Banditry has been on the rise in the Rift Valley region as conflict between different communities rises. In fact, a majority of youth in these areas have been persuaded into these banditry activities, coming off as a solution to the lack of opportunities in the region and Kenya as a whole. To tackle the issue, the county governments of Elgeyo Marakwet and West Pokot have come up with a plan to establish an institution to dissuade the idle youth from these activities. By establishing a Technical Training Institute (TTI) in Kapsait, West Pokot County, the two county governments are hoping…
Author: NLM Editor
Kenyan banks to continue reporting strong pre-impairment operating profits, sufficient to absorb a potential increase in the cost of risk in 2024. Kenya’s annual inflation is expected to ease to 6.8 per cent in 2024 and the monetary policy rate to follow the trend, the rating firm Fitch predicts in its African Banks Outlook 2024. Inflation peaked at 9.2 per cent in March 2023, and the Central Bank of Kenya increased the Central Bank rate by 175 basis point in the first half of 2023 to 10.5 per cent, the highest level for the past seven years. Fitch expects Kenyan…
Most business ideas and opportunities in Africa are borne from unmet market needs, highly-rewarding problems, and megatrends that are currently shaping the continent Despite rising food and fuel costs, weakening currencies, climate change effects, security threats, political instability, rolling power cuts, infrastructure limitations, and several economic and social challenges, Africa will be one of the fastest-growing regions in 2024. That’s one of the key findings in the 2024 edition of the Top 100 Business Opportunities in Africa to Watch, an annual selection of the continent’s most lucrative business ideas and investment opportunities curated by Activator HQ. Following two years of…
By Mike Smollan As per the Edge Global Insights Report 2023 – overall, this year’s retail industry has navigated the pandemic’s lingering effects, embraced digital transformation, addressed sustainability concerns, and tackled supply chain challenges. Coupled with the disentanglement of major market dynamics from the clutter, that is, supply chain disruptions, rising inflation, and the pros and cons of new tech, As well as making critical choices in the e-commerce space and pushing to deliver exceptional shopping journeys in the context of seamless omnichannel customer experiences. Undeniably, the FMCG retail trade remains under enormous pressure, with many retailers and brand owners…
Despite the veneer of progress, what does a historical critique of East Africa’s capitalist beacon reveal? By Wairimu Gathimba Just four years after independence, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga published Not Yet Uhuru, a seminal political treatise of the new country. 60 years after independence, and 56 years after its publication, one might argue that nothing much has changed. As a nation, we find ourselves still grappling with the question of how Kenya became free with the greater portion of the arable land controlled by a handful of owners even as millions are squatters on their ancestral land. Author and journalist Parselelo…
By Janet Remmington Noo Saro-Wiwa is a celebrated Nigerian-born travel writer. Her latest book is Black Ghosts. It explores, with candour and compassion, the lives of several African economic migrants living in China, a group of people who are key to trade between the continents. As a scholar of African travel writing and mobility, among other fields, I read the book with keen interest and then asked Saro-Wiwa more about it. Let’s start with the title: Black Ghosts. And the subtitle which outlines your focus: “a journey into the lives of Africans in China”. In your opening chapter, you introduce the reader to the…
By Frank Endong’a In the heart of Kenya’s arid expanse, where the echoes of conflict have resonated for decades, the persistent clash between the Pokot and Turkana tribes defies the simplistic narratives that have shrouded its true nature. This journalistic exploration peels back the layers of oversimplification, exposing the complexities that hinder meaningful resolution efforts. Background: Decades of Strife and Multifaceted Causes For generations, the Pokot-Turkana conflict has marred the landscapes with the sombre shadows of loss—of lives, property, and precious livestock. Diverse reasons, ranging from cattle raiding to disputes over regional boundaries (such as the ongoing struggle over Kapedo),…
BRICS has become quite important in global economic dynamics because of the combination of economic power they have. By Sofwan Arrasyid The global economy always moves in ever-evolving dynamics, every economic actor, whether countries, groups of countries, multinational private companies or international organizations, has a significant role. One group that is increasingly prominent in the world economic landscape is the BRICS: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. This group, consisting of countries with rapidly developing economies, has been the subject of great attention in the context of dedollarization, a shift away from the dominant use of the United States…
Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has been a man on a warpath, picking up fights with virtually anyone who dares to cross his path or comes his way. Whether it is a politician within the ruling Kenya Kwanza Alliance, a leader in the opposition, or even an ordinary citizen, Gachagua has not been one to shy away from speaking his mind and making his opinions known. Currently the country’s second most powerful and prominent politician, owing to his position as the deputy president, the DP has been a busy man. It all started soon after he assumed office when, to the…
Q3 2023, South Africa accounts for 28% of attacks on IoT devices that were detected by Kaspersky on the continent As organisations continue to become more digitised, throughout 2023 Africa remains one of the world regions most targeted by cybercrime. At a recent press conference in Johannesburg, Kaspersky shared some insights and statistics related to the regional threat landscape in the third quarter of 2023 and made forecasts on how the situation is going to develop in 2024. Web threats Web threats are Internet-based threats that expose people and computer systems to harm online. There was a 24% increase in…