Author: NLM Correspondent

The Law Society of Kenya has called for an independent High Court Division to exclusively deal with crimes against humanity. LSK President Isaac Okero said that the country must have mechanisms to protect citizens from recurrence of political violence and criminality after General Elections. He said that the country has a responsibility to establish and maintain institutions that deliver substantial justice. “The establishment of a functioning and independent High Court Division dealing with crimes against humanity is a step that would give despairing Kenyans hope,” Okero said. He said that people responsible for tampering with witnesses and political interference of…

By Otieno Kenyatta The saddest thing about negative ethnicity in Kenya is that it has infiltrated and reared its ugly head deep in the church. The naïve assumption is that the church will always rise above tribalism, but the reality is the same people who spew hate in the streets are the same ones who worship in the churches. This comes against the general uncomfortable reality of a church that will go to any lengths to water down any tribal talk within its ranks just to keep the boat afloat. An Anglican friend of mine once joked that you will…

The just-concluded voter registration was characterised by mass voter transfers, with close to 500,000 voters reported to have transferred to new polling stations. The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) described this as largely suspicious and indicated they were conducting an analysis to ascertain the reasons for the many transfers. The electoral body speculated the transfers could have been “motivated by change of residence” but we cannot also rule out the possibility of political mobilisation. There have been allegations of voter importation and zoning in a number of places. Two ethnic communities, for instance, accused each other of mobilising voters…

DR Tom Odhiambo Even though corruption has existed for as long as some men – and women – created institutions to rule over others, it has become excessive in this globalised era. It seems as if wherever one looks, there are individuals and groups who are perpetually conniving to steal from the public purse. It is as if these fraudsters, thieves, or as we uncritically call them here, the corrupt, tend to believe that what belongs to the public is actually theirs, to take and keep for themselves, their children, relatives, friends or communities. Kenya’s list of public scandals often…

By David Matende Last month, one of Africa’s most celebrated cartoonists, Godfrey Mwampembwa (Gado), was formally fired by his employer, Nation Media Group. The humourist had been in the cold since last year after his bosses forced him to take a sabbatical. His mistake? Lampooning East African leaders, particularly the flip-flopping President Uhuru Kenyatta. While the sacking of Gado is yet another sign that press freedom in Kenya is under threat, it at the same time a recognition of the potent power of political cartoonists in particular and of satire in general. The cartoonist has had a field day since…

By Nadrat Mazrui Sexual harassment refers to bullying or coercion of a sexual nature, or the unwelcome or inappropriate promise of rewards in exchange for sexual favours. It can include unwelcome sexual advances. In most legal contexts, sexual harassment is illegal. It is unlawful to harass a person (an applicant or employee) based on that person’s sex. In the workplace, harassment can be considered illegal when it is so severe that it creates a hostile or offensive work environment. The legal and social understanding of sexual harassment, however, varies by culture. In case of employment, the harasser can be the…

By Anthony Mutunga “By reading this article, one agrees to the following terms and conditions (T&Cs) which I stipulate one has to adhere to, a) in the presence of others, one will have to address everyone else only by their first names and nothing more; b) one has to give me (the writer) whatever they have in their pockets at the time of impact. By the fact alone that you read this article, under the law you are required to follow these terms…” This is unfair, right? Well unfair or not, if this was an online platform, and you agreed…

By Leonard Wanyama It was surprising to see the subtle announcement of changes in Kenya’s trade diplomacy structure so soon after the World Trade Organisation 10th Ministerial Conference (WTO-MC10) in Nairobi last year. A keen observer could not miss the transfer of international trade activities and functions to the Ministry of Industrialisation in evaluations of the conference. Considering the tone of celebration from the Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Amina Mohamed, this development could be perceived as a policy indicator that all may not have gone well in terms of agreements reached at the conference. Alternative perspectives of WTO-MC10 based…

A few years ago, I attended East African Community meetings, hosted by the EAC Secretariat as part of the Kenya delegation. One meeting sought to develop an action plan for preventing and combating corruption while the other was specialists from member countries to develop a draft protocol on good governance. During these meetings, participants lamented on the slow pace of progress, especially considering the subjects of discussion – anti-corruption and good governance – were issues that ordinarily one would not expect toil in finding points of convergence. It took us, for example, half a day to come up with a…

By Demas Kiprono February 2016 marked eight years since former President Kibaki and Raila Odinga signed the National Dialogue and Reconciliation Agreement. The “National Accord” sought to provide a peaceful solution to the political impasse and violence that had engulfed the country following the disputed December 2007 General Election that saw over 1300 people killed, thousands injured, many raped and maimed, and over 500,000 forcefully displaced from their homes. Through the agreement, the parties agreed to immediately work towards stopping the violence in order to restore fundamental rights and liberties; address the humanitarian IDP crisis, promote reconciliation, healing and restoration;…