Image source, Getty Images

Kenya will begin an emergency polio vaccination program on 24 August, external, weeks after the detection of polio cases at the the north-eastern part of the country.

The vaccination campaign targets 7.4 million children under the age of five and will prioritize 10 high-risk counties, including Garissa county, where the recent outbreak happened.

An estimated 3% of Kenyan children are unvaccinated against polio, Kenya’s health director-general Dr Patrick Amoth said in a media briefing on Tuesday.

Kenya eradicated wild poliovirus, the most common form of polio, in 2014.

However, in July, the World Health Organisation (WHO) warned that Kenya faces a high risk of circulating vaccine-derived polio, a form of poliovirus that affects under-immunised communities.

WHO said Kenya's polio risk was highest in the country's refugee camps, which are often overcrowded and have poor sanitation facilities, high rates of malnutrition and frequent population movements with Somalia, which has had recent outbreaks of circulating vaccine-derived polio.

The national vaccination program is expected to make vaccines more accessible and increase Kenya's polio vaccination rate.

Will Leonardo
BBC World Service newsroom

Russia's President Vladimir Putin has told the leaders of China, India, South Africa and Brazil that the growing influence of their Brics group will lead to a multi-polar world.

Addressing the summit in Johannesburg by video, Mr Putin said he opposed the sway exerted by the G7 and other western-led groups.

He is unable to attend in person because he faces an international arrest warrant over Ukraine.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for the expansion of Brics, saying it would make global governance fairer.

Countries including Iran, Ethiopia and Algeria have expressed interest in joining. However, Brazil has cautioned against making the grouping an alternative to the G7.

A press conference planned for later has been cancelled with leaders locked in closed negotiations.

Debutants South Sudan and Cape Verde among five nations representing Africa at the Basketball World Cup hosted in the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia.

Image source, Getty Images

Kenyan police have arrested an ex-governor and his wife over alleged procurement irregularities, local media reports say., external

Wycliffe Oparanya is currently at the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission alongside his wife Priscilla, his political party ODM tweeted., external

No reason had been given for their arrest or why they were being questioned, it added.

Mr Oparanya served two terms as the governor of Kakamega County in western Kenya between 2013 and 2022.

Image source, Getty Images

Humanitarian organisations are warning of deteriorating conditions in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo), as dwindling funding limits their ability to intervene in the region.

Humanitarian organisations including the UN World Food Programme (WFP) and Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) say that lack of funding may soon leave them unable to help millions of Congolese people facing hunger, starvation and lack of access to essential services.

Fighting in the east of the country has ripped through civilian populations and displaced swathes of communities, the UN says.

In a media briefing held in Geneva on 22 August, WFP’s DR Congo lead Peter Musoko said that the agency is unlikely to offer substantial help unless it receives an additional $567m (£445m) required to fund its efforts over the next six months.

“Eight months into 2023, less than a third of required funding has been received for the modest humanitarian response that was planned in DR Congo. It is not acceptable that aid agencies are forced to make impossible choices around who can and cannot be helped,” NRC secretary-general Jan Egeland said on Wednesday, external.

Mr Egeland added that it was unacceptable that many wealthy nations, corporations and individuals have ignored the crisis.

Image source, ICC

The confirmation of charges hearing in the case of Central African Republic (CAR) war crimes suspect Maxime Mokom at the International Criminal Court (ICC) has begun.

The purpose of the hearing, which will continue until Thursday, is to establish if there are enough grounds to escalate the case to a trial.

Mr Mokom is accused of several crimes, according to the ICC website, external, including directing attacks against civilians, under the anti-balaka militant movement.

He has denied any crime, external and said he joined the group for the sake of peace not war.

Samantha Granville
BBC News, Johannesburg

Image source, Reuters

It’s day two at the Brics summit, where the feeling in the press room is a little calmer than Monday. Access at such meetings is always difficult, but it’s become more and more clear that the closest the media will get to any dignitaries is just through streamed events on giant screens.

On Monday, the leaders from all five nations gave opening statements about their goals for the summit, which focused on strengthening the economies of the global south, and bloc expansion that would increase global clout.

But the discussion over expansion is already causing some divisions.

Brazilian Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva took to social media saying, “We do not want to be a counterpoint to the G7, G20 or the United States” - while President Xi Jinping took the opposite view.

“Right now, changes in the world, in our times, and in history are unfolding in ways like never before, bringing human society to a critical juncture,” the Chinese leader said in remarks that were delivered by his commerce minister. "The course of history will be shaped by the choices we make."

It's unclear why President Xi decided last minute to skip his scheduled address. He was certainly the centre of attention for most of the day as he was met on the tarmac at the airport by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, then had a short South Africa state visit in the morning, and a ceremony to receive an order of South Africa.

Unconfirmed rumours are circulating that he was sick, or had a fall, or just didn’t think it was worth his time. The only thing that is sure, is that we will never find out the real reason.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin appeared in a 17 minute, pre-recorded video statement where he took multiple shots at the West, railing against “illegitimate sanctions” on his country and threatened to cut off Ukraine’s grain exports permanently.

The leaders are heading into some closed meetings this morning, with a press conference later in the day, and onlookers are eager to hear President Putin give a live statement.

Bruno Garcez
BBC News

Image source, Reuters

"Brazil is back on the continent it should never have left. Africa gathers many opportunities and a huge potential for growth.”

These remarks were made by Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva - who is widely known as Lula - during his speech in South Africa, where he is attending the Brics annual summit.

The meeting of leaders of the bloc (made up of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) is being held in Johannesburg, South Africa's commercial hub.

