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African press review 2 October 2018

A new report ranks Kenyan government services in terms of corruption. Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari promises that next year's general election will be credible. How dangerous is it to be a politician in South Africa?

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Kenya's Interior Ministry is the most corrupt government service, according to a list published by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission.

The average Kenyan paid nearly 50 euros in bribes in 2017.

Half of those polled for the commission study said they paid a bribe because it was the only way to obtain government services, with 17 percent saying it was the only way to hasten services.

Sixty-five percent of those calling on the Interior Ministry said they had to pay bribes.

The Kenya police ranked at 24 percent, followed by the National Police Service Commission at 14 percent.

Seventy-six percent of Kenyans revealed that they did not receive government services after failing to pay a bribe.

Three in 10 Kenyans said that given the opportunity, they would happily engage in corruption. Two in 10 said that they had done so in the past.

Nigerian electoral commission to live up to its name

President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday expressed his commitment to a credible general election in Nigeria next year.

Addressing the nation in a live broadcast from Abuja, to mark the 58th anniversary of Nigeria's independence, the president said the Independent National Electoral Commission would be "independent" (indeed?) and properly staffed and resourced.

Buhari criticised the way social media were being misused to provoke passions, describing it as an abuse of the new technologies.

The president also pledged that his administration would continue addressing “the challenges of our times’’, including conflicts, terrorism, trans-border crime and climate change.

Petrol price hits record high in South Africa

The price of petrol is set to rise this week in South Africa.

From midnight tomorrow, a litre of unleaded juice is going to cost an extra rand. The price of lamp paraffin will increase by a similar amount.

The Automobile Association has warned that the increases   which push the price of petrol to record levels   will be "catastrophic" for motorists.

Are ANC politicians an endangered species?

More than 90 politicians have been murdered in South Africa since the start of 2016, according to an article in the New York Times.

The newspaper said the victims were all members of the ruling ANC who had spoken out against corruption in the party.

Recently released official crime statistics show that 57 people are murdered every day in the country.

Among the victims was former ANC youth leader Sindiso Magaqa, who was shot dead in an ambush.

The paper said the death toll among politicians was twice the annual rate in the 16 years before that, according to researchers at the University of Cape Town and the Global Initiative Against Transnational Crime.

Magashule denies plot allegations

Speaking of crime in South Africa, there's still no clarity on the alleged plot to oust President Cyril Ramaphosa and return Jacob Zuma to power.

According to the top story in this morning's Mail & Guardian, ANC secretary general Ace Magashule says he will not allow any “wedge drivers” to destroy his relationship with Ramaphosa, amid reports that he is involved in an alleged plot to overthrow the president.

Magashule was speaking on the outcomes of an ANC national executive committee meeting last weekend, which called for unity within the party.

The meeting was expected to discuss Magashule’s meeting with former president Jacob Zuma at the Maharani hotel in Durban where the two are accused of discussing a plot to unseat Ramaphosa.

However, at the briefing at the ANC’s Johannesburg headquarters on Monday, Magashule said the NEC emphasised the need to unify and left it up to the party’s top six to further discuss the alleged plot.

Ugandan Aids sufferers dying for lack of bus fare

The Daily Monitor in Uganda reports that an unspecified number of people living with HIV/Aids in Kyenjojo District have abandoned treatment because the nearest health facility where they can get anti-retroviral drugs is 10 kilometres away.

The National Organisation of People Living with HIV in Uganda says this has diminished the immunity of people living with the virus.

Many of those enrolled for anti-retroviral treatment fail to collect their drugs because they cannot afford transport to the nearest medical centre.

Health ministry statistics shows that more than 200,000 HIV-positive Ugandans have not yet registered for treatment.

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