- By Zablon Omondi Fiery Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe has discounted claims of ill health, saying he was as fit as a fiddle. Mugabe said media reports that he had gone to Malaysia to get treatment for prostate cancer were false and should be treated with the contempt they deserve. He returned to the country this week after a prolonged absence, saying he gone for Singapore for his annual holiday. "I was not even in Malaysia, I was in Singapore," the president said in Harare upon arrival. He claimed foreign journalists were behind reports about his alleged failing health. This week, the president kicked a fresh storm in government, saying he could dissolve Parlia…

The International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena) has a new man at its helm. Mr Adnan Amin, a Kenyan, becomes the new Interim Director-General following the resignation of Hélène Pelosse. - He was picked as 300 delegates from more than 100 countries gathered in Abu Dhabi for the fourth session of the Irena preparatory commission. Amin, who has served the UN family in various high-profile capacities, said his focus would be to develop a compelling vision for the future of renewable energy. Amin previously served as the Director of the UN System Chief Executives Board for Coordination (CEB). He also worked as the Director of the New York Office of UNEP. According to Irena, he was sel…

A senior minister in Kenya's Grand Coalition Government has been suspended from cabinet over criminal charges. Higher Education minister William Ruto faces a Sh96 million (about 9.6m Euros) fraud case involving alleged sale of more than 100 hectares of land, part of Nairobi's Ngong' Forest, to the Kenya Pipeline Corporation. - Last week, a Nairobi court ruled that the case, instituted in 2004, should proceed against the minister. He had moved to court in 2005 seeking to have it stopped. At the weekend, a tough talking Ruto called a press conference in Nairobi and announced he would not resign or step aside over the fraud charge. He claimed the case was a political scheme…

The Kenyan Parliament is upbeat over the fate of a proposed law seeking to limit green house gas emissions.This development means the East African country could soon be one of the pioneer countries in sub Saharan Africa to such a law. - Last week, parliament passed a motion seeking to oblige the Government to ratify regulations on air pollution. The motion, sponsored by Chachu Ganya, an MP, seeks to among other things raise levies on fuel to discourage use of private cars. If passed, it will also push for the introduction of electric trains deemed more environment-friendly to offer public transport. Prime Minister Raila Odinga says Kenya needs Sh210 billion (US$ 3 billion) a year t…