Author: NLM Correspondent

By Joel Okwemba The realization that Kenya has fallen into China’s Debt Diplomacy is unfortunate. The idea that such profound contracts and investments would be made without robust public engagement or indirect public participation brings into question the role of state institutions in oversight of government operations. In light of this, the recent revelations of the gaps in the China-Kenya Standard Gauge Railway Contract by the dailies further suggest that the agreement goes beyond economic interests of Kenya, and that perhaps there could have been political interests at play noting the timing and context of the agreement. This cannot be…

By Shadrack Muyesu Muhammadu Buhari won Nigeria’s presidential elections in 2015 by promising that his military credentials gave him the edge on the war with Boko Haram. Four years later and staring at another election, his biggest boast remains the indignity of prematurely declaring the sect’s demise. As his generals scrambled to deliver something positive and as General Buhari himself struggled with ill health, Boko Haram has not only consolidated its northern base, but has also opened new frontiers in the south. Back in 2015, Buhari promised to defeat the vile sect by providing government forces with better equipment, more…

By Barrack Muluka It is common knowledge that the Deputy President, Dr William Ruto, is walking a tight rope. Make no mistake; the Deputy President is a man under siege. The rain began beating him shortly after the fabled March 9, 2018 handshake, which sent him and his sidekicks into the panic of protecting their space from perceived interlopers from the Orange Democratic Movement. In the weeks following the handshake between President Uhuru Kenyatta and his nemesis Raila Odinga, a panicky ex-URP (United Republican Party) brigade began gallivanting across the country, taking the ODM leader to task. They cautioned him…

By Emeka Mayaka Kenya’s Uhuru Kenyatta was the only head of state who attended the inauguration of Felix Tshisekedi as the new leader of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Tshisekedi succeeds President Joseph Kabila who has been in power for 18 years. Tshisekedi, 55, will be the first Congolese head of state to take power through an election since independence leader Patrice Lumumba in 1960. The historic December 2018 election was particularly significant because there wasn’t bloodshed, which has characterized past power transitions. Equally, the polls brought Kabila’s reign to an end having extended his stay beyond his constitutional limits.…

Fuad Abdirahman All is not well with Omar Al Bashir’s presidency. Sudanese masses seems to have had enough of the tyrant and want him out. Their simmering anger – pent up over decades – boiled over when, after a blundering policy, the price of bread more than tripled. The strongman, whose journey to the top began when he joined the army, was first elected in 1996; he has stayed in power ever since. His most remarkable contribution in the military was when he crushed the rebels of the southern Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) in the ‘80s. The price hike…

By Kennedy Lumwamu A group which donated land for a public utility in Uasin Gishu County thirty-six years ago have sued the county for allegedly planning to use the parcel for purposes not initially meant for. 16 residents of Cheptiret Uriri Farm told an Eldoret court that they jointly donated 20 acres in 1983 for a market centre, with 0.55 acres earmarked for recreational purposes, but the county wants to turn it into an office block without regard for its intended purpose. They contend that the land, registered as LR No 7728/1 and 3655 measuring 20 acres, belongs to the public, and hold…

By Prof John Harbeson We are now three years into the second major, multilateral international effort to overcome the most salient manifestations of underdevelopment across the entire globe. The first, the Millennium Development Goals project sought to achieve eight major objectives between 2000 and 2015: ending extreme poverty, universal primary education, gender equality, reduced child mortality, improved maternal health, overcoming incidence of HIV, tuberculosis and other major diseases, sustainable environments and effective development partnerships between richer and poorer countries. Overall, for Kenya, as for sub-Saharan African countries, progress toward these eight goals was mixed and uneven. More progress was achieved…

By Ahmednasir Abdullahi, SC The country is smarting from yet another terror attack and remains at a loss on how to permanently deal with the problem. And while quick solutions are needed, it’s of uttermost importance that we exercise patience and sobriety when dealing with the issue. Calm in the face of peril is the ultimate show of resilience. But, we cannot talk solutions without appreciating the problem. While it may seem obvious that all Kenyans want is to feel and be safe, the truth is that oftentimes when crises have presented us with opportunities to rethink our society, we…

More than a dozen national elections will be held across Africa next year. All 55 members of the African Union (AU) are obligated to hold regular and ostensibly democratic elections. Is all this electoral activity helping to entrench democracy as the foundation for national and regional security, development and integration? Or have elections become the means for demagogues to grab power—or, more typically, for powerful elites and authoritarian rulers to entrench themselves? Democratic theory prescribes credible elections as a necessary, but insufficient means, to consolidate real democracy. Real democracy typically abets peace and security. National circumstances vary. Most deadly conflicts…

By Jared Juma The year 2018 has closed its eyes on Miguna Miguna without his much anticipated “grand return” and the promised “dramatic showstopper” in the political scene as Nairobi Deputy Governor. Considering that the man had initially run against Governor Mike Sonko, it would have been interesting to see the two work together – or make the attempt to. Alas, the conclusion to this brief thriller is a matter for another time. Miguna, in his brilliant, brazen eloquence – a diligent worker who has made it clear he has very limited time for political weaklings and cowards – seems…