Author: NLM Correspondent

By Tom Odhiambo To hope for good all the time is natural to humanity; to live with misfortune is humanity’s fate. Even when life is so rough, human beings tend to imagine that the next second, minute, hour, day, month or year, will be better. However, because human beings have little control over what happens in that second or year in future, they often have to endure disappointment when hope ends up as a thin thread, not much to hold onto and often it cuts, leaving one hopeless. Literature teaches its readers that this state of affairs is to be…

In the United States the median age at which colon cancer strikes is 69 for men and 73 for women. In Chad the average life expectancy at birth is about 50. Children who survive childbirth — and then malnutrition and diarrhoea — are likely to die of pneumonia, tuberculosis, influenza, malaria, AIDS or even traffic accidents long before their cells accumulate the mutations that cause colon cancer. In fact, cancers of any kind don’t make the top 15 causes of death in Chad — or in Somalia, the Central African Republic and other places where the average life span peaks…

By Phoebe Nadupoi I like new beginnings. That is what the New Year means to me; an opportunity to begin all over again! If the previous year was bad, there is an opportunity to turn things around. If it was good, there is a chance to make better.  As we step into the New Year, it is important to reflect on the events that shaped 2015, to understand what we should bolster in 2016 and what must we bury in the sea of forgetfulness. Here is my recollection of what defined 2015. As good practice dictates, I will begin with…

World leaders should tax carbon emissions if they want institutional investors to commit their assets toward clean energy projects, according to a top environmental adviser to U.S. money managers. Mindy Lubber, president of Ceres, a non-profit group that pushes investors to pay attention to the financial risks of climate change, says forecasts of energy-related investments over the next few decades demonstrate why this is important. In a sign of the energy industry’s priorities, the sector is forecast to invest more money in oil and gas supply over the next 25 years than in projects that would increase energy efficiency, according…

These are peculiar times. On the one hand, uttering the words, “criminal justice reform” is an invitation to what a friend once described as a state of heated agreement. As I have often described, and as all can see, there is an accelerating recognition that the criminal justice system is badly broken and in desperate need of repair. This is strange enough, given the long and enduring enthusiasm for punishment and demonisation in this country. Even more curious is the satisfaction the chattering class seems to derive from declaring, again and again, how bad things have become. The declaration seems…

BY ANN ASUGAH The Supreme Court of Kenya is established under Article 163 of the Constitution of Kenya, with exclusive original jurisdiction to determine disputes relating to the election of the President. The Court also has appellate jurisdiction to hear appeals from the Court of Appeal, as a matter of right, in matters of Constitutional interpretation and application, and appeals where a matter has been certified as one of general public importance, commonly known as GPI. The certification of any matter as one of GPI may be reviewed by the Court, which may affirm, vary or overturn such a decision.…

By Herman Omiti Article 160 (5) of the Constitution provides that “A member of the Judiciary is not liable in an action or suit in respect of anything done or omitted to be done in good faith in the lawful performance of a judicial function.” The rationale behind this provision is to ensure that judicial officers are free to adjudicate on matters before them without unnecessary fear or favour. This constitutional protection, however, does not give judicial officers the freedom to hide behind the Constitution to insulate themselves from taking responsibility in cases where the judge is found to have…

By Charles Khamala Before the International Criminal Court intervened in Kenya, mass violence at elections was an accepted sociological fact. This character of ethnic violence is confirmed in various official reports, including the Akiwumi Report on Tribal Clashes, 1999, The Waki Report into Post-Election Violence, 2008, and the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights Report, 2008, entitled “Kenya: The Cry of Blood-Report on Extra-Judicial Killings and Disappearances”. One common assumption is that mobilisation of electoral violence is based on ethnic loyalty, rather than economic inducement. This inherent criminalisation of Kenyan politics argues that ethnic groups are intransigent. It is only…

By CPM Our ethnic diversity has constantly worked against the progress of the country. If we are to use it as a strength, what kind of change should we make in our understanding of ethnic diversity? I have always believed that it is not ethnic diversity per se that is the problem, but the abuse of ethnic identity to advance selfish, personal interests. Ethnic diversity can actually be a source of strength in a country, as it can promote multiculturalism and tolerance. In countries such as Canada, and even Britain, to some extent, there is a belief that ethnic diversity…

By Caroline Theuri Despite a highly volatile shilling during the year, and a persistent rise in commodity prices, Kenya’s economic growth rose in the third quarter of 2015. According to data by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country in that quarter was 5.8 per cent last year, compared to 5.2 per cent during a similar period in 2014. However, this growth was 1.0 percent lower when compared to the third quarter of 2013. The KNBS report cites agriculture, construction, financial and insurance as the main sectors driving this growth in 2015. These sectors were…