African press review 4 July 2011

South Africa's pride at the marriage of Olympic swimmer Charlene Winston to Prince Albert of Monaco, educational differences in Uganda and whether the increasing number of sexual encounters by women in Kenya is a cause for concern are just some of the stories making headlines in the Africa newspapers.

South African newspaper The Star headlines on Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi. It reports that, according to rebels, he could retire in the country as long as he steps down.

Kadhafi has been in office for 41 years and seems determined to stay, ignoring international calls for him to resign.

In other top news in South Africa, the royal wedding.

Prince Albert II of Monaco and Charlene Winston tied the knot over the weekend and are preparing a trip to South Africa, Charlene’s homeland.

South African President Jacob Zuma said, he is happy to welcome the couple and that he still “treasures the pride Princess Charlene brought to us as an Olympic swimmer.”

The Daily Monitor in Uganda reports that the head of the country’s main opposition will not be running for president in 2016.

The leader of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), Doctor Kizza Besigye made the announcement this weekend. He also said he would not seek an extension on his term as party leader, which ends in 2014.

The paper quotes unnamed sources saying the news shocked party members, who actually tried to persuade Besigye to stay on the job.

There is also an interesting editorial in the paper, addressing the issue of poor teaching standards. According to the article, education receives the biggest slice of the government budget per year, but the problem is with private schools.

Here, tuition is going up while salaries are going down. The paper followed one teacher who says she makes half of what government-employed teacher earn and that she is not paid during the holidays.

In short, like many other teachers, she cannot make ends meet. And education experts say the government will have to step in if it wants to avoid an “education crisis.”

In Kenya, the Daily Nation reports that the first government audit of the civil service revealed “shocking talent, ethnic, gender, and academic imbalances.” For instance, some tribes do not have a single graduate working a government job; while two of the country’s tribes hold one third of all government jobs.

The study had been conducted to establish the “human resource capacity” and “inform on staffing levels”

And finally, another story from Kenya - "Easy to nail, is this Nairobi’s woman today?”

The article explores the fact that Kenyan woman seem to have a series of sexual encounters without any emotional connection before marrying their prince charming.

The paper interviewed a former college student who outlined three easy steps to take a Nairobi woman home. He advises an exchange of phone numbers on day one, call her to invite her for juice on day two, and conclude on the day of the meeting.

The same college student comments on what he calls “a dangerous trend,” the fact that some Nairobi women will forgive a man when she finds him in bed with another woman.

The article blames the phenomenon on technology… saying “as technology catches up, so does the dating scene.” According to another expert it’s because these days, “sex is something men and women want to get in and out of as fast as possible.”