Image source, Reuters

The Constitutional Court in the Democratic Republic of Congo has rejected two challenges to the results of a last month's contested presidential election.

The court said incumbent President Felix Tshisekedi had indeed received 73% of the vote.

The validation comes despite independent observers reporting widespread irregularities during the 20 December vote.

The poll was also marred by several logistical problems, which the opposition alleged were part of a deliberate plan to rig the results in favour of Mr Tshisekedi.

Only one opposition candidate out of 18 took the matter to court. Others, including the runner-up, Moïse Katumbi, refused to mount a legal challenge after questioning the independence of the judiciary.

The Constitutional Court ruled on Tuesday that reported irregularities could not have impacted the overall result because there was such a big gap between the incumbent president and Mr Katumbi, who won around 18% of votes.

The verdict paves the way for Mr Tshisekedi to be sworn in for a second term on 20 January.

Image source, Reuters

A court in Kenya has said it may release suspected cult leader Paul Nthenge Mackenzie if the state prosecutor fails to charge him within two weeks.

Mr Mackenzie has been detained since last April in connection with the deaths of at least 400 people, many of whom starved themselves to death.

Official autopsies of some of the bodies also found signs of suffocation and beatings.

The victims were members of the Good News International Church which is based on the Kenyan coast and was run by Mr Mackenzie. He has denied any wrongdoing.

Senior Magistrate Yusuf Abdallah Shikanda on Tuesday said Mr Mackenzie's pre-trial detention has been a long journey that must now come to an end.

He said a prosecution would have to follow or else Mr Mackenzie and 29 co-accused could be released in two weeks time.

Prosecutors had in September called for 180 more days to detain Mr Mackenzie but the magistrate noted that 117 days had since elapsed.

Image source, Getty Images

Afrobeats star Tiwa Savage has filed a police complaint against fellow singer Davido, in which she alleges that he threatened her.

Tensions between the two prominent musicians reportedly began last month after Tiwa shared a picture of herself and the mother of one of Davido's children on her Instagram story.

In her police report, cited by several local news outlets, Tiwa says that Davido took offence to the post, deeming it a taunt against him.

She alleged that Davido responded by "uttering very disrespectful, malicious and derogatory words" against her.

Tiwa also accuses Davido of sending people to warn her to "be careful in Lagos", which she views as "unethical" and "a direct threat to my rights to life, privacy and dignity".

Davido is yet to respond to the allegations.

The two stars have reportedly also unfollowed each other on Instagram.

Lagos state police spokesperson Benjamin Hundeyin confirmed to the BBC that they had received Tiwa's report.

Our African proverb of the day:

Click here to send us your African proverbs.

The first person to blow the whistle on the abuse at the megapastor's church was his young daughter.

Nigeria has become a hub for illegal ivory sales, with tusks smuggled in from all over the continent.

The two discuss military co-operation as concerns rise over a deal about sea access for Ethiopia.

Salem Bazoum was detained with his parents since the presidential guard staged a coup last year.

Bayer Leverkusen striker Victor Boniface is ruled out of the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) through injury, in another blow to Nigeria's preparations.

Morocco are targeting a long run at the Africa Cup of Nations after reaching the World Cup semi-finals in 2022, says captain Romain Saiss.

This come days after the ex-president was charged with treason over November's alleged coup attempt.

New evidence suggests TB Joshua hid bodies and used intimidation to cover up the scale of the disaster.

The war in Gaza is largely responsible, UK-based charity Action on Armed Violence says.

