That's all from BBC Africa Live today. Keep up-to-date with what's happening across the continent by listening to the Africa Today podcast or check the BBC News website.

A reminder of today's wise words:

Click here to send us your African proverbs.

And we leave you with this picture of the Black River in Mauritius:

One of the main allegations levelled against Kenya's electoral commission was that the electronic voting system it used for last month's voided election was tampered with.

OT-Morpho, the French company that supplied the voting kits, has however dismissed the allegations saying that its internal audit did not reveal the alleged activities.

Frédéric Beylier, the chief operating officer of the firm, also told the BBC's Alastair Leithead that it would take the company until the end of October to prepare the equipment - well after the 17 October poll date.

But Mr Beylier added that the company was yet to be awarded the contract.

Listen below:

Image source, Reuters

Addressing the UN General Assembly a short while ago, Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari spoke of crises beyond the continent as well as those affecting Africa.

He chided the international body for failing to resolve long-running conflicts, saying:

“Several UN security council resolutions from 1967 on the Middle East crisis remain unimplemented.

“Meanwhile the suffering of the Palestinian people and the blockade of Gaza continues.”

President Buhari also expressed concern over the crisis in Yemen, North Korea’s weapons programme, and said the UN must “halt the ongoing ethnic cleansing” of Rohingya Muslims in Bangladesh.

Closer to home, he said Nigeria’s state institutions “are being strengthened to promote accountability and combat corruption and asset recovery”.

In matters of security, Mr Buhari praised the international community for its “exemplary show of solidarity” to countries in the Sahel “to contain the threat posed by al-Quaeda and Boko Haram”.

President Buhari, who spoke haltingly and stood up to deliver his speech, called for continued "material support and assistance" from the international community.

Africa’s “faith in democracy remains firm and unshaken,” he added.

Applause came when he said “our regional organisation ECOWAS came together to uphold democratic principles in The Gambia,” referring to the body’s key role in the eventual transmission of power from long-time leader Yahya Jammeh to President Adama Barrow last year.

Liberia’s outgoing President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf also spoke at the conference in a farewell address, which she used to praise the “example of what could be done [by the UN]” and spoke about how her example as the first female African president has inspired other women to lead.

Image source, Reuters

People are sharing this image of Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe at the ongoing UN General Assembly in New York.

The 93-year-old leader has been caught napping at several public events in the past.

His spokesperson famously defended him in March, saying that Mr Mugabe has a penchant for closing his eyes for long periods during meetings, but he only does so to "rest his eyes".

Wanyama wa Chebusiri
BBC Africa

This is an unprecedented stand from Kenya's judiciary, which has been under attack from the political elite in recent weeks.

It is being seen as a response to critics of the landmark Supreme Court ruling which invalidated the re-election of Uhuru Kenyatta, and the president's threat to "fix the judiciary" if he wins the repeat polls next month.

The statement will only bolster Chief Justice David Maraga's reputation for bravery and integrity in the eyes of many Kenyans, albeit maybe not supporters of the president.

It comes hours after petitions were filed against two Supreme Court judges, Philomena Mwilu and Isaac Lenaola, accusing them of professional misconduct for allegedly contacting with lawyers representing opposition leader Raila Odinga during the hearing of the petition challenging Mr Kenyatta's poll win.

Kenyans will also be watching with keen interest to see how the Judicial Service Commission, the body that hires judges and which Justice Maraga leads, will handle the petitions.

Image source, AFP

Togo will hold a referendum to decide on the politically divisive issue of presidential term limits following weeks of intense protests by opposition parties, the Reuters news agency reports.

It says that the vote will be held within days and that it would also include other constitutional reforms.

Opposition parties had boycotted a parliamentary that would have enabled the changes, meaning that the vote fell short of the 4/5ths majority.

Drama Dramani, the head of parliament, told legislators that the people will have the final word on the constitutional changes:

Opposition parties are pushing for a two-term limit presidential limit but also want President Faure Gnassingbé, who has been in power since 2005, to step down.

He became president after the death of his father, Gnassingbé Eyadema, who had been at the helm for 38 years.

The opposition want to see the end for what they call the "Gnassingbé dynasty".

Image source, Getty Images

Readers have been telling Focus on Africa radio on Facebook, external what activities are banned for women on their period in their country.

This comes after we reported that some people in Madagascar believe that if you make mayonnaise when you are on your period it will curdle.

