The Elephant

1 month ago | theelephant.info

Kenya’s digital lending boom has offered quick cash at the tap of a button—but at what cost? This exposé uncovers how borrowers are falling into a trap of sky-high interest rates, harassment, and even physical threats. From Kibera to Kisumu, we hear from victims whose lives have been upended by predatory loan apps, and from experts calling for stronger regulation. As apps flourish with little oversight, a growing number of Kenyans are left battling debt, shame, and fear.

1 month ago | theelephant.info | Limo Taboi

In the early days of his second term, President Donald Trump picked up on a promise he had made on the campaign trail. In January 2025, he issued an executive order for the declassification and release of all remaining documents relating to the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy. The order also called for the declassification and release of the records pertaining to the 1968 killings of Senator Robert Kennedy and civil rights leader Dr Martin Luther King.

1 month ago | theelephant.info | Janet Sankale

The Horn of Africa remains one of the most volatile regions on the continent, plagued by persistent conflicts that threaten its stability and development. The region has experienced decades of unrest, failing to break free from protracted conflicts, violent crimes, communal violence, extremism, political instability, proxy wars and state failures.

2 months ago | theelephant.info | Daniel Ekonde

On the Gates Foundation website, Ghanaian programmer Darlington Akogo talks about his mission to reduce the number of deaths in the West African nation, where there’s one doctor per 10,000 patients. His start-up, minoHealth AI Labs, helps doctors in Accra’s Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, the largest in West Africa, accelerate medical results. He aims to create an open-source “digital doctor” to widen access to medical care to the country’s 35 million people.

2 months ago | theelephant.info | Fred Oluoch

During the South Sudan independence celebrations on 9 July 2011 at Freedom Square, next to the John Garang Mausoleum, the unity of purpose and hope for the future was electrifying. One could hardly imagine that the country would collapse into civil war only two years after independence, especially after a devastating 21-year war with the north. However, the country has been highly unstable and fractured since the civil war broke out in 2013.