East Africa

Rows of fresh Wau Eats samosas waiting to be packed and delivered to eager customers, Nairobi, Kenya

Apple pie samosas for Thanksgiving? In East Africa, these fried treats are a hit.

Aleya Kassam, one of the founders of Wau Eats in Nairobi, said her family has enjoyed making samosas for generations. As they experiment with different fillings, Americans living in Kenya are even ordering apple pie samosas for Thanksgiving.

Apple pie samosas for Thanksgiving? In East Africa, these fried treats are a hit.
Hundreds of people gather near an evacuation control checkpoint during ongoing evacuations at Hamid Karzai International Airport, in Kabul.

As Afghans flee Taliban rule, some find a temporary new home in Uganda

As Afghans flee Taliban rule, some find a temporary new home in Uganda
Residents of Mahiga-Meru village chase desert locusts using old aluminum cooking pots, iron sheets and twigs, in Laikipia County, Kenya, Feb. 25, 2020. 

Coronavirus — and locusts — threaten Kenya’s food security

Coronavirus — and locusts — threaten Kenya’s food security
A woman speaks behind a table

Ugandan archbishop breaks with tradition to promote birth control during pandemic

Ugandan archbishop breaks with tradition to promote birth control during pandemic
Up close image of Kenyan man wearing black sweatshirt

'Intersex' is counted in Kenya's census — but is this a victory?

'Intersex' is counted in Kenya's census — but is this a victory?
Bidibid refugee camp

In Uganda, a refugee camp becomes a city

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.

In Uganda, a refugee camp becomes a city
Kenyan security in uniform raises hand to clear the area.

The group behind Nairobi’s recent terror attack recruits young people from many faiths. Officials can’t stop it.

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.

The group behind Nairobi’s recent terror attack recruits young people from many faiths. Officials can’t stop it.
A young Tanzanian woman speaks to a male doctor.

Tanzanian president bluntly attacks contraception, saying high birth rates are good for economy

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.

Tanzanian president bluntly attacks contraception, saying high birth rates are good for economy
a crowded street in kampala, uganda

Ugandan traffic safety campaign uses social media to shame unsafe drivers

A new traffic safety campaign in Uganda’s capital aims to shame drivers into following traffic laws. And some drivers have changed their behavior.

Ugandan traffic safety campaign uses social media to shame unsafe drivers
Women carry baskets of banana as they walk past a military personnel patrolling in Uganda's capital Kampala, Feb. 19, 2016.

Amid drought and pests, can GMOs save Uganda's farmers?

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.

Amid drought and pests, can GMOs save Uganda's farmers?
Rose Nakimuli

23 women have been murdered in these Ugandan towns since May. Police blame witchcraft.

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.

23 women have been murdered in these Ugandan towns since May. Police blame witchcraft.
Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi says his country's politicians must heal the country's ethnic divide.

Ethnic tensions threaten to engulf post-election Kenya. This activist sees a way out.

Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi describes a way to pull his nation back from the brink.

Ethnic tensions threaten to engulf post-election Kenya. This activist sees a way out.
An opposition supporter returns a teargas canister fired by police during clashes in Kibera slum in Nairobi, Kenya, Oct. 26, 2017.

Kenya's disputed election re-run turns violent

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.

Kenya's disputed election re-run turns violent
US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Joseph Dunford is stands at a podium during a press conference.

Pentagon looks at stepping up its role in Africa to counter ISIS

The United States is considering a stepped-up military presence in Africa to pursue ISIS jihadists looking for new havens after the fall of their "caliphate," American officials say.

Pentagon looks at stepping up its role in Africa to counter ISIS
Somali government forces evacuate an injured colleague from the scene of an explosion at Kilometer 4 street in the Hodan district of Mogadishu, Somalia, on Oct. 14, 2017.

A big truck bomb strikes outside a hotel in Somalia's capital

A truck bomb exploded outside a hotel at a busy junction in Somalia's capital Mogadishu on Saturday, causing widespread devastation that left at least 20 dead, with the toll likely to rise.

A big truck bomb strikes outside a hotel in Somalia's capital