East Africa in September 2026: the most important developments in politics
East Africa's September 2026 was dominated by Uganda, which withdrew from the Invictus Games founded by Prince Harry on September 9 and then agreed to rejoin on September 14 after the King persuaded it to do so. Within the same week Uganda buried the world's youngest king, and a journalist was named as his successor.
Later in the month, Kenyan politician Martha Karua filed a lawsuit against Uganda over her deportation, challenging the legality of her removal from Ugandan territory; Ugandan authorities had not publicly responded by September 25. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met Uganda's vice president to discuss political dialogue and trade.
In Kenya, a High Court ruling on September 15 declared the Safaricom share sale to Vodacom illegal and ordered it reversed. The government gave foreign workers 90 days to formalise their status. Deputy President Kithure Kindiki toured Nyeri, pledging to unite the Mt Kenya region ahead of the 2027 election, and a US official said Washington is not taking sides in that vote. Kenya's delegation to the UN General Assembly drew criticism over its cost.
Elsewhere in the region, Zambia's president began a second term while a rival faced treason charges. Egypt's President el-Sisi spoke by phone with his Tanzanian counterpart about progress in bilateral ties. In Britain, a doctor became the first Briton charged over the Rwanda genocide, and a court heard that he supervised killings.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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