Kenya’s Linet Chepkorir, who last year became the youngest woman county MP in the country to be elected at 24 years, is in court on allegations of hiring six members of her family, local media report.

She is being accused of nepotism by allegedly hiring her six relatives as support staff in her office Bomet County, which she represents.

Her accusers Collins Barno and Stanley Kiprotich Bii, who are residents of the county, say the recruitment process lacked transparency, fair competition, merit and integrity.

They say the alleged relatives are paid 75% of the total salaries allocated to the 15 staff members of the office.

The petitioners want the court to quash the appointments saying they set a bad precedent for a public institution as they are unlawful, irregular and made on the basis of a partisan consideration.

The MP is yet to respond to the accusations.

The tour bus collided with an armoured vehicle on a bridge and then fall into the river below.

BBC Monitoring
The world through its media

Switzerland has called for dialogue between the Cameroonian government and separatist groups after armed men killed five aid workers.

Armed men on last week attacked a Cameroon Development Corporation (CDC) facility in the restive South-West region, killing five workers and injuring 40 others.

"The Swiss embassy ... extends its sincere condolences to the family of the CDC workers killed on Friday 10 February 2023 in Tiko. We call on all parties to embrace dialogue and refrain from violence. We urge the authorities to hold the perpetrators accountable," the Swiss embassy in Cameroon tweeted., external

Switzerland's call for dialogue comes after the Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister, Melanie Joly, on 20 January announced that the Cameroonian government had agreed to hold talks with separatist groups.

The government, however, denied that it had agreed to Canada's facilitation of talks.

Twenty people were killed and 61 others injured following a crash between an cash-in-transit armoured van and a bus in South Africa’s Limpopo province.

The bus rolled off a bridge into a river below landing on its side at around 20:00 on Monday, local media reported.

Most of the victims reportedly died after being trapped inside the bus.

The cause of the crash is under investigation.

There have been heavy rains in the area. Emergency services were still on the scene on Tuesday morning, with heavy downpours delaying their work.

Alfred Lasteck
BBC News, Dar es Salaam

Image source, Getty Images

The Tanzanian government has banned 16 titles of a popular children's book series from being used in schools for allegedly advocating LGBTQ rights.

The Diary of a Wimpy Kid series are said to violate the country’s traditions, customs and cultures, according to the authorities.

Education Minister Adolf Mkenda said the books endanger the quality of education for children.

Schools using the books will face disciplinary and legal measures, including having their registration revoked, the authorities said.

The banned books in the series include:

• Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules
• Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw,
• Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth
• Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever.
• Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Third Wheel
• Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Hard Luck
• Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul
• Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Old School
• Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Double Down
• Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Gateway.

"This is the first list, after we checked and verified that these books violate traditions and customs. The content in them are not good for the upbringing of Tanzanians. The review is ongoing," said Prof Mkenda.

He urged parents to regularly check their children's bags to ensure they are not using the books.

Kenya’s President William Ruto has ordered the army to join a security operation against armed bandits in the northern Rift Valley region who have killed dozens of people in recent months.

A government notice said the troops would be deployed to support the police from Wednesday.

It came as the interior minister declared parts of six counties in the region as “disturbed and dangerous”, issuing a 30-day dusk to dawn curfew starting from Tuesday.

“The government has determined the security situation currently prevailing in the northern Rift Valley Region as a national emergency. Accordingly, painful and decisive measures must be taken effectively immediately,” Prof Kindiki Kithure said in a statement.

It ordered all people holding illegal guns and ammunition to hand them over to the authorities in three days or “meet the full force of the law”.

More than 100 civilians and 16 police officers have been killed by bandits in the past six months, according to the interior ministry.

The government has come under criticism for not doing enough to deal with the problem, even as the armed gunmen have recently become bolder, killing people and stealing livestock despite high-level security meetings in the areas.

Previous security operations have not deterred the armed bandits from carrying out attacks.

A Russian military frigate docked in Cape Town harbour on Monday ahead of joint naval drills with South Africa and China.

Russia's consulate in Cape Town tweeted a photo of the battleship, the Admiral Gorshkov, in the harbour.

The drills will run for 10 days from 17-27 February in the port city of Durban, and Richards Bay.

There has been some criticism that the exercise is not appropriate, given that it coincides with the first anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

But the defence ministry has defended the planned drills, saying that South Africa has in the past hosted similar exercises with France, the US and countries from the Western Nato military alliance.

Image source, Twitter/ @NationalCoGTA

South Africa declared a national disaster on Monday after heavy rains left seven of its nine provinces flooded, destroying roads and bridges and leaving farmers suffering losses.

