Living on Earth
January 27, 2006
For three seasons in a row, the rains in parts of East Africa have failed to come, resulting in a drought more severe than many can remember. Cattle have been particularly hard hit in areas where many of the pastoralist people depend on beef as their main
Conflict
Kenya's disputed election re-run turns violent
Agence France-Presse
October 26, 2017
At least one person was shot dead Thursday during clashes over Kenya's re-run election, which has been boycotted by the opposition and shunned by many voters, sparking a crisis that has polarised the east African hub.
Conflict
23 women have been murdered in these Ugandan towns since May. Police blame witchcraft.
November 08, 2017
Twenty-three women have been killed since May under mysterious and gruesome circumstances on the fringes of Kampala, the growing capital of rapidly urbanizing Uganda.
Culture
Ethnic tensions threaten to engulf post-election Kenya. This activist sees a way out.
PRI's The World
November 01, 2017
Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi describes a way to pull his nation back from the brink.
Development
Amid drought and pests, can GMOs save Uganda's farmers?
GlobalPost
December 29, 2017
An invasion of banana bacterial wilt last decade was predicted to destroy 90 percent of the country’s crops at a cost of $4 billion. The disease was stopped, but only after expensive and protracted interventions by the government.
Culture
Ugandan traffic safety campaign uses social media to shame unsafe drivers
Global Press Journal
July 25, 2018
A new traffic safety campaign in Uganda’s capital aims to shame drivers into following traffic laws. And some drivers have changed their behavior.
Development
Tanzanian president bluntly attacks contraception, saying high birth rates are good for economy
The Conversation
October 25, 2018
Tanzania was one of the first countries in sub-Saharan Africa to embrace family planning. But current president John Magufuli made headlines when he said he does “not see any need for birth control," asserting that population growth is actually an economic boon to the East African nation.
Conflict
The group behind Nairobi’s recent terror attack recruits young people from many faiths. Officials can’t stop it.
GlobalPost
January 25, 2019
While a lot of attention has been paid to the ideological underpinnings of extremist groups like al-Shabab, the new attack in Nairobi shows how increasingly local factors like poverty are driving the growth of extremism in East Africa.
Refugees
In Uganda, a refugee camp becomes a city
Living on Earth
May 09, 2019
The government of Uganda and international agencies have taken an innovative approach to housing displaced persons by building more permanent facilities that serve both refugees and local residents.