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Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta

Kenyan Court Interdicts President Uhuru Kenyatta's Move To Change The Constitution

President Uhuru Kenyatta has reportedly been blocked from altering Kenya's Constitution as his second five year term nears an end. The attempt has been viewed as a power move to stagger Deputy President William Ruto's 2022 presidential plans.

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta has been halted from enacting a complete overturn of the country's constitution. Deemed an unconstitutional move, the High Court of Kenya reportedly blocked the President this past Thursday in parliament, during a gathering where the reform plan, known as the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI), was to be reviewed. The referendum proposes the largest government structural changes since Kenya adopted a new constitution in 2010. Kenyatta reportedly bypassed the provision reserved for the inclusion of citizens in the decision to pass BBI as official law, making the process illegitimate.


Read: Kenyan Youth Share Their Frustration With President Uhuru Kenyatta Using the #DearPresidentUhuru Hashtag

The Kenyan High Court, comprised of five judges, had to step in after several opposition parties lodged challenges against Kenyatta. According to Daily Maverick, Jairus Ngaah, one of the five high court judges stated, "The President cannot be both player and umpire in the same match", after halting Kenyatta's attempts to forgo civil inclusion on the referendum for the BBI.

The Building Bridges Initiative was set into motion in 2018, following Kenyatta's controversial 2017 national election's win against opposition leader Raila Odinga. According to The Conversation, the initiative was scandalously initiated in March 2018 with Odinga as a truce. Kenyatta has proposed that the BBI aims to promote power sharing amongst all ethnicities, therefore decreasing voter fraud. However, the move appears to be a clear political ostracisation of William Ruto who plans to succeed Kenyatta at the end of his five-year term. Additionally Kenyatta's executive government has appealed the judicial ruling, proving that loyalty to the President is still tribally determined.

The BBI is set to target 13 of the 18 chapters of Kenya's Constitution, and create 70 new constituencies. Ruto's allies have publicly opposed the constitutional changes bill in parliament and outside. Kenyatta is serving his second five-year term which constitutionally should be his last presidential term. Kenya is billed to host its national elections in 2022.

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The Best East African Songs Right Now

Featuring the latest music from Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, and much more.

As we embark on the second half of the year, we witness East African artists reaching unprecedented heights with their remarkable achievements. They have been captivating audiences worldwide with their chart-topping hits, forging international collaborations, and introducing innovative sounds through the emergence of talented newcomers. From Kenya to Tanzania to Uganda and beyond, here are some East African songs that we absolutely love at the moment.

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Interview: The Evolution of Bensoul

We talk to the Kenyan musician about his new album, The Lion of Sudah, winning a Grammy award with Burna Boy, and his hopes for legalization.

Bensoul’s musical journey leading up to his debut album has not been easy. At the heart of it, his evolution from the eager, church choir kid to the Grammy Award-winning Kenyan musical prodigy has been characterised by a series of successive, biopic-worthy obstacles. As we caught up with Bensoul a few days before the premier of the album, he appears equally relaxed and excited, ready to emerge from hibernation of the isolated album-making process to share what is arguably the most anticipated Kenyan musical project of the year.

“I grew up in a musical family. My father was a musician who played the electric and bass guitar and he exposed me to a lot of music, from gospel to rumba which I consider my two main musical influences.” Though his childhood foreshadowed a promising musical career, Bensoul likens his formative experiences to a young lion banished from pride and forced to survive the relentless wilderness conditions, an analogy which forms the conceptual basis of this project.

“Eventually my father didn’t want me to pursue music. When he converted to Islam from Christianity, he banned me from using his instruments and discouraged me from playing music due to his religious complications. My mother would cover for me when I would get home late from playing music in church.”

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Music
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7 Essential Facts About Nonso Amadi's Debut Album

Nonso Amadi explores his musical journey and tells us 7 Essential Facts about his new album, When It Blooms.

Any discourse involving Nigeria’s alternative music scene can’t be complete without mentioning Nonso Amadi.

The 27-year-old singer, songwriter, and producer is a key figure in Nigeria’s “alté renaissance” of 2015-2018, a period responsible for the widespread emergence of a crop of alternative artists, producers, and creatives firmly establishing their niche and creating room for themselves and their art in an industry heavily dominated by afrobeats-centered music, sounds, and aesthetics.

2015 saw Nonso release his first project, the Alone EP, officially launching a career that would quickly usher the young talent into the limelight. Following the EP, his subsequent single “Tonight” put Nonso on the map. The self-produced afro-R&B song established Nonso as one of the leading new voices in Nigerian R&B and alternative music, transcending the niche listenership of the alté community and successfully taking the emergent R&B sound mainstream, in a similar fashion to what the likes of R&B veteran Banky W accomplished.

