Author: NLM Correspondent

By Isaac Swila They are young, suave, and urbane. Besides, some of them are lucky enough to have limitless cash at their disposal, while others have impeccable organisation skills and the gift of the gab to boot. This new breed of politicians is not just trending, no. It has taken city politics by storm – sending their more established and experienced opponents into panic mode. But beneath the grandiose wealth, the swagger of youth and the ability to charm crowds, can these young politicians really change the set political order? Can they inject something new and refreshing into our form…

By Kenyatta Otieno It is that season in Kenya where everyone and their dog become political analysts – good students of Mutahi Ngunyi and Prof. Edward Kisiangani combined. A while back, I bumped into a friend and as soon as the pleasantries were settled, he updated me about what was cutting in Mukurwe-ini. Renowned former University of Nairobi student leader Kabando wa Kabando had lost in the Jubilee Party nominations. This was a big surprise as Kabando is one of the leading lights in Jubilee Party. According to him, the electorate did not have a problem with Kabando and they…

By Mwendwa Chuma As far as women’s liberation goes in Kenya, one recent event stands out boldly, especially given our patriarchal political space: the ouster of William Kabogo, the current Kiambu Governor, during the Jubilee Party primaries. It was an event that in and of itself begs for attention as it was one in which one from the moneyed class was felled by a, relatively speaking, financially less endowed candidate, one Ferdinand “Baba Yao” Waititu, the current MP for Kabete Constituency. This was arguably a case of Kabogo losing rather than Waititu winning the coveted ticket. More important, however, which…

By Kenyatta Otieno This year’s general election has been shrouded by the dynamics of independence candidates. As parties grapple with a new phenomenon of people who may win seats by the knack of their individual abilities and potential, some serious matters are being swept under the carpet. We are avoiding the hard truths by taking meanders that massage our ethnic and political biases. In this miasma of ethnic arithmetic and political machinations, Uhuru Kenyatta and Evans Kidero are smiling all the way to the ballot. When Peter Kenneth announced his bid for Nairobi Governor, I went to a Nairobi suburb…

By Frederick Golooba-Mutebi Last month Rwanda’s ruling party, the Rwanda Patriotic Front, resoundingly endorsed Paul Kagame as its candidate in this year’s elections. A total of 1,029 delegates out of 1,030 voted for him. The missing vote was due to a spoilt ballot. There is speculation about who spoilt their ballot. Some are arguing it was the candidate, because he would not have wanted to be seen to vote for himself, given he had not entirely warmed up to the entire process that led to endorsement. Snippets of information from the inner sanctums of the RPF since 2013, when the…

By Isaac Swila They are both strikers, they are lanky in frame, they play in foreign leagues, they don the same hairstyles but on the pitch, their styles contrast as day and night. That is the mixed yet exciting tale of Harambee Stars lead strikers Michael “Engineer” Olunga and Jesse Jackson Were. In the last two years, Olunga has morphed into a key pillar in the national team while Were has been a peripheral figure; always in and out of the national set up. In most instances, if one is starting a match, the other warms the bench patiently waiting…

From the sky, it looks like an entire city is adrift in the Indian Ocean. A forest of tower-blocks rise above the emerald-coloured water while just a handful of trees poke through the canopy of concrete. For those living in Malé, the overcrowded capital of the Maldives, there is no choice but to build upwards. Caged by the sea, they have no more land to spread onto, yet the city’s population has soared by nearly 52% since 2006. The last census in 2014 counted 158,000 people crammed into the city’s 2.2 sq. miles (5.7 sq. km) of space, and officials say the…

By Isaac Swila Long before the emergence of betting and gaming firms, the Kenyan sports landscape was that of squalor. Not only was the industry financially starved but also clubs, federations and associations struggled to make ends meet. Cases of teams failing to honour championships and tournaments were commonplace – they still are. On the football scene, it was “usual”, or rather “normal” to find players trekking to training for lack of fare. Cases of others being locked out of their apartments for defaulting on rent payment were aplenty – they still are. Well, it’s not that the gaming industry…

BY LUKE MULUNDA Take a moment, if you like, and observe the next presidential political rally. Chances are you will see lots of hopeful people and hear loud propaganda and enticing campaign pledges. Take a keener look and you will identify the presence of money almost everywhere – from body wear, campaign paraphernalia, entertainment to the unseen logistical works. Elections are about financial might as much as political power. Every serious political party often has a financial war chest to fund its operations and campaign. In Kenya, 2017 is no exception. With a General Election billed to be decisive for…

By Dennis Ndiritu I Kennedy in  ‘Patients, Doctors and Human Rights’ (1998), Essays in Medical Law and Ethics, notes that the concept of consent operates as a unifying principle running through the provision of health care. It represents the legal and ethical expression of the human rights to have one’s autonomy and self-determination respected. The requirement that the patient’s consent be obtained operates as a constraint on the power of the healthcare professional. The issue of consent is tied to age as it is only with the attainment of the appropriate age as prescribed law that a child can be…