Author: NLM Correspondent

The 2008-2009 global recession, African economies performed better than other developing countries, because of (a) higher commodity prices, which supported export earnings; (b) lower debt, which provided needed fiscal space, avoiding public sector layoffs; and (c) the resiliency of the informal sector, which continued to supply the domestic economy, maintaining incomes and consumption for the majority of households. Africa will not be able to count on these mitigating factors during the coronavirus crisis. Commodity prices are not favorable, fiscal space is extremely limited, and, as a result, the informal sector, where 60 to 80 percent of Africa’s labor force works,…

Covid-19 brings into stark relief a long-standing discourse on the role or derogations and claw-back clauses on the continent and now, more now than ever, clarity on this long-standing debate is needed. In response to Covid-19, countries in Africa have imposed total or partial lockdowns, in the process allowing authorities to take actions necessary to safeguard national security, maintain law and order, protect citizens’ lives and property, keep essential public services working, concentrate relief resources and direct them to the areas of greatest need, and in general to restore normality. While providing a degree of flexibility necessary to respond to…

By Constanze Stelzenmüller With the coronavirus requiring that states take quick action to protect their citizens, constitutional actors like courts, governors, and even citizens must be wary that pandemic responses do not morph into opportunities for authoritarians to solidify control. It has become a truism to assert that the pandemic highlights the enduring importance of the nation-state. What is less clear, but as important, is what it does to nation-states’ operating systems: constitutions. Constitutions provide the legal principles for the governance of states, and their relationships with civil society. They are the rule books that make the nation-state effective, legitimate…

BY SARA JAMES AND SARAH MIDFORD if recent television shows are anything to go by, we’re a little concerned about the consequences of technological development. Dystopian narratives abound. Black Mirror projects the negative consequences of social media, while artificial intelligence turns rogue in The 100 and Better Than Us. The potential extinction of the human race is up for grabs in Travellers, and Altered Carbon frets over the separation of human consciousness from the body. And Humans and Westworld see trouble ahead for human-android relations. Narratives like these have a long lineage. Science fiction has been articulating our hopes and…

Debates on the ‘father’ of African literature are patronising and sickening By Odongo Peter Why should African literature have a father? It seems the more we consider a matter settled, the more the matter keeps gazing at us. The issue of the father of modern African literature has been the subject of many literary debates, academic papers and even monographs. In an article in the Saturday Nation of 4th April 2020, Benson Otieno revisits this matter, with a forceful title dismissing claims that Achebe was the father of African literature. Otieno’s piece, ‘Why Achebe was not the father of African…

How it interrelates with offences relating to murder in Kenya By Cindy Rennys Miyoma Technology makes instant messaging possible. Because of this, a new area needed to be regulated by law and thus we had the laws relating to cyberspace and cybercrimes. However, there is an area that remains, in part, a ‘grey’ area. This is the question relating to virtual presence. When can words kill? What happens when our words or actions via the Internet cause or play a part in the death of another?  In the summer of 2017, Michelle Carter was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in…

BY Olukoye Michael Blogger Xtian Dela, runs on Instagram Live a show dubbed #clubcovid, hosted between 12:00 am and 4:00 am, during which time, upon invitation by the host, various women perform adult dances. They’re rated by other members of the public who can view the livestream and who determine how much of a token each should get from funds contributed to by viewers of the livestream. Dela was in April served a demand letter to cease the livestream on grounds that can be summed up as being based on obscenity and indecency laws as set out under Sections 181…

The Contours of International Prosecutions: As Defined by Facts, Charges, and Jurisdiction (Eleven International Publishing, 2016) explores the jurisdictional and factual boundaries of international prosecutions of core international crimes, i.e. war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide. By nature, such crimes have indistinct factual parameters. They generally occur on a massive scale, spread out over a large geographical area and a long time span, involving many perpetrators at various distances from the crime scene(s). These characteristics make international crimes difficult to demarcate from start (when determining the jurisdictional scope for the investigation in its earliest stage) to finish (when pronouncing the…

60pc of chief executives are preparing for a U-shaped recovery – a long period between recession and upturn – compared with 22pc who predict a double-dip recession. Global business leaders are preparing for a drawn-out U-shaped recession due to the impact of coronavirus and many fear their companies won’t survive the pandemic, a survey of thousands of chief executives showed last month. The pandemic sweeping the world has killed nearly 180,000 people, routed financial markets and could trigger the worst economic meltdown since the 1930s Great Depression. Around 60 percent of chief executives are preparing for a U-shaped recovery -…

By David Onjili The 2020 Civil Aviation (Unmanned Aircraft Systems) Regulatory Act was approved by the Kenyan Parliament in March, finally allowing Kenyans to purchase and operate drones legally. This is a major victory for photographers, videographers, businesses, medical suppliers and even those interested in mapping. The act stipulates a criteria which individuals and businesses have to fulfil in order to own and use drones within Kenya. The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) is mandated with issuing and monitoring the use of Unmanned Aircraft Vehicles. Before issuing a certificate, KCAA will ensure that the applicant’s need for license does not…