Author: NLM Correspondent

In July 2019, during the AU summit, the number of signatories to the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) agreement increased to 54 out of 55 after Nigeria and Benin signed, leaving Eritrea as the only country yet to get on board. Also, with 27 countries having ratified, the operational phase was launched with the agreement looking to take effect in June 2020. Once the agreement takes effect, it will establish a single African market that will cause intra-regional trade in the continent to soar. According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), intra-African trade in 2017…

By Tamara Khandaker In February, Canada introduced new measures to protect its elections from foreign interference, striking a task force to handle “covert, clandestine or criminal” attempts to meddle in the democratic process, as well as a campaign to educate the public about fake news. “Increasingly the interference is higher-tech… Social media have been used to falsely slander elected officials, trolls and bots are dispatched to stoke anxiety, even hysteria around sensitive issues. Fake news masquerades as legitimate information,” Ralph Goodale, minister of Public Safety, told reporters. Efforts include monitoring foreign social media activity to identify where Canada might be vulnerable…

By Rohan Chopra Means of dissemination of information relating to the affairs of the ruling class have been in place since a very long time, although controlled by the same echelons of society for as long a period. It was believed that if the people thought of something opposing what these echelons wanted them to believe, it could cause chaos. Religion was also controlled by the state, leading to those questioning earlier beliefs to be considered as infidels. This led to, for instance, the infamous Inquisition in Christianity, causing the deaths of many. Yet the ruling classes were not able…

By David Wanjala The dust has settled in Nairobi’s Kibra Constituency after the by-election occasioned by the untimely demise of its member of Parliament, Ken Okoth. Many lessons will, however, be drawn from the explosive campaigns that preceded the voting especially heading into the looming 2020 General Election and for many years to come. To understand the intrigues that ensued from the time IEBC declared the seat vacant through to the campaigns, voting and announcement of results, three key players come to mind: Deputy President William Ruto – the sponsor; Macdonald Mariga, the prop; and former Senator for Kakamega Dr…

By Daniel Mutegi Giti Many arguments have been advanced on the merits and de-merits of constructing the JKIA-Westland’s express way and the KNH private hospital. From the Urban management point of view, it is a strategic move to help us address traffic congestion, which has been estimated to cost the country Kenya Sh18 billion yearly, according to the World Bank, and also develop a world class hospital to address the cost of overseas medical treatments for Kenyans. This will solve other associated challenges in Nairobi Metropolitan region, one of the largest urban conurbations in East and Central Africa. Constructing the…

BY Howard W. French If climate change is the most important matter of common concern around the world, what comes second? Perhaps nothing close. But by my lights, the usual looming questions—about the fate of American power and influence, Brexit, the related viability of the European Union, and the many uncertainties surrounding the rise of China—seem almost parochial in comparison to one that gets immeasurably less international attention: the future of employment in Africa, where unprecedented demographic transitions are underway. Based on current projections, the continent’s population of nearly 1.2 billion people will rise to 2.5 billion by the middle…

A record 168 million people worldwide will need humanitarian assistance and protection in 2020; protracted conflicts, extreme weather events and crumbling economies have pushed millions to the brink of survival; humanitarian organizations today present their plans for how to respond and what it will cost. The United Nations in collaboration with hundreds of non-governmental humanitarian organizations today present the global overview of their plans to assist 109 million of the most vulnerable people caught up in humanitarian crises worldwide. The Global Humanitarian Overview (GHO) 2020 is launched simultaneously in five locations – Geneva, Berlin, Brussels, London and Washington DC. One in…

NLM Writer A prominent Nairobi lawyer is under criminal investigations for allegedly stealing a document from the High Court Family Division’s registry. Despite not having been a party to a succession cause filed by the widower, Navin Kerai, lawyer Jotham Arwa has been accused of unprocedurally collecting letters of administration for the estate of Sapna Kanji Patel. The letters had been granted to Ms Sapna’s husband Navin Kerai. Arwa is the managing partner at Rachier & Amollo Advocates and was among the 90 candidates who had applied to be conferred the rank of senior counsel. He, however, was unsuccessful in the…

The Nairobi Summit on ICPD25 concluded in November in Nairobi, with partners making bold commitments to transform the world by ending all maternal deaths, unmet need for family planning and gender-based violence and harmful practices against women and girls by 2030. “The Nairobi Summit represents a renewed, re-energized vision and community working together to act and deliver. Together, we will make the next ten years a decade of action and results for women and girls, keeping their rights and choices at the centre of everything we do,” said UNFPA Executive Director Dr Natalia Kanem. The Summit, co-convened by the governments…

The Centre for Reproductive Rights (CRR) has called on government of Kenya to review the Sexual Offences Act (SOA) to reduce the number of adolescents being sent to jail for having consensual sex with their peers. The Sexual Offences Act does not make any distinction between sex among adolescent minors and sexual acts between adolescent minors and adults — all of which are classified and/or have been interpreted as criminal offences. The SOA also does not make any distinction between non-coercive and non-exploitative and coercive and exploitative sexual conduct between minors, and therefore criminalizes the sexual conduct among adolescents. Consequently,…