Kalinda Daisy Zimba says:

Hawi Kenyan says:

Muwonge B. Kusasira says:

Wanyama wa Chebusiri
BBC Africa

Tension and an atmosphere of political uncertainty continues to grip Kenya following the annulment of the presidential election on 1 September.

The Supreme Court ordered that a re-run be held in 60 days after it found "illegalities and irregularities" in the conduct of the poll.

However, a mixture of political posturing and logistical challenges have put this deadline at risk.

Here are some of the reasons why the preparations have been thrown into turmoil:

• Firstly, OT- Morpho, the French IT firm that provided the electronic voting kits that were used in the 8 August election to identify voters and transmit the results, has told the electoral commission that it will not be able to reconfigure the devices in time for the repeat polls, scheduled for 17 October.

• Secondly, this comes at a time when the opposition coalition - Nasa - has launched a full-throttled campaign for the sacking of electoral commission officials whom it blames for bungling the election. These calls have been opposed by President Uhuru Kenyatta.

Image source, AFP

The opposition coalition has also laid out a series of demands, which include re-tendering the printing of ballot papers, that it says should be met before it takes part in the repeat elections.

Its leader, Raila Odinga, has said that there would be no election if their demands are not implemented.

It is unclear what action, if any, the opposition plans to take to prevent the election from taking place.

• Thirdly, Mr Kenyatta has insisted that the election should be held on 17 October, saying opposition plans to delay the election date were not acceptable as that would interfere with the national examinations timetable.
• Fourthly, associates of Mr Kenyatta's party have been pushing for the removal of Supreme Court judges who supported the annulment of the election, arguing that they have been influenced by NGOs opposed to Mr Kenyatta.

Apetition was filed today against two judges, calling for their investigation over alleged improper contact with Mr Odinga's lawyers during the hearing of the presidential petition.

Legal experts say that the hard-line stance by both candidates, in addition to a myriad of logistical challenges, leaves the country hurling towards a constitutional crisis if the repeat polls are not held by the 1 November deadline.

Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari is addressing the UN General Assembly in New York.

The session is being live streamed on Facebook, external:

Periods are a taboo subject in many parts of the world, as we reported earlier.

But for some Tanzanians, like the BBC's Tulanana Bohela, a girl’s first period is celebrated.

When she got her first period her female relatives gathered round to shower her with gifts.

They sat her down and gave her life lessons on how to be a woman. One of those lessons was that she must keep her periods secret.

This puzzled her.

So she asked her aunts and mum if, by telling girls to keep their periods secret, we are inadvertently instilling shame about a natural process.

Listen on BBC World Service.

Image source, .

A dormitory at a boys' school in the north-western city of Bamenda has been destroyed by fire.

There are no reported deaths at Sacre Coeur college, but the fire is said to have destroyed at least 30 beds and many of the pupils' personal belongings.

Staff say the culprits haven't yet been identified and the local authorities have asked the army to help secure the area.

Panicked parents have come to collect their children from the school:

Image source, .

Some people are speculating that the school may have been attacked for disregarding calls to keep its doors closed in line with wider ongoing protests in Cameroon's English-speaking region over Francophone influence.

But this has not been verified, nor has anyone stepped forward to claim responsibility.

Image source, Alamy

Image source, Getty Images

The Burkina Faso Football Federation (FBF) has appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) over the replaying of a World Cup tie.

Fifa ordered the tie between South Africa and Senegal to be replayed due to "match manipulation" by the referee.

South Africa won the match 2-1 and decided against appealing against the order.

Cas has confirmed to the BBC's Nick Cavell that it received the appeal documents this morning.

In its appeal, the FBF says that it "continues to oppose a decision that is tainted by abuse of power and irrelevant to the texts of the international football authority".

The statement continued: "The federation, which relies on its declaration to appeal to the respect of the virtues of football, invites the Burkinabe sports public to the serenity and the mobilization around the Stallions."

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As we've reported Kenya's Chief Justice David Maraga has said that the judiciary is ready to pay the "ultimate price" to protect the country's constitution amid attacks and harassment of its members.

Mr Maraga has now shared his full statement on Twitter:

The strongly-worded statement also singles out police boss Joseph Boinnet, whom he accuses of not providing adequate security to judiciary staff.

He says that the police chief has, "repeatedly ignored calls to act, exposing judicial officers, property and litigants in danger".

He added that the judiciary was an independent arm of the executive and that it will continue to stand for the rule of law and that "if leaders are tired of having a strong and independent judiciary, they should call a referendum and abolish it all together".

Mr Maraga and his colleagues have received both wide praise and criticism for their unprecedented decision to annul President Uhuru Kenyatta's win in the 8 August election.

