Politics
Damola Durosomo
Oct. 26, 2017 01:50PM EST

Only 33% of Kenya's Population Voted in the Election Rerun

Just 33 percent of Kenyans voted in the country's rerun election, down from 80 percent in the first election.

Update 10/27:CNN has reported a 33 percent turnout, for the rerun election. This is a major drop from the first round, which had an 80 percent turnout. This might come as a surprise to many, who believed the election would be an easy win for incumbent president Uhuru Kenyatta and the Jubilee Party, though it is being projected that he will still win the overall vote.

Kenya's main opposition party, headed by Raila Odinga is counting the low turnout as a success. As it stands, there is yet to be a clear path out of the current political crisis, as some are already advocating for a third rerun. Clashes between police and demonstrators continued into Friday, with the death toll now at 5, reports the Guardian.

Continue for yesterday's updates:

Kenya's presidential revote is currently underway, and the long-awaited vote could mark the end to a notably tumultuous election season for Kenyans.

While many are heading to the polls, a considerable number of people have chosen to boycott the election in support of opposition leader Raila Odinga, who dropped out of the race earlier this month, citing a corrupt election committee. Ahead of today's election, Odinga urged his followers not to take part in the vote. "Embark on a national campaign of defiance of illegitimate government authority and non-cooperation with all its organs," said Odinga.

Earlier today, he tweeted, asking for a "fresh election" to take place within 90 days.

The candidate also announced a restructuring of the main opposition party, stating that the National Super Alliance (NSA) will transform into the newly found, National Resistance Movement, reports U Report U Report.

Voting Conditions Across the Country:

Though the overall turnout has been much lower than the first time around, voters showed up in large numbers in Kiambu county in Central Kenya in support of Uhuru Kenyatta's Jubilee Party.

Voting in other areas of the country has not gone as smoothly, however. Tear gas was reportedly fired in the city of Kisumu in the Western region of the country—where only three of 399 election commissioners showed up out of fear of intimidation—and shots were later fired, injuring five people and killing one, BBC Africa reports. Opposition supporters also clashed with police in Kibera near the capital, after some decided to build road blocks to prevent peopler from making it to the polls.Tear gas was also used against demonstrators in the area.

Anti-voting demonstrators may have seen some success in Kibera. Nine hours after polls opened in the area, the East Africa Bureau Chief for the New York Times, Jina Moore, posted this picture on Twitter, which appears to show a single vote in a ballot box.

Vote tallying has already begun in some parts of the country. Will this put a final end to Kenya's election crisis? We'll keep you updated on the story.



Photo by Alex Wong via Getty

‘Hotel Rwanda’Hero Paul Rusesabagina to Be Released From Prison

Paul Rusesabagina, who became renowned for his heroic portrayal in ‘Hotel Rwanda’, has received a presidential-ordered prison commute and will be released.

Paul Rusesabagina, the former hotel manager who saved over 1,200 Rwandans during the 1994 genocide and who was the inspiration behind the 2004 Hollywood film Hotel Rwanda, will be released from prison on Saturday (March 25th.) Following a request for clemency, Rwanda’s government commuted the prison sentence of Paul Rusesabagina, who is now 68.

In 2020, the Rwandan government arrested Rusesabagina in Dubai and later transferred to Rwanda, where he faced charges of terrorism, related to his alleged involvement in a rebel group. Following the charges, the Rwandan court sentenced him to 25 years in prison. His sentencing triggered controversy, with some supporters alleging that he had been unfairly targeted. In 2022, Rusesabagina’s family sued the government of Rwanda for $400 million, stating that they had "abducted" and illegally imprisoned him. Following Rusesabagina’s conviction, several people speculated that he had been imprisoned because he had criticized Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame’s politics.

During Rwanda’s genocide, Rusesabagina worked as a hotel manager at the Hôtel des Mille Collines in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda. Despite the violence and chaos that surrounded him, Rusesabagina used his influence and resources to protect and shelter over 1,200 Tutsi and moderate Hutu refugees from the Hutu extremists who were carrying out the genocide. Hotel Rwanda, was based on Rusesabagina’s experiences experiences during the genocide, and the film's release catapulted him into fame. In the movie, Rusesabagina was portrayed by Hollywood actor Don Cheadle.

According to Yolande Makolo, Kagame Chief of Staff, and spokesperson on the issue, the sentences of 19 others, who were convicted alongside Rusesabagina will also be released.

"Under Rwandan law, commutation of sentence does not extinguish the underlying conviction," Makolo told Reuters. “Rwanda notes the constructive role of the US government in creating conditions for dialogue on this issue, as well as the facilitation provided by the State of Qatar."

Rwanda’s ministry of justice, as reported as Reuters also stated that the commutation could be revoked if any of the released prisoners repeated the offenses.

