Author: Abdihakim Siyad

Africa is once again facing a frightening public health emergency after a fresh outbreak of Ebola virus disease spread rapidly across parts of Central and East Africa. The outbreak, centered in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and now confirmed in Uganda, has already killed dozens of people, with hundreds of suspected infections reported within days. The World Health Organization (WHO) has officially declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), raising fears of a wider regional crisis if containment efforts fail. This latest outbreak is being caused by the rare Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola…

In Northern Kenya, elections are rarely just elections. They are moments of survival, identity, emotion, memory, revenge, and collective mobilisation. They are seasons when entire communities awaken from political silence and suddenly rediscover unity. Villages become campaign centers. Elders become strategists. Youth become mobilisers. WhatsApp groups become command rooms. Tea discussions become political briefings. Every household becomes emotionally invested in one single message: “We must defend our seat.” And once that phrase is spoken, the machinery begins moving. Money starts flowing. Delegations travel from village to village. Clan elders hold closed-door meetings. Religious leaders quietly influence opinion. Businessmen fund mobilisation.…

Kenya is once again witnessing a familiar cycle: rising fuel prices, public anger, transport disruptions, political blame games, and growing frustration among ordinary citizens struggling to survive an already difficult economy. The demonstrations witnessed across parts of the country this week were not simply protests over petrol and diesel. They were protests against pressure, exhaustion, and the feeling among many Kenyans that life is becoming unaffordable. Matatu operators have openly accused the state of piling more taxes onto citizens while doing little to ease the burden of the rising cost of living. Commuters are angry over increased fares. Small businesses…

When discussions emerged around Wajir County potentially hosting Madaraka Day celebrations, the conversation quickly moved beyond symbolism and national inclusion into a much sharper public debate about readiness, capacity, and development. On one side, there was enthusiasm a recognition that hosting a national day in the North Eastern frontier would represent a historic shift in how Kenya imagines its own geography of inclusion. On the other side, there was skepticism arguments that Wajir lacks sufficient hotel infrastructure, adequate accommodation facilities, and the urban systems necessary to host an event of such national scale. At first glance, these concerns appear grounded in practical…

A renewed wave of development is sweeping across Wajir as senior national and county leaders intensify efforts to transform the region’s infrastructure, electricity access, and urban connectivity ahead of the upcoming Madaraka Day celebrations Cabinet Secretary for Energy and Petroleum James Opiyo Wandayi on Monday arrived in Wajir for an extensive inspection and launch tour of key electricity and infrastructure projects aimed at improving reliable power connectivity across the county. The visit, which brought together national government officials, county leaders and residents, underscored what leaders described as a growing government commitment to accelerate development in Kenya’s historically marginalized North Eastern…

Somalia’s political crisis appears to be entering a new diplomatic phase after carefully worded statements from the European Union signaled continued international recognition of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud while simultaneously encouraging renewed negotiations with opposition leaders following the collapse of the latest political consultations in Mogadishu. Behind the official diplomatic language, regional and international actors are now quietly increasing pressure on both Villa Somalia and opposition groups to return to the negotiating table amid growing concerns that prolonged political deadlock could destabilize the country at a sensitive moment for security, state-building, and international cooperation. On Sunday, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud…

For years, few men operated closer to the center of Somalia’s political and security establishment than Fahad Yassin. To supporters, he was the architect of a new Somali nationalism under former President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed and served as the director of Somali intelligence NISA. To critics, he symbolized an aggressive and highly centralized security state that deepened regional tensions and political divisions. Now, in a revealing interview on the Geedfadhi Podcast, Fahad Yassin has reopened one of the most turbulent chapters in modern Horn of Africa diplomacy: the near-collapse of relations between Somalia and Kenya during the presidency of Uhuru…

As Somalia’s highly anticipated political negotiations in Mogadishu ended without agreement, attention immediately shifted from the negotiation room itself to something equally powerful in Somali politics: the diplomatic language of the international community. For days, political observers, opposition supporters, government allies, diplomats, and ordinary Somalis waited for one thing the official reactions from the international partners commonly referred to in Somalia as “Beesha Caalamka.” When the statements finally came from United Nations Transition Mission in Somalia and the African Union Commission, they were carefully written in the measured language of diplomacy. Yet behind the cautious wording, every sentence carried political…

The political battle over Somalia’s future entered a new and defining phase after Hassan Sheikh Mohamud delivered one of his strongest and most direct speeches yet, firmly declaring that both his mandate and that of the Federal Parliament remain valid until May 15, 2027, while insisting that Somalia’s new constitutional direction and one-person-one-vote elections are irreversible. Speaking during celebrations marking Somali Youth Day, the Somali president appeared determined, confrontational, and politically confident as he addressed the escalating standoff between the federal government and opposition politicians over the country’s electoral future. His speech came only hours after internationally mediated political talks…

Somalia moved deeper into political uncertainty on Friday after mediated talks between the federal government and opposition leaders collapsed without agreement, leaving the country sharply divided over the legitimacy of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s mandate and the future of the country’s electoral system. In a strongly worded statement issued in Mogadishu on May 15, the Federal Government of Somalia declared that it would proceed with plans to hold a one-person, one-vote election, rejecting opposition proposals presented during three days of negotiations facilitated by members of the international community. The government said Somalia had already entered a new democratic phase based…