Author: NLM Correspondent

As the election day approaches, politicians are having a field day as the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) remains handicapped in implementing the Electoral Code of Conduct. A High Court decision that found that declared the Electoral Code of Conduct Enforcement Committee unconstitutional, and that the committee has no powers to summon offenders, has led politicians to do as they wish, aware that the only avenue the High Court left of punishing those who breach the Code will take too long to bother them. The High Court directed that IEBC refers any cases of breaches to the Electoral Code…

A report released by the Petroleum Institute of East Africa (PIEA) has cited the current political uncertainty as one of the main issues that will affect the petroleum industry resulting in high prices in the coming days. PIEA together with the NCBA Bank yesterday addressed trade issues that will affect the industry including the high and rising domestic inflation and the strengthening of the US dollar that is impacting the cash flow. Speaking during a briefing at a Nairobi hotel, the Ministry of Petroleum and Mining Principal Secretary (PS) Mr Andrew Kamau, stated that the government’s plan to raise gas to…

By NLM Writer On May 23, 2022, the High Court at Nairobi in CONSTITUTIONAL PETITION NO. E495 OF 2021 (A.C Mrima, J) declared that under the Kenyan constitution and laws, the police cannot prefer charges against accused persons nor can they prepare a charge sheet. The power of the police begins and ends with investigations into criminal offences. They may make recommendations to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) but have no power to prosecute or draft charges. The court declared that prosecution of criminal offences in Kenya must only be undertaken by lawful Prosecutors, being the DPP or other…

By Prof John Harbeson The United Nations-sponsored Sustainable Development Goals were established in 2015 with its clearly articulated overall objective of “leaving no one behind” in the quest to overcome all dimensions of poverty to the maximum extent possible by 2030. The SDG project has been a greatly expanded successor to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) with the same objective during the first fifteen years of the new century. In mid-2022, the life of the SDG project is at its midpoint, an appropriate time for a review of the project’s achievements, remaining challenges and prospects for meeting the seventeen over-arching…

It is silly season again. Next month, Kenyans head to the polls to elect their political leaders for the next five years. It is the season that common sense takes leave from us. We shall conduct the periodic ritual of sending all manner of characters to represent us in the august houses, both in the counties and at the national level. As is the norm, Kenyans will pick their worst sons and daughters, and then cry until the next cycle. Someone lied to us that democracy is an end in itself. Is it? For democracy has turned Africa into the…

By Paul Okanda The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted many economic sectors and allowed a number of them to accelerate their hitherto slow adoption of information technology systems for efficient service delivery. One of the showcase emerging sectors remains the education industry with the adoption and use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in education systems, popularly known as “EdTech”. Global bodies such as the World Bank Group have stepped up engagements and support to help countries leverage EdTech investments to develop resilient hybrid learning systems. Locally, due to pressures occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic, it is increasingly evident that the…

BY JACOB OKETCH The Gift of the Night by Joseph Situma is not only a story with an intricate plot but also multiplicity of characters and an elaborate thematic concern. The author seemingly wanted to address a number of issues in one piece. It is a story centered on Jacob Mwambu, the main character whose life takes a turn for the worst after he is accused of murdering his parents and two other people. Readers are glued to the story because of the twists and turns that occur in Mwambu’s relationship with his Russian wife and his wife’s relationship with…

By Prof Hubert Gijzen The United Nations Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development offers an ambitious vision for achieving “Sustainable Development” by eradicating poverty, fighting inequalities and tackling climate change through the 17 integrated goals that cover a wide range of social, economic and ecological issues the world faces today. Key among these Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is goal number 4 which aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong learning. SDG 4 plays a strategic and catalytic role for the advancement of all other SDGs. At the global level, UNESCO coordinates the international community to achieve the “education…

By Anthony Mutunga Things got worse for the healthcare industry across the world because of Covid-19 crisis. A Reuters’ May 2020 survey established that African nations, for instance, faced a surge of coronavirus cases with most hospitals having less than one intensive care bed and one ventilator per 100,000 people. It needed a miracle to get out of the ugly situation. For months, most countries lacked the capacity to nit only test for the virus but also trace contacts and isolate the confirmed, and suspected cases. Vaccines were also hard to come by – African countries were forced to depend…

Shareholders of agricultural firm, Kakuzi, have begun to enjoy the company’s diversification fruits as plans to broaden revenue streams continue to be scaled up, chairman Nicholas Ng’ang’a says. Speaking at the firm’s 94th Annual General Meeting (AGM) held virtually last month (May), Mr Ng’ang’a assured the shareholders that strategic plans had been activated to accelerate and enhance shareholder returns by diversifying the variety of produce delivered to both the domestic and international markets. Shareholders unanimously voted for a Sh22 dividends per share, representing a 22% growth from the Sh18 per share paid out the previous year, continuing to make the…