NPR People: Gwen Thompkins

This year has seen a violent reminder of Uganda's past: riots by those loyal to an ancient kingdom. The riots were sparked by a government decision to stop the liege of the once-powerful Buganda kingdom from traveling within his realm.

Experts say there's enough oil around Lake Albert to make Uganda a top producer in Africa. And if all goes well, Uganda will begin commercial production in the next year or two. But a lot can happen between striking oil and striking it rich. The people in the region are just hoping to be treated fairly.

Unregulated home-brewed alcoholic beverages in Uganda are ubiquitous and can be extremely potent. Drinking is a cultural tradition, and drunkenness is one of the few accepted vices. As a result, alcohol consumption there is a public, often deadly problem.

Carjackings are a fact of life in Kenya's capital, Nairobi. And anyone who takes to the road there risks being a victim. This particular crime has spawned a growing industry — defensive driving schools.

The Ugandan Parliament is considering a bill that would increase penalties for homosexuality, in some cases making it punishable by death. Host Michel Martin talks to NPR's East Africa Correspondent Gwen Thompkins about reaction to the anti-gay bill, what its passage could mean for HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment in Uganda and the contested role a group of American Evangelical pastors have played in drumming up support for the bill

In Uganda, a bill designed to eradicate homosexuality has strong support in government and in evangelical circles. Proponents of the bill link homosexuality to the West. But despite condemnation elsewhere, few in the country are willing to speak against it because those who do are labeled gay.

A suicide bomber dressed as a woman attacked a graduation ceremony in Somalia's capital, killing at least 14 people, including three Cabinet ministers. The attack underlines the inability of Somalia's weak government to control even the small patch of land it holds in Mogadishu.

The International Criminal Court has been actively pursuing cases involving some horrifying human atrocities in East Africa. But many of the victims can only find justice in a song.

The International Criminal Court prosecutor wants to build a case against the instigators of deadly post-election ethnic clashes in Kenya that began in December 2007 and continued into 2008. Many ordinary Kenyans welcome international intervention, saying Kenya's coalition government has failed to pursue those guilty of violence that killed more than 1,000.

For more than 20 years, southern Sudan was a war zone. But the conflict was not as devastating to the animals of Boma National Park as believed. The park is teeming with wildlife, raising hopes that it could attract eco-minded tourists and create badly needed local jobs. But the area is so remote that it would take a major investment to bring creature comforts to a land of prickly acacia trees, tall grass and cattails.

In July, Sudanese journalist Lubna Ahmed Hussein was arrested in Khartoum under the nation's decency law and was ultimately convicted of wearing trousers at a nightclub. Her arrest turned her into a women's rights activist, and fired up other women who seek to change the nation's criminal code.

U.S. and international officials say the situation in Sudan's war-torn region of Darfur is improving, but that is little comfort to Darfur refugees, who have a very different perspective. Outright war may have halted for now, but violence, insecurity and extreme privation remain.

Kenya exports more black tea than any country in the world. By tradition, East African tea sells at auction in the port city of Mombasa, where traders and brokers come together at the Mombasa Tea Auction and, ever so politely, move an enormous amount of black tea around the world.

A four-year drought has left millions of Kenyans thirsty. In the slums of the capital, Nairobi, taps have run dry — and the guy who trucks in water is now a neighborhood celebrity.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met Thursday with Somali President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed and warned that the Islamist extremists who control much of the country are linked to al-Qaida and want to use Somalia as a base to attack other countries "near and far." Ahmed is appealing for more help in delivering basic services to his people.