Lula’s comments were a veiled jab at his right-wing predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro, who never visited Africa during his four-year presidential term.

Lula was sworn in as Brazil's president in January 2023 after a bitterly contested election contest. The veteran left-leaning politician also led the country between 2003 and 2010 when he made several trips to Africa.

He has already paid a brief visit to Cape Verde this year.

The Brazilian leader has made enhancing relations with the so-called “global south” a centrepiece of his country’s foreign policy.

“In my first two mandates, the African continent had been a priority. I went 12 times to Africa to 21 countries,” Lula said.

In spite of Brazil’s inclusive foreign policy, according to Brazilian press reports, the country is not keen on expanding the membership of Brics, as is favoured by China and Russia.

After taking part in the summit in South Africa, the Brazilian president will carry on with his African trip, going next to Angola and to São Tomé and Príncipe, where he will attend a meeting of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries.

Image source, Reuters

Emmerson Mnangagwa, Zimbabwe's president and leader of the ruling Zanu-PF, has cast his vote as elections get under way in the country on Wednesday.

He voted along with the First Lady Amai Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa at Sherwood Park Primary School in Kwekwe city.

The presidential race has attracted 11 candidates, including the 80-year-old incumbent president and main opposition leader, 45-year-old Nelson Chamisa, who leads the Citizen's Coalition for Change (CCC).

Read more about the election in Zimbabwe here.

The Newsroom
BBC World Service

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Kenya's Faith Kipyegon has become the first woman to win a third women's 1500m title at the World Athletics Championships.

The two-times Olympic champion led the race from start to finish and recorded the time of 3 minutes 54.87 seconds.

It's another outstanding achievement in a remarkable season which saw the Kenyan set three world records.

Kipyegon is hailed as world's best-ever runner over 1500m and remains unbeaten in the discipline since June 2021.

Kenya's President William Ruto has congratulated, external her as "peerless, a legend and a once in a generation talent".

BBC Monitoring
The world through its media

Image source, AFP

Heavy clashes continue around a strategic army base in the Sudanese capital Khartoum as the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) fight amid raging conflict.

The army said in a statement , external posted on its Facebook page on Tuesday night that it repelled yet another attack by RSF fighters on the Armoured Corps military base in the Al-Shajara area, south of Khartoum, and inflicted heavy losses on the paramilitary force.

For its part, the RSF claimed to have taken control of parts of the base and captured large quantities of weaponry, in a statement it shared on Tuesday night , externalon social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

Saudi-funded Al Arabiya, external TV website reported that the army was still in control of the base after three days of heavy fighting.

Fighting between the two forces has intensified in recent days in the capital Khartoum and the adjacent cities of Omdurman and Bahri as well as parts of the conflict-hit western region of Darfur.

According to the UN, thousands of people have been killed and more than four million others displaced since the conflict broke out in mid-April.

Shingai Nyoka
BBC News, Harare

Image source, AFP

Voting is under way in presidential and parliamentary elections in Zimbabwe, where the opposition is seeking to end the 43-year rule of the Zanu-PF party.

Even before polling stations opened, long lines had already started to form in Mbare, a township in the outskirts of capital Harare.

Some told the BBC they were excited to exercise their rights.

The country's economy is in ruins but a government spokesman said he believed Zimbabweans wanted to give President Emmerson Mnangagwa another term in office.

The campaign has been marked by the arrests of activists from the opposition Citizens' Coalition for Change, which has been given little exposure on state media.

But earlier this week the party's candidate for president, Nelson Chamisa, told the BBC he was confident of victory.

Up to 6.5 million are expected to turn out in an election between the old guard and the younger generation eager for change.

Police have warned voters to leave the polling stations after casting their ballot, after some NGOs urged Zimbabweans to defend their vote against manipulation.

Polling will close at 19:00 local time.

Our proverb of the day:

Click here to send us your African proverbs.

Putin was addressing the Brics summit via video-link in South Africa - he hasn't travelled due to risk of arrest.

Written by a political prisoner, it is now kept in a bullet-proof casing in a Cape Town mosque.

The BBC explores key issues in a vote that will test how far Zimbabwe has come since Robert Mugabe.

Mali's sports ministry warns of potential "disturbances to public order" as it asks Fifa to investigate next week's vote for a new FA president.

That's all from the BBC Africa Live team for now. Join us again on Wednesday morning.

There will be an automated news feed until then, plus you can get the latest updates on the BBC News website or listen to the Focus on Africa podcast.

A reminder of Tuesday's wise words:

Click here to send us your African proverbs.

We leave you with this photo of Christian worshippers in Egypt celebrating the Feast of the Assumption on Monday:

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, EPA

Popular Nigerian singer-songwriter Yemi Alade says she has survived a car accident while touring in Spain.

In a post on her Instagram on Tuesday,, external the artist revealed that the accident happened last Thursday while travelling between Barcelona and Benicassim. No fatalities have been reported.

She said that the crash "happened suddenly" but she escaped with minor injuries, losing only a fingernail.

Alade, known for her upbeat music, said despite the accident she still performed on stage a few hours later that same day, then experienced a "minor medical emergency" as result.

She thanked God following her ordeal, saying "His Grace is more than sufficient".

Many parts of Tanzania are likely to experience power cuts because of a system error, the East African nation's state power firm Tanesco has warned.

An error in a gas-fired power plant has resulted in a loss of 268 megawatts to the transmission system, it said.

“Efforts to fix the problem are ongoing and we will notify our customers every four hours as the power availability improves," the statement said.

Tanzania’s power generation capacity stood at 1,500 megawatts from various sources in 2021.

The loss will lead to lack of electricity at different times across the country.