Rachael Akidi

Journalist | News junkie | All things Africa | Former BBC Senior News Editor & Head of East Africa | My tweets = my views. Likes = bookmarks

[Rachael Akidi @rakidi]

Uganda is entering what may prove to be one of the most consequential chapters in its history. The story is still unfolding, but its significance is already becoming clear. What happens next will matter not only for Uganda, but far beyond its borders.

[Dr Jean Kaseya @Dr_JeanKaseya]

I welcome today's decision by the United Arab Emirates to lift the suspension on issuing new visas to Ugandan nationals.
Uganda successfully brought its Ebola outbreak to an end on 27 August. This achievement deserves recognition.
I have consistently advocated for the lifting of Ebola-related travel restrictions and for decisions grounded in scientific evidence and the actual epidemiological situation.
I commend the UAE for this encouraging step and hope that the remaining 21-day entry requirement will also be reviewed.
Restrictions affecting the DRC and South Sudan remain in place. I encourage continued dialogue and regular reassessment of these measures based on evolving public health evidence.
Our position at Africa CDC remains firm: public health measures must be proportionate to the risk, guided by science and respectful of international mobility.
Science, solidarity and cooperation must guide our decisions.
-------
Je salue la décision prise aujourd'hui par les Émirats arabes unis de lever la suspension de la délivrance de nouveaux visas aux ressortissants ougandais.
L'Ouganda est parvenu à mettre fin à son épidémie d'Ebola le 27 août dernier. Cette réussite mérite d'être reconnue.
Depuis plusieurs mois, je plaide pour la levée des restrictions de voyage liées à Ebola et pour des décisions fondées sur les données scientifiques et la situation épidémiologique réelle.
Je félicite les Émirats arabes unis pour cette avancée encourageante et souhaite que l'obligation d'attendre 21 jours après avoir quitté l'Ouganda puisse également être réexaminée.
Les restrictions concernant la RDC et le Soudan du Sud restent en vigueur. J'encourage la poursuite du dialogue et une réévaluation régulière de ces mesures à la lumière de l'évolution de la situation sanitaire.
Notre position à Africa CDC reste ferme : les mesures de santé publique doivent être proportionnées aux risques, fondées sur la science et respectueuses de la mobilité internationale.
La science, la solidarité et la coopération doivent guider nos décisions.
🔗 Official announcement / Communiqué officiel :
https://t.co/EQQv8B0wN5

[CNN @CNN]

Russia's ambassador to the United States, Alexander Darchiev, has died at 66, the Russian Foreign Ministry says. https://t.co/AMP1BqUb44

[Melina Platas @melinaplatas]

For reference, here are the latest official entry measures for Ugandan nationals wishing to enter the UAE.

[Rachael Akidi @rakidi]

Kenya’s last Ebola patient discharged.

[Dr. Patrick Amoth, CBS @DrPatrickAmoth]

Following the discharge of Kenya’s last Ebola patient, our 42-day countdown towards an Ebola-free declaration begins on 12 November 2026. A declaration is anticipated around 23 December, provided no new case is recorded. #EbolaAlertKE

[Yunus Emre Erdölen @yunuserdolen]

Abdul Sayed’in ekibi Abdul’un enerjisini ti’ye alan video çekmiş ve Abdul ile çalışmanın ne kadar zor olduğunu anlatmış.
Siyasetçilerin ‘gerçek insan’ olması her zaman esas başarı sebebi.

[Dr. Diana Atwine @DianaAtwine]

Inset : Mtg with the Minister of Health of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) earlier today, where we briefed him on the measures Uganda has instituted to safeguard the health and safety of Ugandans and all travellers. We also received assurance that the UAE has lifted all travel restrictions on Ugandans. We call upon other countries with which we share diplomatic relations to trust Uganda’s proven expertise and experience in epidemic preparedness and response, which have made us a Centre of Excellence for other countries to learn from. We urge them to open up. Uganda is safe!

