Author: NLM Correspondent

By Kenyatta Otieno I believe there were glaring anomalies in the tallying process of presidential vote by IEBC. However, that does not exonerate Nasa, Raila Odinga and his campaign team from incompetence during this election period. At the core of it is Raila’s belief that the devil is in the systems and structures of governance and not the people. Prior to the August 8 elections, the Coalition of Reforms and Democracy (Cord), the precursor to Nasa, had pushed for reforms in IEBC. New commissioners were appointed and the law amended to improve efficiency in our electoral system. What Raila forgot…

By Arkan Yasin The poor plebeian people of Kenya are the real losers of last month’s election. They who, time and time again, are worked in to a political fervour of religious proportions by elites, with the same old promise of “freedom” from the terror of grinding poverty and all manner of ills, that were created by the self-same elites and their imperial sponsors in the first place. They put in all that effort only to find themselves not only more exposed to more evils but also with a heavier yoke around their necks than they had going in to…

By Newton Arori Malicious prosecution refers to the filing of a lawsuit without sufficient evidence or for an improper purpose, such as to harass or defame the person being sued. The suit may be civil or criminal in nature. Generally the tort of malicious prosecution exists to guard against an abuse of the court process. The Supreme Court of Canada in Nelles vs. Ontario (1989) 2 SCR 170 set out the elements of malicious prosecution in the following words: “…The prosecution must have been initiated by the defendant, the prosecution must have been terminated in favour of the plaintiff, (and)…

By Omwanza Ombati and Moses Chelang’a if there is a jurisdiction that the Justices of the Supreme Court of Kenya curses, it is the court’s exclusive original jurisdiction to hear and determine presidential election petitions. It is both legal and political. In a highly divided country, the Court will be doomed whichever way it rules. Former Chief Justice Dr Willy Mutunga, conscious of the impact of “political jurisdiction” on the courts, expressed his frustrations in a public forum that courts ought not handle election disputes, and instead politicians should “deal with their own shit” elsewhere. In his dissenting opinion in…

40 years ago, China, the second largest economy in the world today, used to be undeveloped and poor. The country had remained closed to the world and, as a result, its economy was paying the price. A big chunk of its population lived in poverty. No one thought the country could turn around and become what it is today. But things changed when Deng Xiaoping took over. In the late 1970s, Deng Xiaoping helped the nation by opening up in terms of trade and new technologies that saw the economy start adopting western ideas, which led to an increase in…

It is well enough that people do not understand our banking and monetary system, for if they did, I believe there would be a revolution before tomorrow morning. – Henry Ford By Antony Mutunga Long before the existence of governmental monetary authorities and financial institutions, the people used to save up their valuables by depositing them with the goldsmiths who would then issue them notes. In time, these notes turned into a medium of exchange and people would exchange them for the commodities they needed. As time went by, the goldsmiths who stored the valuables for a storage fee became…

For years, Nairobi has been the cradle of technological innovation in Kenya, and the centre of the country’s thriving tech ecosystem, famously known as Silicon Savannah. Most of the innovation spaces, incubation centres, accelerators, and maker labs were also concentrated in the capital—making Nairobi an attractive spot for both technologists and investors. Some innovation spaces, such as the iHub, which was founded in 2010, have launched as many as 170 start-ups. But over the last few years, tech hubs have sprouted up in other Kenyan cities and towns, including Mombasa (SwahiliBox), Kisumu (LakeHub), Eldoret (Dlab Hub), Voi (Sote Hub), Machakos (Ubunifu), and Nyeri (Mt. Kenya…

By David Onjili Jesus Christ was not a centrist. His message to his disciples was clear: they had to bear their cross. And the price of discipleship came at great personal sacrifice; one had to leave all one had and follow Him. There are no three ways in Christianity as David Oginde puts it, wrongly so if you ask me, in his Dichotomy/Trichotomy of Religion sermon. For one to be a follower one has either to carry the cross or leave it; any religious leader talking about a third way is preaching their own gospel. Centrist religious leaders want to…

If you visit any major city or town in Somalia, chances are that you will come across the colourful artworks that dot the walls of both private and public establishments. These painted signs are the work of skilful artists who, in broad brushstrokes, advertise the goods and services offered at different business outlets. These include the availability of electronic appliances, vehicle spare parts, beauty products, foodstuff and beverages, and the sometimes graphically drawn dental, medical, or circumcision services. Other illustrations warn visitors not to carry guns, pistols, or knives into premises like hospitals, restaurants, and government offices. The hand-drawn signs…

Thanks to climate change, the future of armed rebellion in Africa could be urban terrorism. We should never have annoyed the rain gods Zambian opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema was released from prison last month, and treason charges against him dropped. Hichilema, who was beaten narrowly by President Edgar Lungu (pictured) last year in an election, had been in jail since April for allegedly failing to give way to Lungu’s motorcade. Zambia probably became the first country to charge its president’s main rival with treason over a traffic incident. Over the past year Zambia, which had seemed to have taken a…