The next few years saw him release a string of singles, high-profile features with the likes of Mr Eazi, Simi, Kwesi Arthur, and more, and two EPs, all capped by a three-year hiatus. In 2022, he returned to the music scene with “Foreigner.” the lead single off the subject of this story: his debut album When It Blooms. The release of “Foreigner” marked the beginning of a brand new career run, backed by label partners UMG Nigeria, Def Jam Records and Universal Music Canada, in a freshly-inked record deal.

Now close to a decade after the singer’s first output, When It Blooms is finally here. It’s a 15-track project packed with blends of afrobeats, R&B, and more, laced with sonic and lyrical references to his Lagos ties. Nonso’s debut album represents everything he is and has become—a “sonic globetrotter” highly=assertive in his sound and identity.

OkayAfrica spoke to Nonso Amadi about his debut album When It Blooms, and he gave us 7 Essential Facts about the project below.

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Ayobami Oladapo On Winning AMVCA Design For The Stars Runway Competition

The Nigerian designer aims to use the prize money to create her first collection.

Ayobami Oladapo only found out about the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards fashion competition two days before the deadline. Luckily, that was still enough time to throw her hat into the ring. “I [got] an email a few weeks later that said, ‘Congratulations, you’ve been selected.’ Oladapo’s last-minute move resulted in her winning the second-ever edition of the AMVCA Design For The Stars Runway competition–providing a much-needed boost for her burgeoning fashion label, Statement by Bami. “It’s amazing,” she tells OkayAfrica. “I know for sure that winning this is going to set me up how I want [it] to.”

Created in 2014, the AMVCAs recognize and celebrate the ardent work of TV personalities and content creators across the Nigerian entertainment industry. Through its channel Africa Magic, founding parent company Multichoice has continued to build structures that uplift the industry, including introducing new categories to showcase Nigerian talent, such as the fashion competition, which it established last year.

The ninth edition of the AMVCAs culminated in a glitzy weekend affair over the 20th of May in Lagos. Among the big winners included Tobi Bakre taking Best Actor in a Drama, for Brotherhood; Osas Ighodaro taking Best Actress in a Drama, for Man of God, and Adeola Art-Alade taking Best Costume Designer, for The Real Housewives of Lagos (Reunion Episode).

Fashion has always played a role in the awards, and this year was no different. Celebrities dressed up in both regal and minimalist designs, showcasing their elaborate personalities in the process. Hosting a runway competition only further entrenches its significance at the AMVCAs. The maiden edition, which took place last year, saw Nigerian designers Obinna Omeruo, Sophie Chamberlain, and Felix Asuquo emerge as the winners. This year, Oladapo, who is known by her nickname of Bami, beat contestants like Emerie Udiahgebi of UDIAHGEBI, Emmanuel Goodnews of Just Icon, and Funmibi Olayinka. Last year’s competition was judged by a panel of high-profile fashion personalities, while this year’s was decided upon by public voting.

“I am still in shock, and honestly grateful to God for this win,” she says. “I think that what set me apart from my competitors and caught the eye of the audience was that my designs were simple, and at the same time exaggerated and making a statement. So, simple pieces, but exaggerated designs.”

StatementByBami creates womenswear pieces that juxtapose her brand’s style — easy silhouettes and fitted garments — with the personality of the clients she’s designing for. To that end, she creates highly fitted dresses, onesies and two-pieces, all made from vibrant colors and bold patterns. “My audience [is] women who are super stylists and know what they want. I mostly use silk, lace and a little bit of organza to design for my clients,” she says.

It’s no secret that one of the major challenges faced by fashion brands in Nigeria is access to funding, especially for young brands. This is why platforms like the AMVCAs are important in the grander scheme of things. Their impact allows designers to be expressive, with support as they progress in their journey. Coached by one of Nigeria’s most prolific designers, Ohimai Atafo of Atafo, the designers were tasked with producing a two-look collection consisting of one piece inspired by sponsor Pepsi’s official colors and one piece created for the AMVCA red carpet.

Another challenge facing young fashion brands is the issue of visibility and clientele recognition. With the AMVCAs being such a highly-anticipated event broadcast across a major channel, young designers taking part in the runway competition stand the chance to gain significant exposure. “My hope is that [this win] brings my brand out there, so that people can see me more, and see how creative I am,” Bami says. Although she has been building Statement By Bami for less than three years, she feels people are less willing to associate with brands of her size: “I do think there’s kind of discrimination against small brands but I’m grateful to platforms like this, since they also help us elevate our brands.”

Winning this competition doesn’t mean the difficulties of running a fashion label disappear. But for designers like Bami, it does provide more reason to continue to push on. “I would always advise people to put themselves and their brands out there. There are loads of challenges that come with it, but doing the work, improving oneself, and getting knowledge about the industry is one way to overcome such [things],” she says. And she’s only just beginning. Bami plans to release her first collection on the back of this win.

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