African leaders, regimes removed from office in 2024

A Year of Upheaval: African Leaders Fall as Voters and Parliaments Demand Change
The year 2024 proved to be one of the most turbulent in Africa’s recent political history, as 19 countries across the continent held elections or major transitions of power. From Nairobi to Gaborone, the winds of change swept through presidential palaces and parliaments, unseating long-serving figures and redefining political alliances. In Kenya, the historic impeachment of Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua in October grabbed global headlines, marking the first time in the country’s history that a sitting deputy president was removed from office. The Senate convicted him on five of eleven charges — ranging from corruption and insubordination to threats against public officials — following weeks of high drama and political maneuvering. Gachagua, who once stood as President William Ruto’s close ally, denounced the process as a political witch-hunt driven by betrayal within his own camp.
Elsewhere on the continent, voters in Botswana stunned observers by ending nearly six decades of rule by the Botswana Democratic Party. Opposition leader Duma Boko, of the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC), won a landslide victory to become the country’s new president, replacing Mokgweetsi Masisi. The peaceful transfer of power — Botswana’s first in its independent history — was hailed as a milestone for democracy in southern Africa. Meanwhile, in Senegal, reformist Bassirou Diomaye Faye achieved a remarkable first-round victory just days after being released from prison. His triumph at 44 years old made him Africa’s youngest democratically elected president, signaling a generational shift and a renewed appetite for political accountability in West Africa.
Further north, Somaliland’s opposition leader Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, popularly known as Irro, secured a decisive win over incumbent Musa Bihi, reaffirming the self-declared republic’s commitment to regular, peaceful elections — despite its lack of international recognition. Analysts say these leadership changes highlight a broader continental trend: a growing demand for transparency, inclusion, and new leadership models. As Africa enters 2025, the year’s political reshuffles underscore both the fragility and promise of its democratic institutions — proving that even in regions long dominated by entrenched elites, the will of the people can still rewrite history.