The national weather service predicts that the heavy rains will persist, a statement, external from the presidency said.

The government has "declared a national state of disaster to enable an intensive, co-ordinated response to the impact of floods," the statement said, but gave no indication of casualties.

It said the heavy rains were brought by the La Niña global weather phenomenon, which occurs in the Pacific Ocean.

"These conditions demand the provision of temporary shelters, food and blankets to homeless families and individuals and the large-scale, costly rehabilitation of infrastructure," the statement added.

Rhoda Odhiambo
BBC Africa health reporter, Nairobi

Image source, Getty Images

The authorities in Equatorial Guinea on Monday said the country had reported its first outbreak of the Marburg virus, a highly infectious disease in the same family of viruses that cause Ebola.

Nine people are suspected to have died from the viral haemorrhagic fever in the country's western Kie Ntem province.

Further tests done on one sample that was collected and shipped to the Institut Pasteur in Dakar, Senegal, turned positive.

The World Health Organization says 16 people are now under quarantine as suspected contact cases. The health body has deployed a team of experts to the area to support health workers.

Last week, the country’s Health Minister Mitoha Ondo'o Ayekaba said preliminary investigations linked the deaths to people who attended a funeral ceremony.

Movement has been restricted around two villages where most cases have been reported. Contact tracing is currently ongoing.

This is the first outbreak recorded in the country and the third in West Africa. Ghana confirmed one case last year and Guinea the previous year.

The virus is transmitted to people from fruit bats and spreads between humans through the transmission of bodily fluids.

Although there are no vaccines or treatments, those diagnosed are advised to drink plenty of water as doctors treat a patient’s specific symptoms.

Previous outbreaks and sporadic cases of Marburg in Africa have been reported in Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, South Africa and Uganda.

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The head of an independent radio station is the latest to be held in a wave of arrests.

A plan to replace Nigeria's banknotes leads to a shortage of money weeks before general elections.

That's all for now from the BBC Africa Live team, but we'll be back on Tuesday morning Nairobi time.

Until then you can find the latest updates on the BBC News website, or listen to our Africa Today podcast.

A reminder of Monday's wise words:

Click here to send us your African proverbs.

And we leave you with this photo taken in Cape Town, South Africa:

Nichola Mandil
BBC News, Juba

Image source, Nichola Mandil/BBC

A student journalist has beaten seasoned professionals to a World Radio Day prize in South Sudan. Judges singled out Rita James Loro's writing skills for particular praise.

Meanwhile, Ayaa Winnie Eric, a fourth-year journalism student from Starford International University of South Sudan emerged as the best student contestant. Her colleague Emelda Siama John, also from Starford International University, was the runner-up.

The winners were awarded smartphones, T-shirts and radio sets by the UN's education and cultural agency, Unesco.

Speaking during the ceremony at Juba University, Unesco representative Tap Raj Pant urged the South Sudanese government to champion access to information so journalists can report freely on issues of concern, such as food insecurity, which is one of the major issues affecting the country.

Simidele Adeagbo is targeting the 2026 Winter Olympics to secure Africa's first medallist in the history of the games.

Image source, House on the Rock Church

A church leader who carried an assault rifle during a Sunday sermon about "spiritual weapons" has been arrested, police say.

The police officer who owned the gun has also been detained, along with the church's head of security.

Pastor Uche Aigbe earlier apologised "unreservedly", according to his church.

He "realises that even with the best of intentions, carrying a gun to illustrate his message was ill-advised and regrettable," the House on the Rock Church in Abuja said in a statement on Monday.

It also said:

The church added that it "rejects all forms of violence" and is "cooperating fully with the authorities as they carry out their investigations into this incident".

Under Nigerian law, it's only legal to carry a gun if the Inspector General of Police grants you a licence.

Gerald Geay hopes to use the Boston marathon to help establish Tanzania as a new force in distance running.

BBC World Service

Image source, AFP

In Chad, more then 450 rebels have gone on trial in connection with the death of President Idriss Déby.

He was killed in April 2021 whilst fighting a rebel offensive launched from Libya.

The hearing is taking place inside a prison where almost 400 of the accused are being held.

Believed to be all members of the rebel Front for Change and Consensus in Chad, they've been charged with terrorism and threatening the security of the state.

After the reading of the charges, the court adjourned until Wednesday.

Related content:

• Who is Mahamat Déby, the new leader of Chad?
• A quick guide to Chad

Political activists in Uganda say hundreds of people have been 'abducted' by drone vehicle.

A South African businessman sued Equatorial Guinea's vice-president for unlawful arrest and torture.