News updates from the African continent for June 20th, 2025:
Kenya parliament passes proposed 2025 finance law
Kenya’s parliament has voted to approve this year’s proposed finance law, denying the revenue authority’s request to get unrestricted access to taxpayers’ data on account of privacy concerns and constitutional safeguards.
The government is under pressure to avoid a repeat of last year’s unrest after protests against proposed tax hikes led to over 60 deaths and forced President William Ruto to abandon plans to raise 346 billion shillings in taxes.
Source: Reuters
Rwanda, DRC initial peace agreement ahead of signing next week
Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo technical teams initialed a draft peace agreement that is expected to be signed next week, the two countries and the United States said on Wednesday, aiming for an end to fighting in eastern Congo.
The provisional agreement, announced in a joint statement, could mark a breakthrough in talks held by President Donald Trump’s administration to end the fighting in eastern Congo and bring billions of dollars of Western investment to the region, which is rich in minerals including tantalum, gold, cobalt, copper, and lithium.
Source: Reuters
South Africa’s Julius Malema banned from entering UK
Controversial South African opposition MP, Julius Malema, has been denied entry to the UK.
The Home Office said Julius Malema had been deemed “non-conducive to the public good” and that it was “undesirable” to grant him entry.
In a letter released by Malema’s party, the Home Office cited his vocal support for Hamas, including a speech he made after the 7 October attacks in which he said his own party would arm the group if it came to power.
The UK said Malema had made “statements calling for the slaughter of white people [in South Africa] or hinted that it could be an acceptable option in the future”, and also cited this as a reason for its decision.
Source: BBC News