[The Standard Digital @StandardKenya]

CS Aden Duale on Ebola: Kenya will not serve as a quarantine center for any jurisdiction. Travelers from other countries will not be held in Kenya, to meet another country’s entry requirement. MoH will not issue any certificate of quarantine, or Ebola free certification for travel purposes. Kenya remains open for business, with no restriction for movement or public gathering

[Olara Otunnu @Olara_Otunnu]

Otunnu Speaks

Separate from my decades of leadership at the UN, I have extensive experience of working outside the UN.

I have been a practicing lawyer in New York City, a university professor in the US and France, the head of a think tank (IPI), the leader of a community-based movement for rebuilding a war-broken society, and have served on the boards of major institutions and been a member of key international commissions.

I would therefore bring to UN leadership, the combination of deep inside knowledge and extensive outside perspective of the UN.

[Rachael Akidi @rakidi]

@cobbo3 Are we allowed to name the ones that have all the above? 🤗

[FRANCE 24 English @France24_en]

🇺🇬 In #Uganda, a former military intelligence officer is accusing the army of secretly detaining and torturing opponents in clandestine houses.

📲 In late September, Lieutenant Herbert Matanda Mabonga released videos that sparked an outcry in the country and were widely shared on social media. Our correspondent Aurore Bayoud spoke with him from his place of exile.

🔗 Click here to see the full #EyeOnAfrica episode ➡️ https://t.co/uw4d9FFzmd

[Moe @moneyacademyKE]

Kenya Airways has dropped from 5th to 6th in Africa and from 96th to 107th globally by passenger traffic, according to Cirium's 2026 rankings

Top 10 African airlines by passenger traffic:
Ethiopian Airlines
EgyptAir
Royal Air Maroc
Air Algerie
FlySafair
Kenya Airways
Air Arabia Maroc
Air Mauritius
Air Austral
South African Airways

[Rachael Akidi @rakidi]

This is not new. It’s been sold in Kenyan supermarkets for a few years now. It’s certainly not because of the milk shortage.

[Sholla Ard 🇰🇪 @sholard_mancity]

MILK SAFETY ALERT: We can reveal that Ugandan milk is now being sold in Kenya under the brand name LATO. But there is something troubling about what we have discovered.

We obtained six packets of the milk, and our initial checks suggest they ... (Thread 1/2)

[Abdi Latif Dahir @Lattif]

A Kenyan mother with a year-old has been sentenced in Saudi Arabia to 100 lashes and a year of banishment for childbirth outside marriage. “I am so afraid,” Esther Wanja Muthoni, whom we profiled in our investigation into domestic workers last year, said https://t.co/B96Vt5gaS6

[CNN Breaking News @cnnbrk]

A British colonial-era gay sex ban is overturned in Trinidad and Tobago. The ruling could usher in similar challenges from other former colonies. https://t.co/ATnWt9u0Fa

[Charles Onyango-Obbo @cobbo3]

Ethiopia joins Africa’s five largest economies after a major statistical overhaul lifted its measured GDP to $210.7Bn for the 2025/26 fiscal year, placing it among the continent’s leading economic powers alongside South Africa, Egypt, Nigeria & Algeria.
https://t.co/xNnFpyEymp

[ITV News @itvnews]

David Walliams has been accused of abusing his celebrity status to pursue teenage girls for sex, a joint three-year investigation by ITV News and the Guardian has revealed

Walliams denies all allegations including criminal activity

The accusations span more than two decades alongside the TV personality and author’s meteoric rise to fame

Read more: https://t.co/fJR0Yb4Q1c

[Aaron Rupar @atrupar]

Hegseth notes that everything he did was "ordered by the commander in chief"

(he was just following orders, you see)

[Rachael Akidi @rakidi]

At least 66 soldiers have been sentenced to death in the Democratic Republic of Congo for cowardice, mutiny and refusing to obey orders. https://t.co/w7z55oz5J1

[Sky News @SkyNews]

BREAKING: A celebrity who lost his bid for an injunction to prevent the publication of allegations against him has been named as David Walliams.

He denies the allegations against him.

Read more: https://t.co/P03QOYg5uL

📺 Sky 501, Virgin 602, Freeview 233 and YouTube

[Citizen TV Kenya @citizentvkenya]

Concern as Asian girl was spotted wandering in Lodwar town, efforts to help her failed as she appeared disoriented