NAIROBI, Kenya Feb 13 – The debate over National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula’s impartiality has taken an ethnic twist with Western parliamentary leaders caucus shielding him from what they term as ‘sponsored media attack’. Wetangula has been in the spotlight for a week now with his reputation as National Assembly speaker being questioned after the High Court overruled his ruling deeming the Kenya Kwanza Alliance as the majority coalition in the house. Led by Sirisia Member of Parliament John Walukhe, they alleged that the recent publications against him have been sponsored by detractors keen on assassinating his character. “As Members of Parliament who participated in the election of the Speaker, we wish to note our serious disapproval of this veiled narrative that we suspect is sponsored by serious enemies of
Category Archives: POLITICS
Feb
Senate President Godswill Akpabio (L) with Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas (R) during the presentation of the 2025 Budget proposal by President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday, December 18, 2024 in Abuja The National Assembly on Thursday passed the ₦54.99trn 2025 Appropriation Bill. The bill was passed separately by the Senate and the House of Representatives. A breakdown of the budget showed N3.645trn for statutory transfers, N14.317trn for debt servicing, N13.64trn for recurrent expenditure and N23.963trn capital expenditure (development fund), with fiscal deficit put at N13.08trn. The Deficit-to-Gross domestic product (GDP) Ratio was put at 1.52%. Last Week, President Bola Tinubu increased the 2025 fiscal year budget from an initial N49.7trn to N54.2trn, seeking approval from the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Chairman of the House
Netanyahu’s advisors “allegedly received payments, maintained connections, and did business with the country that funded Hamas,” Golan said. By ELIAV BREUER FEBRUARY 13, 2025 12:09 Updated: FEBRUARY 13, 2025 12:51 Leader of the Democrats party Yair Golan leads a faction meeting at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, on February 10, 2025. (photo credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90) Democrats party chairman and former deputy IDF chief of staff Yair Golan said in a press conference on Thursday in Tel Aviv that “there is a suspicion of betrayal in the Prime Minister’s Office that must be investigated.” Golan’s comments came in the wake of a report on Channel 12 on Tuesday that Eli Feldstein – a member of the prime minister’s media team who is currently under house arrest for leaking classified
Over 100 Kenyan MPs and other high-ranking VIPs are set to land in the Ethiopian capital on Thursday, February 13, to witness the AU Commission elections The MPs intend to “observe” the elections and offer support to Raila Odinga, who faces a stiff challenge from Djibouti’s Foreign Minister Mahamoud Ali Youssouf The government clarified that the entourage of legislators would foot their own bills to and fro the continental headquarters Kenya’s opposition leader Raila Odinga, is one of the top contenders for the African Union Commission chairship elections slated for February 15-16 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Raila Odinga hopes to succeed Moussa Faki as AU Commission chair. Photo: Tony Karuma.Source: Getty Images Over 100 MPs and other high-ranking VIPs are set to land in the Ethiopian capital on Thursday, February
Feb
Claims by South Korea ’s conservative bloc that China meddled in the country’s election could escalate tensions with Beijing and jeopardise trade ties, analysts have warned. Beijing has voiced strong discontent over the allegations by supporters of suspended President Yoon Suk-yeol , who on December 3 plunged the country into political chaos with a martial law decree that he insisted was necessary to investigate election fraud involving China and North Korea. Seoul’s election watchdog has dismissed the allegations as baseless. Adding to the controversy, a viral fake news story on YouTube claims that martial law troops arrested 99 Chinese “hackers” who helped opposition parties at the National Election Commission. In response, Dai Bing, the Chinese ambassador in Seoul, issued a statement late on Monday condemning the spread of unfounded allegations.
Feb
The billionaire has brought his four-year-old to numerous Washington events. February 11, 2025, 7:40 PM As camera crews and reporters crowded into the Oval Office on Tuesday, trying to focus on President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s first public comments on slashing the government, the dramatic scene at times got stolen — by Musk’s son, “Lil X.” “This is X, and he’s a great guy — high IQ,” Trump said at the top of his remarks, chuckling and calling the four-year-old a “high-IQ individual.” President Donald Trump is joined by Elon Musk and his son X Æ A-Xii, as he signs a series of executive orders in the Oval Office at the White House on Feb. 11, 2025 in Washington. Alex Brandon/AP While defending his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)
Feb
The Minister for Communications, Sam Nartey George, has urged Parliament to review CCTV footage to identify the MP who made an offensive remark about Dr Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings, the MP for Klottey Korle. Speaking on Joy FM’s Newsfile programme on Saturday, February 8, 2025, Sam George condemned the remark, which referred to Dr Agyeman-Rawlings as the “daughter of a murderer.” He said such conduct must not be ignored. “I believe that’s an issue we are investigating. Parliament is investigating. We need to get to the bottom of that,” he said. He noted that the voice came from a section of the House “behind Afenyo” and insisted that the chamber’s CCTV footage must be examined to identify the culprit. “It would allow us to see, because nobody could have made those comments
Feb
The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Benjamin Kalu, on Wednesday disclosed that plans are ongoing for the proposed 12 Regional and National Public Hearings on the amendment of the 1999 Constitution across the six geo-political zones of the Federation. The Deputy Speaker and Chairman of the Constitution Review Committee, Hon. Benjamin Kalu, made this known in Abuja on Wednesday while receiving a delegation from the Albright Stonebridge Group, who paid him a courtesy visit in his office. According to him, the forthcoming exhibition on gender inclusion, tagged “Art for Governance,” scheduled for next month, was organized by the Special Ad-hoc Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution in partnership with the Advocacy for Civic Engagement Centre (ElectHER) and the National Assembly Library. Addressing the delegation, Hon.
