Arjen Westra’s African Weblog

Last ten days, I spent in Uganda for reports on the elections. One of the days i was invited, together with international press, on president Yoweri Museveni’s ranch. I took this picture, Museveni is sitting here under a tree, an historic place. This is the place where Museveni last met John Garang (the former SPLM/A-leader who played an important rol in the comprehensive Sudan peace agreement, signed more tha a year ago in Kenya) who left the ranch in Museveni’s helicopter and died hours later in a crash.

The old taxi park in the heart of Kampala, days before the elections. The picture on the Celtel advertising in the background shows president Yoweri Museveni.

Preparing reports on Uganda elections.

NAIROBI, 8 Feb 2006 (IRIN) – The failure of the 2005 short rains in 25 Kenyan districts has left at least 3.5 million people, including 500,000 school children, in need of emergency assistance over the next year, the government said on Wednesday.

“Following five consecutively failed or poor seasons, vulnerable populations are running out of coping options,” said an assessment report by the Kenya Food Security Steering Group, whose members include government ministries, United Nations agencies and nongovernmental organisations.

Speaking at the launch of an appeal for US $245 million in the capital, Nairobi, the minister of state for special programmes, John Munyes, said the districts hardest-hit by the drought were in the arid and semi-arid northern, northeastern and eastern regions.

Pictures avialable from one of the worst effected areas in Northern and Northeast Kenya (Turbi/Marsabit). Just back fromn the area. Newspapers and agencies please call Arjen Westra: +31(0)626-534574.

For video footage please visit: VideoReporter

Have a nice day!

Found an interesting column about journalism these times… Follow this link by clicking here I don’t say I agree, but it is interesting to think about.

…check the audiolinks in the sidebar on the right. All audio is in MP3.

Nairobi has a lot of business opportunities. It is time for a bar, the owner of this place thought. In the brand new Panari Center on the road to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, you will find Club Liquid. In development countries you observe the contrast of the world within 20 meters from each other. Each tiome you realise and it is quite confronting. I heared that the owners of the place were planning a Madagaskar Food Festival around this time. At the same moment more than 4 million Kenyans are facing the consequences of severe drought. For pictures and videoreport check the site and Blog of videoreporter Ruud Elmendorp.