Author: NLM Correspondent

The 2019 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) report concludes that “no country is on track to meeting all the goals” of the 15- year project to end poverty. Indeed, the report acknowledges actual retreat in environmental areas, notably the threatened extinction of a million species and that “we are eroding the very foundations of our economies, livelihoods, food security, health and quality of life worldwide.” In this short essay, I can only outline the SDG project, summarize the overall findings for sub-Saharan Africa, those specifically for Kenya, and express my fundamental reservations about the way the annual reports are structured and…

Without delving into details: Locust swarms have, for months now, camped in different parts of the country, deflating farmers’ dreams and promising Kenyans hungry months aheadVideos on social media Kenyans working in the Middle East either being tortured or even killedCompanies are closing shop, rendering thousands upon thousands joblessThe judiciary is at a crisis – in leadership, integrity, ingrained corruption and piling case backlogsPrices for basic food items are through roofThe National Hospital Insurance Fund is about to crumbleUnemployment rate stands at about 12 percentThe economy is taking a beating with no respite in sightPublic coffers have been looted dryIn…

By Brian Omwenga In the not too recent past, the unveiling of 5G technology had China and the United States locked up in a tussle that can only be interpreted as a jostling for technological supremacy. Elsewhere in Canada, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the government’s commitment and funding towards quantum computing research. In the EU, legislation around data and privacy as well as attempts in digital tax (France) and control of the EU digital marketplace have been making headlines. Quite clearly, governments have become aware of the importance of technological autonomy and supremacy as a clear competitive advantage in…

The world’s first Financial Prosperity Barometer investigated the concept of prosperity across multiple markets and global regions. The report focused on the relationship between financial services and prosperity in high-growth markets and discovered myriad views on what defines prosperity and financial inclusion.  The report targeted Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa to gather insights from these high-growth African markets and to establish the limitations of financial inclusion, the value of financial services, and the key characteristics that define prosperity. Surprisingly, Kenya (88 percent), Nigeria (94 percent) and South Africa (70 percent) had an overwhelmingly positive view on how their household situation…

By John McDermott When I was a shithead 22-year-old working my first job out of college, I got assigned to sit within 10 feet of the start-up’s founder/CEO. It was miserable. Aside from absolutely hating the work I was doing, I had to sit under the watchful eye of the guy who ran the place. He quickly picked up on my bad attitude and made no effort to hide his contempt for me. He shot me mean glares every day, and audibly grumbled when I was on the phone with customers. I once set up a meeting with a potential…

Is the modern state is quietly killing civil society in the Western world? And what can non-Western societies do to build a vibrant civil society? By Niall Ferguson Nearly ten years ago I bought a house on the coast of South Wales. With its rugged, windswept Atlantic coastline, its rain-soaked golf courses, its remnants of industrial greatness and its green hills just visible through the drizzle, it reminded me a lot of where I grew up, in Ayrshire – only slightly warmer, nearer Heathrow airport and with a rugby team more likely to beat England. I bought the house mainly…

“The best way to deal with conflict of interest is to avoid it completely” – Hon. Justice Lawrence Gidudu By Duncan Ondimu, OGW Chapter Eight, Part 1, of the Constitution of Kenya, 2010 provides for the establishment of Parliament. The role of the National Assembly is provided for under Article 95 of the Constitution. Among them is that the House shall exercise oversight over national revenue and its expenditure, and over State organs. The Senate’s role is provided for under Article 96 of the Constitution. Its overriding objective is to ensure the interests of counties and their government is protected.…

The negative 2020 outlook for sovereign creditworthiness in Sub-Saharan Africa reflects the worsening external environment, weak government finances and subdued GDP growth, Moody’s Investors Service said in a report last month. Sovereigns have made limited progress in reducing risks linked to elevated debt burdens and debt servicing needs, while growth won’t be strong enough to meaningfully buttress incomes or increase economic resilience. “The less predictable external environment is aggravating Sub-Saharan African sovereigns’ existing challenges and makes them more vulnerable to event risk,” said David Rogovic, a Moody’s Vice President – Senior Analyst and the report’s co-author. “Most governments’ limited capacity…

By David Onjili CES 2020 took place between Jan 7 and Jan 20, 2020 at the Las Vegas Convention Centre, Las Vegas, Nevada in the USA. This annual technology conference for the consumer electronics industry is the launching point for more than 20,000 new tech products each year – even though some large tech companies like Apple, Microsoft and Amazon have given it a wide berth recently; it also remains the single largest trade show in the United States. Interestingly, and in a clear shift from last year’s event which was characterised by more tangible products, this year’s event predominantly…

Shutting down internet and social media access—an increasingly popular choice for governments on the continent in response to protests and dissent—came at a cost of $2.1 billion in 2019. Deliberate internet and social media blackouts lasted nearly 8,000 hours across Sub-Saharan Africa, according to analysis in The Global Cost of Internet Shutdowns in 2019 report. The report’s analysis excluded internet outages due to natural disasters or infrastructural failure. With losses of $8 billion attributed to internet and social media shutdowns around the world, Africa accounted for around 25 percent of global economic impact. It calculated the economic cost of blackouts using the Cost of…