Feb
A leaked UK Home Office report has, for the first time, identified Indian-origin Hindu nationalist extremism, Hindutva and the Sikh separatist movement as domestic security concerns. Analysts said the United Kingdom must navigate these ideological tensions carefully, as unchecked extremism risked fuelling further violence and deepening divisions within diaspora communities. The UK Home Office’s report, commissioned by Home Secretary Yvette Cooper in August 2024, was recently leaked to the right-leaning Policy Exchange think tank. The report called Hindu nationalist extremism “an extremist ideology that advocates for Hindu supremacy and seeks to transform India into an ethno-religious Hindu state”. Hindutva was described as a political movement that “advocates for the hegemony of Indian Hindus and the establishment of a monolithic Hindu Rastra or state in India”. The report noted: “Tensions between
Feb
Saudi Arabia said on Wednesday it would not formalise ties with Israel unless a Palestinian state was established, after the Israeli prime minister remarked that he thought normalisation with the Gulf kingdom was “going to happen”. “Saudi Arabia will continue its relentless efforts to establish an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, and will not establish diplomatic relations with Israel without that,” the Saudi foreign ministry said in a statement. Both US President Donald Trump and his predecessor Joe Biden have backed Israel and Saudi Arabia having diplomatic relations. Riyadh paused tentative talks on the matter early in the Gaza conflict and hardened its rhetoric as the war continued. In a shock announcement on Tuesday, Trump said the US would take over the war-ravaged Gaza Strip after
Feb
Trust Freddy Herald Correspondent Drama has unfolded in Greendale, Harare, as the Justice Maphios Cheda-led Commission of Inquiry into Harare’s affairs temporarily adjourned Mayor Jacob Mafume’s testimony to conduct an onsite inspection at a property he had claimed to be his house. The Commission’s findings revealed that the property, located on Coronation Road at number 1110 in Greendale, is not a residential area as claimed, but a vehicle auction site. When Mayor Mafume attempted to explain the discrepancy, Judge Cheda instructed him to provide his explanation at a later time. The Commission insisted on an inspection in loco after discovering that Mayor Mafume had lied under oath. Mayor Mafume claimed it was a mistake, saying his house was just two blocks away from the initial address. However, the Commission refused
The Chairman of the Appointments Committee, Bernard Ahiafor, has accused the Minority Caucus of deliberately disrupting proceedings during the ministerial vetting on Thursday, January 30, 2025. Appearing before the committee investigating the chaos today, Mr Ahiafor stated that the Minority’s conduct that night led to the destruction of public property and created a hostile environment. The incident prompted Speaker Alban Bagbin to suspend four MPs and establish an investigative committee, chaired by Ho West MP Emmanuel Kwasi Bedzrah, to probe the matter. The suspensions were rescinded yesterday. “I perceived members on the Minority side to be putting up an attitude that is very disruptive. For me, I find it very difficult to go back on my words having agreed with you this is what we are going to do,”
Jan
Two US lawmakers, including the chair of a hawkish congressional committee, are raising concerns about the John F. Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts’ decision to host the National Ballet of China, accusing the dance company of being a tool of China’s “political machinery”. They are urging the cultural institution to reconsider its ties with the Chinese ballet company. Representatives Chris Smith, a Republican from New Jersey, and John Moolenaar, a Michigan Republican who chairs the House select committee on China , sent a letter this week to Kennedy Centre chairman David Rubenstein and president Deborah Rutter regarding the NBC performances, which are scheduled from January 29 to February 2 in Washington as part of Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations. 01:59 Taking Lunar New Year to Brooklyn Nets Taking Lunar
Jan
NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 30 – Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame has fiercely criticized fellow leaders in the East African Community (EAC), terming the bloc’s approach to the crisis in Eastern DRC as disjointed and ineffective. Kagame, who made the remarks during an emergency EAC Summit convened by President William Ruto which DRC President Felix Tshisekedi snubbed, faulted the bloc, accusing fellow Heads of State of prioritizing national interests at the expense of a collective regional pursuit. “Tshisekedi decided we were not doing what he wanted and went to SADC. SADC agreed they’d come and do what he wanted and sent everybody else (EAC) packing. We complied and kept quiet,” he lamented in remarks released by the Rwandan presidency. “But really, to have even had the EAC expelled from Eastern DRC and
A session of the Appointments Committee of Parliament descended into chaos late on Thursday as tensions between Minority and Majority members flared over the vetting of Kwabena Mintah Akandoh and Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa. The disagreement began when the Minority proposed postponing the vetting to Friday, citing concerns about the day’s proceedings. However, the Majority rejected the proposal, insisting the process should continue as planned. The dispute quickly escalated and some tables as well as microphones were destroyed amid a tussle between some MPs. Security personnel were called in to manage the growing tension in the conference room. The Minority remained firm, arguing that an agreement had been reached to vet only four nominees before adjourning. They insisted that no further candidates should be assessed beyond that. As both sides refused