CONTINENTAL DRIFT

Call to prayer silenced

Mosques in parts of Kigali, Rwanda, have been banned from using loudspeakers to call worshippers to prayer. This ban comes after residents complained that the calls, made five times a day, were loud and disruptive. Local imams and leaders have said they will appeal the state’s ban, as it infringes on their rights of worship, but will consider lowering the volume and duration of calls.

Uganda hit by fake drugs

They say fake it till you make it — but maybe not when it comes to medication. Uganda’s health system was plunged into disarray this week with the discovery of fake hepatitis B vaccines at eight private medical facilities. Arrests have been made, and Ugandans have been urged to get vaccines only at public healthcare centres. The hepatitis B prevalence rate in Uganda stands at 10%, according to recent government figures.

Mnangagwa’s on the money

At the extraordinary African Union summit in Kigali, Zimbabwe’s new president earned a warm round of applause when he said that sometimes you get what you ask for. “If you look at today’s news in Zimbabwe, we discovered that something like $1.4-billion had gone out [of the country] illegally. I gave a three-month moratorium [for the funds to be returned]. By yesterday, nearly $600-million was brought back,” said Emmerson Mnangagwa, who added that he intended to force the return of the missing $800-million.

Kenya’s grandad rhino dies