BY Kenyatta Otieno The Kenyan sugar industry provides enough fodder for clumsy if well-funded movie. From where I sit, this mercury-and-copper-in-sugar story is utter rubbish; it is all about turf wars. Meanwhile, farmers in the western Kenya sugar belt from Mumias in Kakamega to Awendo in Migori live in destitution set deep in sugar plantations. Celebrated author Robert Kiyosaki in his book Rich dad Poor Dad talks about minding your own business, using fast food chain giant McDonald’s as an example. McDonald’s may not make the best hamburgers in the world, but they own the most valuable intersections and streets…
Author: NLM Editor
By payton mathau After a disastrous 2016, Africa woke to newer more complex ones in 2017: from drought that affected almost all of Sub-Saharan Africa ,to the economic standstill experienced in some countries that had general elections such as Kenya. Despite this, the rate of economic growth increased slightly from 1.7 percent in 2016 to 3.0 percent in 2017, according to the UN World Economic Situation and Prospectus report. Nonetheless, the rebound in economic fortunes has not been fast enough, which means African economies are still at risk; there is a lot of ground to cover, attributable to the fact…
By Payton Mathau Sometimes in mid-July, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) informed managers of State broadcaster, Kenya Broadcasting Corporation, of an investigation it was undertaking regarding a reported case of abuse of office and misappropriation of funds. A follow-up letter dated August 15 summoned former KBC managing director Waithaka Waihenya, acting managing director Paul Jilani, Finance manager, a Mr Momanyi, and two other staff members, Mrs P. Mogaka and Daniel Okoth, to record statements over abuse of office and misappropriation of funds. They were required to report to the DCI on August 21. While the July 20 and August…
By TNLM Writer “The crowning feature of any democracy is the supremacy of the Judiciary over all other branches of government, and the independence of the Judiciary to exercise its sovereign power as envisaged in the Constitution. Further, Separation of Powers is a fundamental doctrine from which the principle of judicial independence is entrenched. The Constitutional provisions on judicial authority including Article 160 of the Constitution 2010 and independence expressly dictate that in the exercise of judicial authority, the Judiciary shall not be subject to the control or direction of any person or authority. This is because the principles of…
By Okwaro Oscar Since the entry of Kenyan forces in Somalia, the threat of terrorism has grown in magnitude. It seems Operation Linda Nchi, while it weakened Al-Shabaab, also embittered them and brought terror war to our backyard. This obviously calls for change of tact by our military to meet menace. The solution is for the International Community to support Kenya, stabilise Somalia, freeze terrorist networks and help Somalia create a thriving economy, functional government and a successful educational system. The point then is that military operation is a temporary solution to terrorism. Although KDF disabled al-Shabaab, it did not…
By Fuad Abdirahman Abdi Mohamoud Omar was the President of the Ethiopian Somali region since 2005, his tenure lasting close to thirteen years. He rose to power for what his adherent’s term as a “cleansing” the region of the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF). Omar was commonly referred to as Abdiiley, which loosely translates to “one eyed” –it is common in Somali tradition for one to be nicknamed on the basis of any physical defects one may have. Interestingly, both his eyes worked well; it was his father who was one-eyed, but his nickname stuck with his son. Much of…
BY Alexander Opicho As one paper put it, “the changes are nothing short of seismic, proof that nothing remains the same forever… In just over 100 days, Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has taken radical steps aimed at dismantling the country’s troubled past and paving the way for a new future. After years of protests, state killings, ethnic violence, internet shutdowns, and emergency rules, the Horn of Africa nation has made an astonishing and promising turnaround for the better.” While many challenges stand in the way of Abiy after this honeymoon period is over, none presents a bigger challenge than…
By Emeka-Mayaka Gekara Deputy President William Ruto is a master of what philosopher Jacques Derrida calls kettle logic. This is a tendency to make multiple, contradicting arguments, in an attempt to prove a point. Derrida illustrates the case used by psychologist Sigmund Freud in The Interpretation of Dreams – a man accused by his neighbour of damaging a kettle he had borrowed. The borrower defended himself with three arguments, contradicting himself at every turn: that he had returned the kettle undamaged; that it was already damaged when he borrowed it; that he had never borrowed it in the first place.…
By Kenyatta Otieno The area formerly known as the Northern Frontier District is notorious for cattle rustling. In the past, cattle theft was conducted using spears, arrows and other crude weapons. Then government got the idea to arm home guards after the Shifta War; it proved disastrous. Later, the state of Somalia collapsed, and small arms became available to these pastoralists at very cheap prices. It was at this point that a small problem turned into a sophisticated, dangerous trade. In the beginning, the raids took a cultural pattern: young initiates conducted raids as a demonstration of their manhood, and…
By David Wanjala He speaks softly and pauses to listen whenever he is interjected, qualities someone speaking with him for the first time, more often than not, may mistake for weakness. Professor Kivutha Kibwana listens more than he speaks. And he lends an ear to just about everyone and everything, picking along the way valuable lessons and insights that a majority, especially those in his academic and political class would have no patience for. Behind the façade lies a meticulous, unassuming human being who hardened in the trenches of the struggle for multiparty democracy in the 1980s and 90s against…