Author: NLM Correspondent

By NLM Writer In commemoration of the National Coalition on Human Rights Defenders 10th anniversary, the Nairobi Law Monthly spoke with its National Coordinator, Kamau Ngugi. The following is an excerpt of that interview. Perhaps we should begin by you telling us what the National Coalition of Human Rights Defenders is, and how is it relevant to Kenya today. The National Coalition of Human Rights Defenders was established in 2007 with the objective of taking care of the welfare of and supporting the work of Human Rights Defenders (HRDs). As the name suggests, HRDs are persons or organisations that are…

By Rukaya Mohamed Since independence in 1963, although a democratic state, two tribes have run Kenya: the Kalenjin and Kikuyu. It is this phenomenon that is now causing uproar and political discontent. This is because democracy, being based on the voice of the vast majority with free and fair election, has not fairly reflected on the ethnic and social diversity of the country’s composition. Kenyan politics, like with most African countries, is a matter of power and resource allocation. For instance, during the Moi regime, regions that had a majority of Kalenjin tribes benefitted from development in health care, education…

By Kenyatta Otieno When David Ndii put forward his treatise about Kenya being a cruel marriage, some thought he had landed from space with mad aliens’ disease. Less than two years later, Homa Bay Town MP Peter Kaluma has filed a draft Bill with the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission seeking the secession of 40 counties from Kenya into a new state. Then, Jubilee Party activist Washington Makodingo has also drafted a bill seeking the expulsion of four Luo Nyanza counties from Kenya. First, I do not know another country that has made it easy for a section of its…

Catalan leader cozy in Belgium, lieutenants walk ‘free’ Ousted Catalonia president Charles Puigdemont is officially in exile in Brussels. And while initially defiant, he now says that he will cooperate with Madrid’s justice system but from overseas. Charges range from rebellion, sedation and embezzlement of public funds in conducting an illegal referendum and could see him, alongside other sanctioned members of the deposed regional government, face up to 30 years in prison if found guilty Meanwhile, in separate proceedings, members of the dissolved parliament who had been among those charged were allowed to walk away free after proceedings were adjourned…

By Prof. John Harbeson In the midst of all the controversy, conflict, injury and likely significant damage to Kenya’s reputation as an island of relative democratic stability and economic strength occasioned by the October 26 re-run of its August 8 elections, the key question emerges of how best to restore democratic legitimacy to governance in Kenya. The choices come down to how best to allocate energies and deploy residual political capital as between pursuing longer term macro level measures to enhance Kenya’s democracy versus more limited but urgently needed measures that, unless efficaciously addressed, could foreclose even the possibility of…

The Constitution was meant to cure a past mischief or provide solution to past social problems.  That it was overwhelmingly passed at a referendum gives it legitimacy, while Chapter 16 ensures that it is sufficiently flexible yet rigid so as guard against amendments contemplated in bad faith. Ultimately, it puts all power on the people to be exercised in accordance with itself. On face value, ours is a progressive constitution. Yet, as recent events reveal, there are massive problems both in construction and actualisation. It is not true to say, as many have, that the law is innocent, that ours…

By Dr Ng’ang’a Gĩcũmbi It was the great philosopher David Hume who penned these memorable words: “If you are upset by abstract arguments, then you should get out a bit more and engage with ‘common life’ …” And engagement with common life is what exactly Wanjohi’s 2017 publication of Philosophy and Liberation of Africa has done. Wanjohi’s book raises more questions than answers on whether or not African philosophy can actually liberate Africa. How can one discern the presence of African philosophy? His answer is specific: via its rich repertoire of sayings and proverbs. As an academic philosopher, Wanjohi (chairman…

By Michelle Digolo Ethnicity and politics are taboo topics in our present age. Nobody wants to talk about them outright unless s/he is surrounded by people of the same ethnic group, or perhaps they share the same ideologies. There they feel a sense of safety. The debate is usually the subject of whether ethnicity and politics should mix. Or are they like oil and water? Carole Hillenbrand once said, “History repeats itself and we would do well to heed its lessons so as not to commit the same errors as our ancestors.” Since time immemorial, the relationship between the different…

Insight into the key ways analytics can be leveraged to drive customer engagement Despite the current wave of excitement around the importance of analytics within the modern enterprise, BI and analytics have dominated analyst hype lists for more than a decade: in fact, analytics has been the top priority in Gartner’s annual CIO survey for ten out of the last twelve years. Similarly, predictive analytics is not a new concept that has emerged out of recent technological advances – financial services companies have used predictive analytics in one form or another to determine consumer credit scorecards and repayment terms for…

By Neil Herbert Discovering the link between the insurance industry and IoT and understanding how sensors can improve crop yields for African farmers With analysts estimating that up to 80 billion devices and sensors will be in the market by 2020, the need for real-time processing and analytics has escalated as companies work to realise the up to $8.9 trillion (Sh908 trillion) in additional revenue predicted to be unlocked by IoT. This is also leading to the development of more than 200,000 new apps and services as companies aim to take advantage of the potential benefits of the Fourth Industrial…