Author: NLM Correspondent

Most of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) consumers in the country are likely to be purchasing half-filled cylinders due to illegal gas refilling by dishonest traders. Government regulatory authorities and some dealers say that the problem is rampant in some areas in the country and that they are doing everything in their capacity to resolve it. As a result, such acts have since prompted the government of Kenya to ban the importation of gas from Tanzania through land routes. On Monday, Kenya’s Ministry of Energy banned imports of cooking gas through the common border – on land only – for now.…

Three international development agencies have come together to mobilise more than $1 billion (Sh100 billion) for power generation across Africa, including the 147MW Ruzizi III project that will supply electricity to Burundi, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda. The Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AKFED), its industrial and infrastructure development arm, Industrial Promotion Services (IPS) and CDC Group, the UK development finance arm, launched the joint power initiative with a promise to boost power generation, accelerate economic growth and benefit millions of people in sub-Saharan Africa. The partnership will focus on new power projects in greater East Africa…

The UN panel of experts for South Sudan has directed the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (Igad) member states to immediately impose travel bans and asset freezes on the country’s military commanders sanctioned by the Security Council last year. The UN Security Council sanctioned at least six commanders from both the government and opposition forces for committing gross atrocities since the onset of the war in 2013. The military commanders targeted were Major General Marial Chanuong Yol, who is in charge of presidential guards, Lieutenant General Gabriel Jok Riak and Major General Santino Deng Wol, all from government side. Fresh report…

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…