Author: NLM Correspondent

Kenya’s Tana River Basin, a major source of hydroelectric power, food and fresh water, may see its annual rainfall increase as much as 43 percent by the end of the century because of climate change, scientists said last month. The river basin, stretching from the centre to the east of the country, is home to 8 million people. It supplies 70 per cent of Kenya’s hydro-power, and 80 percent of Nairobi’s drinking water, according to UN Environment. Scientists say the Tana River Basin, which has experienced drought over the past few years, is likely to get wetter this century, although…

By Prof. John Harbeson As devoted as I am to the proposition that democracy is an indispensable value well worth pursuing as an end in itself, at the same time I am also increasingly convinced of a less well-established proposition that to be sustainable democratic practices must prove to be essential to realising other equally important objectives.  In any country, but especially in still relatively new states, democracy must over time, in both fact and appearance, lead to stronger personal and collective security, state stability, and discernible social and economic progress at the level of individuals and families as well…

The Nairobi Law Monthly condemns in the strongest terms possible the sustained assault on human rights currently being witnessed around the world. Specifically, we condemn the ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya in Myanmar by government-allied forces, the discrimination of blacks in the United States and Israel, human trafficking and the sale of blacks as slaves in Libya, the incarcerations of journalists reporting on government excesses in Egypt, shooting of unarmed protestors and the disabled by Israeli troops in the Middle East and, worse, a Donald Trump-sanctioned campaign against Islam and all forms of peaceful co-existence. We would also like to…

By Kenyatta Otieno At the 2017 World Athletics Championship in London, sprint legend Usain Bolt bowed out on a low by winning a bronze in 100 metres and then bowing out injured in the 4X100 metres relay. Omar McLeod won the only gold medal for Jamaica in the 110 metres hurdles to take their tally to four medals, including three bronze medals. This was a low for a nation known for sweeping the sprints at international meetings. Jamaica holds a four-day High School athletics championship that is simply known as Champs. It is big. During the event, everyone identifies with…

By Alexander Opicho On Wednesday November 1, 2017, news trickled into social media forums that Okoth Okombo, professor of Linguistics at the University of Nairobi, had passed away. The gentle giant was at home not only in the area of Linguistics but also had a knack of extending linguistics to serve other disciplines. In other words, there are professors, and then there is Prof Okombo. About two decades ago, I was a fresh at the University of Nairobi. Most students were interested in building their image while my burning desire was to be an agent of change at the university…

By Alexander Opicho Published in September, this book is only a few months old. Allan Mayne, a Professor of urban studies at the University of Leicester, and also a visiting professor to dozens of other learning institutions in the Western World, is the author of Slums: The History of Global Injustice. It is a seminal work on sociology, economics, politics and literature about the urban poor as expressed through the examination of the phenomenon of slums as a mega injustice by the political and economically mighty on the wretched humble of the earth. Mayne puts it that slum dwellers are…

By David Onjili The world is asplash with materialism, which explains mantras like “pursuit of happiness”, a sugarcoated admission of materialism. Yet, in this rat race of life, all this is like chasing the wind. A student, for example, has the option to diligently attend class and, through hard work, sit an examination, or skip classes then copy answers or buy the exams to obtain a pass. In a queue, one can choose to follow order or jump the line and be first at the expense of those who came earlier. We live in an era that condones, even glorifies…

By NLM Writer It is a refrain that Africa’s way forward has to be based to a substantial degree on Intra-African trade, and that this is a key way in which Africa will stand up. Currently this is growing, but it accounts for as little as 10- 12% of overall trade on the continent, whereas trade with non-African countries is more than 50%. In other developed economies such as the EU, intra-continental trade accounts (pre-Brexit) for over 60% of all trade, highlighting an obvious disparity. What is a realistic objective for growing intra-African trade by 2025, and how can key…

BY ELSIE OYOO As a client, you want a lawyer whose legal advice helps you to fulfill your dreams such as owning some property or taking your business to the next level. Lawyers can also assist you to mitigate crisis moments in emotive issues in the settlement of personal or commercial disputes. You probably know in general what you want from your lawyer. At times though, it is difficult to identify which traits you should look out for in a legal advisor. While the list below is by no means exhaustive, if you pick your lawyer based on the five…

By Edwin Musonye Financial literacy can be a tricky subject to understand. This comes from numerous definitions it has depending on the context. Some interest groups have defined it in a more basic way as the ability to comprehend and implement matters of personal finance, including elementary numeracy, interest compounding, inflation, and risk branching out. The focus is to encourage people to understand compound savings rates, changes in value of money as time passes, system of credit and debt, and how these economic apparatuses affect their choices. However, a more elaborate definition that extends beyond an individual level as preferred…