters demanded Monday that President Muhammadu Buhari, receiving treatment in London for an undisclosed ailment for more than three months, either return or resign. Buhari left for the British capital on May 7 on what is his latest medical trip, appointing Vice President Yemi Osinbajo …

Cape Town, South Africa | AFP | A parliamentary vote of no confidence in South African President Jacob Zuma will be held by secret ballot, it was announced Monday, in a move that could encourage some ANC lawmakers to choose to oust him. The vote to be held Tuesday has become …

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Kenyan President  Uhuru Kenyatta urged peace Monday on the eve of tense elections in which his battle with rival Raila Odinga is seen as too close to call. Kenyatta, 55, who is seeking a second and final term in office, gave a televised speech in a …

Juba, South Sudan | AFP | South Sudan government forces said Monday they had seized the rebel stronghold of Pagak near the Ethiopian border, after weeks of heavy fighting that forced thousands to flee the region. Military spokesman Dickson Gatluak said rebel forces loyal to exiled former deputy president Riek Machar …

Washington, United States | AFP |  Former US president Barack Obama called Monday on Kenyans to hold a peaceful and untainted election, speaking out on the eve of a crucial vote in the East African country where his father was born. “I urge Kenyan leaders to reject violence and incitement; …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT & AFP | Kenya president Uhuru Kenyatta has addressed the nation, promising better days lie ahead whatever the result of the election on Tuesday. “Better days lie ahead. Yes, we have more work to do. But as Kenyans, as architects of the future, we can …

The headlines after 8 August will be about Kenyatta vs. Odinga. But the real contest for Kenya’s future is being waged at a more intimate and local level. Nairobi, Kenya | AFRICAN ARGUMENTS |  There is an epic battle afoot over the future of Kenya, but it’s not happening where you might …