Summary

  • Votes being counted after Uganda's presidential election

  • Voting extended after delays at some polling stations

  • Uganda's main opposition leader Kizza Besigye briefly detained, his party says

  • Access to social media and chat apps blocked for many on election day

  • Bus crash in Ghana kills 71 people

  • Email stories and comments to africalive@bbc.co.uk - Thursday 18 February 2016

  1. Scroll down for Thursday's election coveragepublished at 17:51 Greenwich Mean Time 18 February 2016

    We'll be back tomorrow

    That's all from our coverage of Uganda's presidential and parliamentary elections for today.

    The long delay in getting the vote going in some places was criticised by the leader of the Commonwealth observer mission, ex-Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, as "absolutely inexcusable".

    There was also a lot of criticism after access to some social media sites was blocked while the voting was going on. President Yoweri Museveni said this was for security reasons.

    And at the end of the day, we had the story of opposition candidate Kizza Beisgye's brief detention - the second time this has happened to him within a week.

    But there was also a lot of excitement from Ugandans about the vote, many of whom proudly posted photos of their inked thumbs on social media.

    The authorities have until Saturday to announce the results.

    And we leave you with this photo of people in Kampala still queuing at a polling station at sunset.

    voters in Kampala vote late in the dayImage source, AP
  2. Vote counting in Ugandapublished at 17:38 Greenwich Mean Time 18 February 2016

    The polling stations where voting was extended in Uganda have now closed and vote counting is well under way in many parts of the country.

    Some media organisations are announcing provisional results as they're being tallied at the polling stations.

    Reuters news agency has sent these pictures of the counting process in one place in the capital, Kampala.

    Vote countingImage source, Reuters
    Vote countingImage source, Reuters
    Vote countingImage source, Reuters
  3. Nigeria's Obafemi Martins to go to Chinapublished at 17:18 Greenwich Mean Time 18 February 2016

    Former Newcastle striker Obafemi Martins has become the latest high-profile signing to join the Chinese Super League.

    Martins, 31, has left Major League Soccer side the Seattle Sounders to join Shanghai Greenland Shenhua.

    "For me it's now time for a new challenge [in China]," Martins said after announcing the move.

    "I've grown to appreciate the feeling I get when entering environments where I'm not a proven footballer."

    Neither side has confirmed the move, but the Nigeria striker announced his departure from Seattle on his Twitter page:

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  4. Uganda's Besigye 'driven home'published at 17:11 Greenwich Mean Time 18 February 2016

    Uganda's main opposition presidential candidate Kizza Besigye has been taken home, a police spokesperson has told the BBC.

    Earlier, he was picked up by police as he was demanding access to a property where he alleged vote rigging had been taking place, Mr Besigye's party said.

  5. US: Blocking social media in Uganda 'sends wrong message'published at 16:52 Greenwich Mean Time 18 February 2016

    The US Ambassador in Uganda has criticised the blocking of access to social media on election day:

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    President Yoweri Museveni said earlier it was necessary for security reasons.

  6. Besigye was complaining about vote rigging when detainedpublished at 16:36 Greenwich Mean Time 18 February 2016

    A spokesman for Uganda's opposition Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) has told the BBC that his party's presidential candidate was arrested by police at a house where the opposition claims vote rigging was taking place. 

    FDC members demanded to search the house and access was denied. 

    Mr Besigye was then arrested and removed from the scene in a police vehicle, his party says.

  7. Opposition leader 'being held' at police stationpublished at 16:35 Greenwich Mean Time 18 February 2016

    Some local media are reporting that Kizza Besigye is being held at Kasangati police station just north of the capital Kampala, though this has not been confirmed.

  8. Killers of Ivory Coast's ex-military leader sentencedpublished at 16:29 Greenwich Mean Time 18 February 2016

    Tamasin Ford
    BBC Africa, Abidjan

    Three men in Ivory Coast gave been found guilty and given life sentences for the 2002 murder of former military ruler Gen Robert Guei, his wife and their body guards.

    Two of the three were army officers:

    • General Dogbo Be - former commander of the Republican guard
    • Anselme Seka Yapo - ex-head of former first lady Simone Gbagbo’s bodyguards

    Six others were sentenced to 10 years in prison, while 13 were acquitted.

    Gen Guei ruled Ivory Coast from 1999 to 2000, and was killed as the civil was broke out.

    Robert GueiImage source, AP
    Image caption,

    Robert Guei came to power in a coup in December 1999

  9. Kizza Besigye arrest confirmed by opposition partypublished at 16:18 Greenwich Mean Time 18 February 2016

    FDC party tweets:

  10. Reports: Opposition candidate Besigye 'arrested'published at 15:56 Greenwich Mean Time 18 February 2016

    There are unconfirmed reports that Ugandan opposition presidential candidate Kizza Besigye has been arrested in the capital, Kampala.

    A journalist for Al Jazeera at the scene has posted a series of tweets indicating that the arrest was made after Mr Besigye and his supporters argued with police over access to a house in which they alleged vote rigging was taking place: 

    The independent Daily Monitor newspaper has also tweeted the story, although the BBC cannot independently confirm the arrest.

