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African press review 24 February 2016

It's all about Kenya in today's African press review: from corruption in sport, and news about  a Supreme court judge, the country has a lot to deal with. Plus, South Africans millenials are "falling on the wrong side of history" according to a study.

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Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta has finally decided to suspend Supreme Court judge Philip Tunoi according to today's Standard.

It's what can only be described as a "U-turn" after Kenyatta declined "to form a tribunal to probe Sh200 million -1.8 million euros- bribery claims" against Tunoi.

It now appears that Kenyatta has appointed a seven-member tribunal tasked with looking into the case. At first, the Kenyan President had said he would wait the outcome of a case in the Court of Appeal, where Tunoi is challenging a circular to retire at 70 instead of 74.

According to the Standard, "intrigues might have led to the latest development".

The Attorney General's office apparently adviced against suspending Tunoi at first, but given the uproar the decision caused, the "Solicitor General’s Office then stepped in reportedly advising the naming of the tribunal".

"Justice Tunoi is the second member of the Supreme Court to face a tribunal since it came into effect under the 2010 Constitution" explains the paper.

Staying in Kenya, regional paper The East African has a report on sports and corruption...

The paper reports on a study by anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International that says Kenya's " sporting talent [are facing] imminent death if the government does not take action against doping, bribery and match-fixing".

According to the paper, "corruption in sport manifests in the appointment or election of officials, financing of sporting activities, the planning of major events and match-fixing"... in short, everywhere.

It shouldn't come as a surprise, however, says The East African, sporting events are generating large amounts of money in Kenya.

"Corrupt sports officials are not just stealing money. They are also stealing the future of our youth, the future of our athletes and the future of our sports" Bob Munro, the chairman of local football club Mathare United, told the daily.

Whats more, "there are currently claims that Kenyan athletes have continually doped" adds the paper.

The country could even be banned from next summer's Olympics if Rio, " if it doesn’t convince the World Anti-doping Agency within two months that it has enhanced checks against doping".

Business Day also talks about a new study this morning, but his one is about millennials and the use of new technologies.

According to a new Pew Research Center survery, South African aged between 18 and 34 "are falling behind the curve in technology adoption".

They are "among those least likely in large emerging economies to use the internet and own a smartphone, mostly because of poverty" explains Business Day.

In South Africa ‚ Nigeria and India " fewer than six in ten millennials have access to the internet". However, the percentage of people using smartphones and internet in developing nations has risen from 45% in 2013 to 54% in 2015.

That's a good news, but "Much of that increase came from large emerging economies‚ including Malaysia‚ Brazil and China" explains the paper.

This isn't great for the country concludes Business Day, because internet will be "one of the defining factors of 21-century human progress".

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