Author: NLM Correspondent

By Boniface Ushie, Sarah Casey and Terry McGovern The Mexico City Policy – often referred to as the “Global Gag Rule” – is a US government policy that requires non-governmental organisations that are not based in the US and that receive US global health assistance to certify that they will not provide, refer for, counsel on, or advocate for abortion as a method of family planning. The rule also applies to any non-US funding that the organisation may receive. The policy was rescinded by President Obama in 2009 but then reinstated and expanded by President Trump in 2017. While prior…

By Ndung’u Wainaina Covid-19 has grave implications for the entire world. Kenya, as with many others, has been adversely impacted by a catastrophic ‘double burden’: a health and economic crisis. Clinical, epidemiological, and laboratory knowledge for the control of the coronavirus indicate that humankind will have to “live with the virus”, and operational strategies rapidly need to recalibrate from containment to mitigation. Emerging evidence indicates that the pandemic has worsened existing health inequities, and public health measures need to make that concern central. Although the global community is collaborating and sharing information on COVID-19, it is the sole responsibility of individual governments to formulate…

By Tsion Tadesse Abebe and Hafsa Maalim Two key partnerships will be negotiated in 2020 between the European Union (EU) and Africa, making this a crucial year for both continents. One is the post-Cotonou agreement within the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States, and the other is the Africa-EU strategy. In relation to the Africa-EU strategy, the EU released a communication in March, ahead of the scheduled October African Union (AU)-EU summit. The document proposed five priority areas: green transition and energy access, digital transformation, sustainable growth and jobs, peace and governance, and migration and mobility. The communication noted…

By Job Mwaura Is there justification to harbouring thoughts that tie accelerated violent extremism to refugee immigration? This dilemma is founded on events that have been experienced in France, Germany, the United Kingdom and United States of America among others, which have recorded increased acts of terrorism in recent times. No doubt, there has been an increase in refugee numbers in the past decade. In 2016 alone, some 65.6 million people were forced out of their native countries, according to a global study on displacement trends carried out by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR). The global events…

By Cory Rodgers, Jade Siu and Olivier Sterc Humanitarian organisations – such as the World Food Programme (WFP) – are increasingly using cash transfers as a way of assisting vulnerable people. Conventionally, humanitarian organisations procure food or other goods and distribute it directly to recipients. But cash transfers allow people to choose and purchase what they need for themselves. They are widely praised for enhancing autonomy, reducing costs, and boosting local markets. And this has encouraged their use. For instance, in 2019, the WFP distributed $2.1 billion transfers to 27.9 million people. Cash transfers come in many forms, such as mobile money or transfers into…

By Kibe Mungai The recommendation by Chief Justice David Maraga to President Uhuru Kenyatta to dissolve Parliament on account of its alleged failure to enact legislation to implement the two-thirds gender rule is traceable to Section 59 of the former Constitution, which empowered the President to dissolve Parliament thereby triggering a general election. Under this provision, Article 261(8) of the 2010 Constitution was enacted to provide for the dissolution of Parliament in the event of its failure to pass the legislation required to implement the new Constitution. Under Article 27(9) “the State shall take legislative and other measures to implement…

By John Stremlau African scholars and policymakers face a tough challenge in analysing how the US presidential election on November 3rd might affect Africa-US relations. This is because of the extreme polarisation of politics that has been growing for decades in the US. Simultaneous national crises have made matters worse. These suddenly erupted over the handling of the coronavirus pandemic, its impact on the economy, and fresh evidence of white racism towards black Americans. In a deeply divided America, four clusters of political political conflicts arise over issues of national identity, sustainable democracy, international relations and electoral integrity. Crises in public health,…

By Kabando wa Kabando UhuRuto was a timely, necessary but, ultimately, unholy, rickety and leaking alliance replete with indecent indulgences and pretentious camaraderie that clouded gross governance indiscretions.  The duo’s pact, with the unequivocal support support of their constituencies, was specifically to repulse the ICC threat, unite to end the Kalenjin-Kikuyu political hatred, and, in the process, realize Uhuru’s goal to be President as well as to give Ruto something to focus on for journey ahead.  All these objectives were duly achieved. However, the rosy manifesto we launched in Kasarani in 2013 became just that, a precious rose in the Jubilee Party…

The United States is planning to bar East African students from pursuing degrees in the US by limiting their stay in the country. The move, contained in proposals by the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), will see students from a majority of African countries barred from getting student visas longer than two years. This means that the students will be unable to pursue education in American universities where degrees and other certifications take about four years of study. “If DHS’s new proposed rule goes through, international students from countries like Nigeria, Kenya, Vietnam, and the Philippines would be…

The OPEC Fund for International Development (the OPEC Fund) has signed a $20 million term loan in favor of East African Development Bank (EADB). EADB will use the loan to support small- and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) and infrastructure projects in East Africa. SMEs account for more than half of EADB’s portfolio. They play an important part in development, driving economic growth and employment opportunities in East Africa and in developing countries more generally. The bank is expanding its resource mobilization activities to meet the growing financing needs of SMEs. “We are very pleased to support private sector development in East…