  11. Votes being counted in Ugandapublished at 15:41 Greenwich Mean Time 18 February 2016

    While voting has been extended in some parts of Uganda because of delays in delivering the ballot papers, votes are actually being counted elsewhere.

    Ugandan TV stations, including NBS, external, are broadcasting live updates of the count from around the country, including from Rushere, President Yoweri Museveni's home area.

    Screen grab from televisionImage source, NBS
  12. Uganda delays 'absolutely inexcusable': Obasanjopublished at 15:33 Greenwich Mean Time 18 February 2016

    Nigeria's former president and Commonwealth election observer Olusegun Obasanjo has said the delays in delivering ballot papers in Uganda to polling stations were "absolutely inexcusable", the AFP news agency reports.

    Mr Obasanjo said the delays "do not inspire trust and confidence in the system and the process".

    At some polling stations voters were waiting for five hours before election materials arrived.

    Queue of votersImage source, EPA
  13. Kenya ban would be a 'big blow'published at 15:07 Greenwich Mean Time 18 February 2016

    Emmanuel Igunza
    BBC Africa, Nairobi

    Athletics Kenya (AK), which governs the sport in the country, says any ban on Kenyan athletes participating in the 2016 Rio Olympics over a doping scandal will be a big blow.

    Sebastian Coe, head of athletics' world governing body, the IAAF, said Kenya’s entire track and field team could be barred from the games, if AK is found not to be complying with World Anti-doping Agency (Wada) requirements. 

    But Barnabas Kipkorir, an executive member of AK, says they are taking the threats seriously and are doing all they can to comply with Wada regulations.  

    Kenya has already missed a crucial deadline when it was meant to prove to Wada that it is doing enough to tackle cheating in athletics. 

    There are 15 Kenyans currently banned for doping by the IAAF, including three-time Boston Marathon winner Rita Jeptoo. 

    Newspaper headlinesImage source, AFP
    Image caption,

    Kenya topped the medals table at last year's world athletics chanpionships

  14. Jonny singer Yemi Alade on her love for African languagespublished at 15:06 Greenwich Mean Time 18 February 2016

    Nigerian Afro-pop singer Yemi Alade, whose hit song Jonny dominated charts across Africa two years ago, won MTV's best female African artist for 2015.

    One of the songs on her new album, Mama Africa, is a Swahili version of the track Na Gode, which means thank you in Hausa and had lyrics in a mixture of Nigerian languages.

    She spoke to BBC Africa's Sophie Ikenye:

  15. Amharic, Shona and Xhosa now available on Google translatepublished at 14:36 Greenwich Mean Time 18 February 2016

    Google has announced that three new African languages can now be translated in its Google Translate web application.

    Amharic, Shona and Xhosa have been added to the roster of languages available, which includes Afrikaans, Hausa, Somali and Swahili.

    Screen grab from GoogleImage source, Google
  16. Ghana bus crash death toll now 71published at 14:16 Greenwich Mean Time 18 February 2016

    Sammy Darko
    BBC Africa, Accra

    Medical Director of Ghana's Kintampo government hospital Bismark Owusu Fosu has said the death toll from Wednesday night's bus crash has now risen to 71.

    Fifty-eight were dead on arrival at the hospital, 10 died after admission and three died in a a nearby hospital.

    Investigators say that the bus, which crashed into a lorry transporting tomatoes, was overloaded with more than 70 passengers - it should have had a maximum of 63.

    A transport official has told me that the driver picked up other passengers on the way home from work because their vehicle had been involved in an accident.

    Bus crash siteImage source, Albert Azongo
  17. Coe prepared to ban Kenyan athletes from Olympicspublished at 14:14 Greenwich Mean Time 18 February 2016

    Lord Coe is ready to ban Kenya's track and field team from the Olympics if the country's athletics federation is declared non-compliant with the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) code.

    Kenya missed a deadline last week to prove to Wada it was tackling cheating.

    It comes after a spate of positive drugs tests among some of the country's athletes and allegations of corruption.

    "We have to be much more proactive," said Coe, president of the sport's world governing body the IAAF.

    Lord Coe said he would impose serious sanctions on any nation guilty of attempting to cover up drug-taking.

    Sebastian CoeImage source, AFP

    Read more here.

  18. Vote counting under way in some areaspublished at 13:57 Greenwich Mean Time 18 February 2016

    Meanwhile, polls have closed and vote counting has begun in several parts of the country, including the districts of Kibale, Ibanda and Luweero, local media report. 

    Counting has also started in some areas of the capital Kampala, as one BBC producer tweets:

  19. Voting extended in parts of Kampalapublished at 13:48 Greenwich Mean Time 18 February 2016

    The Ugandan government has tweeted to confirm that voting will be extended for three hours until 19:00 local (16:00 GMT) in some polling stations. 

    A BBC reporter on the ground says this extension will only apply to certain areas of the capital Kampala and surrounding Wakiso district:

  20. Voting time extended for some polling stationspublished at 13:22 Greenwich Mean Time 18 February 2016

    Uganda Electoral Commission tweets:

    That's 16:00 GMT, but it's not yet clear which polling stations will be granted the additional time.