Author: NLM Correspondent

By Jane Wachira “In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act” – George Orwell During the Nairobi International Trade Fair 2014, President Uhuru Kenyatta honoured as Farmer No. 1 a small-scale farmer from Kirinyaga County, Falaciah Kinyua, in the women’s category. Falaciah was over herself with joy having received recognition from the highest office in the land. During her interview with Nation Media Group’s Saturday Nation, she could not hide her excitement. Falaciah said she could not believe that it was the President who was telling her “congratulations”. Ever since, Inooro FM, a vernacular radio…

By Kenyatta Otieno When Cord announced it would hold demonstrations every Monday to push the Jubilee government to agree on an extra-legislative process to reform the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), one man was noticeably missing in action. The once-vibrant Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) youthful secretary-general Ababu Tawfic Namwamba was nowhere to be seen. Nicknamed generali (the General) for his oratory and mobilisation skills, Ababu’s political story may be coming to an end even before it fully begins. In early 2008, as Kenya smouldered in the fire of post-election violence, Ababu caught the eye of nation. The swearing-in of…

By Vincent Chahale After the Judiciary drama two months ago, the climax of which was the retirement of Chief Justice Willy Mutunga, the nation is back to its “national sport” – politics. In less than fifteen months, the country will be conducting a general election. In the long walk to this election, several Kenyans will present themselves for candidacy to occupy the Office of the President. The intention and reasons for running will be varied. Some candidates will be seeking to realise a long-nursed passion. Some will seek momentary glory, which will be discarded as soon as serious candidates make…

By Kenyatta Otieno There is always the nagging feeling that an unravelling saga will be tragic but our conditioning to hope even against hope itself pushes the thought out of our minds. When human rights lawyer Willie Kimani, his client Josephat Mwenda and taxi driver Joseph Muiruri disappeared after attending court in Mavoko on June 23, I hoped for the best; but knowing Kenya, I also expected the worst. Two days later, their bodies were found stuffed in gunny bags and dumped in Athi River in Oldonyo Sabuk on the border of Machakos and Kiambu Counties near Thika. Kenyans, especially…

South Sudan’s civil war is supposed to be over. In April, after more than two years of conflict that killed tens of thousands of people, the opposition leader, Riek Machar, returned to Juba with nearly 1,400 troops to resume his post as the vice president to his wartime rival, President Salva Kiir. To steady South Sudan, the world’s newest nation, Kiir and Machar formed a transitional government, and for months soldiers from both sides of the conflict endured a tense coexistence in Juba. Then, on July 7, a checkpoint shoot out between the rival sides ended in the deaths of…

Prof. John Harbeson The British vote to exit the European Union may turn out to be the defining event of the first decades of the 21st Century. This may be true for many reasons – some of the more important implications may become visible only over the course of the several years it will take to complete the negotiations on withdrawal. My hunch is that no matter how the negotiations turn out, the fall-out from the vote may have fundamentally important implications for an already profoundly changing global economic and political order, including for African countries’ positions in that evolving…

2016 has seen Kenya play host to a number of foreign dignitaries and high profile conventions. However, any joy we may derive from our status as a burgeoning regional hub comes juxtaposed with the sad reality of heavy traffic snarl-ups, particularly whenever these guests are around. For a city that looses millions daily due to congestion, such times can only mean double or even triple up of these losses. Does the economic benefit of hosting these personalities (or events) outweigh the daily losses in revenue we suffer then? Successive governments have been elected to office on the promise of addressing…

REPUBLIC OF KENYA IN THE SUPREME COURT (Coram: Mutunga CJ&P, Ibrahim, Ojwang, Wanjala and Njoki SCJJ.) CIVIL APPLICATION NO. 11 OF 2016 BETWEEN HON. (LADY) JUSTICE KALPANA H. RAWAL……….……..APPLICANT AND 1. JUDICIAL SERVICE COMMISSION……… 2. THE SECRETARY, JUDICIAL SERVICE RESPONDENTS COMMISSION…………………………………………. 1. OKIYA OMTATAH OKIOTI…………………………. INTERESTED PARTY 1. INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION OF JURISTS 2. KITUO CHA SHERIA AMICUS CURIAE 3. LAW SOCIETY OF KENYA AND CIVIL APPLICATION NO. 12 OF 2016 BETWEEN 1.JUSTICE PHILIP TUNOI…………………………… APPLICANTS 2.JUSTICE DAVID O. ONYANCHA………………… AND 2 1. JUDICIAL SERVICE COMMISSION……… 2. THE JUDICIARY……………………. RESPONDENTS THE LAW SOCIETY OF KENYA……………………………………………………….3RD AMICUS CURIAE RULING OF MUTUNGA CJ…

REPUBLIC OF KENYA IN THE SUPREME COURT (Coram: Mutunga CJ & P; Ibrahim, Ojwang, Wanjala & Njoki, SCJJ) CIVIL APPLICATION NO. 11 OF 2016 HON. (LADY) JUSTICE KALPANA H. RAWAL ……………………………. APPLICANT VERSUS JUDICIAL SERVICE COMMISSION …………………………….….… 1ST RESPONDENT THE SECRETARY, JUDICIAL SERVICE COMMISSION ……………………………………………………………..…. 2ND RESPONDENT OKIYA OMTATA OKOITI ……………………………………….. 1ST INTERESTED PARTY LAW SOCIETY OF KENYA ……………………………….……. 2ND INTERESTED PARTY INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION OF JURISTS (K) ……..….1ST AMICUS CURIAE KITUO CHA SHERIA ………………………………………………….. 2ND AMICUS CURIAE RULING OF MOHAMMED IBRAHIM, JUSTICE OF THE SUPREME COURT INTRODUCTION [1] The genesis of these matters now before the Court is the…

By Phoebe Nadupoi Every time I see media clips of senior government officials making their hands dirty as they launch this or that youth project – often in informal settlements – I light up with hope. But, almost always, the optimism does not last. Such projects are often hampered by myriad issues, including poor management and deep-rooted corruption. This, unfortunately, mirrors the reality that characterises management of our youth constituency. Youth are the hope of any given society. It, therefore, follows that a society that invests in its youth secures its future. The converse is also true. It is established…