By Antony Mutunga Since the period of the pandemic, companies around the world are yet to return to the norm. Despite recovery being underway, companies continue to struggle to hit the numbers they recorded pre-pandemic. The situation in Africa is similar as many companies look to several avenues to increase their revenues and recover. From diversification to integrating new technology to attract more customers, those to have survived the period of the pandemic in Africa have been on the offensive to bounce back. According to Africa’s Top 250 Companies in 2023 report by African Business, the combined market capitalization of…
Author: NLM writer
By Silas Apollo Life for the average Kenyan continues to be a struggle, with many now opting for cheaper communication and transactions to beat the harsh economic times. According to data released by telecommunication giant Safaricom, most Kenyans are now choosing easier and more affordable means of communication, such as messages over voice calls to survive. Most Kenyans are also taking up more loans and overdraft facilities to cater to their financial needs, a pointer to what could be an emerging trend in search of easy cash by those hit hardest by the economic hardship. By market share, Safaricom is…
By Seth Onyango Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Rwanda, and Tanzania are on course to post some of the strongest economic growth rates globally – a show of resilience in the face of troubling global headwinds. A robust combination of domestic policy reforms, increased investment and strategic sectors will mark those nations’ outstanding economic outcomes, according to the African Economic Outlook 2023. The countries are bright spots in a continental economy still shaking off residual pandemic shocks. Amid a flurry of global and local challenges, African economies are exhibiting impressive overall resilience, however, with average growth predicted to stabilise at 4%…
Governors are up in arms that Ruto is paying lip service to his devolution promises, and particularly miffed by the County Governments Bill, 2023 By Shadrack Sharu Muyesu The Controller of Budget recently confessed to having been coerced into authorizing payment of billions of shillings in the sunset days of Uhuru Kenyatta’s regime. This appeared to echo Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua’s sentiments on the massive plunder of public resources that defined that period. It comes amidst high inflation and an overwhelming debt burden that has forced many Kenyans to reduce their spending significantly. Ironically, the Controller of Budget is supposed…
By Marco Vatta and Megan Dinnie The world of intellectual property (IP) is undergoing a rapid transformation throughout Africa, and 2023 is gearing up to be an eventful year. There are numerous exciting trends to watch, ranging from the continued ascent of personalisation and individualisation, using data collection and the responses thereto in the digital age, to the expanding use of artificial intelligence. With this in mind, we review some of the high-impact intellectual property activities in Africa over the past year, especially those aimed at policy change and improving the protection of intellectual property rights across the continent. SA…
Forced to depend on Executive goodwill and lacking financial autonomy, constitutional commissions and independent offices have been forced, since day one, to act in subservience By NLM Writer Through Article 249 of the Constitution of Kenya, 2010, the framers had high ambitions for the constitutional commissions and independent offices (CCIOs). As such, in their wisdom, they charged the CCIOs with high responsibilities spelt out in Article 249(1) (a, b, c): protect the people’s sovereignty, secure observance by all State organs of democratic values and principles, and promote constitutionalism. Article 249(2) states that the framers deemed it fit to protect the…
Kenya Power has a less-than-logical reason for paying millions of dollars to a government agency for a controversial power plant Recent revelations from the Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy Corporation (Rerec) that it sells power to Kenya Power (KP) in dollars left senators and the public in utter disbelief. Rerec CEO Peter Mbugua told a Senate Committee the agency sells 54.65 megawatts of power generated by Garissa Solar Power Plant to Kenya Power in dollars. Mbugua said the company will continue charging KP Sh7.4 ($5.09 cents) per kilowatt-hour for the next 20 years, explaining that the electricity company owes them…
Navigating political and economic challenges is no walk in the park, even by Ruto’s standards By Silas Apollo President William Ruto faces a delicate balancing act to deliver on his mandate and that of his government, with new challenges now promising to derail the implementation of some of his policies and agenda. Over the last few days, the Head of State has been under intense pressure over some of the key decisions and policy statements that his administration has made, even as he tries to navigate both the political and leadership storms that his administration currently faces. At the top…
By Silas Apollo The National Assembly’s decision to adopt a bi-partisan approach towards addressing the two-thirds gender principle is the latest attempt by legislators to address the elusive gender parity in government. The National Assembly, under the leadership of the Leader of Majority Kimani Ichung’wa, said that it would use a collaborative method from both sides of the House to enact gender representation. According to Mr Ichung’wa, the decision follows a meeting with female legislators and leaders across the country over the failed implementation of the constitutional threshold in leadership, especially in Parliament and other government positions. “Parliament is ready…
By David Wanjala The Constitution established the Senate strictly to entrench Devolution. According to Art. 96 of the Constitution of Kenya 2010, the Senate represents the counties and serves to protect the interests of the counties and their governments; it participates in the law-making function of Parliament by considering, debating, and approving Bills concerning counties and, lastly; it determines the allocation of national revenue among counties, and exercises oversight over national revenue allocated to the county governments. Save for Sub Sec. 4 of Art. 96 that apportions the Senate’s role of overseeing State officers by considering and determining any resolution…