Kenya drought taking its toll

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/8265988.stm

One of the worst droughts in living memory is taking its toll on both people and wildlife in Kenya.
Clashes over land and water lead to the deaths of 32 people last week, with community leaders warning there will be more violence.
Meanwhile, in Samburu district at least 24 elephants have either starved or been shot by poachers looking for food.

BBC NEWS | World | Africa | Kenya hit by killer drought

BBC NEWS | World | Africa | Kenya hit by killer drought

It was not hard to find the dead elephant.

The stench of the rotting carcass made it easy to track down in the sparse bush. A young male - barely four years old and still an infant by elephant standards - lay on its side in the sand by a river.

Around its feet, the sand had been cleared in small arcs - signs of the animal's thrashing as it struggled to stand and survive.

But there was nothing to eat. Nothing. On the ground, not a blade of grass existed, every green shoot had been stripped from the trees.

For Iain Douglas Hamilton, from the conservation organisation Save The Elephants, it was a heartbreaking sight.

"In all my 12 years here, I've never seen anything as bad as this," he said.

"The last long rains [in April] failed completely, and we haven't had a proper wet season for at least three years. If the rains fail in October and November, we'll go into total crisis. I can't even begin to imagine how awful that would be."

BBC NEWS | Technology | New Africa broadband link 'ready'

BBC NEWS | Technology | New Africa broadband link 'ready'

By Adam Blenford
BBC News, Nairobi

A new high-speed undersea cable connecting East Africa with the rest of the world is poised to go live, Kenya's top internet official has told the BBC.

The launch of the government-backed East African Marine System (Teams) comes as providers face a backlash over slow connection speeds and high prices.

Internet providers have increased speeds and lowered costs since the Seacom cable went live in August.

But users say services still remain too expensive for most ordinary Kenyans.

Senior government official Bitange Ndemo said there was evidence that some internet service providers (ISPs) were "fleecing the public".

Almost two months after the first high-speed cable made landfall, the highest residential internet speed offered by Kenya's largest ISP remains capped at one megabit per second (Mbps).

That speed is available only at night and at weekends, for an annual cost of $1,440 (£860). The average Kenyan annual wage is about $800, the UN estimates.