Image source, Getty Images

Afrobeats megastar Burna Boy, Kenya's President William Ruto and captain of South Africa's national rugby team Siya Kolisi are leading the group of Africans who have been recognised by Time magazine among the world's most influential people, external.

Burna Boy was featured in the icons category, which celebrates individuals who have left a lasting mark in their fields.

Grammy-winning French-Beninese singer Angélique Kidjo hailed the Nigerian musician as “history in the making”.

Kolisi was recognised for his leadership through “wisdom and humility”. South African comedian Trevor Noah said that Kolisi gave “hope during a time in which many South Africans find it hard to hold on to any” by leading the country to a stunning rugby World Cup win last year.

President Ruto was named for spearheading Africa's climate action, but Time journalist Justin Worland said he needed to address the multiple challenges burdening his country.

Ugandan LGBTQ+ advocate Frank Mugisha made in the list for challenging his country's tough anti-gay law, which came into effect last year.

Julienne Lusenge, a human rights activist from the Democratic Republic of Congo, was also honoured for her work in addressing sexual and gender-based violence and pushing for women's political participation in her country.

Time also featured Kennedy Odede, a social entrepreneur who has been addressing issues such as poverty and education in Kibera, Kenya’s largest slum.

The annual Time 100 list spotlights individuals who have shaped the world in the past year.

Umaru Fofana
BBC Africa, Freetown

Sierra Leone’s capital, Freetown, and other cities have been plunged into darkness for weeks, due to the non-payment of electricity bills to the power providers.

It has severely disrupted daily life, with operations disrupted in major hospitals.

Karpowership, the Turkish ship which supplies most of Freetown's power, has virtually switched off the lights over an unpaid bill of about $48m (£38m), despite repeated assurances by the finance minister to settle the debt.

In a statement, Karpowership said it had reduced electricity supply to six megawatts - from 60 megawatts - to only power essential services.

CLSG, an Ivorian power supplier, has also significantly reduced its supply to the south-eastern cities of Bo, Kenema and Koidu over unpaid arrears. it reduced its supply from 32 megawatts to 10. It is not clear how much the state owes it.

The third major source of electricity to the country is the state-owned hydroelectric dam in the northern town of Bumbuna. It supplies the northern city of Makeni and nearby towns. But it currently supplies only six megawatts due to the peak of the dry season, which has left water levels at their lowest.

A source at the state-owned electricity distribution company (EDSA) said less than two megawatts currently reaches Freetown from the hydro dam.

Finance Minister Sheku Ahmed Fantamadi Bangura is out of the country and could not be reached for a comment.

Most Sierra Leoneans have taken to social media to express their anger over the incessant power cuts.

“I have gone for six days without a flash of light in my house,” said Joseph Kargbo, who lives in a suburb in the east of Freetown.

Karpowership is one of the world's biggest floating power plant operators, with several African states relying on it for electricity.

But it has taken a tough line over non-payment. Last October, it cut power to Guinea-Bissau's capital over unpaid bills, plunging the city into darkness.

Our African proverb of the day:

Click here to send us your African proverbs.

Peers continue standoff with MPs over legislation enabling asylum seekers to be sent to east Africa.

West Indies legend Courtney Walsh will be a coaching consultant as Zimbabwe's women bid to reach a first T20 World Cup.

Cubana Chief Priest is the latest celebrity to fall foul of a crackdown on "abusing" banknotes.

A police officer who held the hand of his dying colleague has launched a rare private prosecution.

The House of Lords has made changes to the bill - will the government make concessions?

The 2024 Olympic Games in Paris are 100 days away, but Africa has never hosted the world's biggest sporting event.

Peers maintain stand-off with government over flagship controversial Rwanda deportation plan.

Goals, injuries and Afcon heartbreak - how Nigeria's Victor Boniface turned himself into a success in Germany.

That's all from the BBC Africa Live team until Thursday morning. To keep up with news from the continent, visit the BBC Africa webpage.

And if audio is your thing, have a listen to the BBC's Focus on Africa and Africa Daily podcasts.

