Author: NLM Correspondent

By Emeka-Mayaka Gekara Had he not studied law, attorney-general Paul Kihara Kariuki would probably have ended up as an actor, and would likely be a frequent show at the Kenya National Theatre or Alliance Française. He was a decent thespian during his college days. In fact, as he told the House committee vetting him for his new job, he met his wife – Sarah – while playing the role of sheep on stage. Son to one of the pioneer African Anglican bishops, Kariuki could have also ended up as a man of the collar – and here, his oratory skills…

BY Fuad Abdirahman Relation between Somalia and the United Arab Emirates are at their lowest in the two countries histories. In the aftermath of a recent diplomatic tiff, the Dubai has recently suspended all military cooperation with Mogadishu, including financial assistance to over three thousands troops who have been on the UAE’s payroll. In a quick but perhaps not so well thought our rejoinder, the Somalia government has said they are ready to take over paying the salaries of its own personnel. It all started when United Arab Emirates entered a deal with the self-declared republic of Somaliland. DP World,…

By Janek Sunga What if that July had turned out to be just any other ordinary day? The handsome man walks into the chemist. He hands in his prescription. The proprietor, a nice Asian lady, chats with him while she takes care of his order. The man leaves shortly. He is a popular guy with friends everywhere, so it’s no surprise he meets one outside the street. They talk for a few minutes. Then he gets into his car drives home after finishing his errand. What if that July day had happened this way? Instead history is different.  On July…

By Alexander Opicho The US has chosen to punish Rwanda by suspending the AGOA pact for duty-free access to Rwanda’s textile imports on the premise that the tiny nation has refused to lower trade tariffs and barriers for American-made clothing and shoes. This punitive suspension applies to all AGOA-eligible clothing products from Rwanda. America is doing this under a raft of new policies executed by the USTR (United States Trade Representative). The USTR, under the hegemony of Trump, last year began an out-of-cycle review to determine the submissive eligibility of the East African countries to keep their trade benefits under…

By KENYATTA OTIENO A good man died in Kigali on 31 May 1994, two months into the Rwandan genocide as the world looked the other way. Two weeks before he was scheduled to go back home to Senegal, Captain Mbaye Diagne was killed at a road block in his UN truck. He was driving alone back to the U.N. base in Kigali from one of his many trips around Rwanda when a shell landed behind his truck. Shrapnel cut through the back window and hit him in the back of the head; he died instantly. On April 6, 1994, the plane…

By Kenyatta Otieno In the 2013 General Election, several counties went for guided democracy. In Mandera, lawyer Abdikadir Mohammed did not defend his parliamentary seat because elders had worked out how to share the posts between clans. Sospeter Ojaamong’ from minority Teso won the Busia governor’s seat. In Migori, the minority Kuria were given the Senate and Woman Representative seats, as a bargain for presidential votes for Raila Odinga, who is a Luo – they are the majority in the county. The Luo kept their side of the deal while Kuria’s gave Uhuru Kenyatta more votes than Raila Odinga. In…

His Twitter handle has an auxiliary verb in it; it had to be an auxiliary because a doing verb would be too politically incorrect and controversial, especially because the surname he bears is his fathers. It helps remind him he has to do what he says. He hopes to own a media house one day. The way to go about it, he reckons, is to build his credibility on social media, where he has a big following. Cyprian, Is Nyakundi spoke with TNLM’s Kevin Motaroki about his activism online, and why he isn’t afraid of stirring up controversy, as long…

Saudia to open up to the world, a movie at a time Saudi Arabia is set to open its first public cinema in 35 years with the Hollywood Blockbuster Black Panther in line to be screened first at an AMC entertainment theatre in Riyadh. AMC, America’s biggest movie theatre chain has signed a deal with Saudi Arabia’s Information ministry; together they plan to open 40 cinemas in 15 cities over the next 5 years. In return, Saudi Arabia is sponsoring a stand at the Cannes film festival to showcase short Saudi films. This is all a part of the Kingdom’s…

The Commonwealth University, London, recently awarded Justice Dr Smokin Wanjala an Honorary Doctorate degree in recognition of his service to humanity. An associate justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Wanjala was actively involved in the struggle for constitutional reform, during his time in civil society in the 1990s. Together with others including Prof. Kivutha Kibwana, and the late Prof. Kichamu Akivaga, he founded the Centre for Law and Research International (CLARION) that accelerated civic education activities in the country at the height of the Kanu regime’s ruthless crackdown on dissent. Justice Wanjala holds a Bachelor of Law from the University…

When the Libyan crisis began in 2011, the African Union wanted to use a political strategy to facilitate a transition of power, and by any means necessary, avoid war. Yet that policy approach was overridden by Western powers by way of the United Nations Security Council, leading to a military intervention, the overthrow and demise of Muammar Gaddafi, and the eventual conflagration of Libya. Cognizant of that watershed moment and others, African decision-makers last month gathered in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia for the high-level Tana Forum on security in Africa. The theme this year is about how the AU could better…