Abdinoor Aden
BBC Africa, Nairobi

Married Tanzanian artist Diamond Platnumz has apologised for fathering a child with a Tanzanian model called Hamisa Mobetto who appeared in one of his music videos.

He made the comments on local radio, ending long-running speculation.

The public apology was addressed first and foremost to his wife, a Ugandan businesswoman called Zarina Hassan, and their family:

Kenya's Chief Justice David Maraga has said that he and other members of the legal body which selects judges are "prepared to pay the ultimate price to protect the constitution and the rule of law".

His strongly-worded statement was made on behalf of the Judicial Service Network, and comes after continued protests against the Supreme Court's recent decision to invalidate President Uhuru Kenyatta's win in last month's presidential election and re-run the vote.

Justice Maraga points to an incident yesterday in which he says a judge was "blocked by demonstrators from accessing the Kerugoya Law Courts for the hearing of her own petition".

He adds in the same statement that:

The hashtag #WakoraNetwork, external (meaning 'criminal network' in Kiswahili) is trending in Kenya amid allegations by the governing Jubilee Party that two Supreme Court judges met with lawyers representing the opposition leader, Raila Odinga, during the hearing of the presidential petition which annulled President Uhuru Kenyatta's win.

The inspiration for the hashtag appears to come from remarks President Kenyatta made earlier this month, when he referred to the judges as "criminals".

Privately-owned Standard newspaper reported today that an individual named Mr Derrick Nguma has asked the Judicial Service Commission (JSC), which is in charge of hiring judges, to investigate the two jurists over alleged misconduct.

The paper also reported that Mr Nguma included phone records in his petition to the JSC, which he believes proves his allegations.

The Supreme Court has ordered a re-run of the elections which must be held before 1 November.

The BBC's Anthony Irungu took these photos of Jubilee supporters outside the Supreme Court a short while ago:

Reuters news agency reports that tear gas has been fired at demonstrators outside Kenya's Supreme Court in the capital, Nairobi.

Supporters of Uhuru Kenyatta have been gathering there today to protest against the court's decision to invalidate his re-election last month.

Protesters have continued their chanting outside the court building undeterred by the tear gas, the news agency says.

Tulanana Bohela
BBC Africa, Dar es Salaam

The Tanzanian government has banned privately-owned Mwanahalisi newspaper from publication for two years, for "publishing false information that could jeopardize the security of the country".

The government says the newspaper had violated previous warnings about articles concerning President John Magufuli.

In a statement, the government points to five stories it found objectionable.

One article quotes Information Minister Harrison Mwakyembe as saying his life is in danger, which according to the government is not true.

The government statement adds that the newspaper failed to retract the story when asked to do so.

Another story it objected to was an opinion piece asking whether Tanzanians should pray for President Magufuli or opposition MP Tundu Lissu, who survived being shot at two weeks ago, and is now receiving treatment at a hospital in neighbouring Kenya:

Image source, Mwanahalisi

Mwanahalisi, which was set up in 1995, is the second newspaper to be banned in Tanzania in the past 12 months. It employs 20 workers.

Earlier this year, privately-owned Mawio newspaper was banned for a year, with the government suspending both its print and online editions.

Freedom of the press has been restricted since Mr Magufuli came to office in 2015, earning him criticism from rights groups.

In March, he warned media organisations against “inflammatory” reporting, a day after he fired a cabinet minister who defended press freedom.

The President of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Joseph Kabila, is expected to address a forum on peace today in the central Kasai province where more than 3,000 people have been killed and more than one million displaced.

He travelled to the troubled region yesterday alongside Prime Minister Bruno Tshibala who Jeune Afrique (in French) reports as saying, external:

Community leaders from Kasai are expected to take part in the two-day discussions.

On the agenda are the causes of unrest and possible solutions, the authorities say.

One minister however has been outspoken about why he will boycott the meetings - Claudel Lubaya says they are nothing more than a "presidential party convention".

The main opposition coalition, Le Rassemblement (The Rally), will also not take part in the discussions.

Image source, AFP

BBC World Service

The Supreme Court of Appeal in South Africa will hear the National Prosecuting Authority's appeal against the six-year sentence handed down to the athlete, Oscar Pistorius, in November.

It's the second time the state has contested verdicts over the killing of Pistorius's girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, in 2013.

They successfully overturned the initial verdict of culpable homicide.

Now they will argue that Pistorius should have received the prescribed minimum of 15 years for the killing.

Image source, AFP