By Oscar Okwaro Plato Since the start of 21st century, HIV/Aids has increasingly become an “African disease”. The spectre of HIV/Aids, whenever mentioned, invariably points in the direction of Africa probably because of prohibitive, almost unbelievable statistics on the scourge. According to UNAIDS, since the epidemic began, more than 60 million people have been infected. It is the fourth biggest killer worldwide with an estimated of 28.1 million infected people in Africa. If we believe these figures provided by UNAIDS, the impact on socio-economic development and poverty alleviation has got to be huge. Africa entered the “HIV/Aids war” late…
Author: NLM writer
By Kenyatta Otieno They know about it but no one is brave enough to come out and declare their intent, because the king (Raila Odinga) still has one more arrow in his quiver. Coupled with a silent belief that the 2017 poll has either been bagged or bungled, depending on how you look at it, there are many under currents in ODM as a party, and Luo-Nyanza as a region. The recent drama in the Homa Bay Senate by-election, won by younger brother to the late Otieno Kajwang’, Moses, was the beginning of a battle that is bound to…
By Professor Chaloka Beyani The Commission on Administrative Justice (Office of the Ombudsman) recently hosted a high level annual meeting of African Ombudsmen in Nairobi from February 18-21 February. On February 26, barely a week later, the High Court handed down its decision in the case of The Republic of Kenya vs Vision 2030 Delivery Board and The Commission on Administrative Justice, Ex-Parte Eng. Judah Abekah. This decision and the proceedings of the annual meeting stand worlds apart as concerns the nature and role of the Ombudsman in the 21st Century. It is worth drawing on the insights of the…
By Phoebe Nadupoi As debate on impunity, corruption and maladministration rages, one thing is becoming more and more evident: our country is experiencing a governance crisis. One way in which this has been manifested is through the quality of our leaders. There are all manner of accusations; if it is not a claim of land grabbing, it is bribery or attempted rape. This has not only put on the spot the kind of leadership we have, but has also made conspicuous the sort of society we are. It has repeatedly been said, rightly so, that leaders are only as good…
BY YUVINALIS TONUI The much-touted reforms in the public service which initially promised to be the hallmark of the Jubilee administration’s first year in office appears to seem to have been swept under the rug. The loud silence around it in government quarters is perhaps indicative that the move was a long shot by the government of President Uhuru Kenyatta. All indications are that the recommendations made by the presidential taskforce on parastatal reform steered by presidential adviser and respected lawyer Abdikadir Mohammed and corporate executive Isaac Awuondo may not be implemented after all. This is largely due to…
BY DAVID WANJALA “Mr Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, my name is Paul Gathiomi Mwangi the new Member for Kipipiri… This being my first time to have a chance to speak in this House, I would like to thank the Kipipiri constituents for electing me their representative against all odds… because the whole government machinery was set to work against me, but through the grace of God I beat them all. I will never forget to thank the Opposition Members of Parliament for the sleepless nights… I would also not forget to thank the Kanu MPs for being inefficient, deficient…
BY HEDWIG MATANO The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) is desperately fighting for survival in the wake of damning corruption allegations levelled against its top brass, supremacy wars between commissioners and the secretariat and poor funding from government. At the heart of the woes bedevilling the anti-corruption body are a Sh2.6 billion bribe to top officials, and an attempted out-of-court deal to save one of the masterminds of the Anglo leasing scandal. Also playing out are reports that several commissioners and members of the secretariat are on an extortion spree from would-be corruption suspects to “sit on” investigation files, raising…
BY TNLM REPORTER When the chair of the Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission Mumo Matemu suspended Michael Mubea, the deputy chief executive, who is charge of Operations, on March 9, those in the know were not surprised by that action. Insiders and keen observers were in agreement that the suspension was informed by two imperative factors. First, two weeks prior to the suspension, the three commissioners of the commission – Mumo Matemu, Irene Keino and Prof Jane Onsongo – had gone for a retreat at South Coast in Mombasa without a single officer in attendance from the Secretariat. It was at this…
BY TNLM REPORTER The Supreme Court was to commence hearing an integrity case facing the chairman of the Ethics and Anti Corruption Commission Mumo Matemu on March 5. Six judges were ready to hear the case but the hearing was postponed because Chief Justice Willy Mutunga was indisposed. The case is considered so important to the standing and authority of the court that the judges felt the chief justice must be part of the panel that eventually hears the case. The country awaits the hearing with bated breath. Lawyers and legal scholars that the Nairobi Law Monthly spoke to…
By Alpha Femi Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission boss Mumo Matemu is a man under siege. And the question on everyone’s mind is how he will redeem himself and the fast fading image of the once-hunting institution turned hunted. A petition to the National Assembly seeking his removal from office alongside his deputy Irene Keino was the latest in a series of hurdles the anti-graft agency chief must contain and, at the same time, satisfy public thirst for the prosecution of individuals responsible for plundering taxpayers’ money. To say that Matemu’s every move and action is being monitored by the…
