A group of 650 Kenyan women who claim they were raped by British soldiers have won legal aid to sue the Ministry of Defence in a UK court. The women, from rural Masai tribal lands, tell harrowing stories of gang rape, unwanted pregnancies, ruined lives and mixed race children shunned by the community. They allege that the MoD did nothing to stop systematic rape by soldiers despite complaints dating back almost 30 years.

Kenya needs about $70 million annually to assist approximately 1.2 million Kenyan children who are affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic, a UNICEF official said Monday, Agence France-Presse reports. Nicholas Alipui, UNICEF representative to Kenya, said that the problem of AIDS orphans could not be tackled without the support of government and international aid organisations.

About 235 NGOs are in the running for millions of dollars to be made available for HIV/AIDS projects from the Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, Malaria and TB. The proposals are now being examined by a six-person committee, which has to submit its recommendations to the Ministry of Health by 16 July.

The Kenyan government is to lift a colonial-era ban on the Mau Mau, a group which killed a small number of European settlers in the 1950s. Removing the ban is among several long-standing demands of veterans of the Mau Mau uprising against the British in which 32 settlers were killed.

Kenya's former President Daniel arap Moi has called on the government of his successor, Mwai Kibaki, to stop a "witch-hunt" against him. Earlier this month, the government ordered anti-corruption police to question Mr Moi in connection with the collapse of Kenya's Euro Bank, although he has not been accused of any wrongdoing.

The Kenyan authorities have been accused of approving a controversial titanium mining venture along the country's Indian Ocean coast without addressing the economic and environmental concerns raised by the local population.

Health Minister Charity Ngilu has intervened in a major row with Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) over the disbursement of HIV/Aids Global Fund money amounting to Sh2 billion. Some 100 NGOs have cried foul after their names were left out from the list of organisations that are to benefit from these funds.

Transparency International has lauded the Government's efforts to fight corruption in the judiciary. Transparency International deputy director Mwalimu Mati said their last index ranked the judiciary as the sixth most corrupt institution. Speaking on phone to the East African Standard, he said there was a need to eradicate corruption in the judiciary to bring back public confidence.

The overall purpose of the role is to deliver effective management of the financial management and accounting within ACORD. The post-holder will work very closely with the Executive Director and with the other management team members. S/he will liase very closely with the Programming and Fundraising department, and members of the Programming Directorate. They will also work very closely with programme finance managers giving professional support and supervision and work closely with the Northern Programme Manager.

Allegations of corruption within the Kenya National AIDS Control Council (NACC) will not affect grants due to be given to the Kenyan government by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria. "The Global Fund is not involved at all in any kind of discussion with regard to this matter," Dr Elhadj Sy, Africa Director for the fund, told IRIN last Friday. "We have not issued any threats or any statement on this."

Fighting has ceased between local residents and Sudanese refugees in north-western Kenya after leaders from the warring parties agreed to help stop hostilities, paving the way for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to resume its aid work.

Wilberforce Mbei, a small 12-year-old, says he feels very comfortable living in Dandora, a rough estate on the outskirts of Nairobi's main rubbish dumping site. "I feel that this place is very good, I have found a home," he says. After five years of living with his aunt, who abused him, and two years on Nairobi's streets, he says he feels safe now. "I was denied all my rights before," he says, "even to play."

Transparency International-Kenya's fortnightly newsletter is called Aldi, a Kiswahili (Kenya's national language) word meaning integrity. To receive the newslettter by email please visit the web site.

About 30,000 Sudanese refugees have been displaced from their homes within the Kakuma refugee camp in northwestern Kenya, due to fighting with the local Turkana people which has claimed 11 lives.

Kenya is a country that is greatly differentiated from most of the other countries in Africa and the rest of the world. Over the years, the socio-political uniqueness of the country has made the lack of understanding of local cultures and arts even more engrained, especially to foreigners, and the rest of the world. Within Africa, Kenya has produced a large number of professionals, who have been absorbed in almost every industry in the world. Not relatively so with the Arts, and other creative disciplines, says this article on the website www.africancolours.com

A conflict is brewing between the government of Kenya and the Maasai tribe who are threatening to kill all the lions at Nairobi National Park, some eight kilometres (five miles) south of the city of Nairobi, for killing their livestock.

The government has been asked to stand up for the rights of Kenyans and defy terrorism demands by Britain and the United States. In angry reactions to a decision by the US to close its Nairobi embassy over terrorism fears, MPs said Kenya should look after its own interests, rather than dancing to the tune of other countries. They termed Washington's decision "unfair", "unwarranted" and "uncalled for" and described Kenya as "an innocent victim" of terrorism.

This paper from the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) reports on the proceedings of two one-day workshops held with communities in the Trans-Mara District where a human-elephant conflict study has taken place. The workshop concluded that farming is increasing because communities receive no other form of benefit from their land. Therefore, if wildlife could be made to pay, residents would be willing to set land aside for conservation and tolerate the presence of wildlife in the area. To ensure that, better local coordination and planning are also needed.

Former President Daniel arap Moi has been asked by the anti-corruption police to record a statement over the Euro Bank scandal, it has been revealed. Investigators want to know if he ever ordered any of the former parastatal chiefs facing graft charges to pump millions of taxpayers' money into the bank before it collapsed.

The Government's fight against HIV/Aids, tuberculosis and malaria has received a major shot in the arm with a Sh3.8 billion grant from the Global Aids Fund. However it has been cautioned that the money must be spent for the set purpose.