Author: NLM Correspondent

By Alfred Mosoti Since antiquity, human beings have had the collective inherent weakness of denying facts, especially those go against their innate wishes. As a result, many people tend to be apprehensive to telling truth-unfavourable realities. The few who do it are often vilified; happily, truth does come out eventually. This fact can be perfectly depicted by paraphrasing George Orwell’s assertion that during moments of global falsehood, proclaiming the truth is a heroic move. When the astronomer Galileo Galilei, submitted his thesis that the earth is spherical and not flat as was universally “established”, he was labelled a madman –…

A major factor hindering infrastructure implementation and delivery is the absence of good governance, according to 130 delegates from 27 countries who came together for the first Regional Roundtable on Infrastructure Governance in Cape Town in November 2017. There’s no denying infrastructure is crucial to Africa’s growth prospects. Nor can one ignore the ever-growing need for infrastructure on the continent—in Sub-Saharan Africa, only 35% of the population has access to electricity, and 23% still lack access to safe water and sanitation. Despite an estimated shortfall of nearly $100 billion (Sh10.2 trillion) in infrastructure investment in Africa, lack of financing is not the…

AFRICA has been invaded on quiet wings. First they landed by ship in the west. Then they spread across the continent, wreaking havoc as they went. Now, two years later, the invaders are worrying officials in almost every sub-Saharan country. It’s not the French, British or even the Chinese. This time it’s a simple American moth, the voracious fall armyworm, which has marched through Africa’s fields and is threatening to cause a food crisis. When just a hungry caterpillar, the fall armyworm will happily munch on more than 80 plant species. But its favourite is maize—the staple for more than…

By NLM Writer After one of his infamous tussles – involving Tatu City – with the publisher of this magazine, former Director of Criminal Investigations Ndegwa Muhoro once remarked to this writer – at a press conference at the DCI headquarters where half of his speech and question time was done in his native tongue – “nyinyi hamnijui”. That was along the very cold – literally too – and therefore intimidating corridors at the second floor of Mazingira House, just outside the press room. Because of the prevailing hostility towards a bold media and the Nairobi Law Monthly in particular,…

By Barack Muluka According to the Catholic faith, when he speaks ex cathedra, the Pope can never be wrong. The Pontiff speaks in this fashion when he discharges his office as a pastor and doctor of all Christians. Now, this dogma is not open to question. For, it derives from Jesus Christ’s promise to Simon Peter, as recorded in the Gospel of Matthew 16: 18 – 19, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter. And…

By Kenyatta Otieno There is something the late Benga maestro Okatch Biggy’s music did to my heartstrings. There is something in his music that brings out the Luo from the depth of his heart – of romance, politics, hot air, good life, grandeur and sweet nothings. Okatch’s scintillating music, with sublime, liberating vulgar lyrics, pulled Luo men into a convoy every Friday to Kisumu. If anyone wanted the way to the core of Luo psyche, Okatch represented that. Since his death in late seventies, no Benga musician has managed to take the Luo hostage like he did. I had two…

The succession politics of who will replace Commissioner-General John Njiraini at the Kenya Revenue Authority is not about to end. The matter is already is being litigated in the Labour and Industrial Relations Court where activist Okiya Omtata is seeking to stop any extension to the commissioner’s term. Omtata contends that Njiraini has attained the mandatory retirement age of 60 years and has already served two terms, and should therefore retire. In court papers, Njiraini claims that he has no interest in having a new term as head of the Kenya Revenue Authority, but without disclosing it to court, the…

By Payton Mathau The aftershocks of the August 8, 2017 election are still reverberating in certain quarters, months after the inauguration of President Kenyatta for a second term. If for nothing else, Kenyans are still waiting to see whether former Prime Minister Raila Odinga will swear himself in what would be a textbook copy-paste of Ugandan opposition leader Dr Kizza Besigye. The country is still unsettled. But it’s in the corridors of justice that the after-effects are strongest. For instance, the difference between the majority decision of the Supreme Court and the dissenting judgment of Justice Njoki Ndung’u on the…

By Prof. John Harbeson With this essay, I am making an unprecedented exception to my strict policy of not writing about American politics in this column, but always about Kenya, or Kenya related matters. Today, if I were privileged to be a US ambassador to Kenya, another developing country, or indeed any country, I would resign. Indeed, I cannot imagine how I could have a found way to remain in country had anything remotely like the present situation emerged, during any of my three tours; teaching in Kenya, teaching in Ethiopia, and serving in Kenya as USAID’s Regional Democracy and…

By Yasin ArkAN What is corruption? Is it the young girl in Machakos praying that the Officer in-Charge of Station will finally deploy her brother, a Police Constable, to a route sufficiently rich in extortion to fund her second semester at the University of Nairobi? She has already lost one year. Is corruption the kickbacks the State employee extracts from suppliers to supplement his income which has been stretched to breaking point by a clan of dependants? What about paying extra to bump your loved one up a public hospital surgery waiting list? Or is corruption the transfer of taxes…