by STEPHEN ASTARIKOSaturday May 9, 2026 Garissa County Assembly Speaker Abdi Idle speaking to journalists in his office. /STEPHEN ASTARIKO Garissa County Assembly Speaker Abdi Idle has issued a stark warning to MCAs who repeatedly skip sittings, saying prolonged absenteeism could cost them their seats under the assembly’s standing orders. Addressing reporters in his office, Idle said the pattern of missing House business was hampering the assembly’s work and slowing down the passage of key motions and bills intended to serve…

A bruising night awaits UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Labour, with the expected scale of Thursday’s losses already spawning its own grim shorthand: "Starmergeddon". The term captures both the depth of the setback forecast for Britain’s governing party and the pressure set to fall squarely on the prime minister. Voters are choosing members of the devolved parliaments in Scotland and Wales, as well as filling about 5,000 local authority seats across England, and Labour is widely expected to come away wounded. The…

NAIROBI, Kenya (AX) — A regional appeals court on Monday cleared Somalia’s representatives to take their seats in the East African Legislative Assembly, overturning earlier rulings that had blocked their participation and ending a months-long legal dispute over the country’s nomination process. The decision paves the way for Somalia’s full engagement in the East African Community’s legislative body and removes a significant obstacle to Mogadishu’s regional integration efforts since joining the bloc. Somalia’s ambassador to…

KOLKATA, India — Lionel Messi’s much-hyped tour of India lurched into chaos at Kolkata’s Salt Lake stadium after his appearance at a ticketed fan event ended abruptly, triggering unrest in the stands and on the pitch. Police detained the chief organiser, pledged refunds for ticket holders and said the mishandling would not go unpunished. Messi had been scheduled to spend 45 minutes at the event but departed after roughly 20 minutes. Tickets were priced from about 3,500 rupees (approximately €33), more than half the average…

Leaders of Somali state of HirShabelle deadlocked over election of MP seats BELEDWEYNE, Somalia - Hirshabelle State President Gudlawe Hussein and his deputy Yusuf Debageed are once more embroiled in one more electoral battle within the central state hours earlier than the March 15 deadline for Somalia's Lower House elections. The two leaders disagreed sharply on which mode to make use of in…

In Chad, the second day of the debates on the National Inclusive Forum proposed by the government was held on Friday. While the discussions focused on state form and institutions, seats for opposition political parties that did not participate in the forum were briefly surrounded by police. with our correspondent in Ndjamena,…