A reminder of Tuesday's wise words:

Click here to send us your African proverbs.

And we leave you with this photo of man walking through Ethiopia's walled city of Harar:

Image source, AFP

BBC World Service

Image source, AFP

Flooding caused by heavy rains has affected large areas of Kenya including the capital, Nairobi. At least 11 people have been killed and more than 17,000 are displaced.

The rainy season that began in mid-March has damaged homes and farmland.

Those affected are appealing for urgent government assistance as hunger and the risk of disease loom.

The Kenya Red Cross is helping those who have been forced from their homes and has advised those in low-lying areas to seek shelter.

The rain is forecast to last until early next week.

More than 40 toddlers were taken to hospital in South Africa on Monday after mistaking rat poison for sweets.

"Upon medical examination, 17 were admitted for overnight observation, while the remaining 24 were discharged home in a satisfactory condition," regional health authorities for Gauteng said, external.

Also on Monday, a group of 10 people including eight children were referred to a different hospital in the same province.

Health authorities say this is all part of an "alarming" overall rise in food poisoning cases - with a total of 863 such incidents reported since last October.

They're advising parents and guardians to take greater care to protect children, and say anybody with food-poisoning symptoms - such as nausea, diarrhoea, vomiting and stomach aches - should visit their nearest health centre as quickly as possible.

The drowning of two pupils in South Africa who were on a weekend school adventure camp is being investigated by the education authorities.

The boys, reported to be between the ages of 13 and 16, drowned in a river close to South Africa’s capital, Pretoria.

They were on an outdoor trip to the Rock Falls Adventure park and were participating in a water activity when the accident happened, according to local media.

"One learner suddenly ran towards the nearby river, close to the campsite entrance. A second learner followed in an attempt to bring him back,” the education department of Gauteng province said, external.

"It is further alleged that the learner who ran off jumped into the river, prompting the second learner to try and rescue him. However, both learners unfortunately drowned as a result."

Emergency services said they had received a call at 15:10 local time (13:10 GMT) on Sunday, but the students were already dead by the time they arrived.

The education department says it will be visiting the school in the town of Benoni on Wednesday.

It wants to "ascertain more details about the circumstances which led to this tragic incident in order to determine a way forward".

Leaders from the West African regional bloc, Ecowas, have climbed down on their initial announcement that they were visiting Togo "due to the seriousness of the controversial constitutional reforms that the government planned to introduce".

Those words were part of a press release that was published on X on Monday then deleted on Tuesday.

It was replaced by a new press release, that instead called it a simple "information mission" and insisted that Ecowas delegates would "not engage in any other process as indicated in a previous press release, which has been withdrawn".

The opposition in Togo has denounced a proposed new constitution as a power grab, intended to extend the rule of President Faure Gnassingbé.

The reforms would see the West African country move from a presidential to a parliamentary system. But the opposition says they are a ruse to keep Mr Gnassingbé - already in his fourth term - in power.

Ecowas, meanwhile, has been under considerable pressure after recent diplomatic efforts to steer the region's burgeoning military juntas back to democracy have failed.

• You can read more about what's happening in Togo here

Authorities say the reforms are necessary - but opponents say they will lengthen the president's rule.

Image source, via Citizen Digital/Twitter

Kenya's Association of Muslim Lawyers says a politician who appeared to force a woman to shake his hand should be investigated for harassment.

A widely circulated video of an office birthday party shows Ken N'gondi, the Speaker of Nairobi's County Assembly, apparently insisting that a female Muslim colleague shake his hand. He is also seen putting his hand on her shoulder when she stands up.

Mr N'gondi has not commented on the video.

News outlets and social media commenters point out that devoutly Muslim women do not shake hands with male acquaintances, external. Many say the woman in the video looks uncomfortable, and Muslim lawyers have said it amounts to sexual and physical assault.

They say they're demanding "accountability" for what happened and want police to bring "criminal charges", external against Mr N'gondi.

Russell Cook, nicknamed “Hardest Geezer”, crossed the finish line in Tunisia after 352 days.