Author: NLM Correspondent

By Fuad Abdirahman Regime overthrows do not always achieve ideal results – that is, an overhaul of systems. In rare instances they may cause a shift in policy, but often all they achieve is a change in leader(ship). More often than not, the coups themselves fail, making bad situations worse, as happened in Burundi. Besides military overthrows, as in Egypt and more recently Algeria and Sudan – which was properly a combination of civilian agitation and military response – very few countries have had proper popular uprisings, a case in point being Tunisia. Yet other countries have experienced regime change…

By Shadrack Muyesu Regulation 30 of the Food (Food crops) Regulations 2018 prohibits a grower from using human faecal matter and raw animal manure to produce food crops. It is a curious provision. The Ministry of Agriculture says that the Regulations are aimed at addressing various emergent challenges in the food crops industry, thereby boosting food security and enabling President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Big Four Agenda. An alternative view is that far from achieving this aim, the Regulations not only cripple the small farmer but also threaten food security in the long term. Besides, they come at a great cost to…

Still in the same court, the magistrate refused to issue orders that a petty criminal (PCR) matter be withdrawn until she was made to understand what the accused meant when she called her mother, the complainant, “mbwa”. The accused had been charged with being drunk and disorderly with her charge sheet showing that she insulted her mother in the aforementioned manner. The complainant sought to withdraw. The magistrate’s anger spiked. After giving the accused a thorough dressing down, she instructed a probation officer to investigate the accused, placing keen emphasis on what she meant when she said “mbwa”. To emphasis…

One female magistrate meanwhile doesn’t seem to be very fond of fresh-to-court advocates – particularly young, make-up-wearing-and-accessory-laden female advocates who demonstrate the slightest unfamiliarity with court process or their briefs. A young lady sauntered into the full court room and duly took a seat at the front pew. She proceeded to immerse herself in her phone only distracted by the occasional conversation with the fine gentleman standing close by who also happened to be appearing in the matter. Her file was called out and no sooner had the State Counsel finished with the directions that madam shot up to introduce…

Still in Makadara, court users were left in stitches when an accused person, employing every trick in the book, begged the Chief Magistrate to refer him to “any to any other court apart from Courts 2, 3 and 5” for retrial. The accused, a young sheng’ speaking robbery with violence suspect, told the Chief Magistrate that his fellow inmates had warned him against appearing before the aforementioned courts as they were notorious for handing down convictions. It was Court 5 that had initially tried and convicted him. The court was initially dismissive of this request but after a lot of…

There was drama at the Chief Magistrate’s Court in Makadara when an advocate had to be arrested in the course of making an application for jumping bail. The young, arrogant advocate, had, a few days earlier, charged with a traffic offence, begged the Magistrate to reduce a cash bail he had been slapped with. In his magnanimity, the Magistrate obliged his request only for the fellow to fail to appear for a mention of his case. The Magistrate wasn’t amused. Acting sua motu, he immediately revoked bail and issued an arrest warrant against the renegade advocate. Wakili was promptly arrested…

Following unending onslaught against the President by some politicians, Director of Criminal Investigations George Kinoti, understandably at the behest of the men around the President, particularly Secretary to the Cabinet Joseph Kinyua, has been ‘blessed’ with extended powers and told to go full throttle on politicians “attacking his office and belittling that of the President. This has emerged amid reports that the money recovered recently from a house in Thika and that impounded from Barclays Bank is very real, and the only reason it was branded “fake” was to forestall panic amongst Kenyans about the extent to which the country…

Artificial Intelligence platform, Talent Ticker, has revealed the impact Brexit is having on those working in the financial services industry. A review of the platform’s data has revealed an increase in the number of financial services companies expanding to open European offices, and even completely relocating from the UK in favour of offices in EU member states. While London remains a hub for the financial services industry, companies have generally shown caution in hiring in the city in recent months. Talent Ticker’s investigation has revealed a 30 percent increase in banks making job cuts compared to the same period in…

World leaders were in Beijing last month for a summit on the Belt and Road initiative: the sweeping infrastructural project aimed at expanding global trade links and connecting China by land and sea to the rest of Asia, Europe, and Africa. Developing countries have welcomed the idea since it began six years ago in a bid to fund much-needed roads, trains, ports, and other facilities. Yet the high costs of these projects have prompted complaints that some nations are falling into a “debt trap,” with critics warning nations might have no choice but to hand over controlling stakes in strategic…

By Emeka-Mayaka Gekara When Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto flew to the International Criminal Court for the confirmation hearings of their case, an activist called Kimani Wambugu rallied like-minded allies to Uhuru Park where they staged a vigil for victims of 2007/8 violence. Back then, Ngunjiri was amongst the strongest proponents of the ICC cases. His view at the time was that the aggressive local and diplomatic campaigns against the UhuRuto case would deny victims justice, and figured the narrative around justice for victims was more critical. He was particularly against Ruto who was accused of perpetrating the violence in…