Author: NLM Correspondent

By By Marleze Loggerenberg Urban areas in East Africa are struggling to meet the high demands for electricity, water and sanitation, and poor, inefficient utility delivery continue to plague many governments. Year-on-year, urban population growth continues to add pressure to an already over-loaded grid. Electricity and water supply is intermittent and often not regulated enough or not properly monitored, and complexities such as disparate systems and multiple service providers contribute to the growing problem. Apart from increasing demand, many of these countries also struggle with aging infrastructure, which can make utility provision unsafe` as well as unreliable. Electricity supply is…

Tanzania finally protecting its ‘unique’ endangered rainforest Tanzania’s government has announced it will protect a tropical forest long recognized for its high biodiversity value and as home to numerous endangered primates and plants. The government said it would protect the 6,463-acre Magombera Nature Reserve at the foot of the Udzwunga Mountains after researchers showed the forest was at risk of being wiped out from poaching and logging. Described as “globally unique,” Magombera hosts several diverse and threatened tree and animal species, including monkeys and galagos. The area is also considered an important wildlife corridor for African elephants and hippos. Investment in irrigation is paying off…

By Hogan Lovells With billions pumped into infrastructure, energy, commodities and technology, some industries are under-served. To plug the liquidity gap, the global debt market continues to see a shift from conventional bank lending to alternative forms of funding – ranging from debt funds to debt capital markets issuances. Is this trend sustainable in Africa? Development finance institutions (DFIs) and multilaterals have historically held a solid lending track record across the continent but to what future impact? Are commercial banks being squeezed out as a result? Alternative lending in the corporate context can include a wide interpretation to include non-banking…

Kenya’s latest Nielsen Consumer Confidence Index (CCI) score for Quarter 3, 2018 has dropped a steep 10 points, since the previous quarter, to 94, revealing a volatile consumer mindset and underlying uncertainties. “Consumer confidence was upbeat at the beginning of the year. This was due to the political situation settling down, GDP strengthening and the country emerging out of a period of drought. However, since no major impact has been felt on ground, consumers are readjusting their expectations. This, coupled with the recent increase in fuel prices, led to a surge in the cost of consumable commodities and the prolonged cold season…

By Hashim Mude The ruling by the Supreme Court of Kenya (SCoK) in ‘R v Ahmad Abdolfathi Mohammed & Another’ marks the latest twist in this dramatic trial whose facts read very much like a script from an action thriller. Tales of explosives in golf courses, secret counter-terrorism ops, torture and undercover agents paints a picture of a Hollywood blockbuster rather than a work of non-fiction. This is a case which originated from the trial and conviction of two Iranian nationals before the magistrate’s court for various offences relating to terrorism. They unsuccessfully appealed to the High Court but were…

By Ndung’u Wainaina The Kenya Private Sector Association (KEPSA) held a national anti-corruption conference last month. The conference brought together the different sectors, to discuss the measures to be implemented within their sectors to fight corruption internally and externally. The deliberations, it is envisioned, will lead to an amalgamation of the different strategies into a Grand Citizen-and-Sector-led Action Plan to combat corruption. Corruption is the most neglected human rights violation of our time. It fuels injustice, inequality and depravation, and is a major catalyst for migration and terrorism. This theft cheats Africa’s governments out of $50bn every year, which is…

By NLM WRITER The management of the Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC) knowingly connived to have President Uhuru Kenyatta launch an incomplete oil jetty in Kisumu, it has emerged. In one of the many massive fraud instances perpetrated by senior managers and board members, KPC knowingly oversaw the construction of a contraption that does not meet internationally recommended standards.  According to revelation by experts, it will take at least another half a billion shillings worth of renovation for the Kisumu Oil jetty to be functional and export oil to Uganda’s oil jetty, which is already complete and scheduled to be launched…

By David Onjili “If it is for sentiment and reward for his loyalty to both the party of choice in Luo Nyanza, Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) and to Raila Odinga, then Senator James Orengo should be our direct candidate for Siaya Governor. But for development, and in the spirit of the Building Bridges Initiative, Raphael Tuju is our choice… He is our son, and you do not desert your own. My message to him is to be humble and respectful to both the people of Nyanza and Mr Odinga. This does not imply that we want a yes-man – look…

By Emeka-Mayaka Gekara Women dangled bottles of champagne from their hands as they danced on streets of Abidjan, the Ivorian capital, way before judges of the International Criminal Court delivered their judgment on the case against Laurent Gbagbo and Charles Blé Goudé. Gbagbo’s supporters were almost certain that the case against their former President and Ble Goude, his former Youth minister, would collapse. The two were facing charges of crimes against humanity, including murder, rape and persecution allegedly committed during the 2010/2011 post-election violence. Nearly 3,000 people died in the uprising following Gbagbo’s defiant decision to cling to power though…

By David Onjili There exists, arguably, the notion amongst the Kikuyu elite that the community is entitled to the Presidency. To them, it is their birth right as has been argued variously by several commentators. As a community, they suppose that they fought and suffered most at the hands of our British colonisers. Conversely, the “rest” of the communities feel equally entitled because “Kenya belongs to 45 tribes, not one or two.” On the flip side, Kenya’s politics has been synonymous with betrayal. The Odinga family is the epitome of this. While to single out the family may narrow the…