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Kennedy Wandera

@kennedywandera.bsky.social

1.5K followers 52 following 180 posts

International Broadcaster. Board Chair, The Foreign Press Association, Africa. https://www.voanews.com/author/kennedy-wandera/jtjvt

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Kennedy Wandera @kennedywandera.bsky.social · Nov 29

Senegal🇸🇳 President Faye tells France to close all its army bases in the country, noting it was “incompatible” with Senegal’s national sovereignty.

“Senegal is an independent country, it is a sovereign country and sovereignty does not accept the presence of military bases in a sovereign country."

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Kennedy Wandera @kennedywandera.bsky.social · Sep 6

Obiang is son and heir apparent to the aging leader of Equatorial Guinea, an impoverished but oil- and gas-rich former Spanish colony. He is in charge of national defense and security and has long faced sanctions from the U.S. and other countries.

Kennedy Wandera @kennedywandera.bsky.social · Sep 6

The waiver would allow Obiang — notorious among world leaders accused of corruption for a lavish lifestyle — to travel to cities outside of New York. That includes Miami and Los Angeles, where he has owned property and luxury vehicles, some of which he has had to forfeit in legal proceedings.

Kennedy Wandera @kennedywandera.bsky.social · Sep 6

The temporary pass on U.S. corruption sanctions follows recommendations that it is in the U.S. national interest to blunt growing Chinese influence in the West African country and boost American oil and gas business interests there.

Kennedy Wandera @kennedywandera.bsky.social · Sep 6

President Donald Trump's US🇺🇸 government is processing a one-month sanctions waiver for the vice president of Equatorial Guinea🇬🇶, Teodoro “Teddy” Nguema Obiang, to travel to a high-level U.N. gathering in New York and visit other American cities.

Source: @apnews.com

Kennedy Wandera @kennedywandera.bsky.social · Aug 18

However, Lissu objected the move.

"It is what I have been fearing all along that the aim is to turn this trial into a kangaroo court and make a sham
of the entire proceedings," Lissu warned.

Kennedy Wandera @kennedywandera.bsky.social · Aug 18

President Samia Suluhu Hassan's government had asked the court to ban the livestreaming of the Lissu treason trial.

The state argued that blocking live-streaming is effective in witness protection and protecting the identities of state witnesses testifying against Lissu.

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Kennedy Wandera @kennedywandera.bsky.social · Aug 18

Tanzania's court has now banned live broadcasts of the firebrand opposition leader Tundu Lissu's trial in the high-profile treason case before the Kisutu Resident Magistrate's Court in Dar es Salaam.

The ruling prohibits media outlets from publishing, broadcasting or disseminating witness details.

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Kennedy Wandera @kennedywandera.bsky.social · Aug 17

The security minister said the Frenchman acted “on behalf of the French intelligence service, which mobilized political leaders, civil society actors, and military personnel” in Mali.

There was no immediate word from France, Mali’s former colonial ruler, on the man’s arrest.

Kennedy Wandera @kennedywandera.bsky.social · Aug 17

The military provided few details about the alleged coup plotters, what it entailed and the French national implicated in it, beyond identifying the man as Yann Vezilier.

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Kennedy Wandera @kennedywandera.bsky.social · Aug 17

Mali's 🇲🇱 military rulers say they have arrested a suspected French🇫🇷 agent and a group of military personnel and civilians, including two Malian generals accused of attempting to destabilize the country in an alleged coup plot. @apnews.com.

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Kennedy Wandera @kennedywandera.bsky.social · Aug 8

Tanzania🇹🇿 blocks election observers from the East Africa Community #EAC and the Southern African Development Community #SADC, both of which it is a member, for its October 29 polls but grants permits to 12 Western observer diplomatic missions based in the country to observe the elections.

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Kennedy Wandera @kennedywandera.bsky.social · Aug 5

Rwanda will be paid by the United States in the form of a grant, the official said, adding that the grant letter was finalized in July. The official declined to say how much the grant was for.

