#StandardSettingKE

Oct 17, 2022
3 min

Cabinet Secretaries must come with new and consistent policy options

Tomorrow is World Food Day. With 4.2 million Kenyans facing acute food insecurity and 24 drought-stricken counties there is very little to celebrate. As Cabinet Secretaries prepare for their job interviews next week, they must come with new and consistent policy options for an increasingly hungry, impoverished, and distressed nation. First term Samburu Governor Lati Lelelit broke the news that one of his constituents died of starvation this week. His concerns have been echoed

Oct 9, 2022
3 min

Legal literacy will decongest police stations and prisons

Next year marks the 50th anniversary of legal aid in Kenya. As the Interior Ministry and the Office of the Attorney General reinvent themselves to meet the ambitions in the Kenya Kwanza Freedoms manifesto, they can do no better than investing in Article 48 of the constitution. Since those pioneering Kituo cha Sheria lawyers left their chambers for the informal settlements of Korogocho and elsewhere in 1973, legal empowerment programmes have transformed the lives of millions.

Oct 1, 2022
3 min

Not the shamba system but stronger forest governance systems is what we need

Last week’s column may have received an indirect scolding from Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua. Having corrected the Government’s position on reintroducing the shamba system this week, what can the DP, newly appointed Environment Cabinet Secretary Elect Senator Soipan Tuya and the Kenya Kwanza administration do next? This week, the Kenya Kwanza second in command argued the media had misreported his earlier statement calling for a return to the shamba system. He now argues h

Sep 25, 2022
3 min

Kenyan state must step up capacity to produce enough food urgently

The global food crisis punctuated most of the heads of states’ speeches to the UN General Assembly this week. The 77th session takes place as several nations stagger from the instability simultaneously driven by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, high cost of living and the climate crisis. Should we take comfort in the recent attention or brace from difficult times? Several twitterati were distracted from the President Ruto’s speech by the merits and demerits of teleprompters.

Sep 17, 2022
3 min

What the 5th must do to deliver 'real freedom' for all

As expected, President William Ruto’s inauguration was powerfully coordinated, attended by thousands, and watched by millions. Not losing an hour of his Presidency, his inaugural speech got down to business in one of the most executive first speeches a Kenyan president has ever made. What are the immediate platforms and pitfalls facing this young fifth administration? That the fifth administration faces major expectations was evident in who attended and stayed away. Sixty tho

Sep 10, 2022
3 min

13th Parliament must address the challenges facing Kenyans

The swearing in of 350 Members of Parliament and 67 Senators one week after the Governors inauguration, establishes the second of four arms of the Kenyan state. These two organs are among the nation’s most important oversight and legislative institutions. What must we demand of them? Very diverse parliamentarians are now responsible for debate, law-making and public accountability. They include teachers, comedians, criminal suspects and convicts, journalists, farmers, and inf

Sep 3, 2022
3 min

So, how was the Governors first week at work?

My attention was torn between watching the Supreme Court proceedings and the transitions unfolding across 47 county governments this week. With Fernandes Barasa and Abdulswamad Nassir elected in Kakamega and Mombasa, the Council of Governors is now complete. What are some of the early signs of leadership and opportunity? How do Governors and their Deputies avoid the predictable cycle of impeachment and the one term return home package? Leadership development advice for the fi

Sep 2, 2022
3 min

Holding governors to account and participating only way to stop state capture

In colourful ceremonies across the country, 45 very diverse governors were sworn in on Thursday. They will lead the third generation of county governments and justifiably, public expectations are high. Given rising living costs, concerns with inequalities and state capture, what must we demand of them? Over the last decade, the promise and transformative power of devolved governance has become clearer for many Kenyans. Where county governments have been a match for the fourte

Aug 19, 2022
3 min

Time for criminal justice reform?

Azimio la Umoja decision to petition last week’s election places another checkpoint on the Kenya Kwanza road towards a hustler nation. Given both party alliances’ commitments to a clean start for a justice system that still criminalises poor Kenyans, it is time to imagine what that might look like. Previous columns have explored the colonial roots of our criminal justice system. Laws, prisons, and procedures were designed to protect powerful and privileged members of the whit

Aug 12, 2022
3 min

The closest polls in Kenyan history?

This week saw the closest electoral race in Kenyan history. Avoiding broken nails, rising blood pressure and future post-electoral stress syndrome (PESS) will need self-care and respect for each other’s political choices over this weekend. What other insights can we make from our relatively open and competitive democracy? Elections day went relatively well as expected. Opening delays, failure of 200 KIEMS kits and the postponement of the Mombasa and Kakamega elections were fr

Aug 7, 2022
3 min

Time to exercise our right to vote

Like Commonwealth gold winner Ferdinand Omanyala, the sprint of 16,100 candidates comes to an end today. How have the political campaigns fared and what do we need in our election survival kit right now? For many, the childish question “Are we there yet? Enough already” resonates. It does feel like we have been in the state of a permanent election. Campaigns have dominated our news, neighbourhoods, and screens daily for over a year. While the campaigns and primaries have been

Jul 30, 2022
3 min

Digital democracies require fidelity to the truth

With elections related malicious content spiking on social media and a new Council for Responsible Social Media launched this week, perhaps its time to revisit what social media platforms, digital citizens and the algorithms are doing online. Code for Africa have recorded a 45 per cent increase in malicious online hate-speech across TikTok, FaceBook, Twitter, WhatsApp, and Telegram over July. Hateful hashtags have been allowed by the social media platforms and the Kenyan auth

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