Author: NLM Correspondent

By Seán Nolan, Hans Weisfeld and Klaus Hellwig Almost three years into the sharp drop of global commodity prices that started in mid-2014, economic conditions have become very difficult for many of the world’s 60 poorest countries — a group the International Monetary Fund refers to as “Low-Income Developing Countries” (LIDCs). As discussed in a recent report by the IMF, the situation is particularly challenging for commodity-dependent countries, which have seen tax and export revenues shrink markedly in response to lower commodity prices. With commodity prices expected to remain subdued over the medium term, more decisive policy changes will be…

Rev Dr Joseph Wandera On Wednesday, March 22, 2017, a lone driver made a daring attack near Britain’s House of Commons in London. Four people, including a 48-year old policeman, were killed, while 40 others were injured. London is city of tolerance, a multicultural crowded and dynamic place, qualities that attract many to live there. The attack aimed at tearing such diversity apart and filling people with fear and hate. The Islamic State claimed responsibility. In moments like these, it helps to step back and reflect on the repugnant nature of terror, for Britain has similarly exerted itself in the…

By Kenyatta Otieno In one of my articles in this magazine, I enumerated how the common man’s approach to the law makes the law look more foolish than an ass. I spoke about how I used to wonder if it is an “ass” or an “arse” until I came to my own conclusion. To the rich it is the animal ass (donkey) because in its foolishness, it can carry their burdens. To the poor it is the bottom (body part) because in its foolishness, at best, it will fart; at worst, it shits on them. Recently, Kenya Medical Practitioners and…

Dr Ng’ang’a Gĩcŭmbi Because of the paucity of life-stories of pioneer women educationists, especially during the exciting post-colonial period, Kenya’s literary and socio-cultural scene has become the poorer. It is a serious tragedy that many of our unheralded professional icons of the 1960s and 1970s, arguably Kenya’s golden era, are dying out, and many of them without penning down their memoirs or leaving behind documented evidence to help others write their stories for the sake of posterity! In advanced societies, innovative leaders in business, public service, industry, science and technology, take it as a sign of national pride and public…

Prefects are extremely powerful people at the Alliance High School. Next in line are house committee members, then a cabal of rich pretty boys. An English speaking horde, these rich boys are sons of ministers, judges and PSs who often join the system via the back door. Then there are the commoners – the ordinaries – young men from Turkana, Mandera and Pokot, where they came from affluent backgrounds; students who are just students, nice and humble also fall in this category. Teachers are virtually powerless, so prefects run the show – like a military camp. They have offices and…

In December 2016, during the Business Awards organised by KNCCi, attendees were pleasantly surprised when the Presenter announced that the new business of the Year was not a real estate or service company but a company doing Green Projects! Africa Plantation Capital, posting an amazing rate of growth, has succeeded in establishing a strong footprint in Kenya in just over a year. The man behind the wheel of Africa Plantation Capital is Kosta Kioleoglou. By Antony Mutunga It has been part of the agenda for the APC Group to establish operations in Africa before 2020. The Group was looking for…

By Dennis Ndiritu The establishment of the Health Bill 2016 sought to, among other things, establish a unified health system, and coordinate the inter-relationship between the national and county governments through regulation of healthcare services – the preamble of the Bill illustrated its intention to resolving the problems occasioned by devolution. From its objectives, we note that the Bill sought to address other previously unaddressed areas such as what constitutes the right to emergency medical treatment, integration of health providers at the national and county level, and distinguishing the role of health regulatory bodies and their significance with the policy…

BY KELVN NJUGUNA MUGWE On August 12 2016, thousands of Kenyans, largely from the Kikuyu community, thronged the Kasarani Stadium to attend the commemoration of one John Njogu wa Njoroge, then a renowned host of a popular Kikuyu station Kameme Fm. Among those in attendance were Central Kenya Members of Parliament. Surrounded by fellow cheerful tribesmen, three of the politicians allegedly made utterances in their native Kikuyu tongue that were tantamount to despicable hate speech. The three were the often-reckless Moses Kuria, the combative Ferdinand Waititu and Bahati constituency legislator Kimani Ngunjiri. Moses Kuria allegedly called for the assassination of…

By Shadrack Muyesu Through a petition (No. 399 of 2016), lawyer Gitobu Imanyara moved to court to challenge the constitutionality or otherwise of the provisions of Section 10 (2) of The Elections (Amendments) Act, 2016. This section provides, “The Commission shall, upon the request of a political party, conduct and supervise the nomination of candidates by the political party for presidential, parliamentary or county elections in accordance with Article 88 of the Constitution.” The petitioner also sought orders on the Constitutionality or otherwise of financing political party primaries from the exchequer, the Constitutionality or otherwise of the time frames set for the…

BY ALFA FEMI Auditor-General Edward Ouko’s recent and ongoing misfortunes are because actors in the Executive want to stop him from revealing of two high-profile scandals that government does not want exposed. Details have emerged about how senior members of the Executive hatched the plot to impeach the Auditor-General as a result of the “major scandals” he is investigating regarding excesses in government. Sources close to those behind the push to have Ouko ousted disclose that the idea was to keep the man – who has been at the centre of unearthing massive wastage and rip-off of public resources –…