Author: NLM Correspondent

Government to go for unused land held by public institutions to boost food production, but questions linger By NLM Writer The government plans to lease out underutilised land held by public institutions to the private sector for large-scale agricultural commercialisation, but questions linger given past experiences with similar programmes. In total, the Land Commercialisation Initiative (LCI), being carried out under Flagship 4 of the Agricultural Sector Transformation and Growth Strategy (ASTGS 2019 – 2029), targets to net 500,000 acres, which will be leased to the private sector for between five and 30 years for food production. In 2013, the newly-inaugurated…

By Mbugua Ng’ang’a @NLM_Magazine Kenya has averted a possible diplomatic tiff with Sudan after a press conference scheduled to be addressed by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo was called off at the last minute on the evening of Wednesday, January 3. Dagalo is the leader of Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Dagalo was in Kenya, where he held talks with President William Ruto at State House Nairobi, just hours before his scheduled conference, which was to be held at the Villa Rosa Kempinski hotel, was called off. He was in Djibouti at the weekend, and held talks with long-serving President…

They may be small in stature but they’re gigantic in performance and spirit and they’re having a massive impact, both worldwide and in Africa, where they are changing the lives of young women. Four former female running greats from Africa are ploughing back what they gained from the sport and investing in the future of African distance running. Stephen Granger, SPNA Derartu Tulu, the first African athlete to win an Olympic gold medal in female competition and now president of Ethiopia’s Athletics Federation; Kenyan marathon super-stars and former world record holders, Tegla Leroupe and Mary Keitany; and former half marathon…

Banditry has been on the rise in the Rift Valley region as conflict between different communities rises. In fact, a majority of youth in these areas have been persuaded into these banditry activities, coming off as a solution to the lack of opportunities in the region and Kenya as a whole. To tackle the issue, the county governments of Elgeyo Marakwet and West Pokot have come up with a plan to establish an institution to dissuade the idle youth from these activities. By establishing a Technical Training Institute (TTI) in Kapsait, West Pokot County, the two county governments are hoping…

Kenyan banks to continue reporting strong pre-impairment operating profits, sufficient to absorb a potential increase in the cost of risk in 2024. Kenya’s annual inflation is expected to ease to 6.8 per cent in 2024 and the monetary policy rate to follow the trend, the rating firm Fitch predicts in its African Banks Outlook 2024. Inflation peaked at 9.2 per cent in March 2023, and the Central Bank of Kenya increased the Central Bank rate by 175 basis point in the first half of 2023 to 10.5 per cent, the highest level for the past seven years. Fitch expects Kenyan…

Most business ideas and opportunities in Africa are borne from unmet market needs, highly-rewarding problems, and megatrends that are currently shaping the continent Despite rising food and fuel costs, weakening currencies, climate change effects, security threats, political instability, rolling power cuts, infrastructure limitations, and several economic and social challenges, Africa will be one of the fastest-growing regions in 2024. That’s one of the key findings in the 2024 edition of the Top 100 Business Opportunities in Africa to Watch, an annual selection of the continent’s most lucrative business ideas and investment opportunities curated by Activator HQ. Following two years of…

By Mike Smollan As per the Edge Global Insights Report 2023 – overall, this year’s retail industry has navigated the pandemic’s lingering effects, embraced digital transformation, addressed sustainability concerns, and tackled supply chain challenges. Coupled with the disentanglement of major market dynamics from the clutter, that is, supply chain disruptions, rising inflation, and the pros and cons of new tech, As well as making critical choices in the e-commerce space and pushing to deliver exceptional shopping journeys in the context of seamless omnichannel customer experiences. Undeniably, the FMCG retail trade remains under enormous pressure, with many retailers and brand owners…

Despite the veneer of progress, what does a historical critique of East Africa’s capitalist beacon reveal? By Wairimu Gathimba Just four years after independence, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga published Not Yet Uhuru, a seminal political treatise of the new country. 60 years after independence, and 56 years after its publication, one might argue that nothing much has changed. As a nation, we find ourselves still grappling with the question of how Kenya became free with the greater portion of the arable land controlled by a handful of owners even as millions are squatters on their ancestral land. Author and journalist Parselelo…

By Janet Remmington Noo Saro-Wiwa is a celebrated Nigerian-born travel writer. Her latest book is Black Ghosts. It explores, with candour and compassion, the lives of several African economic migrants living in China, a group of people who are key to trade between the continents. As a scholar of African travel writing and mobility, among other fields, I read the book with keen interest and then asked Saro-Wiwa more about it. Let’s start with the title: Black Ghosts. And the subtitle which outlines your focus: “a journey into the lives of Africans in China”. In your opening chapter, you introduce the reader to the…

By Frank Endong’a In the heart of Kenya’s arid expanse, where the echoes of conflict have resonated for decades, the persistent clash between the Pokot and Turkana tribes defies the simplistic narratives that have shrouded its true nature. This journalistic exploration peels back the layers of oversimplification, exposing the complexities that hinder meaningful resolution efforts. Background: Decades of Strife and Multifaceted Causes For generations, the Pokot-Turkana conflict has marred the landscapes with the sombre shadows of loss—of lives, property, and precious livestock. Diverse reasons, ranging from cattle raiding to disputes over regional boundaries (such as the ongoing struggle over Kapedo),…