Source: @reuters.com

Kennedy Wandera @kennedywandera.bsky.social · Aug 5

"Rwanda has agreed with the United States to accept up to 250 migrants, in part because nearly every Rwandan family has experienced the hardships of displacement, and our societal values are founded on reintegration and rehabilitation," Yolande Makolo, spokesperson for the Rwandan government says.

Kennedy Wandera @kennedywandera.bsky.social · Aug 5

U.S and Rwanda have agreed for the African country to accept up to 250 migrants deported from the United States, President Paul Kagame's government says, stating that the migrants will be provided with "workforce training, healthcare, and accommodation support to jumpstart their lives in Rwanda."

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Kennedy Wandera @kennedywandera.bsky.social · Jul 17

Biya, in power since 1982, has announced he would run for his eighth term in office in Cameroon's presidential election scheduled for October 12. The seven-year term could keep him in office until he is nearly 100. This has prompted an unprecedented public outcry in Cameroon.

Kennedy Wandera @kennedywandera.bsky.social · Jul 17

The personnel moves, announced in a series of presidential decrees, affect nearly all branches of the armed forces. They include the appointment of new chiefs of staff for the infantry, air force and navy as well as the promotion of eight brigadier generals to the rank of major general.

Kennedy Wandera @kennedywandera.bsky.social · Jul 17

Cameroon's 92-year-old President Paul Biya, the world's oldest head of state, has overhauled the military's top ranks in what analysts say is an effort to consolidate power by building a fortress of loyal army generals around him that can suppress any protest to his continued rule.

@reuters.com.

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Kennedy Wandera @kennedywandera.bsky.social · Jul 13

Kenya exempts nationals of the following countries from obtaining the Electronic Travel Authorisation #eTA as per its Citizenship and Immigration (amendment) rules, 2025, says the move is aimed at easing travel across the continent. You do not need to apply for an ETA prior to entering Kenya.

Kennedy Wandera @kennedywandera.bsky.social · Jul 13

He took over the presidency in 1982 from Ahmadou Ahidjo and has won several elections since then, including the most recent one in 2018 with 71.3% of the vote, which his opponents have claimed was fraudulent.

Biya states,"The well-being of our youth and women will be at the heart of my priorities."

Kennedy Wandera @kennedywandera.bsky.social · Jul 13

Cameroon's🇨🇲 President Paul Biya, now 92, and the world's oldest serving head of state, has confirmed that he's running for an eighth term. If he wins this year's presidential election and completes the new seven-year mandate, Biya will be 99 years old in 2032 and could stay in power until he is 100.

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Kennedy Wandera @kennedywandera.bsky.social · Jul 13

Nigeria's 🇳🇬 former President, Muhammadu Buhari, has passed away while receiving treatment for an undisclosed illness at a clinic in London, UK, his family says.

Buhari’s health has long been a topic of public interest, during his presidency, he frequently traveled abroad for medical treatment.

Kennedy Wandera @kennedywandera.bsky.social · Jul 13

In a letter to President Hassan, Polepole expresses his alarm over erosion and disregard for human rights, lack of respect for citizens, and failure to uphold accountability and national ethics. He warns "this deterioration in government performance threatens the broader interests of our Republic."

Kennedy Wandera @kennedywandera.bsky.social · Jul 13

Tanzania's🇹🇿 Ambassador to Cuba, Humphrey Polepole, relinquishes his diplomatic role in Havanna and resigns from overseeing his country's interests in the Caribbean, Central America, Colombia, Venezuela, and Guyana, cites erosion of governance ethics under President Samia Suluhu Hassan's regime.

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Kennedy Wandera @kennedywandera.bsky.social · Jul 8

The non-immigrant visas issued prior to July 8, 2025, will retain their status and validity.

Most Nigerian applicants had been obtaining multiple-entry visas valid for two to five years allowing them to travel in and out of the U.S. freely during that time without the need to reapply for each trip.

Kennedy Wandera @kennedywandera.bsky.social · Jul 8

The U.S government announces that "effective immediately, most non-immigrant and non-diplomatic visas issued to citizens of Nigeria will be single-entry visas with a three-month validity period" citing it as a "reciprocity visa policy."

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