To commemorate the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first recorded enslaved Africans in Virginia, America, in 2019 Ghana launched the ‘Year of Return’, an initiative to encourage the African diaspora to invest, settle and visit. After a positive response a 10-year follow-up initiative called ‘Beyond the Return’ was launched in 2020 to further promote investment, migration and tourism. As a result there has been an increase in visitor numbers, particularly from the United States with thousands of African-Americans making the trip across the Atlantic. Some have decided to stay. At least 1500 people have since moved to the West African country from the U.S and there are over 5000 African Americans currently living in Ghana. Dr Ashley Milton is one of them. An environmental science and policy expert and entrepreneur, Dr Milton relocated from Washington D.C. to Ghana’s capital Accra just as the Year Of Return was being launched. In this documentary Dr Milton travels from Cape Coast to Tema, meeting a variety of African-Americans who now call Ghana home along the way. From a Marine Corps veteran who grew up in Los Angeles to a single mother from Atlanta, through varying stories of assimilation, hope, identity and migration, Ashley highlights the personal experiences of those like herself who have moved to Ghana, whilst reflecting on the significant historical connection between both countries for the BBC World Service.

President Tinubu orders a "thorough investigation" and stresses the need to restore public confidence.

That's all for now from the BBC Africa Live team, but we'll be back on Wednesday 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 of Zimbabwe taking on Sri Lanka's cricket team in Colombo:

Image source, AFP

Image source, AFP

Pilgrims are celebrating Gena, the Ethiopian Orthodox Christmas feast, at Saint Mary's Church in the ancient town of Lalibela.

It's located in Amhara state and was seized by the Fano militia in recent fighting, but returned to government control two months ago.

More than 36 million Ethiopians are Orthodox Christians.

These photos from AFP show moments of prayer and contemplation in Lalibela on Monday:

Image source, AFP

Image source, AFP

Image source, AFP

Image source, AFP

Image source, AFP

Jose Tembe
BBC News, Maputo

At least eight people have been killed in Islamist militant attacks in northern Mozambique's Cabo Delgado province.

The attacks were reported between Thursday and Saturday, in the villages of Malinde, Chinda, Ntotwe, Chai and Chimbanga.

Rwandan forces are responsible for the security cordon in the province's port of Mocímboa da Praia, but they had already become strained after previous incursions forced families from their homes.

The local administrator, Sérgio Domingos, visited Ntotwe village, where he urged resident to keep farming despite the security situation.

On Monday, the medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières said one of its associates had been killed during an attack by jihadists on Friday in Mocímboa da Praia.

Nichola Mandil
BBC News, Juba

The UN peacekeeping Mission in South Sudan (Unmiss) has condemned the recent violence which resulted in a number of civilian casualties in Jonglei State in the east of the country.

Nearly 30 civilians were reportedly killed in an attack on a cattle camp in Duk Padiet County on Thursday, in what was believed to be a cattle raid by suspected armed youth from the Pibor area.

Unmiss did not provide the exact figure of those killed. Authorities in the area said on Sunday that the death toll had risen to at least 28 civilians, according to reports in local media.

It is the first incident of its kind in 2024.

Jonglei and Pibor areas are susceptible to violence, often triggered by cattle raiding and inter-communal revenge killings.

Unmiss says it is engaging the national, state and county authorities in order to "de-escalate the situation". It has also urged the parties involved to cease the violence, avoid reprisal attacks and resort to peaceful means to resolve their grievances.

The Jonglei State and the Greater Pibor Administrative Area authorities should enter into dialogue, bring the perpetrators to justice, and prevent further violence, Unmiss stressed.

Priya Sippy
BBC News

Image source, Getty Images

Uganda's ministers and senior government officials will be given a crash course in "proper conduct, good behaviour, and etiquette", the Daily Monitor has reported.

The training comes ahead of two international conferences that will be hosted in Uganda – the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit, and the Third South Summit. The country will be expecting more than 1,000 delegates from 100 countries.

The Daily Monitor reported that the training will ensure ministers avoid "embarrassing incidents", warning against behaviours like "pushing and shoving, over-excitement, flirting and bickering".

The news has received mixed reactions on social media, with many Ugandans asking how much the training will cost.

While Agriculture Minister Frank Tumwebaze has already said he will not be attending, external.