JOHANNESBURG, 1 September 2010 (IRIN)– A surplus production of maize, Malawi’s staple food, will not prevent at least one million people from being food insecure, a forecast that has not pleased President Bingu wa Mutharika. “I am disappointed that despite the ministry of agriculture and food security releasing crop estimates that Malawi has actually posted surpluses in the production of the staple crop, maize, some newspapers are reporting that over a million Malawians will require urgent food aid,” he reportedly said. Mutharika has threatened “to close down [local] newspapers that lie and tarnish my government’s image”, which has led to... Continue Reading
By Mohamed Nuxurkey – Journalist Abdulahi Omar Geddi who worked at the Daljir radio in Galkayo one of the biggest towns in the Somali’s semi-autonomous region of Portland was murdered by unknown men armed with pistols. It is not yet clear why Geddi is killed but one of his colleagues there told for SHOUT AFRICA news online that the journalist were producing programs of recovering general impact of the region as tensions squalled alongside the province, Puntland authorities and also Galmudug state which are both controlling the area still done no efforts to investigate the killers, Journalist organization for press... Continue Reading
The Uganda Electoral Commission has gazetted 25th and 26th October 2010 as the dates for the nomination of presidential and parliamentary candidates. By George Katongole (Uganda) –Engineer Dr. Badru Kiggundu, the embattled commission head, while announcing the dates at the Electoral Commission head offices in Kampala urged stakeholders to cooperate. Kiggundu explains that aspiring candidates for various elective positions would acquire nomination forms starting Wednesday 8th September 2010. Nomination dates for the lower positions at the subcounties, are slated for 27th until 29th October while municipality and district nominations would be held on 4th and 5th November. At the same... Continue Reading
By Mark Oloo (Nairobi) – Mobile phone users in Kenya are a worried lot following rumours that receiving calls from certain callers causes brain haemorrhage. The rumours started yesterday in the capital Nairobi, throwing telephone communication in the East African country in a spin. The fears were heightened by a series of text messages widely circulated, alleging some 27 people had died between yesterday and today, after receiving calls from the said numbers. The text messages said the numbers appear red on the screen and have numerous digits of 6 and 8, with an unfamiliar prefix. But yesterday, the Communications... Continue Reading
By Mark Oloo in Nairobi – Kenya’s population has soared by 10 million in the last 10 years, the government announced today. Releasing results of a national population census done last year, National Planning Minister Wycliffe Oparanya said the East African country now has 38,610,097 people since the last head count in 1989. Presenting the figures in Nairobi today, Oparanya said the rise in population figures had strained the country’s resources. The results, whose delay caused jitters within the Kenyan government, also showed a gender split of fifty- fifty. The minister said despite financial challenges, the outcome of the census was... Continue Reading