"If any individual benefiting from early release repeats offences of a similar nature, the commutation can be revoked and the remainder of the prison sentence will be served," Rwanda's justice ministry said.
Music
Photo by Matt Crossick

Davido Is Bringing ‘Timeless’ to These Cities

The Nigerian superstar has announced ‘A Timeless Night with Davido’ in Lagos, London and New York.

Davido has shared on social media that he will be bringing his Timelessalbum to New York, London, and Lagos, dubbing the mini-tour “A Timeless Night With Davido.”

In the post, the singer wrote: “The support for Timeless over the last few days has been incredible! Thank you for the love. I'm so excited to bring this album to life and share it with you in person. London, New York City, Lagos join me for ‘A Timeless Night,' a special live event, where we'll make memories that will last forever!”

The DMW boss shared dates for the events; noting that in the first week of April, he will take the stage in New York and London, at Irving Plaza and Koko London, respectively, before returning to Lagos to perform at Tafawa Balewa Stadium in Lagos later that month.

In a viral social media post on Tuesday, the Nigerian singer announced that he will be releasing his latest studio album Timeless on March 31. The announcement spurred a lot of excitement and expectation from fans, who had been curious about the singer’s well-being after the extended hiatus that followed the tragic loss of his son, three year old Ifeanyi Adeleke.

Throughout Davido's 11-year career, he has become a staple in Afrobeats and has contributed significantly to pushing the sound, helping it resonate with fans globally. The singer has released several studio albums throughout his career, including Omo Baba Olowo (2012), A Good Time (2019), and A Better Time (2020).

Timeless will be his fourth studio album.

Music
Photo by Chanel Moye.

The Songs You Need to Hear This Week

Featuring new African music from Burna Boy, Amaarae, Major League Djz, Kwesi Arthur, Victony and more.

Every week, we highlight the top Afrobeats and African music releases through our best music column, Songs You Need to Hear.

If you like these African music lists, you can also check out our Best Afrobeats and Best Amapiano of the month columns, plus our Best Songs of the Month columns following Nigerian, Ghanaian, East African, and South African music.

Read ahead for our round-up of the best new African music tracks and music videos that came across our desks this week.

Burna Boy “Rollercoaster” ft. J Balvin

Burna Boy - Rollercoaster (feat. J Balvin) [Official Music Video]www.youtube.com

Nigerian superstar Burna Boy has shared a new music video for “Rollercoaster,” the J Balvin-featuring standout track off his most recent album, Love, Damini. The new clip follows the star artists as they head to an old-school movie theater together. In other recent Burna news, the African Giant is set to perform at the UEFA Champions League final game in June. Watch the new video above.

Amaarae “Reckless & Sweet”

Amaarae - Reckless & Sweet (Official Music Video)www.youtube.com

Ghanaian-American songstress Amaarae has announced her upcoming album, Fountain Baby, and shared its highly-addictive lead single “Reckless & Sweet,” a track blending Afrobeats elements with Arabic and Indian melodies. “This time it’s about love and faith. This is my sexiest video to date and what I love most about it is that young Black women and men are about to see what our new energy is for 2023 and beyond,” Amaarae mentions in a press release. “Moving forward we’re grown and sexy.”

Major Lazer & Major League Djz “Ke Shy” ft. Tyla, LuuDaDeejay & Yumbs

Major Lazer & Major League Djz - Ke Shy (feat. Tyla, LuuDaDeejay & Yumbs [Official Audio]youtu.be

South African DJ/producer duo Major League Djz have teamed up with Major Lazer (the trio of Diplo, Walshy Fire, and Ape Drums) to release the collaborative album Piano Republik, which is out today. As its title implies, the new album is all about amapiano. “Africa is the center of musical energy for the whole world right now, and amapiano is easily one of the most exciting things happening,” says Walshy Fire in a press release. “It’s blown up all over the continent, but it all started in South Africa, and Major League Djz is in the middle of everything. As soon as we got to experience their movement in real life, we knew we just had to collaborate.” Check out the album’s lead single “Ke Shy” above.

Kwesi Arthur “Pain Interlude”

Kwesi Arthur - Pain Interlude (Official Music Video)youtu.be

Kwesi Arthur has released a new inspiring music video for his song “Pain Interlude.” The visuals, which were entirely shot in black-and-white, chronicle the life of a boxer who goes through challenges, but ultimately overcomes them due to his consistency and grit.

Victony “Soweto” ft. Don Toliver, Rema & Tempoe

Victony - Soweto with Don Toliver, Rema & Tempoe (Official Lyric Video)www.youtube.com

Victony and Tempoe share a new version of their massive hit “Soweto,” this time with the additional star power of Don Toliver and Rema. “Soweto is such a special track for me,” Victony mentions in a press release, “so it was very exciting to team up with Don Toliver and Rema for the remix.” The original “Soweto,” which featured on Victony’s Outlaw EP, had already amassed 110 million streams.

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